SOUTHWEST AIRLINES

[Jake]

Flying out of Long Island New York. Southwest only have two or three direct flights to Orlando. These flights are always booked to the max.

Even through you check in at the 24 hour plus 2 seconds you always get B 20. At B 20 something we have no problem finding seats together. JUST wondering, would it be worth it to pay the extra $22 and do "Business Select" you get an A boarding, Fly BY [priority lane at security checkpoint] Premium Drink [$5] and extra rapid rewards point.

So do you think it worth it, am I reading something wrong? Has anyone done this? Thank you for any help

 

[kaytieeldr]

If it's only $22 and guaranteed, yes.

 

[skylynx]

$22 seems awfully cheap for that kind of upgrade, so if it's legit, I'd grab it! We fly SW all the time out of Denver, and we always suck it up and buy the early bird option when flying in/out of Orlando. As you say, even at 2 seconds after the 24 hour mark you are going to be somewhere buried in B, and when SW allows the family boarding in between A and B groups on Orlando flights, half the plane can fill up before the B's get on.

 

[Jake]

Long Island to MCO and MCO to ISP it the same problem. Handicap like 10 wheelchair and family's. All the A people then the family boarding. Once again we are talking Disney, lots of family's. By the time B is call more then half the plane is filled. So you think early bird is the better way to go ?

 

[skylynx]

We use the early bird feature judiciously...always on Orlando flights, and then again on any others where for whatever reason we'll have the maximum carry on baggage or expect a crowded flight around a big event, etc. Who wants the first and last part of their vacation to be a stress-inducer (as in, will we get to sit together/will I get an aisle seat so I can make trips to the bathroom/will I have to struggle to find a place for my bags)? We don't do early bird when we fly to Disneyland because we have a choice of a couple airports and the family boarding thing never seems to be as massive there as when going to Orlando. For Orlando flights, even B1 just isn't good enough to guarantee you'll be content with where you sit. And if you don't add the early bird feature when you first buy your tickets, you may STILL end up in B behind other even earlier birds! We just consider it part of the cost of flying to Orlando now.

 

[daughtersrus]

Long Island to MCO and MCO to ISP it the same problem. Handicap like 10 wheelchair and family's. All the A people then the family boarding. Once again we are talking Disney, lots of family's. By the time B is call more then half the plane is filled. So you think early bird is the better way to go ?

Do they let the entire party with the wheelchair on early or just the disabled person and 1 person from their party?

 

[leahgoogle]

Not sure about the business select, but we did the regular early bird check-in out of Chicago to Orlando and on the return flight too. We were happy with the results. We have a family of 5 and we were able to get good seats.

 

[DisneyWorldbuff]

We always do business select. It's worth it! You get to use the priority lane for security, so that eliminates a lot of hassle, especially flying out of Orlando. The lines there can be vicious. You do not have to check it 24 hours before your flight, Southwest will do it for you. That really helps when you're having fun at WDW and don't want to think about going home. Plus, everyone in your party will be in the first "a" boarding group. A few weeks ago, we were A6-10. Free drinks can't hurt either

 

[a742246]

If it's only $22 and guaranteed, yes.

I second this!

 

[DisDadDVC]

I fly SW about 50 times a year. A BS upgrade from a Wanna Get Away fare will generally be MUCH more than $22. It might only be $22 from an Anytime fare. Also, SW will "trick" you into giving up your boarding pass. After you check in, they advertise "upgrade to BS starting at $25". However, to see the actual price, you have to delete your boarding pass. Then you will get to the page and they will want $150+ to upgrade to BS. Just make sure you know exactly what you are agreeing to.

edit: Also, if it is only $22, the extra miles you get from BS will more than make up for the cost (assuming you can make use of them at some point).

 

[skylynx]

Business select is usually more like $150-$250 more per ticket for us flying out of Denver...if it was only $22 I'd sure snap it up, but Select is normally around double our Wanna Get Away fare. So we just pay for Early Bird on flights where it matters, and last month signed up for TSA Pre-Check...we feel $85 each was well spent for five years of shorter lines, shoes staying on, and laptops staying in the bags. With my Rapid Rewards drink coupons I kind of feel like we make our own "business select" of sorts without paying double. We're happy to just get on with the A group...don't need to be first!

 

[disneymagicgirl]

wow, only $22 more? Did they offer you a special last minute to upgrade or something?

 

[supersnoop]

$22 is the standard price difference between Anytime and Business Select. If you already have an Anytime ticket, I believe it's extremely worth it to upgrade. In fact, I've paid for it out of my own pocket even when traveling for business. The miles alone make it worthwhile. Add in the boarding perk, security line, and drink coupon, and it's a no-brainer.

 

[skylynx]

Ah, I understand now. We never do Anytime fares, we're Wanna Get Away folks! I could see if you were already spending that much on Anytime fare tickets that the twenty-odd extra isn't a big jump for what you get.

 

[MinnieForMe]

Do they let the entire party with the wheelchair on early or just the disabled person and 1 person from their party?

It really depends on the gate agent. They don't have to let anyone but the wheelchair individual and a companion on the plane but they have never denied my family from boarding together. It's usually quite a production as in my son has my forearm crutches, my husband is folding up my wheelchair, and the two youngest are carrying on the legs to my wheelchair and the seat to stow in the overhead. We take as much apart before we enter the ramp so as to be quick. It's wise to take any piece that could get lost off your wheelchair before handing it off. I suppose I could ask to be wheeled on with their special wheelchair but I want to get on as quickly as possible so as not to hold up the other guests.