Pay $10 for Early Bird Checkin on SW when flying with kids?

[WDWjen]

I know its only $10 but there are 5 of us flying so both ways its an extra $100! (That's a lot of mickey mouse ice cream bars LOL)

I put this on the family forum to see what other parents would do in this situation...

My options are to checkin at 24 hrs prior and hope for the best, or pay the $100 to get a better shot at sitting together. (not even a guarantee)

My kids are 4,6,8 so I know at least the 4 yr old will get next to a parent with family boarding, but my 6 yr old will not be able to fly alone! I've read on the transportation board that some people have flown out of MCO and there was no family boarding b/c there were so many families on board.

I'm leaving in 3 weeks, its a slow time for WDW and we fly on a Sat so we might not have a lot of business travelers....

so .. what would you do?

 

[FreeTime]

Are you flying with grandparents? We were allowed to pre-board at MCO with a 7 & 8 year old because one had a food allergy and I was afraid they would eat the snack. They allowed grandpa and both parents to pre-board as he was "older." He was only 55! I know it is scary sitting far apart, good luck!

 

[Mouse House Mama]

I would pay the money. I do not want to be separated from my kids. I don't care who comes here and says it is no big deal- to us it is. We like to travel together and the plane ride is part of it.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

There's a very good thread on this in the transportation forum.

Can you be at a computer at 24 hours prior to the flight down? If so, my recommendation would be to not pay for it for the trip there, but pay for it for the trip back. That way there isn't as much stress about being at a computer when you are at the parks. Most people checking in at the 24 hour mark are still getting A or low B passes.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

There's a very good thread on this in the transportation forum.

Can you be at a computer at 24 hours prior to the flight down? If so, my recommendation would be to not pay for it for the trip there, but pay for it for the trip back. That way there isn't as much stress about being at a computer when you are at the parks. Most people checking in at the 24 hour mark are still getting A or low B passes.

What happens when half your kids get and A pass and half get a B pass? This happens to me every single time. I would gladly pay the money. I would rather do without something for myself than take the chance.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

What happens when half your kids get and A pass and half get a B pass? This happens to me every single time. I would gladly pay the money. I would rather do without something for myself than take the chance.

Even if you all boarded with the B group, you'd still be able to get seats together, they just won't be at the front of the plane. And if there is family boarding for the flight, then SW often allows an entire family to board during family boarding even if only one of the children is under 5.

 

[mamamac]

Even if you all boarded with the B group, you'd still be able to get seats together, they just won't be at the front of the plane. And if there is family boarding for the flight, then SW often allows an entire family to board during family boarding even if only one of the children is under 5.

The last time we flew out of MCO, that was not the case. Only one parent per child, so the grandparents had to wait in line. We did find that most people will move if you ask. I think I would pay it just to be on the safe side.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

The last time we flew out of MCO, that was not the case. Only one parent per child, so the grandparents had to wait in line. We did find that most people will move if you ask. I think I would pay it just to be on the safe side.

I'll go you one better. We were flying out if NY and I was pregnant with our 4th child. I had 3 other children under 5. My DH had to bring the strollers (a double and single) to be gate checked and they would not let my Mom who was traveling with us to help me on the plane with the kids. I tried to nicely explain to the gate master that I needed the help and all the kids were under 5 and she didn't care. So, I carried all the carryons and my 1 year old and then saved a seat for my Mom anyway. It was so annoying. Since then I will pay just to not have any problems like that.

 

[ldo]

we had a family of 5. I checked in at 7 PM for a 11 am flight the next day. We got spots B-38-42 and everyone in the prior spots showed up, plus at least 5 families with preboarding. If I had checked in at 11AM, we would nhave gooten much earlier boarding. Even with B38, we got 2 rows in the back across from each other. I was prepared to ask someone to please move, if necessary--but it wasn't. There were also several window/middle or aisle/middles that we could have split up and taken all near each other in the back. We were on a packed flight--1 open seat---I would skip the $ and not worry--and I bet someone would move, if you were desparate.

 

[nicki.momof3]

If you are thinking enough about it to post it on a board than clearly it is a concern to you and you need to just spend the $.

I personally woudl spend the $ - it is not worth the stress / worry to me to be seperated from my kids. I will not let them go down the street alone let aalone sit with complete strangers on a airplane.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

we had a family of 5. I checked in at 7 PM for a 11 am flight the next day. We got spots B-38-42 and everyone in the prior spots showed up, plus at least 5 families with preboarding. If I had checked in at 11AM, we would nhave gooten much earlier boarding. Even with B38, we got 2 rows in the back across from each other. I was prepared to ask someone to please move, if necessary--but it wasn't. There were also several window/middle or aisle/middles that we could have split up and taken all near each other in the back. We were on a packed flight--1 open seat---I would skip the $ and not worry--and I bet someone would move, if you were desparate.

I wouldn't depend on that. Especially going to and from Orlando there are a lot of families on board. Nobody wants to be split up from their kids.

 

[MJAJmom]

I travelled alone with my 2 boys to visit family in November. We had a connecting flight, both ways, so I did not want to fight the crowds 4 times in order to get an empty row of 3 seats for us all to sit together. On each flight, there was never any "family" boarding first option.

If you want all 5 of you in the same row, or have 2 behind you, then pay the $10 fee so that you won't have to worry about it. If you don't mind that you're spread apart, then save the $$$.

 

[lori123]

I have NO IDEA what you paid for your tickets - so keep that in mind when I say this. If you were charged the $100 originally when you purchased the tickets, as part of the fair, would it have stopped you from buying them? I say this because most tickets (I know not all - so no need for those that paid a fortune to correct me) are so cheap right now - that the fee isn't much when you think of what you paid for the original ticket.

 

[SnowandMittens]

If it is important for you to sit next to your children, by all means, pay the money. It's an unfortunate "extra" that they charge for, but everyone gets charged the same amount for seat assignments.

From the other POV:

I have a medical need that requires that I sit near an isle and I never fly alone, just in case. You wouldn't be able to tell by looking at me, because I appear to be healthy and in my 20s.

My dbf and I payed the $10 each way so that I could fly with an asile seat and sit next to my dbf if anything did happen. A mother of four, at least three of them under 5, asked me to move so she could sit next to her daughter.

I declined and disclosed that it was due to a medical issue and she proceeded to throw a fit, got the airline steward involved, demanded I move, call me selfish and a faker. My dbf was getting pretty steamed, but the airline stweard pointed out one very important fact: If it was SO important for this lady to sit next to her kids, she should have paid the $10 fee like I had.

I'm not saying you're going to go crazy on some random passanger, but it might be a good idea to either pay for the group to fly together or at least pay for the children and an adult to fly in a group. Save the money on the adults that can stand to fly alone.

 

[puffkin]

As long as you can check in fairly close to the 24 hour mark I wouldn't pay it. Most likely you will all be able to preboard between A-B. If they don't let you preboard, even with a high B boarding pass you will still be able to find seats with at least 1 adult with the 4 year old and 1 adult with the 6 year old

There are a lot of nervous nellies on this board and a lot of doomsayers. I am not saying it never happens, but people get really worked up about nothing in DISworld

That being said, do what you think is necessary.

 

[dmbfan]

Our TA told us to pay for one of us ( either dh or myself) and than they go on baord and save the seats for the rest of us (3). But we have a 6:15am flight on a Tuesday morning, so what would be the best time to call and do check in if we choose not to pay?

My children are 9 and 10 years old, and I do want us to sit together, more so cause my 9 year old has medical issues is hookd up to an IV, so in the end we may just pay the $40.00 and be done with it. Also would this cover a connecting flight or do you have to pay 40.00 each time you step onto the plane?

Never flew SW before, so this is new to me. Thanks

 

[jessica52877]

I have never flown southwest before and am always so interested in these discussions. We do fly airtran alot and depending on the circumstances depends on if I'll pay for the seat assignment or not.

A long flight I will. I want to be with my family, especially on a long flight.

A flight with just my son and I, I also pay for it. He just turned 7 so was 6 the last time we flew and it was just the two of us.

A short flight I don't think I would bother, atleast for all 3 of us. But it does also depend on the price of the flight. I also try to think of it as $10 added to the cost of the ticket. Thinking about it that way makes it seem like a bargain.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

As long as you can check in fairly close to the 24 hour mark I wouldn't pay it. Most likely you will all be able to preboard between A-B. If they don't let you preboard, even with a high B boarding pass you will still be able to find seats with at least 1 adult with the 4 year old and 1 adult with the 6 year old

There are a lot of nervous nellies on this board and a lot of doomsayers. I am not saying it never happens, but people get really worked up about nothing in DISworld
That being said, do what you think is necessary.

Wow that was really rude. Maybe it isn't important for YOU to sit next to your kids but to some of us it is. Since you yourself cannot say that it never happens then I would think it is a legit question. Can it happen? Yes. I have seen it happen. Families- even with small children- do get split up. If you don't want to them pay the fee.

 

[PatsMom]

Our TA told us to pay for one of us ( either dh or myself) and than they go on baord and save the seats for the rest of us (3). But we have a 6:15am flight on a Tuesday morning, so what would be the best time to call and do check in if we choose not to pay?

My children are 9 and 10 years old, and I do want us to sit together, more so cause my 9 year old has medical issues is hookd up to an IV, so in the end we may just pay the $40.00 and be done with it. Also would this cover a connecting flight or do you have to pay 40.00 each time you step onto the plane?

Never flew SW before, so this is new to me. Thanks

Official Southwest policy is that seat saving is not allowed so I am surprised that a travel agent would recommend that approach. And one person saving seats for three is probably going to catch some flack from other passengers, especially if the saved seats are near the front of the plane. I once saw a near brawl on a SW plane involving a parent wanting to save a seat and someone wanting to sit there because the saved seat was the last that was next to another open seat. The flight attendant was very explicit, no seat saving. However, someone in the next row got sick of the arguing and voluntarily moved to let the parent having a hissy fit have two seats together.

With that said, the 9 year old's medical condition most likely qualifies as a medical pre-board since you will need to make sure the IV is not disturbed. That will mean that at least one parent will board with him. You would see the gate agent and obtain a blue medical pre-board sleeve. Then you are the first ones on the plane (or near the first if there are other medical pre-boards). The gate agent may allow all of you to board together or just the medical pre-board and one attendant (parent). But even if your other child and husband board separately and you do not all sit together, each child would be with a parent.

If you decide to pay for the EBCI, you pay only once even if you change planes.

I hope you have a wonderful trip!

 

[puffkin]

Wow that was really rude. Maybe it isn't important for YOU to sit next to your kids but to some of us it is. Since you yourself cannot say that it never happens then I would think it is a legit question. Can it happen? Yes. I have seen it happen. Families- even with small children- do get split up. If you don't want to them pay the fee.

I am not trying to be rude. I have flown Southwest many, many times. I am just saying that most of the people who get seperated have boarding passes in the C range and usually don't check in until the airport. If you are able to check in at 24 hours or fairly close to it....there is a really good chance of getting at least a B boarding pass and then you won't get seperated. The point I was trying to make is that you don't need a high A 15-25 boarding pass to guarantee you won't be split up like most people make it seem on these boards. Reading these boards as long as I have you realize how the majority of posters make mountains out of molehills