Review: Flying With Southwest Without Printed Boarding Pass

[BadPinkTink]

In June 2018 I took a one way flight with SouthWest from San Francisco SFO to LAX.

I booked my ticket in January 2018 for a June flight

I paid $48.98 including all tax and charges. The basic fare was $32.26, this was a Wanna Get Away fare type and then the following tax and charges were added
Excise Taxes $2.42
September 11 Security Fee $5.60
Segment Fee $4.20
Passenger Facility Charge $4.50

This fare included free checked baggage.

I printed off the confirmation email and put it with my travel documents.

I checked in online on my phone 17 hours before departure. As I was on my phone I was given the option to save my boarding pass with the barcode as a photo.

At the airport, I first went to the curbside check in but as I had all ready checked in, I was directed inside to the bag drop area.

At the bag drop area I used the self service machine to get a bag tag for my checked luggage. I stuck the bag tag on and then went to the bag drop desk. The agent checked my ID and scanned my bag tag and then my bag was off.

I then went to the TSA Security check. At the security check the agent checked my ID and then I placed my phone with the screen side down onto the reader to scan my boarding pass.

When I got to the gate area, I checked my phone and found that I was in Boarding group B20.

Southwest have a very easy boarding system. They have 2 boarding lanes, A and B. Each lane is divided into sections of 10 people, 1 to 10, 11 to 20 etc. When they start boarding they board all the A's first, then all the B's. People wait in line beside their number and then board in order.

When it was my time to board, I put my phone on the reader to scan the barcode and then I was through.

The flight did not seem to be full and I managed to get a 3 row seat all to myself, about halfway through the plane.

Even though it was a short flight, just over 1 hour, Southwest did an in flight refreshment service. Payment was by card only, no cash.

A flight attendant came through the cabin taking drink orders, and then came back with plastic cups of drinks on a tray. The cabin crew did not bring the drinks trolley thing through the cabin.

Overall, compared to the Irish budget airline Ryanair and UK budget airline Easyjet, it was a much more pleasant flying experience.

While the seat widths are the same on Ryanair and Southwest, as far as I can find, there is more room between the seats ie from the front of your seat to the back / tray table of the seat in front of you on Southwest. I did a check and as far as I can figure out, this is called Seat Pitch?? On Southwest it is just over 30 inches and on Ryanair it is just under 20 inches.

With Southwest the basic price includes 2 checked bags, with Ryanair and Easyjet they actively discourage checked bags. With Ryanair and Easyjet there is an extra charge for checked bags and there is a small weight limit. Ryanair are now even discouraging cabin bags in the over head storage on the flights. Only those who pay for priority boarding can put their roll along bag in the overhead bin. Anyone else ie general boarding must either pay to check their roll along OR gate check their roll along.

Click Here To Return To My Main June 2018 Trip Report

 

[kaytieeldr]

Duplicate, don't know why

 

[kaytieeldr]

While the seat widths are the same on Ryanair and Southwest, as far as I can find, there is more room between the seats ie from the front of your seat to the back

That's the pitch. It's actually more perception between these two airlines. Ryanair seat pitch ranges from 30" to 34", depending on the plane. Southwest ranges from 31" to 33".[/QUOTE]

 

[bumbershoot]

Nice writeup. I hope newbies find it useful, as it was very nicely written!




FYI...

This fare included free checked baggage.

All fares on southwest include two free checked bags per ticketed passenger.

Payment was by card only, no cash.

That’s the norm for all airlines i know.

 

[larissawbb]

I love that Southwest will let you change flights for free. I don’t know if any other airlines have that.

 

[Huff]

I love that Southwest will let you change flights for free. I don’t know if any other airlines have that.

It is nice but SW steadily raises fares sharply, far more than most other airlines. For the routes I fly, 3-4 hours cross country the fares start at around $150 each way. Less than 14 days prior the fare will often jump to $500 each way. To change just one way will cost me $350.

I do not usually see those steep rises in airfare with Delta or American. Usually $100-$150 increase but they charge $250 change fees. Comes out close to the same as SW.

 

[georgina]

Yeah, but I have 88,000 American points because I can never book early enough to use them on my chosen routes/times. Southwest lets you use points for any flight (and in my case that means just about every flight) I also have the companion pass for 2 years so I can take someone along for free every trip. SW and its policies don't work for everybody, but it is my airline of choice.

Thanks for the review. I do like that they don't use a drink cart in the aisles. My last SW flight (July 4) the pilot announced that the flight attendants would have to sit the whole flight because of storms and turbulence, but the good news was that it was only a 39 minute flight. We then proceeded to fly around the storms so it was a smooth but 1.5 hour flight. We really could have had drinks in that situation!

 

[BadPinkTink]

Nice writeup. I hope newbies find it useful, as it was very nicely written!

Thanks, and yes its for the newbies. This was only my second flight with Southwest, the first time was in 2014. I know people on here did reassure me but most people are used to flying with Southwest so don't have a newbie viewpoint

That’s the norm for all airlines i know.

Aer Lingus and I think most European airlines take cash and card. On my flight from Dublin to San Francisco I used Euro coins to pay for alcohol and on the flight from LAX to Dublin I used US Dollars.

 

[goofy4tink]

Just to be completely correct, most SW flights have three boarding groups...A, B, and C. With family boarding between the A and B groups. There are a few groups that board before the A group, such as medical preboards and SW priority passengers.

 

[AngiTN]

It is nice but SW steadily raises fares sharply, far more than most other airlines. For the routes I fly, 3-4 hours cross country the fares start at around $150 each way. Less than 14 days prior the fare will often jump to $500 each way. To change just one way will cost me $350.

I do not usually see those steep rises in airfare with Delta or American. Usually $100-$150 increase but they charge $250 change fees. Comes out close to the same as SW.

Not for the routes we fly. They usually drop by a lot. I have lots and lots of credits built up

Opposite with legacy airlines. Where the fares skyrocket.

 

[Huff]

Not for the routes we fly. They usually drop by a lot. I have lots and lots of credits built up

Opposite with legacy airlines. Where the fares skyrocket.

SW fares drop in the last 2 weeks prior to trip? I rarely see that!! They will start out low at release date, slowly rise next few months, then drop quite a bit for a few days (This is the time to book!) then start a steep rise until day of flight. So yes, if you booked early when they were high you'll probably see them drop over the months until around 14-45 days out.

Most changes for us is due to schedule issues with work. That occurs on short notice, 1-7 days out. SW typically has higher fares at short notice.

 

[Lynne G]

Thank you for this. Still a little worried about it only on my phone, but think it is getting easier to do everything on your phone.

 

[BadPinkTink]

Thank you for this. Still a little worried about it only on my phone, but think it is getting easier to do everything on your phone.

I was worried too, especially as I have data roaming turned off. The trick is to check in with your phone and then save the boarding pass as a photo. That way you dont have to depend on data or Wifi when going through TSA security and at the boarding gate. You will be fine

 

[AngiTN]

Using the electronic boarding pass with Southwest is no different than with any other airline.
And good news to those that travel with multi person itineraries. They just added the ability to get mobile boarding for those too. Before you had to do paper.

SW fares drop in the last 2 weeks prior to trip? I rarely see that!! They will start out low at release date, slowly rise next few months, then drop quite a bit for a few days (This is the time to book!) then start a steep rise until day of flight. So yes, if you booked early when they were high you'll probably see them drop over the months until around 14-45 days out.

Most changes for us is due to schedule issues with work. That occurs on short notice, 1-7 days out. SW typically has higher fares at short notice.

No idea, I've never changed a Southwest fare that close to a trip. I don't travel for work.

 

[FCDub]

Thank you for this. Still a little worried about it only on my phone, but think it is getting easier to do everything on your phone.

If you're uncomfortable using it, you can still print a paper boarding pass at the airport.

 

[Lynne G]

If you're uncomfortable using it, you can still print a paper boarding pass at the airport.

Thanks. That is usually what I do. Go to the airport kiosk and print out boarding pass and baggage tag.

 

[NotUrsula]

Yes, using your phone is very convenient, but be aware that if there is a computer issue they will not work, whereas paper will. I've been at the gate when it has been announced that all passengers need to come and get a hard-copy BP for that reason; it can take quite a while to get them all issued when it happens.

FWIW, I always hate to rely on my phone to be quick and responsive in a time-limited situation, seems to be just my luck that my battery manages to die just when I need to do something like that. I always carry a paper copy JIC. (I also don't like having my phone out when going through TSA and boarding; I just prefer to put it away and leave it put away when I'm moving around in secure areas. It's nothing to replace a piece of paper if I absent-mindedly set it down, but I can't say that about my phone.

 

[sam_gordon]

Yes, using your phone is very convenient, but be aware that if there is a computer issue they will not work, whereas paper will.

Now that I think about it, that doesn't make sense. Whether it's a phone or a piece of paper, the computer is scanning a bar code (or QR code). So what kind of computer problem would make one work, but not the other?

Just to clarify, I'm not doubting it happened to you, it just doesn't make sense to me.

 

[FCDub]

Now that I think about it, that doesn't make sense. Whether it's a phone or a piece of paper, the computer is scanning a bar code (or QR code). So what kind of computer problem would make one work, but not the other?

Just to clarify, I'm not doubting it happened to you, it just doesn't make sense to me.

It's happened to me before. The computer was malfunctioning and they sent everyone to the desk to reprint a paper pass, which they then collected and cross-referenced against the manifesto.

 

[dvc at last !]

Interested also.