I need SWA reassurance

[krystyana]

Ok...we fly in 9 days....reassure me I'm not going to have to sit across the plane from my three year old. I was unaware of their seating policies until after our TA booked the flight. After reading some other threads i'm worried our little family won't be able to sit together. I'm not fussy...i don't care where we sit..just want to be together. We can't check in at midnight either because our TA got us a childs discounted rate...so we saved ten bucks but we can't check in on line....sigh...am I stressing over nothing? Help!

 

[Catrin]

Do NOT stress about SWA at all!

They are wonderful... and since you have a 3 yr old, you can get a preboarding pass. You will be seated first along with the parents of the other little kids.
I have flown SWA three times before, and made out great each time.
Relax and enjoy!
Catrin

 

[MandM-Mom]

We always fly southwest, and we have never preprinted our boarding passes. They will call for people with small children to board, if I remember correctly I think it is up to 5 years old and you can preboard, but not completely sure on that.

 

[minmate]

Ditto previous response; however, just to clarify, I don't believe you actually get a different kind of pass so to speak. You just check in and they SHOULD tell you that you are allowed to preboard b/c your child is under 4. People in wheechairs and with other special needs board first, then people with young children. There are always plenty of seats available at this point. You will be fine. Plus, I have never seen a circumstance where people wouldn't be willing to give up a seat to let an adult sit next to their child. Do not fret and just be thankful you don't have to stay up until midnight to print the passes! Enjoy your trip!

 

[spiceycat]

arrive early - then you can board early.

don't arrive 20 minutes before the plane leaves and expect to be seated next to your child - SW does not work that way.

 

[safetymom]

At some airports they don't preboard children. If you get to the airport about 2 hours early you should get an A pass and then you shouldn't have any problems sitting together.

 

[krystyana]

We are staying at a hotel at the airport the evening before...we were going to run over 4hrs before flight to check in and get our passes and then get another hour or two of sleep....Do you all think that will be okay? Just don't want to take any chances.

 

[safetymom]

You could do that but that sounds like too much bother. If you get there 2 hours before your flight you will be OK and with A boarding cards.

 

[krystyana]

Thanks all...you are calming me..I have been planning this trip way too long..now that it's almost here I have a serious case of the crazies!

 

[WillCAD]

I cannot imagine a 3-year old kid being forced to sit in a row full of strangers while Mom is in another row, much less on the other side of the plane.

I love kids, but I certainly don't want to get stuck sitting next to somebody elses 3-year old on a 2-hour flight if Mom is not in teh same row. Besides the common decency of moving to let Mom and kid sit together, I would move in a heartbeat if somebody tried to stick thier 3-your old in a seat next to me.

Truthfully, I would probably look for another seat even if Mom were in the same row, because you never know if the kid will be a quiet one or a loud one. Although I've had more intelligent and enjoyable conversations with 3-5 year old kids than I have with some adults, I really don't like getting stuck with a screamer or a whiner, so I try to avoid sitting next to littles that I don't know when I'm on a plane, bus, or train.

So dont worry; nobody would be a big enough jerk to force you to sit away from your kid.

 

[debster812]

I love kids, but I certainly don't want to get stuck sitting next to somebody elses 3-year old on a 2-hour flight if Mom is not in teh same row. Besides the common decency of moving to let Mom and kid sit together, I would move in a heartbeat if somebody tried to stick thier 3-your old in a seat next to me.

ITA with this. I have flown SWA lots of times, for business and for pleasure. And TRUST me when I tell you this, as wonderful, well behaved, and charming as your 3 year old is, NO ONE wants to sit next to them, while you are not right there. I have moved several times to accommodate families, it's not a big deal at all. Truly.

Get to the airport 2 hours before, either get an A boarding pass, or a preboard, and relax.

 

[shatzjsl]

I love to fly SWA! I wouldn't worry about it, they won't seperate you and your 3yo.

 

[CRCrazy]

Way back in the dark ages (February 2002) - Southwest hadn't gone over to the A-B-C boarding passes yet. Everyone got a boarding pass with a number 1-130? on it, based on their check in time.

We lost some time on the 2 hour trip to the airport, and ended up arriving only about an hour and 15 minutes ahead of time, to find a HUGE line at check in (No self service kiosks back then, no online check-in, and no curbside check in at this airport). By the time we checked in, then went to the gate to pick up our boarding passes, our family of five had gotten #86-91. Back then the aisles were marked 1-30, 31-60, 61-90 and 91+. We sat right down in the 61-90 queue, and waited for our flight. Before the check in - they said to check your boarding pass, and be sure you were in the right queue - sure enough - guess who's pass had number 91 - my just turned 5 year old. There was NOO way I would let her go in that line - since you couldn't even see it from where we were - so I sent DH to go line up - she was crying "I can't get on the plane without my Daddy!" We were the first in the 3rd group to go through the gate (I was just going to save a seat for him). When the gate agent saw our passes, and I explained the situation - He made a special call for "Daddy", and ushered him onto the plane ahead of all our group. He said "No little girl can fly to Disney without her Daddy!" No one seemed to mind! (By the way - it was Daytona Bike week - our plane was filled with bikers heading down - not Disney family travelers!)

We were able to get a full row, as well as two seats right in front for our family to stay together, even though the plane was overbooked! So - even with a B, or possibly a C, pass - you should still be able to get seats together - just not in the front of the plane! If you do get unlucky, and get a B or C, just head straight to the gate so you can sit on the floor in the line, and be the first in your group!

 

[TIGGER'SFRIEND]

My older daughter had a broken arm last year & was able to preboard, she was really nervous about someone bumping into it since she didn't have a plaster cast. Southwest is very good about preboarding families with children under 5 so no need too worry. Just be at the gate in time. Have a great time

 

[sarahsmom73]

DON"T WORRY!!! I just did it a few weeks ago.. You will be able to preboard! I Was so neurotic, I did get up at midnight before we left for the world.. Didn't need to!!! SWA was wonderful

 

[bcarson]

Okay I have a question about this. I have a 4 year old and a then will be 7 year old. Will we all be able to board together or just me and the 4 year old. I really want to be able to sit with my husband and 7 year old also. I am not so keen on flying and if I would fill much more comfortable sitting together as a family as I am sure most people are. How many seats are in a row by the way? I acutally have not bought my tix's yet because we don't go until Oct. I am assuming SW is going to be the best price for us. Do other airlines have assigned seats? That seems so much easier.

 

[mousy_in_canada]

when we go my DD will be 5... by 6 days. do you think they will let us preboard?
I know the cut off is 5.. but how tight are they on this???

 

[WillCAD]

Okay I have a question about this. I have a 4 year old and a then will be 7 year old. Will we all be able to board together or just me and the 4 year old. I really want to be able to sit with my husband and 7 year old also. I am not so keen on flying and if I would fill much more comfortable sitting together as a family as I am sure most people are. How many seats are in a row by the way? I acutally have not bought my tix's yet because we don't go until Oct. I am assuming SW is going to be the best price for us. Do other airlines have assigned seats? That seems so much easier.

Southwest seating is first-come, first-served. As long as you get to the airport early enough to get a boarding pass in teh A group, there should be plenty of open seats when you get on board and you can all sit together.

Even when I have been in boarding group B I have still seen whole rows of 3 empty toward the back of the plane.

 

[Bama mom to 3]

Okay I have a question about this. I have a 4 year old and a then will be 7 year old. Will we all be able to board together or just me and the 4 year old. I really want to be able to sit with my husband and 7 year old also. I am not so keen on flying and if I would fill much more comfortable sitting together as a family as I am sure most people are. How many seats are in a row by the way? I acutally have not bought my tix's yet because we don't go until Oct. I am assuming SW is going to be the best price for us. Do other airlines have assigned seats? That seems so much easier.

I was wondering this too. My family of 5 will be going next June and our children will be 4, 8, and 10. And only my dh has flown before. So I was hoping we could some how all be near each other.

 

[NotUrsula]

Something you need to be aware of is that separation is very rare on the Orlando run because most of the other passengers are also travelling in groups, so they don't end up leaving the middle seats open. It's a little more likely in situations where you are getting on a flight that has originated at another airport and is already more than half-full, but still not very common on planes headed to central and south Florida, except for the early Monday and late Friday flights.

Getting separated is usually only a problem when a flight is full of business travellers. These folks are travelling alone and prefer not to have to sit in a middle seat.

Really, there is NO reason at all to worry about it being traumatic to fly SWA. They are a great airline, and this whole "cattle car" nonsense is just a bunch of hooey. I can't think of any airline LESS likely to treat passengers like cattle. SWA employees are always unfailingly helpful and polite IME, and I fly the airline a LOT! (And since SWA does not have the whole "elite" FF concept, that doesn't make me any more special or privileged than any other passenger.)