Southwest Early Bird Checkin

[miprender]

Ok I sent a message to SW last night and already received an email. I have to say they were quick in responding. In my email to them I mentioned how I was worried about our family of 5 with a DS2,DS4,DD6 and not being able to sit together. HTH.Here is their response:

Dear Michelle,

Thank you for contacting us to share your thoughts regarding our new Customer offering--EarlyBird Check-In, which was recently launched on southwest.com. As you can well imagine, we thrive on feedback from our Customers as we realize that it is one of the best ways to evaluate our efforts and improve the product we offer to the traveling public. We appreciate this opportunity to respond to your comments.


Our goal with this new amenity is to provide extra convenience (since Customers who choose to add the EarlyBird option won't feel the need to wait at their computer for the 24-hour mark to receive a good boarding pass), a better boarding position (we'll begin reserving boarding passes for our EarlyBird Customers 36 hours before the flight's scheduled departure time), and earlier access to overhead bins (EarlyBird Customers will receive boarding passes before general boarding). Families with young children (age four and under) may still board between the "A" and "B" boarding groups if they do not already hold "A" boarding passes. Nevertheless, we understand that you are unhappy with this new offering, and we are sorry that you are disappointed. As our Leaders will be monitoring the Customer feedback we receive, we have noted your concerns in our monthly summary for distribution to our Senior Leadership.

Again, we appreciate your taking time out of your day to offer your feedback as we know it can only make us a better airline. We hope to have the privilege of welcoming you onboard very soon as your patronage is important to us.

Sincerely,

Monique, Southwest Airlines

 

[seashoreCM]

(quote)Dear ...,

(quote) Thank you for contacting us to share your thoughts regarding our new Customer offering--EarlyBird Check-In, which was recently launched on southwest.com. As you can well imagine, we thrive on feedback from our Customers as we realize that it is one of the best ways to evaluate our efforts and improve the product we offer to the traveling public. We appreciate this opportunity to respond to your comments.

(quote) Our goal with this new amenity is to provide extra convenience (since Customers who choose to add the EarlyBird option won't feel the need to wait at their computer for the 24-hour mark to receive a good boarding pass), a better boarding position (we'll begin reserving boarding passes for our EarlyBird Customers 36 hours before the flight's scheduled departure time), and earlier access to overhead bins (EarlyBird Customers will receive boarding passes before general boarding). Families with young children (age four and under) may still board between the "A" and "B" boarding groups if they do not already hold "A" boarding passes. Nevertheless, we understand that you are unhappy with this new offering, and we are sorry that you are disappointed. ... (end quote)

Apparently at least one question has been answered although ...

(quote) As our Leaders will be monitoring the Customer feedback we receive, we have noted your concerns in our monthly summary for distribution to our Senior Leadership.

(quote)Again, we appreciate your taking time out of your day to offer your feedback as we know it can only make us a better airline. We hope to have the privilege of welcoming you onboard very soon as your patronage is important to us.

Sincerely, ... (end quote)

... the answer could change (or morph) gradually.

 

[bavaria]

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.

We may tend to agree here on this thread, but not on the Family Board. I think that things will get very ugly very soon on flights from MCO (to MCO to a lesser degree, but FROM tends to have a lot of families on SW flights)

I vote that we send Safetymom to MCO to take some notes for us

 

[DISNEY FIX]

Thanks for all the helpful info!!!!
We caved in and bought EBCI for our trip down to MCO 2 days before Thanksgiving. Southwest flight is already over $200 pp one way already (wich means the flight is going to be packed) we fortunately bought at $99.
Thanks again.

 

[bicker]

I think that things will get very ugly very soon on flights from MCO...

Entitlement Mentality!

 

[safetymom]

We may tend to agree here on this thread, but not on the Family Board. I think that things will get very ugly very soon on flights from MCO (to MCO to a lesser degree, but FROM tends to have a lot of families on SW flights)

I vote that we send Safetymom to MCO to take some notes for us

Gee thanks! I agree it is going to be ugly. I would much rather hang out with a bunch of frequent flyers than people that have paid tis extra fee.

It would be interesting to see it in person.

 

[dburg30]

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.

I think people are just wanting this to be more then what it is. All they are doing is checking you in so you dont have to plan around that. You wont have to camp out at the computer or have someone to check you in now. You will get better of an assignment then those that check in manually at 24hours up to flight time. But, SW still has the a1-30, 31-60 set up, so I dont see them really changing that much. Sure you could still get a B BP, but you'll still be ahead of those that didnt pay, with the exception of possibly those with families. If you want to be sure to be one of the first on board, play the full fair price and you will be. I do think they could have worded it differently, but I just dont know how. Maybe they'll come up with some way to know when all the 'pre-pays' had boarded and then board the families. That is something they COULD do. But if it's very popular and you have 1/2 - 2/3 of the plane prepaying, then I could see some families not being real happy. We'll just have to see how it actually WORKS how many people take advantage, and how they tweak it.

 

[ironz]

I think people are just wanting this to be more then what it is. All they are doing is checking you in so you dont have to plan around that. You wont have to camp out at the computer or have someone to check you in now. You will get better of an assignment then those that check in manually at 24hours up to flight time. But, SW still has the a1-30, 31-60 set up, so I dont see them really changing that much. Sure you could still get a B BP, but you'll still be ahead of those that didnt pay, with the exception of possibly those with families. If you want to be sure to be one of the first on board, play the full fair price and you will be. I do think they could have worded it differently, but I just dont know how. Maybe they'll come up with some way to know when all the 'pre-pays' had boarded and then board the families. That is something they COULD do. But if it's very popular and you have 1/2 - 2/3 of the plane prepaying, then I could see some families not being real happy. We'll just have to see how it actually WORKS how many people take advantage, and how they tweak it.

Agreed....seems that there are alot of people getting frazzled about this and it just beginning, so we don't know just how it is going to pan out.

Have seen some posts on FT with people who did NOT buy EBCI and are still getting A-xx boarding positions, so at least on those flights, there is not much change.
I wouldn't worry about the family boarding for those with small kids getting pushed back any further. If you worked on an SW plane, would you want to deal with the kids and families who they really don't want separated boarding at the end? It would only delay things and they really aren't after that.

And to clarify the people who keep saying that A1-15 is Business Select and A-list. It is just Business Select, unless they have changed something since I was on A-list. A-list starts at A16.

What I would do, being a frequent traveller, and frequent SW flyer:
--if I had kids 4 and under, I probably wouldn't spring for the extra cost, since my position is relatively guaranteed between A and B boarding groups. I would most likely end up towards the back, but my party would be together.
--if I had little kids but over age 4 (maybe up to age 10 or so), I would probably pay for the EBCI, just to be certain I would have some boarding priority and keep the party together.
--if I had older kids (10+), who I hope I would have raised to be somewhat self-sufficient, I probably would not pay the extra EBCI, but I would be sure to be ready to check in at T-24 and get the best BP possible. I wouldn't want to be all spread out all over the plane, but the world really isn't going to end if I had 2 kids on one row and me and a kids on another row.

What I WILL do (being a single person, who travels alone or usually with just one other): not pay for it and be sure and check in at T-24.
What I also will do is monitor some of the threads on FT to see what the REALITY of the boarding order and check in positions is turning out to be, rather than some vague idea that I'm going to have family members scattered all over the plane.

And, amazingly...I know y'all won't believe this, but my mom, sister and I all had C boarding positions on a trip to MCO a couple of years ago (due to changing flights at the last minute due to a storm in Dallas and our original flight being cancelled--there is a whole thread about that mess)....and we survived our flight!!

Kudos to the PP who reported that she was seated in a row behind her daughter and they did fine.

 

[twinklebug]

Aww Ironz... you're making me feel like I was a sucker to dish out $90 (3 flights) to hopefully ensure the kids and I will get a row to ourselves (they're 12 & 16, with ear issues & germ phobias resp.) It really would have been nice to have a window seat for a change too instead of sitting in the middle to keep the 2 from fighting.

 

[bicker]

... to hopefully ensure ...

I don't mean to pick on this, but I think this is really the crux of the issue. These words kind-of contradict each other. A hope is something very different from something that is ensured. What the service "ensures" is the ability to board earlier than passengers who do not partake of the service. The bit about having full rows of seats for your family, that's really a feature of airlines that give seat assignments. It isn't even "ensured" in those cases, but at least there is much more of a structure in place to try to make that happen, as compared to with Southwest Airlines.

 

[twinklebug]

I don't mean to pick on this, but I think this is really the crux of the issue. These words kind-of contradict each other. A hope is something very different from something that is ensured.

That's why I chose to word it that way Regardless of how much we pay, there are no guarantees in life. Hm. Maybe someone (not I) should go over to the family board's conversation on this topic and point this out to the entitled ones

(yes, I'm fully enjoying the smilies this morning hehe)

 

[keishashadow]

I think people are just wanting this to be more then what it is. All they are doing is checking you in so you dont have to plan around that. You wont have to camp out at the computer or have someone to check you in now. You will get better of an assignment then those that check in manually at 24hours up to flight time. But, SW still has the a1-30, 31-60 set up, so I dont see them really changing that much. Sure you could still get a B BP, but you'll still be ahead of those that didnt pay, with the exception of possibly those with families. If you want to be sure to be one of the first on board, play the full fair price and you will be. I do think they could have worded it differently, but I just dont know how. Maybe they'll come up with some way to know when all the 'pre-pays' had boarded and then board the families. That is something they COULD do. But if it's very popular and you have 1/2 - 2/3 of the plane prepaying, then I could see some families not being real happy. We'll just have to see how it actually WORKS how many people take advantage, and how they tweak it.

...along with generating tons of extra income, while inconveniencing those who are used to the 24 hour checkin systemWhy not just charge for 2nd bag of luggage and be upfront that they are trying to churn income

...or a C boarding pass

Whatever change they make will have opponents. SWA always prided themselves on open seating policy. I guess the all for one, one for all concept has flown the coop


jmho, i know several people who would be eligible to use the blue-sleeve boarding pass option, but who never bothered as (if diligent re checking in @ 24 hrs) they were able to secure a good position. Im expecting to see many more pre-boards.

 

[Mkrop]

NOT an MCO flight but....

DBro checked in at 24 hour mark yeasterday for today's flight from STL to PHL and got A33 and 34. Did NOT pay the $10 as it was him and a buddy and they do not care where they sit

 

[bicker]

Not me. I'm still trying to keep a smile on my face from the weekend off.

 

[MarkinNM]

Interesting thread………………


I LUV SWA and have no problems with this new program, fee whatever one chooses to call it. From what I can read here on the DIS, SWA has some real haters out there no matter what they do…………

I don’t like the fact they are charging this “fee” as if it becomes popular I can see this being only the beginning of “fees” being slid in very cleverly to make up for the lost income they have been feeling lately, but to pay $10 for EBCI vs $20-$30 for bags other airlines are currently ripping off people with, I will take this ANYDAY over that greedy baggage fee other airlines are charging.. We fly out on Saturday and I will do the 24 hr OLCI and take my chances BUT for the return we will be in the MK at the 24 mark and do NOT want to be rushing to a computer to check in, that is a convenience fee I am very willing to pay, automatic check in…………

 

[goofy4tink]

I strongly suggest flyertalk.com This is a DISNEY website, not a FLYER website. I often cringe at the completely wrong information which is repeatedly given out here by well-meaning but misguided posters here.

One is far better off joining that community for timely, factual advice, especially as so many of the transportation regulars (who did have factual information) here have stopped posting or only make an appearance for hot threads like this.

Of course, they don't have goofy4tink over there, but the moderators are just as 'unique' and 'special' as she is

First of all...let me thank all of you for keeping this thread so civil!! It's a wonderful thing to behold.

The one thing I see is this...perhaps we need to look at the EBCI a bit differently. Rather than as a sure fire way to get an A bp, it seems to be more of a convenience thing..no need to worry about where you are at when that 24 hr mark comes along.
I would imagine that the A bp's are assigned based on when that $10 fee was paid. For instance....Sue Jones paid her fee's 3 months in advance of her Jan 4 flight. So she gets A 16, 17, and 18 for her group. Bill Smith paid his fee's for that flight about an hour after Sue did..he gets A19, 20. Then, Fred Smurf comes along, and pays his fee a month beforehand for that flight, gets A 21, 22, 23. Let's say no one else pays the fee.....All these folks are checked in at the 36 hr mark..giving them that bp order. So...Lillian Fay comes along, pays the $10 fee for that flight, at the 35 hr mark...giving her an A24 bp. No one else pays the EB fee before the 24 hr mark. Now, it's first come, first served....whoever gets there first is going to get A 25 and on.
At least that's how it would work in my mind.
Would I pay it? Not sure. I would almost rather they changed the fares to allow for A bps....maybe 45 seats that were $15 more...gets you a guarenteed A seat. Or it may be time for SW to get on board and charge for just that second bag.
But this whole EBCI system seems to be making things more confusing than they need to be.

 

[jodifla]

Interesting thread………………


I LUV SWA and have no problems with this new program, fee whatever one chooses to call it. From what I can read here on the DIS, SWA has some real haters out there no matter what they do…………

I don’t like the fact they are charging this “fee” as if it becomes popular I can see this being only the beginning of “fees” being slid in very cleverly to make up for the lost income they have been feeling lately, but to pay $10 for EBCI vs $20-$30 for bags other airlines are currently ripping off people with, I will take this ANYDAY over that greedy baggage fee other airlines are charging.. We fly out on Saturday and I will do the 24 hr OLCI and take my chances BUT for the return we will be in the MK at the 24 mark and do NOT want to be rushing to a computer to check in, that is a convenience fee I am very willing to pay, automatic check in…………

But at least with bag fees (which I of course hate) at least you know your bag is going to go on the plane. It's not a CHANCE of your bag flying with you, like this STUPID fee is.

For us, it's another 60 bucks for seats, or we can fly a legacy airline and play $90 to take our bags, AND have seats, AND fly nonstop.

So SW has definitely fallen off prime position in this house.

 

[bicker]

Actually, this fee guarantees that you'll be boarded before folks who don't pay the fee, with the possible exception of certain pre-boards or mid-boards. There is no "chance" about it: you're paying for priority and that's exactly what you're getting.

 

[Laurabearz]

Entitlement Mentality!

Everyone is Entitled to their own Mentality!!!

I still say things will settle down after a few months and it will all be smooth sailing once again.

 

[dburg30]

...along with generating tons of extra income, while inconveniencing those who are used to the 24 hour checkin systemWhy not just charge for 2nd bag of luggage and be upfront that they are trying to churn income

Becuase is this way, AT THIS POINT, the still can keep their fares the 'same' as they have. Oh I agree this will be a cash cow for them, BUT you dont have to pay the fee. You almost HAVE to check a bag, so they want to keep that 'free' out there. Now if it seems to be not working in a way I am happy with, there are other planes that will get me to MCO, or where ever.

I would rather they raise their prices $10 on the flight, and then I wouldnt really know any difference. I'd just think $79 was the new $69 or $109 was the new $99 type thing. And dont get me wrong, I think we still may see less 'super cheap' prices along with this, and I'm afraid that down the road they very well may start charging for a 2nd bag, and still let your first bag fly 'free'.