HELP ASAP! SW can you pick seats using DING???

[loveysbydesign]

Help...1st time trying to book airfare on SW using DING. Can I pick our seats? It'll be me, dh and kiddos ages 3 and 7. I'm at the PURCHASE page, already picked dates and times. Says I need to enter passanger info. and cc info...shows nothing about seat...can you help? I don't want to purchase and not be able to sit with my kids!!!

 

[rgf207]

YOu can't pick seats at all on Southwest. It is all open seating. You just sit in empty seats on the plane.

 

[loveysbydesign]

YOu can't pick seats at all on Southwest. It is all open seating. You just sit in empty seats on the plane.

OK, so we will be able to sit together???? ...since they let people with kids on first? Sorry if my ? is silly but we've never flown before!!!!! I'm really nervous about booking, but the price is great! Anyone with kids flown on SW before/

 

[loveysbydesign]

BUMP>>>>anyone flown SW with kids...could you get window seats?

 

[Aneille]

The allow children under the age of 4 to board first I believe. You can also print your boarding pass 24 hours before your departure to get an "A" pass. You and your family will be some of the first people on board then even if you don't pre-board.

I have never flown SW with my kids, my husband has but on ever other airlines they want the child with carseat on the inside in case of emergencies so I can't see why SW would be different.

I think the worst case scenario for your family would be you and your DH split up each with 1 child.

 

[Tinkaroo]

If your children are under the age of 4, they will let 2 adults pre-board with them - if the family is larger, the rest will have to board according to their boarding group.

When you check-in with SWA, you will receive a boarding pass with your boarding group listed - A, B, or C, with A getting on first, and so forth. You can check-in online for SWA and print your boarding passes as early as 24 hours before your departure.

If you're preboading, there is absolutely no question that you will all get to sit together, and at least one of your children can get a window seat. The SWA planes are 737's, and have 3 seats on each side.

If you can't preboard, I highly recommend you check-in online the day before, so you can get an A or B boarding pass. You shouldn't have any problems.

We love SW!!!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Going to and from Orlando, Southwest often does not allow families with small children to preboard, since SO many groups would qualify.
You can check in online 24 hours in advance of your flight. Doing so generally gets you "A" group boarding passes which means you are among the first forty or so passengers to board - assuming the flight originates at your home airport. Even if the four of you can't sit together, probably two and two of you can. And so probably you can get a window seat.

eta: Picking up on Tinkaroo's post - you probably won't know if you can preboard until you get to the airport. Absolute easiest and smartest route is to check in online the day before.

 

[loveysbydesign]

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!! I have just bought our family of 4 roundtrip tickets from Philly to Orlando in May for $368.40 total! WOW....I am so excited now! I'm soooooo glad I waited, as we were gonna fly Allegiant Airlines from Allentown to Sanford, but it would have cost us $300.00 more! WDW here we come!!!!!

 

[elmo2wdw]

We have never had a problem pre-boarding at MCO. But ...I always get our boarding passes 24 hours ahead of time at the resort guest services desk...just in case.Have a great time!

 

[goofy4tink]

When I flew SW last August, from Providence, and from Orlando back to TFGreen, there were a ton of preboarders. There were families with only one child that qualified as preboardable, but as many as 8-9 other family members boarded with them. My dd and I were about 8th in the line for A passes, and we finally found a window and middle seat together about 4 rows behind the wing.
So....be sure to check in as early as you can, on-line, in order to get the A boarding passes. You should be able to snag some window, and adjoining seats, easily.