southwest child fare? pda check in?

[challada]

As I was looking at the Southwest website today to find out about checking in on the Blackberry since we'll be in the car at the 24 hour point, I noticed that it says to call SWA for "child fares", but you can't online check in for those.

So here's my questions: 1. what is child fare and is it cheaper (two kids I've paid cheapest adult fare for)?
2. on a sold-out flight, would you dare get child fare and check in at airport (only to get a C boarding pass)?
3. anyone use their Blackberry to check in and then print at the airport and what was your experience?

TIA
Chris

 

[texasthree]

If any of your children are 5 and under you get to preboard.
I think they give a discount if you are bringing a child under 2 and buying a seat but I have never gotten a discount for a child on southwest. If you purchased them under a special, like promotional fares, etc, I believe thats the best rate you will get.

 

[challada]

The "5 and under" preboard really varies....my DD is 5 and on our last trip which included layovers, at some airports we could preboard and at some we could not. It was random as to what kind of mood the gate agent was in (and let me tell you, they get even MEANER when you say "well, at the last airport we were JUST at, we could preboard").

On the website, there is a little blurb that says "call SWA for child fare" which is for ACCOMPANIED children age 2 to 11. There is also a "youth fare" for those age 12 to 17. I just wondered if anyone had done this and found it any cheaper than the cheapest fare.

thanks
c

 

[NotUrsula]

Except for the "senior fare" all of SWA's age-specific fares are discounts off of a fully-refundable walk-up fare; usually about 10% off. They are always much more expensive than specials like Internet fares or Dings. The only time they are really useful is if you have to take a last-minute emergency trip.

DH uses his Blackberry to check in for flights at least once a week. Just go to the SWA website and set your Blackberry up the way they tell you to, and you will be fine.