HELP Southwest boarding pass

[shellyp]

Just checked the family in and was able to get boarding passes for 4 of us. One person's name said not available must check in at airport. I called Southwest and they said not everyone is eligible. What the heck is that about? Customer support wouldn't give me any explanation. Are some people just randomly selected to have to check in at the airport?

 

[KSDisneyDad]

That's unusual. Here are the requirements to be eligible for on-line check in:

To use Online Checkin @ southwest.com and print your Boarding Pass, you must:

- Be age verified if traveling on Senior, Youth or Child, or Infant** fares.

- Check in beginning 24 hours prior to your scheduled departure

- Check in at least one hour prior to your scheduled departure

- Have a Ticketless reservation

- Be checking in for flights that have not already departed

- Have purchased an eligible fare type (Customers holding reservations for group or military fares, and those requiring an additional seat must proceed to the airport for checkin)


** This only applies to infants traveling on an Infant fare. If you are traveling with an unticketed child younger than two years old, you must provide proof of age and receive a Boarding Verification Document at the ticket counter prior to proceeding to Security Checkpoint.

If your reservation does not qualify for Online Checkin, you may still be able to print a Security Document.

Are you travelling with anyone who purchased their ticket using a special rate such as senior, infant, military, etc.?

Let us know as we always fly SW and have never had this issue.

 

[Debbie-TN]

That's weird. That's never happened to us before. Anything special about them? We even have to have assistance with a wheelchair and never had to do that. Let us know. It will be interesting to find out why they did this.

 

[Jestocost]

This also can mean that one passenger has been randomly selected for additional screening or shares a name with someone on the "no fly" list. If this is the case, they will have to check in at the airport and likely will have to jump through some extra security hoops, such as a pat-down search/wanding and having their bags inspected by hand.

 

[shellyp]

There is nothing unordinary about them. No special rate/disabiity. Reservations were all made together. The lady at Southwest just kept repeating not everyone can check in online. She wouldn't give me any reasons. Guess we better go early just in case there is a problem.

 

[KSDisneyDad]

The only "good" news is that if the one person is in a different boarding group, I've found that it's fairly easy to save a seat as long as you don't sit in the first few rows. No one wants those middle seats.

 

[ktlm]

This happened to us. Is it a senior or other special fare? My Mom did a senior fare and because she was not a member of their rapid rewards program (which would have verified their age), she had to go to the airport to check in so that they could verify her age. She immediately went to the airport after I tried to get her boarding pass and couldn't. They got her checked in no problem, and got her registered for rapid rewards so that she wouldn't have the problem on the way back.

 

[ktlm]

I see that you don't believe there is any type of special fare. I'm assuming you were trying to check in the day before your flight online. If you live anywhere close to the airport, I would recommend that the person they would not check in go to the airport TODAY, to get their boarding pass, so you don't run into any delays or problems tomorrow. You might not have any trouble anyway, but I'd want to get it resolved today if possible. That's what we did.

 

[dawnball]

There are some obvious reasons to not be able to check in online, like a lap child where they have to verify age.

However, for an ordinary adult traveler - they most likely have a 4-S (SSSS or Secondary Security Screening Selection) boarding pass. I'd allow an extra hour for security screening, if you're traveling through a smaller airport. Major airports get enough 4-S screenings that it's not such a production, but last time my husband was 4-S'd at our local airport it took them 35 minutes to get the person who could do the screening to our security gate. The actual screening is not a big deal though - you go through the puffer, they hand search your bags, explosives wipe-down, sometimes a pat-down or hand wand.

In theory, selection for SSSS is mostly random. In practice - I've never been selected, and my husband is selected every time he flies, unless the ticket is on his employer's credit card. He's been pulled for special screening since before the TSA existed though (yes - we know why, no - it can't be fixed, yes - I'd encourage him to do it again) and we're pretty familiar with the drill.

The best ways we've found to make it a quick and painless process:

1) That person should -have- a carry-on. Put everything except your photo ID and your boarding pass in the carry-on -before- you approach the security checkpoint. That way there's only one bag to search, one bag to keep track of, etc.

2) If someone in the security line makes a fuss about unannounced changes in policies and procedures, explain (in a moderately loud voice) why such things increase security (regardless of your personal convictions, even if the most positive thing you can say is "Front line TSA employees don't set policy, so making their lives more difficult won't get policy changed."

3) If you're traveling with small children - a toy in the top of the carry-on seems to diffuse tension. Fiction books, particularly paperback mainstream best-sellers with a bookmark in them are a good second choice.

4)Pass the metal detector on the first try. Make sure there are no coins in your pocket. No metal on your belt if you can help it. Check and double check -before- you approach security.

5) The rest of the traveling party should clear security and move past the benches to wait. It should be fairly easy to identify the "bright line" that TSA supervisors want you on the other side of (10 ft or so past the benches usually works). Even better would be to agree to meet at a further location (coffee kiosk, bookstore, gate, etc) so that you aren't lingering if that person is delayed.

6) Don't pass things back and forth between the SSSS individual and the rest of the party. Once you are in sight of security - what's yours is yours and what's theirs is theirs. As much as is reasonable, we try to follow that from the moment we enter the airport.

This is all pretty basic social engineering, but it means that once we get a TSA agent who can do the SSSS screening, it takes very little more time than a normal screening, and frequently less. If you're inclined to kick up a fuss and protest the violation of your rights/terrible effects of the TSA on humanity/worthlessness of such screenings - I'd budget more like an hour and a half to pass the security checkpoint.

Oh, and if you're going to do something allowed but not standard (medical liquids/devices, or milk for a toddler for example) - don't involve the SSSS person unless you absolutely have to. It will just slow things down.

 

[dawnball]

There is nothing unordinary about them. No special rate/disabiity. Reservations were all made together. The lady at Southwest just kept repeating not everyone can check in online. She wouldn't give me any reasons. Guess we better go early just in case there is a problem.

SSSS. Almost certainly. No-fly list is a possibility, but from your point of view, that's the same as an SSSS. You would be generally unaware of differences.

 

[summermac]

Totally unrelated but if you fly Air Tran and have 8 or more on the same ressie, you will not be allowed to check in online either.

 

[dawnball]

oopsie

 

[Binnie]

DH is not able to do on-line check in. He requires additional security screening every time we fly. It seems to be something having to do with the no-fly list, but it's never been that much of a hardship, either. We've had to wait a little longer for things, but it's never been too bad. (DH does always get out of whack because they take his military ID to verify his identity, but that's just him!)

SW was actually relatively easy and quite quick. We are just always certain to arrive a little earlier than most people (like 1-2 hours early).

Good luck--and have a great trip!

 

[Brian_WDW74]

I've moved this thread to the Transportation board.