How Boarding Works on Southwest

[D&DDisney]

My family would like to use SW to fly this fall but I am affraid that we will not be able to sit together as I heard it is a "free for all" when boarding. (unless you paid for those expensive seats)
Have you had any problems flying SW and sitting with your small children?(kids between 4-10yrs)
Is it really a free for all when you try to board?

 

[scammermom]

Southwest is great! I have never had any problems with our family staying together on a flight. 24 hours out you can reserve your boarding pass. This is the letter and number that you will board. A1 - 30 go first, then A 31 - 60, then families with children 4 and under, B1 - 30, then B 31 - 60, then C boarding.

http://www.southwest.com/travel_center/checkin.html

One time, I forgot about checking in and we got C boarding passes at the airport. We were still able to all sit together. The flight attendants are great about ensuring that also.

Happy Trails!

 

[D&DDisney]

Thanks! I was really worried that even with their posted system, we would somehow get separated since you cannot reserve seats. Don't care where we sit as long as we can sit w/ the kids.

 

[KSDisneyDad]

Scammermom summarized it well.

We've been flying SW to Orlando almost exclusively since 2000. We have never once been separated from our kids flying SW and we've made at least 12 roundtrip flights on SW as a family.

Just logon and retrieve your boarding pass 24 hours in advance. It's not really a "free for all" on boarding. You are assigned a line number and you just wait in your assigned spot shortly before the plane begins boarding. I've never experienced any rude behavior in boarding. Before that, feel free to sit anywhere in the boarding area. I recommend heading to the middle or back of the plane as there are lots of empty seats together back there.

If you have a cell phone with internet access, it is easy to check-in while at the parks in WDW. Otherwise, go to any guest services location and they will check you in.

SW is great in that they don't charge for baggage fees for your first two checked bags. Also, if the cost of your flight goes down, you can rebook at the lower fare and use the savings as a credit for a future flight within the next 12 months. You can also make changes without incurring a fee as long as the price of the flight costs the same or less as your original booking.

 

[D&DDisney]

Thanks everyone. I feel better about booking w/ them.

 

[SpoiledDisFam]

We flew SW in June. Our only problem with them was that our flight was delayed leaving MCO and they had to hold the plane in Phoenix. So we ended up separated. People were nice enough to let me and my two kids have one row together and one seat behind me for my 8 yr old sister. My mom and other sister (10) ended up at the very back of the plane sitting together.
This was a rare thing for us to be separated. We have done really well with them in the past. But it can happen.
Happy flying!

 

[stitchineeyore]

Southwest is our all time favorite airline. They don't cancel flights, go on time whenever they can, and we've never had any missing bags. We fly roundtrip to WDW from New Hampshire a couple of times a year, and also use Southwest when possible on other trips. A couple of years ago we were flying out of Chicago to Manchester, NH. The plane had boarded and we had started to taxi when all the flights were grounded due to a freak thunderstorm. We wound up sitting on the runway for an hour or more. Lots of apologies from the crew, and that sort of thing. But it was weather, and couldn't be helped. I was totally surprised when, two weeks later, we got unsolicited letters of apology from Southwest to all six members of our travel party, with a $100 voucher for each of us. That story kind of sums up the spirit of the airline, at least from our experience. As for the boarding, follow the instructions from a previous poster about getting your passes and you will be fine.

 

[Gary M]

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-9781644-2.html

The above link helps explain the SWA boarding situation. You now line up in groups of 5 not 1-30. A little over a year ago I flew SWA under the new system and I thought it was less cattle call like.

 

[ls1222]

Just got back from WDW and flew SW for the first time (we have 3 children). We checked in at the 24 hr mark and got A passes for each leg of our flights. Absolutely, not a problem sitting all together as a family. I think there is alot of hype over nothing, I was so stressed out about the whole thing before we left but it was not necessary at all. I could not have been happier with their service, the FA were much more friendlier than the other airlines we have used. On one of the legs the FA told us that the flight was not full and if we chose seats closer to the back we would have more room, she gave my kids gum out of her purse too...lol

 

[jimbostacks]

We just flew SW for the first time and we are a family of 6. If you want to sit together and be sure, it is importnat to check in on line 24 hours before as everyone has said. But the 24 hour mark is important. We checked in about 23 hours before, or one hour late and both ways we were B16-B21. The only 6 seats together were in the last three rows. So if you forget and call 20 hours or later, it could be tough to sit together....but people on the flight will likely move for you, but to be safe ....stick to the 24 hour mark...

 

[carolina_yankee]

Since someone posted that the FAs are great about "ensuring" families can sit together, I would caution the OP that from what I've seen, it IS POSSIBLE for a family not to be ale to sit together. The FAs seem to do their best to help, but I've never seen them force someone to move who didn't want to in order to accommodate a late boarding family.

As long as you check in early, you really shouldn't have a problem. Even if there are 60 people ahead of you, that doeasn't mean they are each going to take one seat per row. They're families, too, so they'll be clumping together.

Best is just to head back and you'll find something that works. I would be prepared, though, in case the family had to split.

Southwest is great and has its perks, but it is open seating with all the associated risks. It's orderly open seating, but it is open seating.

Dirk

 

[DebbieB]

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-9781644-2.html

The above link helps explain the SWA boarding situation. You now line up in groups of 5 not 1-30. A little over a year ago I flew SWA under the new system and I thought it was less cattle call like.

The lines are 1-30 and 31-60 but within that there are groups of 5. There are poles that say 1-5, 6-10, 11-15, etc. You find your number in line, then when it's time to board they call 1 to 30 or 31 to 60 and everyone approaches the gate in order.

 

[swabikedude]

Please check out the following link to the Southwest web site....it will also show you an animated version of the "Boarding School" - it's fun and then you can print out a certificate at the end celebrating your success!!!

http://www.southwest.com/help/boardingschool/


G'Luck!!!

Let me know if you purchased your tickets already!!!!