Southwest Early Bird Checkin

[Tara]

I have a question, hoping someone can help. Where in the Orlando airport, SW area can you print off your boarding pass, without standing in line?
(example: checked in on-line...printer didn't work!) Now what do I do or where do I go once I get to the airport!?? Sky cap? or are there kiosks?
Thanks in advance

There are kiosks for boarding pass only, but there's usually a line for those, too. At our small airport, there's only one, but at MCO there are several. You can go to curbside check-in for a boarding pass, but there's usually a line there as well.

You can also do this at any Disney hotel or guest services at the parks or DTD. I'm sure many offsite hotels offer this service or have a computer kiosk available for this purpose, too.

 

[rie'smom]

If we weren't traveling during the Thanksgiving holidays, I might not have purchased the EBCI. However, all the flights are booked solid, so i'm hoping that this willl enable my daughter and her friends to sit together.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

I have a question, hoping someone can help. Where in the Orlando airport, SW area can you print off your boarding pass, without standing in line?
(example: checked in on-line...printer didn't work!) Now what do I do or where do I go once I get to the airport!?? Sky cap? or are there kiosks?
Thanks in advance

I always have bags to check so I print my boarding pass then. However, SWA usually has kiosks before the security checkpoints where you can print your boarding passes without checking in luggage.

 

[nanceliz]

Just an update. According to the SW agent I spoke to last night, if you have the EB check in, your boarding pass number will be assigned and then if you are randomly selected for extra security, you go through all the security checks but you will have your place in line already.
Hopefully, this is correct.

 

[DoBug]

We flew out of Indianapolis to MCO around 11 am Sept 26. I purchased the ECBI about 1 week before that and got A25-27. It was great - haven't been in the front of a plane in ages!

There was a women who had the nerve to save 5 seats for her friends! The row she was in and another row across the aisle. One person said something to her and she said "My friends are in the bathroom" and the other women said "Yeah right they're not even on the plane." But no one ended up taking the seats til her friends showed up much, much later. I couldn't believe it.

Still glad we flew Airtran with assigned seats on the way home. I remember when flying used to be enjoyable.

 

[madge]

Flew on the 8:00am flight from MCO to BNA this morning .. did NOT use EBCI, and checked in at 8:10-ish yesterday morning. We got seats A31-34

 

[twinklebug]

Holiday weekend coming up here in MA...first small test of the EBCI differences to/from MCO on a popular weekend. Anyone flying out of Providence, Hartford or Manchester?

(of course Thanksgiving will be the big one)

 

[pooch]

I believe that you are quite mistaken.... You may have been tainted with plain, ordinary household dust which builds up with a lack of activity, or you may have had dust mites, but you certainly didn't pick up any of that glittery, fancy stuff here! (It appears that you may have been lurking around in other places where that may exist?)

did you sneak into my house while I was gone?!?!? I freely admit to very lax housekeeping skills. How can I dust when I'm always on these boards?

 

[Maxwell]

Holiday weekend coming up here in MA...first small test of the EBCI differences to/from MCO on a popular weekend. Anyone flying out of Providence, Hartford or Manchester?

(of course Thanksgiving will be the big one)

I am going BWI-MCO on the 9:15 AM flight Saturday. I checked in at exactly 9:15 today and got B8 and B9. I hate SW boarding procedures but have 2 RR tix so bit the bullet. If I ever use them again I'll try EBCI.

 

[keishashadow]

If we weren't traveling during the Thanksgiving holidays, I might not have purchased the EBCI. However, all the flights are booked solid, so i'm hoping that this willl enable my daughter and her friends to sit together.

ive been watching our airfare 1st week of Dec from PIT to MCO go up & up, called SW yesterday & told near sell out...so I went ahead & ponied up the $ for early board.

Would this help avoid being bumped if flight is oversold?

I was referring to the people who were tagged SSSS. They cannot check-in when they try on their home computer. We are not talking about people who check-in but chose to print their boarding passes later. What I said is true in the context of the discussion.

If a few extra minutes at security means that everyone is boarding ahead of you, you've cut it way too close.

nanceliz - since SW had nothing to do with your (general you) being selected, I suspect that they will not feel the need to refund. I'm happy to be wrong though!

i haven't heard this term is it do not fly?

 

[rie'smom]

ive been watching our airfare 1st week of Dec from PIT to MCO go up & up, called SW yesterday & told near sell out...so I went ahead & ponied up the $ for early board.

Would this help avoid being bumped if flight is oversold?



i haven't heard this term is it do not fly?

It's about something that has tripped the FAA warning system. It's not a big deal but whoever tripped it gets sometimes has to get the extra search and cannot get an automatic boarding pass.
My husband had gone hunting and thought he removed all of his shells. However, we heard his name on the airport's loudspeaker. Sure enough he missed 3. Now, whenever he flies, he always has to jump through hoops.

 

[carolina_yankee]

We used EBCI outbound and return PHL-MCO. Both times, we got A17 and A18. I will never NOT use it.

As for the saving seat strategy, don't expect it to work. My partner was pulled by TSA for a gate search. I said "You're on your own. I'm getting the exit row" and boarded. The flight attendant at the exit row said I definitely COULD NOT save a seat for my partner even though he got pulled by TSA. I understood, and was more than a little pleased that he then proceeded to stand in the row, which discouraged others from trying to take a seat. Fortunatley, my partner boarded only 6 people later and was able to sit with me. Otherwise, he might not be my partner any more since I chose an exit row over him.

Dirk

 

[bavaria]

Troublemaker....








with tongue firmly planted in cheek for those with no sense of humour

 

[rie'smom]

We used EBCI outbound and return PHL-MCO. Both times, we got A17 and A18. I will never NOT use it.

As for the saving seat strategy, don't expect it to work. My partner was pulled by TSA for a gate search. I said "You're on your own. I'm getting the exit row" and boarded. The flight attendant at the exit row said I definitely COULD NOT save a seat for my partner even though he got pulled by TSA. I understood, and was more than a little pleased that he then proceeded to stand in the row, which discouraged others from trying to take a seat. Fortunatley, my partner boarded only 6 people later and was able to sit with me. Otherwise, he might not be my partner any more since I chose an exit row over him.

Dirk

Sorry but this is so funny! You have your priorities straight!!!! I'd choose the exit row too.

 

[carolina_yankee]

Troublemaker....








with tongue firmly planted in cheek for those with no sense of humour

Actually, all I could think of this time was "Now I know why Bavaria has her favorite seats and makes flight choices to get them." I'm not sure I'm going to play the Southwest boarding pass game much anymore.

Dirk

 

[bavaria]

Glad to see that I am finally corrupting you after how you have corrupted me over the years

 

[sweetp0618]

I checked in today at T24 for a 5:15 pm flight from RDU to MCO, no early bird and I got A39 & 40. I've seen quite a few posts about getting the security screening notice. The same thing happened when I tried to check in at exactly5:15pm according to my clock. I got the security screening thing. I tried again 30 seconds later and got a regular boarding pass. I wonder if some of the people getting security screening notices are actually logging in a minute or two early and instead of the system telling you that you are too early it gives you the dreaded security notice. I know this was true in my case. It is worth waiting another minute or two and trying again.

 

[safetymom]

I had that happen the other day and I called SW. She said I was checking in too early. She suggested I try it while I was on the phone with her and it worked. Apparently the SW computers don't have the same time as the rest of us. When I checked it for my return flight I waited a minute or two past my check in time and immediately got the boarding pass instead of the security pass.

 

[jodifla]

I checked in today at T24 for a 5:15 pm flight from RDU to MCO, no early bird and I got A39 & 40. I've seen quite a few posts about getting the security screening notice. The same thing happened when I tried to check in at exactly5:15pm according to my clock. I got the security screening thing. I tried again 30 seconds later and got a regular boarding pass. I wonder if some of the people getting security screening notices are actually logging in a minute or two early and instead of the system telling you that you are too early it gives you the dreaded security notice. I know this was true in my case. It is worth waiting another minute or two and trying again.

Good advice! Thanks for sharing.

And I'm noting that it's so far not a problem not to spend the extra money for early boarding. In fact, it seems like it's just throwing money away!

 

[Avonlady1001]

I had that happen the other day and I called SW. She said I was checking in too early. She suggested I try it while I was on the phone with her and it worked. Apparently the SW computers don't have the same time as the rest of us. When I checked it for my return flight I waited a minute or two past my check in time and immediately got the boarding pass instead of the security pass.

SW clock is a few seconds off...when you get the box telling you that you can't check in, look in the bottom right hand corner...their time stamp is there. Go by that instead of the clocks in the house (even the computer)...should help (If that is the problem...)