Southwest boarding question

[Mouseaholic!!!]

OK. Just want to make sure the OP doesn't get mad at me if they get the grumpy gate agent or the crazy passenger in spot A37 or A48 throws a fit. I expect it all will work out, but I hate to give any advice in these situations that promises there will be no problems.

OMG - DH had a grumpy passenger in line once when he was boarding. She should have boarded 3 passengers behind him but announced to everyone nearby that she was "standing here and I'm not going to move".

No biggie - everyone just stood as far away from her as possible.

Some of those old Southwest boarding traditions die hard, don't they!!!

 

[Jestocost]

I personally think this is a ridiculous post with some of the answers I have seen. Anyone who has a problem with a 3 year old boarding with their mom NO MATTER what her number is nuts. That kid is going on my hip and I am walking to the agent with both passes!

And those people who put up a fuss about the preboarding for the child with a special need should have been thrown off the plane in my opinion. Who the hell do they think they are? I would have switched passes with the children and left your older children standing next to the idiots in B26 &B27 crying their eyes out and wailing.

Preboarding is for special needs. You should not have caved (nor should the agent). People like that make it harder on everyone else. My only wish is that you would have put your screaming and unhappy son right behind their sorry butts!.

And for that matter. Shame on Southwest for not making sure that families booked on the same reservation receive boarding all in a row. We have had it happen that we click on our one reservation and the numbers dont line up. Whats with that? Fix it and you won't have families panicking that they can't sit together.

Personally this is the one drawback of Southwest, but it really isn't the airline its the idiot people who think it is ok to split up children from their parents so they mighthave a better seat. That takes an enourmous amount of selfishness to do that.

Wow. Quite a reaction in a situation where the OP and her family should have no problem sitting together even if all three board together with their highest number.

I never suggested that the OP should be separated from her DS or that in most cases SWA wouldn't allow her DS to board earlier with at least one parent. I'm just saying that there are a few rare circumstances where you may encounter some unpleasantness from a gate agent or another passenger if you choose to try to have any passenger board out of order before their number. You apparently are willing to risk the slight potential for such unpleasantness in order to get your child to board with you earlier in the same group than you might otherwise be able to board. Others might want to avoid such encounters in a situation where they aren't going to be negatively affected by boarding with their highest number. Count me in that last group, but also know that I would be fine with your child boarding ahead of me and with you even if they had a number higher than mine.

 

[goofy4tink]

Dear God people...we aren't talking about a parent who got A26 for herself and then B34 for her dh and C18 for her child!!! It never happens that those boarding in the A group can't be seated together. Pretty much the same with group B.
I think that in the interest of keeping those around you happy, you should move back to the highest boarding number...as long as it is in the same grouping. That way, no one is going to have the chance to be upset, in fact, most will be happy because they all get to move up a spot.
If you have a child, 4 or younger, then you get to board with that child. Now, that's a big deal if you have B or C passes. A group just isn't going to be an issue.
The vast majority of people traveling on SW are even keeled and good natured. At least that has been my experience.

 

[LisaS]

Just curious how you ended up with boarding numbers so far apart. Did you have three separate reservation numbers? Question for the SWA experts here: If your entire party is on the same reservation number is it common to get boarding position numbers so far apart? We've flown SWA a few times and always got consecutive boarding numbers so I'm wondering if we've just been lucky.

 

[dburg30]

Not common for this wide of a spread. I've seen it where, for some reason there are a couple of numbers between, but I dont know why that happens either.

 

[bumbershoot]

And this does happen. Once we had pre-boarding because our one year old was handicapped. Because my husband needed to put his car seat in place while I took care of our son. The whole family (me, DH and 3 sons) had to line up to pre-board. Actually we checked with the agent at the gate and she understood completely until.....B26 and B27 started freaking out. They started screaming that our older kids could hold the baby and the bags. And I should go to the back of the line. They created such a scene the gate agent was unable to control them. She asked if I'd mind taking my place in line. No problem, I was A4. They got worse. They wanted me in back of the line. I did just for the sake of peace (I was not worried about where I was going to sit). Unfortunately, the baby had a fit when he got on the plane without me and broke out of his brace. The older kids were scared because they could not control him. Take off was delayed by a couple of minutes because we had to get his brace back on and it took time to get him situated in the seat (hence the pre-boarding) and he cried in pain the whole flight home. I hope B26 and B27 were satisfied. So, yes I guess OP should be prepared for B26 and B27.

I feel so bad for you guys!

But the boarding system must have been very different than the airports I've used...B is never even lined up at the time of pre-boarding (not family boarding but true pre-boarding). B is just sittin' down, cooling their heels until A is already going. Seattle, San Diego being the two airports I use for SW.

And why did you give in to the B passengers when the employees were OK with you? Please don't do that in the future... Especially when you are A4, which means you were either just about first on the computer or you paid extra (depending on when this happened)...

I personally think this is a ridiculous post with some of the answers I have seen. Anyone who has a problem with a 3 year old boarding with their mom NO MATTER what her number is nuts. That kid is going on my hip and I am walking to the agent with both passes!

And for that matter. Shame on Southwest for not making sure that families booked on the same reservation receive boarding all in a row. We have had it happen that we click on our one reservation and the numbers dont line up. Whats with that? Fix it and you won't have families panicking that they can't sit together.

I disagree with the first paragraph. As I mentioned, I went to the second number, because I felt it was simply polite of me. The lady in between our numbers was just as polite; would she have been if I had 5 children who all had later boarding numbers? Doubt it! So I did what I firmly feel is the right thing, and would have been totally fine if she had wanted to keep it that way.

Eh...their system is fair, IMO, because it goes with the first info received. So the packet of info received about MY ticket was received, then the lady in between, then my son's...it's fair. IMO.


I also enjoy the camaradarie between passengers as you're figuring out where you are in line! Showing boarding slips, asking who is what number...it's good fun, IMO. I don't have a single problem showing my number to anyone.

But I don't think any of this is worth worrying about for the OP. Just go to the second number and wait there. That's the most polite way. If you want to take the first number and bring the kidlet, do that...not quite as polite, and even more passengers between adult/child and other adult, more passengers who might decide that their life's dream is to sit in the same row as adult/child (as is their right with SW boarding!), but you can try.

I just...wouldn't *worry* about any of this.

Maybe it's just me as I haven't seen this said yet. But, IMO, if I check in myself, dh and my kids and I don't want my kids to stand in line and walk-on alone, I will have dh and/or I go to their position - or, more accurately, to the least common denominator. I would never assume it's proper or fair for me to bring a person ahead in line with me. I would, instead - go back in line with him/her to a position AFTER my boarding number.

It isn't fair to A25 if you now have two A24's....Now, I agree - no big deal if it is just one child. But what if everyone from A1 to A23 wanted to do the same thing?? I know, extreme case, but what gives me the right to take up two spots in line?

Anyway, to be fair - I would just board at the position with your child. Or, as a pp suggested, you board first and have dh with the child at the later position so that you can get in and get a row and then LIKELY no one else will sit in that row with you since they will be boarding shortly after.

Also, on my SW flight - the SW gate agents INSTRUCTED US to show each other our boarding number as to get in the proper order. I'm not sure what I would have done if the people around me didn't?? Maybe just step in front of them assuming they had a higher number than me since they didn't want to share. I think that's pretty rude not to show anyone. If my dd's kindergarten class was instructed to get in order after having been given out numbers 1 - 20 I would expect them to do so by asking/showing each other their numbers - not much of a difference here, IMO.

 

[Green Tea]

I am new to the SWA thing having just booked my first tickets on them for spring. But how does a family end up with 3 different numbers? When I look at my reservation to change or view, everything happens as a group. Do I have to check each person in individually? If I do it as a group, wouldn't the numbers likely be closer to sequential?

If each person is independant for check in, I surely wish I could change the reservations independently as well. A cheaper ticket is available for 4 of our group of 5, but I can't get the lower on for the 4 b/c the computer reads it as 5 seats.

 

[goofy4tink]

Usually, if everyone is booked at the same time, with the same conf. number, all you have to do is check each box off and then submit....you get sequential boarding pass numbers. But, if for some reason you have to book people one at a time, then you have to check them in one at a time...which will give you a wide disparity in numbers. I have had to do that when trying to get the least expensive fares...one fare was much less than the other two..so had a variation in our boarding pass numbers. Dd and I were next to each other, dh was about 12 people behind us.

I'm also a bit surprised by those who say the B group was harrassing those in the A group. The B group isn't allowed to line up until the A group is just about done. There are two lines for each group....one going to the left, the other one going to the right..so the line going to the right actually follows behind the left moving group. As that first group moves off, and the line is empty, the gate attendent will have the lower numbered B group move into place..usually B1-35. There would be no way I would give up my spot, no matter how nasty someone else got..that's their problem, not mine. Let the gate attendent deal with it.

 

[brios86]

I didn't mean to start a whole thing about this... We got numbers so separate bc I checked in from my iPhone so I had to check in each person separatly. In the end we were late so we ended up boarding as the last ones in the family boarding. No issue getting a seat together. Thanks for all the opinions since the same thing is probably going to happen again for our return flight

 

[Nennie]

It really doesn't matter if you board with the higher number, so if you are concerned about a confrontation or being embarassed (not saying this would happen of course!!) I would just board at the higher number.

You will all get to sit together since you all have As, and since you have a 3 year old with you, you wouldn't be able to sit in an exit row anyway (just mentioning this b/c that's the reason a lot of people like to be one of the first people on the plane to try to get an exit row, etc) and even if you didn't have a little one with you, at A37 you weren't going to get an exit row or bulkhead anyway.

If your worst BP number was a B, then I could see why one would want to get a strategy in place, but with all As there's nothing to stress about!

Have a great flight, and a great trip!

 

[2infinityandbeyond]

Simple solution (we face the same situation frequently due to multiple confirmation numbers)--A36 boards. Sit in the middle seat of a row. A47 drops back and boards with A56. Chances are you'll all be seated together.

 

[dgaston]

Checked in on the 24 hr dot today and got A43 and A48 with 2 different reservation numbers. Of course we will sit together and not worried about that. DH doesn't want to pay the $20 for early check-in -- points out the plane lands at the same time, no matter what. Without early check-in we got B seats last September from MCO (check in still right at the 24 hour mark). Guess there are lots of people willing to pay the extra $.

 

[Jestocost]

Without early check-in we got B seats last September from MCO (check in still right at the 24 hour mark). Guess there are lots of people willing to pay the extra $.

There was no EBCI until just a few weeks ago, so that would not have had anything to do with the B boarding numbers last September.

 

[LisaS]

We got numbers so separate bc I checked in from my iPhone so I had to check in each person separatly.

My DH checks us in for our return flight from his phone while we're in the parks. He is able to check both of us in at the same time. He doesn't have an iPhone but I would think that if his phone can do it, the iPhone could also. Are you using the mobile site (mobile.southwest.com)?

 

[Jestocost]

My DH checks us in for our return flight from his phone while we're in the parks. He is able to check both of us in at the same time. He doesn't have an iPhone but I would think that if his phone can do it, the iPhone could also. Are you using the mobile site (mobile.southwest.com)?

No. There can be a glitch in the way the iPhone's Safari browser deals with the check boxes next to the passenger names and the check in all passengers button doesn't appear. As a result, it only allows you to check the circle next to one passenger at a time and you have do do separate check ins for each person.

It's like on surveys or quizzes where some questions say "check all that apply" and allow you to check multiple boxes and some all you only to check one response, and clear out the check mark in the first box or circle if you check another one. Usually the SWA check in site works like the former, but on the iPhone it works like the latter.

My Blackberry works just fine to check in everyone at once, but we have had the problem when trying on my wife's iPhone. Strange, but true.

 

[LisaS]

No. There can be a glitch in the way the iPhone's Safari browser deals with the check boxes next to the passenger names and the check in all passengers button doesn't appear. As a result, it only allows you to check the circle next to one passenger at a time and you have do do separate check ins for each person.

It's like on surveys or quizzes where some questions say "check all that apply" and allow you to check multiple boxes and some all you only to check one response, and clear out the check mark in the first box or circle if you check another one. Usually the SWA check in site works like the former, but on the iPhone it works like the latter.

My Blackberry works just fine to check in everyone at once, but we have had the problem when trying on my wife's iPhone. Strange, but true.

Thanks for the info. That's really unfortunate for those using an iPhone to check in for their flights.