I'm confused by our family SW boarding postions

[Hezzy04]

I just checked in my family for our flight tomorrow. Our boarding positions are, B6, B8, B10 and B11. Why the gap? Do they really expect me to have my children with a person between us? Will we have to just all line up B10 and after to get in together? Or am I misunderstanding something? It just seems so weird that numbers would be skipped..

 

[maxiesmom]

I just checked in my family for our flight tomorrow. Our boarding positions are, B6, B8, B10 and B11. Why the gap? Do they really expect me to have my children with a person between us? Will we have to just all line up B10 and after to get in together? Or am I misunderstanding something? It just seems so weird that numbers would be skipped..

Those are your boarding positions, and that is how you need to line up. You can ask if people don't mind going ahead of you, but it really isn't that big a deal. You will be right there with them. You really can't all line up at B10, there isn't room to do that.

 

[PatMcDuck]

Just let Mr or Miss B 7 and 9 to get in front of you. They won't mind, and you will all be together. Those 2 people will not significantly change your ability to choose seats.

 

[bumbershoot]

Just let Mr or Miss B 7 and 9 to get in front of you. They won't mind, and you will all be together. Those 2 people will not significantly change your ability to choose seats.

Yep.

 

[Jestocost]

It happens sometimes even if you all were on the same reservation. If you were booked under multiple reservations for some reason it would be fairly common. As PPs have noted, the lower numbers can always board later and given that you are talking about two positions back it's not going to create any problems for you.

 

[DebbieB]

Are any of your children 6 or under?

 

[Hezzy04]

We are all on the sam reservation. Just seems weird that since we are all together, they staggered the numbers a bit...

Are any of your children 6 or under?

My kids are 4 and 5. From what I understand, does this mean we get to board after A?

 

[Sparkie]

You can board with the families with small children if you want. But really with an early B boarding number, it really doesnt make that much difference. I always assumed the number gap happened because others were checking in at the same time I was and the computer just assigned it that way. Just let B7 & B9 go ahead of you. Keep you and the kids together. When people line up at the gate its more like a group rather than a single file line. As boarding begins the line moves more like a line but if someone is out of order the attendant is not going to stop the line and make you get in numerical order to board. We have also found that boarding in the B group its best just to go ahead and move all the way to the back of the plane. More seat availability. Just so you know, SW seats are not assigned- its first come first serve so your boarding number is just that a boarding number and has nothing to do with your seat assignment. One more thing. The seats are generally 3 to each side. So Dad and 1 kid, and Mom and 1 kid can sit together unless you want to put both kids with Dad and Mom can sit 3 rows back and enjoy a beverage

 

[DebbieB]

My kids are 4 and 5. From what I understand, does this mean we get to board after A?

Yes, get in the family boarding line as soon as you get to the gate. When I flew PIT-MCO in December, there were probably 30 to 40 people in family boarding. I had B26 and got one of the last non middle seats all the way in the back. I really think some families "stretched" the kids ages.

 

[n2mm]

Curious, did you get those boarding positions with early bird purchase, or did you just log in at the 24 hr mark.

 

[Hezzy04]

Curious, did you get those boarding positions with early bird purchase, or did you just log in at the 24 hr mark.

I just logged in the moment I could at the 24 hour mark. I was watching the clock

 

[kaytieeldr]

If one of your children is a seat-kicker, probably best to seat one parent or the sibling in front of that child.

 

[PatMcDuck]

One advantage of the early B numbers, is that you can see where all the young kids are sitting, and avoid them.

 

[Gracie09]

We are all on the sam reservation. Just seems weird that since we are all together, they staggered the numbers a bit...



My kids are 4 and 5. From what I understand, does this mean we get to board after A?

Generally yes, but at times family boarding has been suspended because there were too many families.

 

[thebs19]

If you think thats bad, I had my family on two reservations (due to changing a fare at some point), had the reservations simultaneously queued to be checked in, saw the clock turn to 7:30 AM exactly this morning, checked in and got the following positions:

B41, B44, C14, C15, C16. And we were checked in not 30 seconds after the clock struck the 24 hour mark!

We have our 2 year old with us so my wife and I will board with her and get the carseat set up during the family boarding and our son and my MIL will board afterwards and hopefully they can find 2 seats together (and then I'll swap with my MIL and sit next to son).

 

[nkereina]

The last several times I've flown Southwest, family boarding was only available to families with kids age 4 and under. I think this is common on flights to Orlando due to the amount of families flying there. I would do as suggested above and just board at B10, allowing the people in between your positions to go in front of you.

 

[supersnoop]

I bet B7 and B9 are on the same reservation and wondering why they got split up, too. It should be easy for you to consolidate.

 

[DebbieB]

The last several times I've flown Southwest, family boarding was only available to families with kids age 4 and under. I think this is common on flights to Orlando due to the amount of families flying there. I would do as suggested above and just board at B10, allowing the people in between your positions to go in front of you.

It was changed last fall to 6 and under.

 

[n2mm]

Yes we flew them in February and family boarding was 6 and under. Our youngest granddaughter is 8 so we can't use it. We always buy early birds

 

[Madzac]

Last summer we were on one reservation, family of 6, checked in right at the 24 hr mark and ended up with A40, 41, 42 B42, 43, 44. It was crazy! They said someone had probably canceled which was why we ended up with the three A spots. I had one 4 yr old so I boarded with the 2 older kids at the A spots and my husband took my 4 yr old and 7 yr old and boarded at family boarding. If they hadnt done family boarding, I would have got on with the younger two early and DH and the older two would have dealt. It was stressful though! I bought early bird for the way home and that was so much less stressful.