Our Southwest flight is coming in from Oregon..will there be seats?

[becka]

AAAACCCCCKKK!

I am really new to all of this SW stuff. We always flew Delta in the past so there were never any suprises. I remember reading on here a little while back that a lot of the time the SW planes are making multiple stops. I thought that since our was a non-stop flight that the plane would be empty when we got on. Well it turns out that our flight originates in Portland, OR earlier that day. Well how will this effect us?

I am really concerned about us not getting seats together. My DS is only 1 1/2 and he can't sit by himself...plus I understood that all car seats have to be in a window seat for safety reasons. I really don't want to spend the flight separated from DH. I want us both to share the joy (or chaos) of our son's first flight. I don't want to be the only one dealing with a fidgety toddler especially if I am seated next to a stranger. What are the odds that an entire row of 3 will be empty?

I was also already concerned about having time and the room to install the car seat correctly (my understanding is you need to recline the seat, etc. to get it to fit properly) and now I just picture us not having room and being split up!

This is really bothering me. In fact so much so that I am wishing I had just stuck with Delta even if it meant switching planes in Atlanta.

 

[chager]

We flew with them in June from Columbus, Oh. We had an empty plane going but not coming back. I know that some families that were in the last group to board were seperated. Since you will have a carseat and small child you should be in the first group to board so hopefully you won't have any problems. On our return trip Ds9 was in a wheelchair because he hurt his ankle and couldn't put pressure on it.(He is not allowed to get hurt and need a wheelchair at the airport EVER again. After ASKING several employees for a wheelchair and being told they didn't know where to get one we found one that wasn't locked up and took it!) My dad and Dh were able to board with him and saved seats for mom and me. We were in the A group so we wouldn't have had any problems anyway. Overall we did have a great flight both ways. Our crew on the way down was more fun then the return crew They sang us silly songs when we landed and pilot welcomed us to the rainy weather in Fl that was so much like the rainy weather we had thought we left in Ohio Have a great trip!

 

[justhat]

I haven't flown on SW with a baby yet, but I would guess that since you have a carseat and it has to be installed in a window seat, a flight attendant might ask someone to move so you could put the carseat by the window. Additionally, if you can only get the window and middle together, odds are pretty good that you'd get that person on the aisle to switch since most people prefer not to sit by a toddler if they can avoid it. That's what my cousins are hoping when they fly on SW in May with a 6 month old, that no one else would want to sit with their baby who could potentially cry the whole flight. Of course, you could always get your son to keep calling for his daddy and that might be enough to make the other person feel bad and move.

 

[rsschneck]

I am assuming you purchased a ticket for the baby. If not then they will expect you to hold the baby on your lap. We never had any problems installing the car seat when our DD was a baby. The airline seat cannot be reclined for take off, so I wouldn't even try. There is no way to tell how full the flight will be from PDX. If tickets are already purchased then there really isn't anything that you can do. Southwest does not assign seats. Just politely ask if people wouldn't mind moving, you might be surprised. Don't be surprised if the flight staff does not help much with getting you 3 seats together just take it upon yourselves to try to sit together.

 

[disneyeveryyear]

SW allows those with children under the age of 5 to pre-board.

You will still get your lettered boarding pass, but when you get to the gate, there will be an area for those pre-boarding.

One of you will need to get in that line ASAP, while the other walks the baby around.

As the previous poster said, as long as you have bought a ticket, the cabin attendant will find you window seat.

Are you flying out of STL? We have flown it before and never had any problem finding seats together. You may be at the back of the plane (those staying on will probably move forward), but I wouldn't obsess too much. I know, easy for me to say.

 

[becka]

Thanks!

We did purchase a seat for DS so we are guaranteed a seat for him but I really would like to have 3 across together. In case DS does get fussy it would be great to have help.

As for the seat in a reclining position it would not stay there just recline it to make it easier to install and them pull it back up when it is snapped in.

I also didn't realize that those on the plane will be allowed to move before the KC passengers are loading. I guess we will just have to get there early and keep one of us planted in the pre-board line.

 

[NotUrsula]

Well, I can give you a bright side; if you were in STL your flight would be out of Chicago, which would add the lovely spectre of weather delays. So many folks out of STL take SWA to Orlando that American has pretty much given up on the route, they don't even try to compete anymore.

My best advice is for the smallest parent to install the seat, and leave the other parent with the most of the bags and the child. If the plane already has passengers onboard, the seat will need to be carried up high to avoid hitting any of them. Pause briefly at the front of the plane and look for an open row; your best odds will be at the back of the plane, so just beeline back there. Warn the person staying behind at the gate about this, so they don't waste time looking for you at the front of the plane. It's perfectly OK to save seats within a row, as long as there really is a passenger to save them for. Remember, the back of the plane is usually a little noisier, but that white noise is good for a baby; it tends to lull them to sleep.

Yes, you will need to recline the seat a bit in order to more easily install it, then pull it back upright to tighten it, you have that exactly right. The trick is that when you reach the seat, the first two things you should do are flip up the armrest and pull the seatbelt out to the longest length possible, then thread the belt, buckle it, and tighten it up to anchor the seat by pulling the belt tab. You can't buckle it with the belt short, because the center-mounted buckle ends up behind the middle of the seat, where your hand will probably not be able to reach.

As for being separated from your DH, don't sweat it. If you end up separated, you can switch off places with him partway through the flight, so that you don't have to do tyke-entertainment the whole time. Believe me, a little break is a nice thing sometimes.

 

[donmil723]

Are you talking about the 12:20 p.m. flight out of KC?

We have taken this same flight several times and have never had a problem getting 3 seats together. In fact, we just booked this flight for May. Last July was probably the most crowded. It was probably half full with passengers from Portland. We usually are at the airport 1 1/2 hours before flight time and get boarding pass A. Once or twice we might have gotten boarding pass B and we just made sure we were one of the first in B group to board. Never had a problem sitting together. As others have said, you will be allowed to preboard as your baby is only 1 1/2. The worst thing is you might not get to sit in the first few rows and will then have to wait longer to get off. Please don't worry!

Donna

 

[becka]

Yes it is the 12:20 flight from KC!!!!

Thanks so very much for helping to alleviate my fear. I am really not usually this paranoid about things but as the trip gets closer I am starting to have these terrible dreams about all of the things that can go wrong. We have never travelled this far with DS so I am a little panic-y about everything.

Thanks so much for your help!!!!