Southwest Early Bird Checkin

[123SA]

I think I understand now.

I should ask the people in line behind me if they used EBCI or the 24 hour check in

 

[Lewisc]

Wondering as well. How is it determined what number boarding number you get(buy)? Is it based on when you signup to buy (pay) or at the 36hr. checkin window?

People who purchased anytime (fully refundable) tickets get the lowered numbered BPs. Otherwise it's based on when you paid for EB.

 

[kda]

THanks. I got A16,17,18 - -so I guess that means I probably didn't need to spend the $30

I really appreciate your posting about how it worked out for you. I think if I'm pretty sure I can check in at the 24 hour mark (especially flying from home), I'll just wait and do that. I'll be travelling in a few weeks and will have to rely on family to check me in at the 24 hour mark at 1 PM on a Sunday afternoon ...... makes me nervous. So I paid the $10.

 

[nuzmom]

I really appreciate your posting about how it worked out for you. I think if I'm pretty sure I can check in at the 24 hour mark (especially flying from home), I'll just wait and do that. I'll be travelling in a few weeks and will have to rely on family to check me in at the 24 hour mark at 1 PM on a Sunday afternoon ...... makes me nervous. So I paid the $10.

That's pretty much what we decided. We fly out on a Thursday, mid-day, non-connecting flight. I can be at a computer at T-24, so I'm going to take my chances and just checkin then. But, for our return, it's the last flight of the day (popular) and will probably be busy. Also, don't want to be at computer at T-24, so we bought the EBCI.

 

[seashoreCM]

Everybody keeps talking about ending up in middle seats...how does that happen?

Lots of parties of two take aisle and window which increases the probability of having an empty seat between them.

If you start by taking middle and window or middle and aisle, a single person coming along is more likely to come for your row instead of an isolated middle somewhere else.

Whereas if (actually when) the plane sort'a fills up with all windows taken and all aisles taken and most of the middles vacant then it is pretty much luck of the draw where the rest of the people sit. No, not exactly, the remaining seats near the front are likely to be taken first. Someone said that seats near the extreme rear are also taken promptly instead of that single person trying to swim upstream the other way, back forward again. No proof of this yet.

It is downright rude to talk across someone without first offering to switch seats although the seat switch may be with some specific person elsewhere in the plane who was unable to get to the seat in question first.

 

[Rags]

I booked EB for my upcoming Nov/Dec trip. Do I have to wait untill the 24 hour mark to print my BP? We have 3 separate reservations numbers but all purchased EB am I right to think our passes will already be issued?

Sorry if the answers are in this thread. I just couldn't find it!!!!


TIA

 

[MarkinNM]

I booked EB for my upcoming Nov/Dec trip. Do I have to wait untill the 24 hour mark to print my BP? We have 3 separate reservations numbers but all purchased EB am I right to think our passes will already be issued?

Sorry if the answers are in this thread. I just couldn't find it!!!!


TIA

Yes, at the 24 hr make you can then print your BP's

 

[MScott1851]

I've been reading through the two threads here at the Dis plus some on Flyertalk with great interest...

My question is: Does Southwest preboard families after the A group on flights out of Orlando? For some reason, I thought they no longer did that.

We are flying SWA from BNA-MCO and back in March. We will NOT pay for the early boarding on the flight down, as we fly out at noon and I will be able to check in at the 24 hour mark, and honestly don't mind a B boarding pass. Dh and I have been "C" in the past and still managed to sit together, and if we don't this time, we just won't.

But our return flight is immediately following a cruise, and I don't want to be trying to get online on the ship 24 hours in advance.. It would behoove us to pay the piddly $20 and get checked in automatically. But, if I'm still going to end up with a "B" pass and 3/4 of the plane is preboarded with families, why bother? I'd save the $20 and have another cocktail!!

 

[Microcell]

Not sure Mscott about the preboarding.. last year at this time they did families with kids under five after the A group but before the B..

I have such boneheaded family members and I don't want to ask the neighbors that I am considering doing the early boarding thing coming back.. ugh!

Not liking this new system.

 

[lawgs]

So.....the number you get is assigned on when you pay for the service(behind the a-listers...), correct? ie Isign up today you sign up tommorow I am ahead of you reguardless of when I check induring the 36-25 hor window. Am I getting this or am I lost?

Your order will be when you purchase, thus i would be behind you in the order, but all EB would be signed in at 36 hours as long as it was purchased before the 36~T

Then checking in before the 25 hour mark has no determination on what boarding number you will get?????

if you purchase 36 hours to 25 hours before checkin time, you would still have an order, however the check in does not occur until 25 hours before, then at the 24 hour mark it would be open to anyone


So what is the real upside with being able to check in early?

upside is a lot of people it seems while at disney would rather pay the fee than have to find a computer to do it while they are in the parks, thus, from what is being "said" , a fair number of people are planning on taking advantage of that aspect...the playing field is no longer level again, but it will take time to figure out the nuances of this new system

Thanks.

lawgs

 

[kaytieeldr]

I've been reading through the two threads here at the Dis plus some on Flyertalk with great interest...

My question is: Does Southwest preboard families after the A group on flights out of Orlando? For some reason, I thought they no longer did that.

Because it's technically not a preboard, but rather a midboard process, I can't see any reason why Southwest wouldn't allow this - yes, even from/to Orlando .

 

[Bobo912]

I've been reading through the two threads here at the Dis plus some on Flyertalk with great interest...

My question is: Does Southwest preboard families after the A group on flights out of Orlando? For some reason, I thought they no longer did that.

We are flying SWA from BNA-MCO and back in March. We will NOT pay for the early boarding on the flight down, as we fly out at noon and I will be able to check in at the 24 hour mark, and honestly don't mind a B boarding pass. Dh and I have been "C" in the past and still managed to sit together, and if we don't this time, we just won't.

But our return flight is immediately following a cruise, and I don't want to be trying to get online on the ship 24 hours in advance.. It would behoove us to pay the piddly $20 and get checked in automatically. But, if I'm still going to end up with a "B" pass and 3/4 of the plane is preboarded with families, why bother? I'd save the $20 and have another cocktail!!

Families with children 4 and under have boarded between A and B every time I've flown out of Orlando (or anywhere else). Our most recent trip to Orlando was the last week of May 2009 and they were still following this policy.

 

[jpeka65844]

We've flown SW pretty regularly to the World. I've noticed that sometimes they don't do family "pre"boarding between A and B. We even had a staff member alert us to the fact as we were checking our bags, saying "If we do that, then the whole plane will be preboarding......"

So, I would say it's not always a guarantee. Just the makeup of the flight, I guess.

 

[Tara]

Families with children 4 and under have boarded between A and B every time I've flown out of Orlando (or anywhere else). Our most recent trip to Orlando was the last week of May 2009 and they were still following this policy.

I've never seen them skip family boarding in Orlando or any other city.

 

[MScott1851]

We've flown SW pretty regularly to the World. I've noticed that sometimes they don't do family "pre"boarding between A and B. We even had a staff member alert us to the fact as we were checking our bags, saying "If we do that, then the whole plane will be preboarding......"

So, I would say it's not always a guarantee. Just the makeup of the flight, I guess.

I agree... I know that they have preboarded families on our flights TO Orlando, but I am almost positive that on our flight in May they didn't do it on our flight OUT because literally 3/4 of the plane was families with very small children. They put the people needing special assistance on first, then the A group, then straight into the B group because I was the last A and my brother was the 3rd B. I know that I was just getting into a seat when he showed up, and there was not enough time for them to have boarded 30 people in the 'family' group.

So basically it's still a crapshoot on whether EBCI will be beneficial to us.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

The Early Bird Check In does not change how the plane is loaded, it only changes how you get the order in which you board.

 

[MScott1851]

The Early Bird Check In does not change how the plane is loaded, it only changes how you get the order in which you board.

I understand that.. But what a lot of frequent SW fliers are noting is that A1-A15 are reserved for Business Select and RR A+ fliers, then after that, it's not very clear how the algorithm of assigning boarding passes will work. It is quite possible that if 60 people pay the $10 fee for Early Bird Check In, then some of them will get low "B" boarding passes, if not a "C" BP. If a flight boards 30 "A" passengers, then pre-boards 30 people as 'family' preboarding, then someone who paid the extra $10 might STILL have to sit separate from their companion, in the dreaded middle seat, and what was the point of paying the $10?

Also, I can already see some issues arising as far as only one person paying to check-in early, then trying to save 3-4 seats for the rest of the travel party trying to save a buck.

I think it's a legitimate question that SWA needs to address. They either need to limit the number of EBCI slots available, or pre-board families who choose not to pay the $10 apiece AFTER the people who paid the premium to get on early.

 

[crashbb]

Also, I can already see some issues arising as far as only one person paying to check-in early, then trying to save 3-4 seats for the rest of the travel party trying to save a buck.

I think it's a legitimate question that SWA needs to address. They either need to limit the number of EBCI slots available, or pre-board families who choose not to pay the $10 apiece AFTER the people who paid the premium to get on early.

There are definitely people on these boards (and others) who have (or are planning) on doing the "seat saving" thing.

I totally agree with your final point - there definitely needs to be some tuning of this system. People who pay for EB should get on before anyone who hasn't paid (obvious exception is the disability pre-boards). With their higher fares and/or obvious loyalty, the business select and RR A+ flyers have paid for the EB even if they don't actually pay into the EB (if that makes sense).

 

[keishashadow]

There are definitely people on these boards (and others) who have (or are planning) on doing the "seat saving" thing.

I totally agree with your final point - there definitely needs to be some tuning of this system. People who pay for EB should get on before anyone who hasn't paid (obvious exception is the disability pre-boards). With their higher fares and/or obvious loyalty, the business select and RR A+ flyers have paid for the EB even if they don't actually pay into the EB (if that makes sense).

people do it nowespecially the large groups with grandma & grandpa who board in the 'assistance group', then plant themselves front & center on end of aisle and state they're saving the seats for their extended family group...i've even seen them trying to save the row behind them.

jmho, if u pay the $10 pp for better spot in line it should supercede the young child group that boards after A (many times w/extended families also). A far better option would be for those who want to avail themselves of the pre board perc for young children should pay mandatory $10 ppand board after the business and A-reward folks, before the others who pay the fee r boarded.

 

[mrsstats]

I paid for EB for me & DH for upcoming trip to Vegas. We have a preference to the seats we choose and like to board early.

I would be much happier if I could pay extra and have assigned seating but that is never going to happen with Southwest.

I know I can choose another airline but flying from LI doesnt leave many options and flying out of Kennedy or LaGuadia is not an option for us for many reasons.

We never do the aisle & window thing. I want to sit next to my husband so we pick the middle and which ever we decide on (window or aisle)

I think is is cheating not to pay the extra $10 if you want EB for eveyone in your party.

Just my opinions & thoughts on the subject.