Pre boarding question on Southwest

[boomhauer]

How do we go about printing up our boarding passes when we'll be pre-boarding with twin infants? Generally, I log onto Southwest 24 hours in advance, check in online, and print up our passes. Do we do the same thing? Does it matter which group we get, A, B, or C, since we'll be pre-boarding?

 

[jobie61]

Its doesn't mastter with infants.... A B or C.....

You just need to check in and get your boarding pass.

 

[DisneyBugs]

Yes - we fly SW all the time. When you have small children, they let you board first -- regardless of A B or C.

 

[Hannathy]

I would still try to get an A or B if possible because many posters have said that if there are too many pre-boarders they will not do pre-boarding and just go by letters. Just head to the back and you shouldn't have problems getting seats.

 

[tjmw2727]

How do we go about printing up our boarding passes when we'll be pre-boarding with twin infants? Generally, I log onto Southwest 24 hours in advance, check in online, and print up our passes. Do we do the same thing? Does it matter which group we get, A, B, or C, since we'll be pre-boarding?

Yes, definately check in 24 hours as you always do just in case they suspend pre-boading of families. I have only seen it done once and that was returning from MCO to Philadelphia but just in case I would try and get the A boarding pass.

Then for the babies if you aren't buying them a seat you need to obtain a "Boarding Verification Document". You can get this at the airport when checking your luggage, you will need it before you go through security. In my experience SWA will require a birth certificate even if the baby is obviously under 2 years old to verify they are eligible for lap riding.

Here is the link to the info on SWA's policy on travling with a Lap Baby and the BVD:
http://www.southwest.com/travel_center/infants.html#bvd

If you are buying them a seat then you just check them as usual.

More helpful SWA information on traveling with babies:
http://www.southwest.com/travel_center/taking_the_kids1.html

And IMHO the most important place to check before a flight - the TSA
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/index.shtm

If you haven't traveled with the babies yet the section on traveling with babies and especially bringing formula and breastmilk will be helpful.

TJ

 

[NotUrsula]

You didn't say if you bought seats for the kiddies. If you did, you check them in just like everyone else. If you did and you are taking their carseats, you WILL be allowed to preboard, even if general family preboards are suspended.
Carseats must be placed in the window position (window/center if you have two) and cannot go in the rows directly in front of or behind the exit row, either.

If you are planning on lap-carrying them, be aware that your family cannot share one row. There is a limit of one lap-child per row because there is only one spare oxygen mask per row.

 

[boomhauer]

If you are planning on lap-carrying them, be aware that your family cannot share one row. There is a limit of one lap-child per row because there is only one spare oxygen mask per row.

Wow - That I didn't realize. Thanks for the heads up. Oh boy, my wife won't be happy about that one. She hates flying.

 

[5boyz]

LOL!! Boomhauer....I feel your pain, my husband HATES flying too but he wants a seat away from the kids cuz they will talk to him and he just wants to sit and close his eyes....LMAO!!!!

 

[kaytieeldr]

But you can take aisle seats (more or less) across from each other, or one behind the other. Or you could buy one additional seat and install one carseat in the window seat, then take turns holding one baby and placing the other one in the carseat.

 

[crazywig]

Not sure where you're flying from but on my SW flights from PVD they have always been fully booked, so personally I would not lapsit 2 infants since I wouldn't be able to set them down in a spare seat at all.

Actually I've always gotten seats for my two kids because the thought of holding/entertaining them for even the 2.5hr flights makes me shake LOL.

 

[goofy4tink]

You didn't say if you bought seats for the kiddies. If you did, you check them in just like everyone else. If you did and you are taking their carseats, you WILL be allowed to preboard, even if general family preboards are suspended.
Carseats must be placed in the window position (window/center if you have two) and cannot go in the rows directly in front of or behind the exit row, either.

If you are planning on lap-carrying them, be aware that your family cannot share one row. There is a limit of one lap-child per row because there is only one spare oxygen mask per row.

You learn something new every day!! I wasn't aware of that either.
I would think that the possibility of buying one extra seat for one of the babies might be a good thing in this case.

 

[NotUrsula]

AFAIK that one lap-child per row rule is universal on commercial aircraft -- any airline, any country. The only exceptions I know of are those wide-body aircraft that have bassinet brackets mounted on the bulkheads; they will have as many extra masks in that row as they do brackets.

I *have* seen situations where the FA's would not allow families with multiple lap-children to split the party in seats directly across the aisle from one another. I've been told that the reasoning for this has to do with the FA needing access to a nearby mask in the event that a passenger needs help during a depressurization situation. (I remember being surprised by this because I would have thought that FA's would have portable oxygen sources available to them, but apparently that isn't always the case.)