Southwest Early Bird Checkin

[TheWog]

SW has now achieved what they wanted to....higher fare without it looking like a higher fare!!!

I agree with this.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

I agree!

Nice backpedaling.

 

[dudspizza]

I have followed this thread from inception.... I am laughing that not 1 post on this page has anything to do with the thread........ can we say tangent?

 

[dburg30]

I have followed this thread from inception.... I am laughing that not 1 post on this page has anything to do with the thread........ can we say tangent?

Well hopefully this will make it on the page and not a new one . I'm going to wait and see what happens after the first of the year after this has been going for a few months.

 

[nanceliz]

I'm hoping some more people that use the early bird post their experience. It would be good to know for those of us going soon to know how it's working. Thanks!

 

[Lewisc]

I'm hoping some more people that use the early bird post their experience. It would be good to know for those of us going soon to know how it's working. Thanks!

There a couple of threads on flyertalk.

 

[krissy2803]

I'm hoping some more people that use the early bird post their experience. It would be good to know for those of us going soon to know how it's working. Thanks!

I am using it for our return flight on 9-29. Will post about it when I get back. Just checked in a couple hours ago for our departure tomorrow. Got A27 and 28.

 

[Avonlady1001]

Just checked my sis in for her return flight tomorrow MCO-BWI, she got an A24. No EBCI.

 

[Boardwalk Tigger]

Nice backpedaling.

Not backpedaling at all! Have a magic day


What will really be interesting is how the holidays will impact this. I think many more people may particapate not just for convenience but for fear not to. I will post what we receive for Christmas break.

 

[mrsstats]

I used Early Check in for my trip to Vegas. Got good seats A18 & 19. However, handicapped boarded first and saved rows of seats for family members coming on after me.

As I didn't think this was fair practice, I sent an email to SW. There response was they have no policy on saving seats and expect that to happen. Therefore from now on I will only pay for 1 early bird, board the plane and then save the seats I want. I am printing the response I received the SW to carry with me. Since it is their rules, I am going to go my their rules.

 

[mousefan1972]

I'm hoping some more people that use the early bird post their experience. It would be good to know for those of us going soon to know how it's working. Thanks!

I just flew SW from Manchester, NH to Orlando on September 16 and returned home yesterday. I did not purchase early bird check in. I checked my family of 4 in at exactly 24 hours before our flight to Orlando from our home computer and got A20, 21, 22, and 23. For our flight home, I was sitting on a bus going from Magic Kingdom back to the Beach Club and used my Blackberry to check us in. When the clock on the bus hit the 24 hour mark, I completed our check in and got A39, 40, 41 and 42. Our flight home was 100% full, so it would seem that not many people chose to do EBCI. I'm sure part of it is due to the fact that it just rolled out a couple of weeks ago. I was very happy with my decision to not pay the $80 extra, and we still got A's for both flights. HTH.

 

[Disneys#1fan]

I just checked in at the 24 hour mark for our flight from BWI to MCO. I did pay the extra $10 a ticket and got boarding passes A17-20 for my family of 4. I was not too worried about the trip down because I could be at the computer exactly 24 hours in advance. On the way back, however, I was concerned about checking in 24 hours in advance because we will be at Chef Mickey's. So I paid the $10 for the return flights without hesitation and upon approval from my husband I did EB check in for the trip there as well... only 1 more day until I will be at DISNEY

 

[Avonlady1001]

Question for those who have done EBCI...when SW checks you in at T36, how do you get your BP #? Do you call or wait til you check in at the airport? If you're paying for the privilege of not having to check in online, and have no online access (for example when you're AT WDW...), how do you know what your BP is? If you pay for EBCI, you don't have to do a darn thing, right? It's all done for you?

 

[carolina_yankee]

I just printed my boarding passes for tomorrow's flight. We used EBCI. A17 & A18. Funny thing is that I'm the lead (and purchaser) on the reservation and my partner got the A17 number!!

Question for those who have done EBCI...when SW checks you in at T36, how do you get your BP #? Do you call or wait til you check in at the airport? If you're paying for the privilege of not having to check in online, and have no online access (for example when you're AT WDW...), how do you know what your BP is? If you pay for EBCI, you don't have to do a darn thing, right? It's all done for you?

It's all done for you. You get BP# by printing out your BP, anytime after the T24 online or at the airport.

Online, you basically go through the same procedure as a standard check-in, except that you're already checked in so you go straight to your BPs and print out. (Or just go the kiosk and re-print BPs at airport).

You don't really need to know your numbers until you're at the airport anyway since you can't do anything to change them once assigned (though curiosity is always the stronger emotion).

Dirk

 

[Avonlady1001]

It's all done for you. You get BP# by printing out your BP, anytime after the T24 online or at the airport.

Online, you basically go through the same procedure as a standard check-in, except that you're already checked in so you go straight to your BPs and print out. (Or just go the kiosk and re-print BPs at airport).

Thanks. That's what I thought.

 

[pinkerbell]

NO EBCI for me - I have not felt the need for this flight- I checked in at 8 for my flight tomorrow at 8 from bdl (hrtfd/spfld) to mco - I was not that quick as my 3 yr old was hitting keys and changing my prefilled screen 2 minutes before 8 and I was getting rattled - she was also screaming in the background for juice as I tried to read the second screen which I did not remember from last yr and read it twice before checking and hitting the next button to actuallly check in - I got A30 and A31.

 

[taliategan]

When you do EBCI is there a way to find out how many before you have done the EBCI? I would not want to pay for it if I would get bad boarding position. Do you just to have to wait until 24 hour mark until you get your boarding pass to find out where you will be?

 

[blissventure]

I used Early Check in for my trip to Vegas. Got good seats A18 & 19. However, handicapped boarded first and saved rows of seats for family members coming on after me.

As I didn't think this was fair practice, I sent an email to SW. There response was they have no policy on saving seats and expect that to happen. Therefore from now on I will only pay for 1 early bird, board the plane and then save the seats I want. I am printing the response I received the SW to carry with me. Since it is their rules, I am going to go by their rules.

Do I understand the need to print out and carry justification? Not really. But your letter combined with your experience equals why I will do everything in my power to avoid SW in the future. Life's too short to have to deal with this kind of stuff.

 

[Boardwalk Tigger]

On busy flights like Christmas and Easter break I would think you may need to sign up for this as soon as possible if it catches on.

 

[donmil723]

No EBCI for our flight tomorrow. MCI to MCO. Checked in at 24 hour mark and got A32 and A33.