Southwest Airline question

[MyManGoofy!]

I have never flown SW before and I didn't know about the pre-check in til about an hour ago. Who can tell me how bad a boarding pass with B55 really is?

 

[laurie31]

I hope you don't mind the back of the plane...

Actually, if you're flying alone, you might be able to get much closer to the front. A lot of people chose either the window or aisle seats, and the center is left open. Couples, friends, families, etc will bypass those single seats so they can sit together.

I was flying with a friend and we had A passes, but ended up on the VERY back row, because that's the only place we could find two seats together. She had not flown much and was nervous, otherwise we could have split up.

Remember there are 114 people in front of you, plus any passengers who qualify for pre-boarding, so be prepared to keep going back...back...back.

Southwest is great, though. Have a good flight!

 

[MyManGoofy!]

The back of the plane does not bother me at all. I am hoping there might be at least one aisle seat open because I get airsickness and the aisle seat makes it easier to get to a bathroom.


Oh well. I am sure if I am about to be sick I won't have much trouble convincing people to get out of the way-lol!

 

[a1tinkfans]

have a great flight and Bet you get closer to the front than you think.....my fingers are crossed for you.

 

[tvguy]

If you're traveling alone you'll be fine. Only issue I ever had was when my kids were small, but too big to qualify for pre-boarding, trying to get 4 seats together. While I am probably one of the cheapest guys out there, so I like low fares, their lack of assigned seating, and the times I discovered they were not the lowest fare (emergency, last minute flights) kind steers me away from Southwest.

 

[SandrA9810]

If you're traveling alone you'll be fine. Only issue I ever had was when my kids were small, but too big to qualify for pre-boarding, trying to get 4 seats together. While I am probably one of the cheapest guys out there, so I like low fares, their lack of assigned seating, and the times I discovered they were not the lowest fare (emergency, last minute flights) kind steers me away from Southwest.

Well you can pay $10 to get earlier boarding pass.

A 1-15 is business select. Usually this section never fills. There is also the handicap boarding that starts first, usually you're only talking a few people with or without a companion.
Family boarding is between A and B boarding, which there's usually rows available for the whole family.
Once you get past B30, you're talking mostly middle seats. Although you might still be able to get a middle seat fairly close to the front.

Every flight I've been on, it has 2 stops usually. Once the passengers exit, and they count you, you can move to any available seat. I don't care about getting a bad seat, because in an hour, I'll get a good seat. This last flight was the only time flying that I had one stop. 3hrs, and it was booked solid. But I'll hop to a front row seat, so I can get out quickly.

 

[IDoDis]

If you are traveling alone, you will be fine. You are near the end of the "B" boarders, but "C" is still behind you. There will be aisle seats you can grab.

If worse comes to worst and you get stuck in a middle seat, just take the barf bag out of the seat pocket in front of you when you sit down and warn the person sitting in the aisle seat that things may get ugly. He/she will probably offer to switch seats with you stat!

 

[tvguy]

Well you can pay $10 to get earlier boarding pass.
.

I'd be willing to pay $10 for an assigned seat.

 

[SandrA9810]

I like being able to move half way through, to get a closer seat at the end, so I can exit faster. Being in the back at the beginning of my flight doesn't bother me. I just hate waiting to exit.

 

[mamacatnv]

I'd be willing to pay $10 for an assigned seat.

The $10 does not give you an assigned seat but it does give you a low A boarding number. I fly SWA almost exclusively, for our local airport they are the best option. I love SWA!

 

[CathrynRose]

Agreed with the PP who said you'll find one up close.

Even when I board, with Early Bird boarding - and my g/f did not - she passed gobs of "one seaters" in the first few rows.....but made it back to Emergency Row (aka Party Central! ) with me.

I didn't save a seat. I just happened to not have moved my purse off of it.

 

[tvguy]

The $10 does not give you an assigned seat but it does give you a low A boarding number. I fly SWA almost exclusively, for our local airport they are the best option. I love SWA!

Yes, I know. I also know they experiemented with assigned seats on flights out of San Diego since the number 1 complaint they get is about not having assigned seats, and while the experiement apparently went over well, they decided not bo change their system. I guess I'm still mad because in an emergency I flew SWA just assuming their fare would be the best, and I should have checked. Their advance fare on the route certainly was much cheaper, but their last minute (3 days in advance) fare was almost double what American West charges.

 

[TDC Nala]

Depends on what you think is "bad."

If you prefer the front of the plane, then you likely aren't going to get that. And you can likely forget about the exit row.

If you are solo you should be able to avoid a middle seat (probably in the back of the plane). If you are two passengers who want to sit together you may be able to do that (very likely in the back of the plane). If you're a large group that wants seats next to or near each other, that may not happen.

 

[DisneyLoverUSA]

The $10 fee for Early Bird Check In is worth it. We had A17-20 on our outbound flight and A19-22 on our return flight. We basically got to pick anywhere on the plane we wanted to sit. I walked past about 5 empty rows at the front to sit back a few rows. I like to be towards the front of the plane so we can get off quickly but I don't like being RIGHT UP FRONT. I definitely do not like being at the back of the plane. It can take 20 minutes just to get off the plane because you have to wait for the whole plane to get out of the way before you can get off. There's no reason not to have a good boarding number because SW tells you when you buy a ticket about the EBCI whether you buy over the phone or buy online they prompt you to buy the EBCI.

 

[dejr_8]

I have never flown SW before and I didn't know about the pre-check in til about an hour ago. Who can tell me how bad a boarding pass with B55 really is?

With a B boarding pass you will get a window or aisle seat without question. When you get to the C's you're almost certainly going to be a center seat.

 

[John In Illinois]

I fly Southwest a lot, and no matter what boarding pass number I have received, one imutable fact remains..............

I get there at exactly the same time as A1 !!!!

 

[Micca]

With a B boarding pass you will get a window or aisle seat without question. When you get to the C's you're almost certainly going to be a center seat.

On Southwest "C" stands for "Center" seat. Still, it's a terrific airline and generally treats passengers better than the competition.

 

[DebbieB]

The $10 does not give you an assigned seat but it does give you a low A boarding number. I fly SWA almost exclusively, for our local airport they are the best option. I love SWA!

Not always. There have been posts where people got low B's with EBCI. If alot of people buy it, it's possible to not get an A. Rare, but it can happen.

 

[simplyyy]

Its the best!
I don't see how can it be bad.

 

[mamacatnv]

Not always. There have been posts where people got low B's with EBCI. If alot of people buy it, it's possible to not get an A. Rare, but it can happen.

Wow, I didn't realize that, thanks for the clarification. I fly almost the same route every other month, I never pay for the EBCI but I'm anal about checking in at the 24 hour mark. So far, I have never not had an A boarding pass. If it ever got to the point that I was getting B's then I might pay the extra bucks.

Personally, I prefer the back of the plane, last 5 rows or so and window is my first choice. For my usual route I always take a direct flight and always check a bag, we all end up at the baggage claim at the same time, the few extra minutes to get off the plane doesn't bug me at all.

Several years ago we went to WDW via Delta. I can't even remember how many times our "assigned seats" changed leading up to our departure. Since there were 4 of us, staying together was important, with the constant seat changes it was aggravating. The following year we took SWA to WDW and with a little thought and some preplanning we were all together for every leg of the trip and that was before they had the advance check in process with the assigned numbers, that was back when it was just A, B or C. I love that they have added the numbers into the process.

Fares are going to vary depending on days, routes, advance purchase etc. If I am flying at the last minute for some sort of emergency I expect to pay more and depending on the emergency I may not take the time to check several carriers I would probably go with who I know. Will I pay more? possibly but for planned travel out of my airport, SWA cannot be beat.