Southwest and checking in at resort

[dskib]

Our flight home is on SW. The last time we flew them, we did the resort check in and got B boarding. From what I understand, if we don't check in at the 24 hr mark, we won't get A. Is it possible to get A boarding through Disney?

Thanks.
Deb

 

[TDC Nala]

That will completely depend on how many passengers purchased early bird check-in, I'd think. It's now possible to check in right at 24 hours and get a B pass.

 

[lilkitty819]

The last time I flew on SW was the end of Jan. I checked in at the 24 hour time and got a B pass....If you want an A pass you might want to think about paying for the early bird....If its just 2 for your party you should be alright with a B pass, but if there are more you may have a problem with sitting together.. Good Luck

 

[Cherinva]

I agree...it depends on how many people do the early bird thing...I checked in for my flights exactly at the 24 hours mark...and I got A57 (they go to 60) and on the way home got A44

I've had Disney check me in, and have gotten A boarding, and sometimes a B.

 

[Jestocost]

I do not recommend waiting until you go to the RAC desk to do your SWA check in as that means you are checking in only 12 hours before your flight at the earliest. That means everyone who did EBCI or checked in starting at 24 hours is ahead of you. While there are some posters who have indicated that RAC (it's NOT Disney) checked them in at the 24-hour mark and there are some who say that this is supposed to happen if you used DME on the way to your resort (but maybe subject to certain other limitations, such as if your flight is an a.m. or p.m. flight), I have not seen enough evidence that I would rely on RAC to check me in before I was at the desk.

As a result, we always use EBCI for our return trips; as much for the convenience factor as anything. If you don't want to pay the extra $10 per ticket for EBCI, then you can have the front desk at any Disney resort or the guest services locations at any of the parks or in DTD do it for you, you can do it yourself with any Web-enabled cell phone or other device at mobile.southwest.com, or you can arrange for a trusted (100 percent reliable) friend or relative to do it for you.

 

[kteesmumma]

Thanks for the question..I was looking for this information as well. We leave in 3 weeks..we are a family of 4 with a 4 and 8 year old. I didnt purhcase EBC but was thinking of doing it now..I just dont know if its too late and not to bother cause we could still end up getting boarding pass B's.

Also if we have a layover...on the way home..if I buy the EBC do I have to pay for 10.00 for both flights coming home. Will I get the same boarding group for both flights?

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Thanks for the question..I was looking for this information as well. We leave in 3 weeks..we are a family of 4 with a 4 and 8 year old. I didnt purhcase EBC but was thinking of doing it now..I just dont know if its too late and not to bother cause we could still end up getting boarding pass B's.

Also if we have a layover...on the way home..if I buy the EBC do I have to pay for 10.00 for both flights coming home. Will I get the same boarding group for both flights?

You're not too late to purchase EBCI. If anything, it's the convenience of not having to worry about checking in at T-24 hours. Even if you end up with a "B", you are still in front of everybody that didn't purchase EBCI and you should be able to find seats together, especially near the rear of the plane.

If you have a layover, SWA will check you in for both legs, you only pay the $10 once, nothing extra for a layover flight. You will not, however, get the same boarding numbers for both flights.

 

[kteesmumma]

Thank you for the info.

If I buy the EBC, I can still have my boarding passes printed out at the Resort, correct? They handle our luggage too right. We have DME to take us to the airport. This is our first time using DME and I am unsure of what I should be doing LOL

Our flight leaves Orlando at 7:35am. So when should we go and do the Resort Airline Check in?

 

[Jestocost]

Thank you for the info.

If I buy the EBC, I can still have my boarding passes printed out at the Resort, correct? They handle our luggage too right. We have DME to take us to the airport. This is our first time using DME and I am unsure of what I should be doing LOL

Our flight leaves Orlando at 7:35am. So when should we go and do the Resort Airline Check in?

Unfortunately, you will be unable to use RAC with a 7:35 a.m. flight. You can use RAC up to 12 hours before your scheduled flight time, but must have the process completed no later than three hours before your flight. Since the RAC desk only is open from 5:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m., however, there's no way you can do a check in for a 7:35 a.m. flight. This would be the case for any airline; not just with SWA.

You can still use EBCI to obtain your boarding numbers, but you will have to take your bags on the DME bus with you. Your DME pick up will be at about 4:30 a.m. and you should planning on being at the pick-up location and ready to go no later than 4:20 a.m.

Once you get to the airport, you can check your bags curbside (if it's open) or at a Southwest kiosk and print your boarding passes out at that time. You will still have the numbers that were assigned when the EBCI was processed.

 

[kteesmumma]

Wow I am glad I asked all of this...I would have not known

 

[ccgirl]

Do you have a web enabled phone? You can use that to check in at the 24 hour mark. The boarding position is assigned at check in not when you print the boarding pass.

I have yet to purchase EBCI and have never been separated from my children. We had a "C" pass once and had to sit in the back of the plane but that is when I totally forgot to check in and just checked in at the airport.

Children 4 and under (with their immediate family) are eligible for family boarding. They do this between groups A and B. So, depending on when you purchased EBCI, if you were assigned a B and had an older child, or no children you would be boarding after the A's and families with small children. One in a while they decrease the age to 2. I have seen one case where they just didn't use family boarding at all because there were just so many small children.

While EBCI gives a "better chance" of sitting together it depends on how many people utilize this as well.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[kteesmumma]

If I were to have someone at home check in for us at the 24 hour mark..what info would they need to do this and what info would I need to know after they check in for us.

 

[ccgirl]

If I were to have someone at home check in for us at the 24 hour mark..what info would they need to do this and what info would I need to know after they check in for us.

First of all....love your location.

All they need is your confirmation number, first name, last name. If you are all on the same confirmation they only need to enter one name.

You don't need anything. You can either have the resort print out your boarding pass, or you can print it out at the airport.

Since you have a 4 year old. Listen for the family boarding announcement. If they say family boarding 4 and under and you have a B or C, you want to board with family boarding (between groups A and B). If you have A passes, you want to board than since that is still before family boarding.

Have a great trip!

 

[kteesmumma]

Thanks CCGirl Hows the rain today? LOL Can you believe that its 43 degrees out LOL.

 

[dskib]

Ok. So I can check in on my mobile phone at the 24 hr mark. Where at the resort do I go then to get the boarding passes printed?

Thanks.
Deb

 

[ccgirl]

Thanks CCGirl Hows the rain today? LOL Can you believe that its 43 degrees out LOL.

You are very welcome. Oh my goodness! The rain, thunder, lightning has been incredible! Flooding is all over the place. Not good. I just keep thinking of all the water the pretty flowers are getting so they can grow quicker. I can dream can't I? Still better than snow. LOL!

BTW, I have an 8 year old Kate as well. Small world!

Ok. So I can check in on my mobile phone at the 24 hr mark. Where at the resort do I go then to get the boarding passes printed?

Thanks.
Deb

Yes, I do it all the time. I just go to the front desk and they print it out. Or, if you would rather, guest services at MK has printed mine out for me before as well.

Have a great trip!

 

[TDC Nala]

You don't have to print boarding passes at the resort. You can print them at the airport, either when you check your luggage or at a self-service kiosk if you are not checking luggage. I never have mine printed before arriving at the airport. What matters is when you actually check in, not when you print the pass.

 

[Jestocost]

Ok. So I can check in on my mobile phone at the 24 hr mark. Where at the resort do I go then to get the boarding passes printed?

Thanks.
Deb

You can do as PPs have suggested and get your boarding passes printed out at the front desk at any WDW resort or at any guest services location, but there's really no need to do that. It just takes up time better spent enjoying your vacation. As has been noted, you can get the passes printed out when you get to the airport. You also will get them printed at RAC if you check your bags at the resort on your departure day. The latter makes the most sense if you are going to use that service anyway.

If you are using DME and your flight is in the morning, you may even get your BPs on your door with your DME information the day before you depart.

 

[kteesmumma]

I am confused I have gotten 2 different opposite information about this. Our TA told me that I can check in at the Airline Check in at the resort 24 hours before our flight and they will take care of everything for us and our bags, even if our flight is leaving at 7:30am.

I am now confused as to what I am supposed to do.

Someone posted here that I cannot use the Resort Airline Check in cause our flight was so early in the am.

 

[ccgirl]

I am confused I have gotten 2 different opposite information about this. Our TA told me that I can check in at the Airline Check in at the resort 24 hours before our flight and they will take care of everything for us and our bags, even if our flight is leaving at 7:30am.

I am now confused as to what I am supposed to do.

Someone posted here that I cannot use the Resort Airline Check in cause our flight was so early in the am.

I think you are getting RAC (Resort Airline Check in) and ME (Magical Express) confused. For lack of a better way to explain it, RAC is the practice of checking your bags in and getting them to the airport. ME is the practice of you getting on the bus to get you to/from the airport. They are two separate entities.

Check out this link for further info:

http://allears.net/acc/mexpress.htm

Hope this helps.