Southwest and a large group

[sunshinejk]

So, I just booked our flights to Disney for a group of 10 of us. Now...figuring I could go back and choose our seats, like you can with Delta, I found out I could not. So...just curious how this will work.

I guess I am not too concerned about sitting right next to my husband, or even the other 2 families (but it would be nice), but I would like my kids to each be able to sit by an adult in our group. There will actually be 4 kids in our group of 10, ranging from 6 to 10 years old any tips?

If I register us for rapid rewards, will that help? Or do the 10 of us just need to get in line EARLY when we check in?

 

[ashper99]

Southwest does not give seat assignments. You will be able to check-in 24 hours prior to flight time at which point you will receive an assigned boarding number and group. You could always purchase the Early Bird Check-in which will assign your boarding spot before the 24 hour window but that will not guarantee you a spot in the "A" group. Since you have children you should be able to board between the "A" and "B" group if you have not been assigned in the "A" group. Each group is 60 passengers. Even in the "B" group you should be able to set close together.

 

[LWQuestie]

You can either check in 24 hrs before flight time to get your boarding assignment or pay $10 per person (Early Bird Check In) for Southwest to check you in automatically 36 hrs before flight time.

Are all of the tickets booked on the same transaction? If not, each confirmation will check in separately, meaning a delay between each check-in.

I believe as long as you are mid-B or before, you should have no problem getting 5 pairs of seats throughout the plane. If you want the entire group together, you'll probably have the best luck by moving toward the back of the plane.

 

[sunshinejk]

Thank you so much! I'll have to remember to make sure to log in 24 hours before and check us in.

What exactly does that entail? Our group is purchased in two chunks. Two families of 4 (live in different towns) are on one flight confirmatin and one family of 2 in another confirmation. If I have the confirmations, can I just check everyone in myself?

What exactly does that mean, A group and B group? We don't get seats assigned at all? They just call the group number and that group runs to the plane entrance, hoping to get a seat by their group? Sorry if I sound like an idiot. I have never flown Southwest before, so this is totally new and confusing to me.

 

[ashper99]

Each boarding group has a number assigned from 1 - 60. The first 15 spots are reserved for A-List rewards members. Each group will be called up and you will be required to line up according to your group and number. A1 - 30 and A31 - 60 will be called up first. Then the B groups.

Since you have two separate confirmations, chances are you will not have consecutive numbers but you should be close.

I have always flown Southwest and I typically end up in the "A" group if I remember to check-in 24 hours prior. With our upcoming trip, though, my DD and I have opted to pay the extra for "Early Check-in" I hope this helps.

 

[Hannathy]

Since you have children you should be able to board between the "A" and "B" group if you have not been assigned in the "A" group. Each group is 60 passengers. Even in the "B" group you should be able to set close together.

No the children in her group are to old to qualify for family boarding if they have it. they have to be under 4 and sometimes even 2. If sitting close together is important than I would buy early check in. If it is ok that you aren't all together then just check in early. If you head toward the back of the plane you should be able to find 2 together for the youngest but not guaranteed. But always remember you are all on the same plane and all get there at the same time no matter if you sit together or not. And with all the togetherness at Disney sometimes a break apart is nice. lol.

 

[sunshinejk]

Each boarding group has a number assigned from 1 - 60. The first 15 spots are reserved for A-List rewards members. Each group will be called up and you will be required to line up according to your group and number. A1 - 30 and A31 - 60 will be called up first. Then the B groups.

Then when they call our group, we can sit in whatever seat that is open once we get in the plane?

Are the southwest planes typically 3 seats/isle/3 seats?

We will be in a boeing 737-700

My 10 year old has anxiety. If he ends up sitting my himself, it will be a disaster. That happened to us when we went to Mexico. His seat was behind mine, and in front of his dads, so we thought it would be OK. He could still see us and talk to us and even hold my hand if he needed to. He had a panick attack and thank goodness the lady sitting next to my husband was kind enough to change seats with him!

 

[ashper99]

No the children in her group are to old to qualify for family boarding if they have it. they have to be under 4 and sometimes even 2. If sitting close together is important than I would buy early check in. If it is ok that you aren't all together then just check in early. If you head toward the back of the plane you should be able to find 2 together for the youngest but not guaranteed. But always remember you are all on the same plane and all get there at the same time no matter if you sit together or not. And with all the togetherness at Disney sometimes a break apart is nice. lol.

You're right, I wasn't paying attention to ages. I saw children and tuned out, my bad.

 

[dudspizza]

OP, sounds like you didn't know what you were getting into when you booked with SW.

GO to this link to educate yourself on the SW boarding process.

http://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/airport-experience/boarding-school/

 

[sunshinejk]

OP, sounds like you didn't know what you were getting into when you booked with SW.

GO to this link to educate yourself on the SW boarding process.

http://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/airport-experience/boarding-school/

That's for sure. I had no idea. I think I still would have booked SW because it was $100 less per person over Delta once you figure in the no luggage fee. $400 savings makes me happy. That's $1000 savings for our entire group. As long as I can get the kids to each be able to sit by an adult, we will be fine. If that doesn't happen and we have screaming scared kids, maybe SW will consider changing the seating assignements when it comes to families with kids. And the sad thing is, I think the only one we will be worried about is the oldest because of his anxiety. I'm sure we will find 2 seats together.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

That's for sure. I had no idea. I think I still would have booked SW because it was $100 less per person over Delta once you figure in the no luggage fee. $400 savings makes me happy. That's $1000 savings for our entire group. As long as I can get the kids to each be able to sit by an adult, we will be fine. If that doesn't happen and we have screaming scared kids, maybe SW will consider changing the seating assignements when it comes to families with kids. And the sad thing is, I think the only one we will be worried about is the oldest because of his anxiety. I'm sure we will find 2 seats together.

SW has been seating this way for ages. I believe they've seated this way since their inception. So don't count on it changing. If you are really concerned about it, spring for the $10/person Early Bird Checkin. That will generally get you in the A or low- to mid- B group which will ensure you'll be able to get groups of seats together so at least the kids will be next to an adult. If you don't want to pay the extra, then make sure you are at a computer at the 24 hour mark to check in. I've never been further back than the mid-B group when checking in at 24 hours. There's always seats together towards the back of the plane even if you are seating in the mid-Bs.

 

[deegack]

Sw does have a way to basically insure you sit near each other, purchase early boarding at $10 per person each way. If it is tht important for you I wouldn't rely on the kindness of stranger because you don't know their situation.

And the whole we will have screaming kids thing doesn't get you any sympathy. You have a way to correct your oversight. If you choose not to, that is your problem and responsibility. That kind of attitude gives all families who fly with kids a bad name.

 

[goofy4tink]

Thank you so much! I'll have to remember to make sure to log in 24 hours before and check us in.

What exactly does that entail? Our group is purchased in two chunks. Two families of 4 (live in different towns) are on one flight confirmatin and one family of 2 in another confirmation. If I have the confirmations, can I just check everyone in myself?

What exactly does that mean, A group and B group? We don't get seats assigned at all? They just call the group number and that group runs to the plane entrance, hoping to get a seat by their group? Sorry if I sound like an idiot. I have never flown Southwest before, so this is totally new and confusing to me.

You will need to go online, at exactly 24 hrs prior to your departure time, go to checkin, plug in the confirmation numbers...then be sure to check off each passengers name, then hit submit. Then, plug in the second conf number and check off those folks. I would do the larger group first.
Okay...now you can print off the boarding passes..if you don't have a printer, you can do it at the airport when you arrive.
Each person will get a boarding pass with a letter (A, B or C) and a number between 1 and maybe 60 (I can never remember what the highest number is).
When you get to the gate, you will see poles with numbers on them....1-5, 6-10, and so on. They will board the A group first. The best you can hope for is A16 and up. About 10 mins prior to boarding, they will call for those in the A group to go to their numerical spots.
When they are almost done boarding...they will., most likely, call for any people traveling with children under 4, then the B group will be boarded, and finally the C group.
As long as you are in the A or B group, you should have no trouble finding seats together. No, you most likely won't be able to get all 10 of you together, but there should be plenty of rows that are empty when you board, especially if you head to the rear of the plane.

Now, your return flights are a bit more 'interesting'. This is when I tend to pay the addtl $10 pp for EBCI. Otherwise, I have to find someplace to do online checkin for my return flights..you can do this at the resort or in a park at Guest Services. Be sure you have your itinerary in hand. If you pay for EBCI, SW will check you in at the 36 hr mark..no need to worry about it. Then, you can get the boarding passes printed up at your leisure.

 

[CarolAnnB]

That's for sure. I had no idea. I think I still would have booked SW because it was $100 less per person over Delta once you figure in the no luggage fee. $400 savings makes me happy. That's $1000 savings for our entire group. As long as I can get the kids to each be able to sit by an adult, we will be fine. If that doesn't happen and we have screaming scared kids, maybe SW will consider changing the seating assignements when it comes to families with kids. And the sad thing is, I think the only one we will be worried about is the oldest because of his anxiety. I'm sure we will find 2 seats together.

SW has always advertised themselves as a no frills/budget type airline. No assigned seats is part of the reason you are saving the $1000.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

OP, sounds like you didn't know what you were getting into when you booked with SW.

GO to this link to educate yourself on the SW boarding process.

http://www.southwest.com/html/customer-service/airport-experience/boarding-school/

+1

I cannot understand why people book an airline without spending at least a few minutes reading their website to understand the basic policies, especially regarding any additional fees, seat assignments, baggage, etc.

Sw does have a way to basically insure you sit near each other, purchase early boarding at $10 per person each way. If it is tht important for you I wouldn't rely on the kindness of stranger because you don't know their situation.

And the whole we will have screaming kids thing doesn't get you any sympathy. You have a way to correct your oversight. If you choose not to, that is your problem and responsibility. That kind of attitude gives all families who fly with kids a bad name.

Again, +1!

OP - WN has never had assigned seating. I don't think they are going to change this policy for the convenience of families who don't bother to plan in advance. Or teach their children how to behave in public (special needs kids excepted).

 

[bumbershoot]

Please, OP, do NOT worry about this. Look at the link provided, learn about it, make your plans, but do NOT worry.

Either buy the earlybird boarding (which means you don't do the checking in; SW does it for you), or be online and ready to go when it hits 24 hours. Since you have two confirmation numbers, have two browser windows up and fill in each window with as much info as you can, so when the 24 hour mark hits, you can just click click click, switch windows, click click click and you'll be fine.

Better yet, get someone else to do the second group on a different computer while you're doing the other group.



And to give you another perspective....while I don't fly SW much anymore (DH earns miles with Alaska and United so we use those miles, and I am madly in love with Virgin America's planes so when I can I use them), I started flying them because I was sick and tired of having my carefully-chosen seat on other airlines *changed* between booking and getting on the plane. I would take time to figure out what seat I wanted, then it was given to someone else.

With SW, only way that can happen is if someone literally sat down while you were putting something in the overhead compartment, LOL. Which would be tricky!

 

[LisaS]

If that doesn't happen and we have screaming scared kids, maybe SW will consider changing the seating assignements when it comes to families with kids. And the sad thing is, I think the only one we will be worried about is the oldest because of his anxiety. I'm sure we will find 2 seats together.

A possible solution here is to purchase EBCI just for yourself and the child with anxiety issues on both your outbound and your return flight. That will get the two of you checked in automatically 36 hours prior to flight time, getting you better boarding positions than if you check yourselves in 24 hours out.

You can check in everyone else in your group 24 hours prior to your flight. EBCI for just two people will cost you only $20 each way but will allow the two of you to board earlier and sit together. If you take a window seat and an aisle seat you can also easily save that middle seat for another member of your group.

 

[DebbieB]

I have flown SW several times and have never been separated from my travel companions. I've never done early bird. My last trip I got A51 going and B1 home at 24 hours. My last flight I had B1, my friend B2 and we snagged the 2 seat exit row.

 

[Lewisc]

That's for sure. I had no idea. I think I still would have booked SW because it was $100 less per person over Delta once you figure in the no luggage fee. $400 savings makes me happy. That's $1000 savings for our entire group. As long as I can get the kids to each be able to sit by an adult, we will be fine. If that doesn't happen and we have screaming scared kids, maybe SW will consider changing the seating assignements when it comes to families with kids. And the sad thing is, I think the only one we will be worried about is the oldest because of his anxiety. I'm sure we will find 2 seats together.

A couple of years ago Southwest considered changing to assigned seats. They did some testing, I think just a couple of west coast cities. They found the present system works best for Southwest and for their customers. Parents with young kids generally qualify for family mid-boarding. Otherwise passengers who feel they need to sit next to other family members can either purchase EBCI or a book business select fare.