Southwest - earlybird check in or not?

[sscornette]

It was worth it for us. Both flights were sold out and we actually saw people refuse to move to let families sit together. That shouldn't happen, but we didn't have to worry about it.

 

[Sandi]

I will be purchasing 7 tickets with RR points for our big family trip some time next year. This gives me 7 different confirmation numbers . I am planning on biting the EBCI bullet so I don't have to check in 7 separate conf #s. Is there something I'm missing? Am I right that I would have to check each in separately? I figure if I'm getting the flights free, springing for the $175 in EBCI fees won't kill me!!!

Like you said, if you buy EBCI for each person, you won't have to check in at all. SW will check you and each person with EBCI at the 36 hour mark. Then you can go in and print boarding passes after the 24 hour mark, if you want to print them. I have had luck with calling SW to combine different confirmation numbers for one itinerary, but it has been awhile since I did that and it was only for three people. They've also separated one confirmation for two people into two different reservations (DH decided to do a different trip). So, you could call to see if they'd combine your 7 onto one confirmation. The other thing you could do if you don't want to buy EBCI is open 7 different windows on your computer and get everything ready before the 24 hour mark and click x 7.

 

[pooch]

Like you said, if you buy EBCI for each person, you won't have to check in at all. SW will check you and each person with EBCI at the 36 hour mark. Then you can go in and print boarding passes after the 24 hour mark, if you want to print them. I have had luck with calling SW to combine different confirmation numbers for one itinerary, but it has been awhile since I did that and it was only for three people. They've also separated one confirmation for two people into two different reservations (DH decided to do a different trip). So, you could call to see if they'd combine your 7 onto one confirmation. The other thing you could do if you don't want to buy EBCI is open 7 different windows on your computer and get everything ready before the 24 hour mark and click x 7.

I have always found SWA CS to be "bend over backwards" helpful so maybe that would work. I tried the opening several windows once before & made a total mess so not gonna hang my hat on that option!!!

 

[DebbieB]

I'm flying SW on Sunday. I usually jump on at 24 hours but it seems like the numbers I'm getting are getting higher & higher. Last time it was B27. On Wednesday I noticed that my flight is soldout in all 3 categories. I have alot to do tommorrow so I decided so that I don't have to worry about it, I bought EBCI for the first time. I'm meeting my friends in Florida so it's not an issue of sitting together but I don't want to get stuck with a middle seat.

 

[greenhk]

Checked in - no EBCI - got B45, 46 & 47. Flight leaves at 2 pm - I was printing my tickets at 2:02. Could not have checked in any earlier! Here's hoping I can get at least 2 seats together for me & son age 11!!

 

[mcd531]

Checked in - no EBCI - got B45, 46 & 47. Flight leaves at 2 pm - I was printing my tickets at 2:02. Could not have checked in any earlier! Here's hoping I can get at least 2 seats together for me & son age 11!!

Please let us know how it works out.

 

[DebbieB]

Checked in - no EBCI - got B45, 46 & 47. Flight leaves at 2 pm - I was printing my tickets at 2:02. Could not have checked in any earlier! Here's hoping I can get at least 2 seats together for me & son age 11!!

One possibility - if the plane is stopping in another city before yours, those people get to check-in 2 hours before their flight time, so they would be ahead of you.

 

[jayhawk74]

It has nothing to do where the plane is coming from, just the passengers. Lets say that the airplane is originating in BWI at 8:30 AM and you are on that flight. So you can check in at 8:30 AM the day before. However that same flight has passenger who are connecting from ALB, BDL, BOS, BUF, CLE, ISP, MHT, ORF, and PVD and all those flights leave at 6:30 AM. That means when they check in at 6:30 AM the day before they are also checking in at 6:30 for the 8:30 flight from BWI. The advantage to the EBCI is that the extra 12 hours would put you ahead of anyone else that was connecting from an earlier flight. The EBCIs from the connecting flights would still be ahead of any EBCIs from the BWI flight, but not those connecting who didn't do EBCI.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

where the passengers ahead of you hurts EBCI, is where a number of people are already on plane when it lands at your airport. the ones that are staying on plane get to change seats and this is before anyone at your airport get on. I have seen flights that are headed to Orlando where everyone who boards has an A number but there were no seats together because there were that many people already on plane

 

[maxiesmom]

Checked in - no EBCI - got B45, 46 & 47. Flight leaves at 2 pm - I was printing my tickets at 2:02. Could not have checked in any earlier! Here's hoping I can get at least 2 seats together for me & son age 11!!

If that was me, I would do nothing but worry about it. Which is why I would never fly Southwest without paying for EBCI. I'd stress too much!

 

[Betty Rohrer]

as I said even with EBCI on a flight at that time , it will depend on how many passengers stay on the plane from before it gets to your airport. if the plane is going to be full when it leaves your airport and there are just a few people waiting for plane, even A will not mean you can get seats together. as everyone already on plane will have their seats, so EBCI will not help you at that point. yes a plane can be almost full when it gets to your airport. with a flight to Disney in mid day I would be worried about seats together no matter what number I get, just because of not being first on plane. most already on plane are going to be families and not willing to split up their family

 

[Mommymarie]

I was reading this because I was wondering about EBCI too but now I'm more confused. Does this mean that when my husband, 8 year old, and I fly in November that if I do not get EBCI that my 8 year old could end up sitting by herself without either parent?

When we went to the Grand Canyon, my family flew into Las Vegas. I did not have EBCI and they wanted my 7 year old to sit by herself with strangers a row or 2 behind me....for a 5 hour flight. She started crying and they asked someone to switch seats with us and no one would budge. Finally, they offered free drinks to anyone willing to let us sit together and it finally worked. Lesson learned....I buy EBCI!

 

[DebbieB]

I got A37 for my flight today, I bought the early bird last Wednesday. It was a soldout flight. I'm not sure if it there were people on before we got on but the first empty row I found was behind the exit row (I wanted a window seat). I did see a couple seats with purses on them, I think the people there had got on as disability preboarders. Towards the end of boarding, the flight attendant did make an announcement to the flight attendant in the back of the plane to hold two seats in the last row for a mother and young child. I saw her at the gate, I'm not sure if she missed family boarding.