Please walk me through Southwest Early Bird Check-in...

[beattyfamily]

Hi there.

I've only flown Southwest one other time and to be honest, I do not remember what I did for checking in and printing boarding passes.

I paid the extra $10 for Early Bird check in.

Now, what happens? Do I need to do anything 36/24 hours before my trip? Or do they automatically check me in and then what? I print boarding pass at home or at airport?

I will have checked luggage for sure. Does that make a difference?

I'm more worried about the trip home. Again, do I need to do something 36/24 before my flight? Can I just print boarding pass at airport or do I have to get help from the hotel/resort?

I'm so confused. Thanks so much for any help you can provide.

 

[Big Willie]

You have nothing left to do as Southwest will handle your check-in since you paid the $10 for EBCI for both legs of your flight. At the 36 hour point SW will check you in for your flight AUTOMATICALLY.

For your departure from home you can at the 24 hour point either
1. Go online and print out the boarding passes. "or"
2. Print your Boarding Pass at the airport when you arrive for the flight.

For your return again SW will AUTOMATICALLY check you in at the 36 hour point (if you paid for EBCI). Anytime after the 24 hour point you can
1. Go the Guest Services with your Confirmation # and have them print your Boarding Pass

2. Go the Baggage Services with your Confirmation # and have them print out your Boarding Pass

3. Print out your Boarding Passes at the airport.

Relax and Enjoy!

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

This is explained on the SWA website. Did you check?

http://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/faqs.html?topic=earlybird_checkin

 

[gvandeli]

I think I paid for Early Bird Check In, but I really can't remember for certain. I don't see anything on my confirmation that indicates it. Should I be looking for something specific? Thanks!

 

[gvandeli]

I just checked our confirmation number and it does indicate we have paid for EBCI...just thought I'd let people know that if you put in your confirmation number of the Southwest website, you can check you EBCI status.

 

[ladypage]

This is explained on the SWA website. Did you check?

http://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/faqs.html?topic=earlybird_checkin

Some people just want to double check they understand it right. Don't assume they didn't already check there.

 

[beattyfamily]

This is explained on the SWA website. Did you check?

http://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/faqs.html?topic=earlybird_checkin

I sure did, thank you. Before I posted, I read all the FAQ and EB explanations on that page.

However, I still didn't understand if I could just print out the boarding pass at the airport (and where) or if I had to do it at the resort.

 

[beattyfamily]

You have nothing left to do as Southwest will handle your check-in since you paid the $10 for EBCI for both legs of your flight. At the 36 hour point SW will check you in for your flight AUTOMATICALLY.

For your departure from home you can at the 24 hour point either
1. Go online and print out the boarding passes. "or"
2. Print your Boarding Pass at the airport when you arrive for the flight.

For your return again SW will AUTOMATICALLY check you in at the 36 hour point (if you paid for EBCI). Anytime after the 24 hour point you can
1. Go the Guest Services with your Confirmation # and have them print your Boarding Pass

2. Go the Baggage Services with your Confirmation # and have them print out your Boarding Pass

3. Print out your Boarding Passes at the airport.

Relax and Enjoy!

Wow, thank you so very much for all this great and useful information. I really appreciate it.

 

[beattyfamily]

Now that its only about 4 days away, I am bumping this thread with a question.

I'm leaving EARLY Tuesday morning.

From my understaning I will automatically be checked in at 36 hours before. Then at 24 hours before I can print boarding passes IF I want OR I can wait till airport and then can I just have the skycaps do it when I give them my checked luggage/info??? Or do I have to do it on my own via a kiosk?

Then coming home from Disney same thing? I can print them at hotel front desk OR print them at airport via the skycaps? Or on my own via a kiosk?

I also just read that at 36 hours (or is it 24 hours), I can look online to see that I've been checked in? Is that true?

Thanks!!

 

[kitnrose99]

Correct, though it's more of an "and" then an "or" - you can print your tickets at home AND at the kiosk. That's what I inadvertently do for about half my flights. I'm really bad about remembering things in the printer.

 

[goofy4tink]

Now that its only about 4 days away, I am bumping this thread with a question.

I'm leaving EARLY Tuesday morning.

From my understaning I will automatically be checked in at 36 hours before. Then at 24 hours before I can print boarding passes IF I want OR I can wait till airport and then can I just have the skycaps do it when I give them my checked luggage/info??? Or do I have to do it on my own via a kiosk?

Then coming home from Disney same thing? I can print them at hotel front desk OR print them at airport via the skycaps? Or on my own via a kiosk?

I also just read that at 36 hours (or is it 24 hours), I can look online to see that I've been checked in? Is that true?

Thanks!!

You've got it. It really is exactly the same thing as when you check in at the 24 hr window...but SW does it 12 hrs sooner for you. When you get to the 24 hr window you should be able to just go to the SW site and bring up your reservation and print out your bp. Or, you can wait until you get to the airport and let curbside do it for you when you hand over your luggage.
When you get to Disney, SW will check you in at the 36 hr mark. You can have RAC print out the bp when you check your bags the day of departure. If, for whatever reason, you aren't using RAC to check your bags and get those bp's, then you can do it at MCO, curbside.

 

[mb187143]

just so you know, the hotel *may* just print your boarding passes for you for your return flight. I know I didn't request it, but the last 3 times I went this past year, on the morning of my check out, they left the boarding passes on my door in an envelope, separate from the express check out receipt. If they don't, you can have guest services or the RAC desk print them for you, but sometimes they've already taken care of that, and it's a nice little break - one less thing you have to do when you're getting ready to leave.

 

[beattyfamily]

Thanks everyone!!

So I will probably print bp's before I leave but going home, I'll do it at the airport with the skycaps.

I don't know what RAC stands for but we'll have a rental car.

Thanks again!

 

[goofy4tink]

Thanks everyone!!

So I will probably print bp's before I leave but going home, I'll do it at the airport with the skycaps.

I don't know what RAC stands for but we'll have a rental car.

Thanks again!

RAC....remote (or resort) airline checkin. You can use it no matter how you get back to the airport. You can check your bags there in the morning and then not have to lug them to the airport with you.....love using that. No need to be using DME in order to use RAC.

 

[ToddyLu]

SW skycaps at MCO are great. Best money I spend at the airport is tipping them.

 

[beattyfamily]

Thanks, everyone!

So when I'm at 36 hours out, will I see anything different on the website?

Or do I still wait till 24 hours before I see anything different and that's also when I can print the boarding passes, right?

Just wondering.

 

[DebbieB]

RAC....remote (or resort) airline checkin. You can use it no matter how you get back to the airport. You can check your bags there in the morning and then not have to lug them to the airport with you.....love using that. No need to be using DME in order to use RAC.

I did this on our last 2 trips even though I had a rental car. It was nice to check the luggage and not have to worry about it when we got to the airport.

 

[1tufgt]

I did this on our last 2 trips even though I had a rental car. It was nice to check the luggage and not have to worry about it when we got to the airport.

We might have to try that this time around because we have a late flight out and want to hit up downtown disney before we head to the airport and don't feel like carrying our luggage around.

Is there a RAC thread where it explains how to do RAC? We are flying southwest and I know they are a part of RAC now.

 

[crazycatlady]

RAC....remote (or resort) airline checkin. You can use it no matter how you get back to the airport. You can check your bags there in the morning and then not have to lug them to the airport with you.....love using that. No need to be using DME in order to use RAC.

Wow!! I had no idea that we could do this! We always rent a car so have never used DME, and have schlepped our own bags back to the airport. So, in the morning before we leave for the airport, we just take our suitcases down to the lobby and check them in there? We are staying at POP, if that makes a difference.