Southwest EBCI question

[bballmom56]

A family member is flying out on SW on Friday with a group of friends. He did not purchase EBCI and was just wondering how it would work if he purchased it now. Would he be at the back of the line of the people who have already bought EBCI? Or does it depend on who checks in first at the 36 hr. mark? Never having used SW before, he is not clear on how that works. Would it be worth buying it now or take his chances checking in at the 24 hr. mark?

Thanks!

 

[mb187143]

A family member is flying out on SW on Friday with a group of friends. He did not purchase EBCI and was just wondering how it would work if he purchased it now. Would he be at the back of the line of the people who have already bought EBCI? Or does it depend on who checks in first at the 36 hr. mark? Never having used SW before, he is not clear on how that works. Would it be worth buying it now or take his chances checking in at the 24 hr. mark?

Thanks!

No one really knows for sure. I've bought it with my tickets when the schedule opens and gotten A59 and I've added it 1 week before and gotten A16. He will be ahead of anyone who didn't buy it though, that much is certain (except business class which automatically get the A1-15 spots)

 

[tjmw2727]

He will be automatically checked in at T36 - he can then checkin at T24 to see what # he got and print out his pass. When he checks in has no bearing on the # he gets.

It isn't really public what the order is - but from what a few different gate agents have mentioned over the years my "best guess" is:

Business Select are 1-16, A listers next and then EBCI based on fare bucket, anytime fare first by order of purchase; then wanna get away fare by order of purchase.

I will say that I have read and experienced exceptions to the above so again its just a slightly educated guess!

 

[goofy4tink]

He will be automatically checked in at T36 - he can then checkin at T24 to see what # he got and print out his pass. When he checks in has no bearing on the # he gets.

It isn't really public what the order is - but from what a few different gate agents have mentioned over the years my "best guess" is:

Business Select are 1-16, A listers next and then EBCI based on fare bucket, anytime fare first by order of purchase; then wanna get away fare by order of purchase.

I will say that I have read and experienced exceptions to the above so again its just a slightly educated guess!

That's pretty much my understanding as well. When we hear of someone buying EBCI late in the game and getting an A slot while others he knows of have paid for EBCI much earlier but get a B slot, it's usually a case of the late buying person being able to slide into a newly vacated slot. Say an A lister had a good, low boarding slot but later cancelled his flight. That slot is now open and someone could be in the right place at the right time and get that spot. To me, it would make more sense that that spot goes away and everyone else moves up a space. But evidently it doesn't work that way.

 

[bballmom56]

Thanks for all your replies! So it's not really set in stone how it is assigned. Unless it is set in stone and we just don't know about it!

I know the rest of his party did not buy EBCI, so I was thinking it might be good for him so he could at least grab seats together for him and his gf. I know you can't save blocks of seats, but I would think if he grabbed the window, he could ask to keep the middle seat for his gf? Or is this not allowed either? I guess she could buy EBCI, but it is a little complicated with the arrangement of the way the trip came about.

 

[goofy4tink]

Thanks for all your replies! So it's not really set in stone how it is assigned. Unless it is set in stone and we just don't know about it!

I know the rest of his party did not buy EBCI, so I was thinking it might be good for him so he could at least grab seats together for him and his gf. I know you can't save blocks of seats, but I would think if he grabbed the window, he could ask to keep the middle seat for his gf? Or is this not allowed either? I guess she could buy EBCI, but it is a little complicated with the arrangement of the way the trip came about.

Very few people will have any issue with someone saving that middle seat. The only time it 'might' be an issue? If there were no more two seats together and a couple wanted to take your middle and then the aisle seats. But, I don't see that happening very often.

 

[bballmom56]

Thanks everyone!!

I offered to buy it for him, but he declined. I hope it works out for them. I will be curious to hear how it goes. I am pretty sure the flight is full as it has not been listed on the SW site for a while now. Oh well, I tried!

 

[CarolMN]

Thanks everyone!!

I offered to buy it for him, but he declined. I hope it works out for them. I will be curious to hear how it goes. I am pretty sure the flight is full as it has not been listed on the SW site for a while now. Oh well, I tried!

Maybe he just decided it would be OK if they didn't sit next to each other for a couple of hours.

 

[winterwhite]

Saving seats becomes questionable when the person you're saving for is several groups behind you. It is a mixed bag whether a flight attendant will call you out on it. There is no official southwest policy but if someone wants the seat and there is no human body occupying it, then it can go either way and I have seen it go both ways.

 

[bballmom56]

Maybe he just decided it would be OK if they didn't sit next to each other for a couple of hours.

Well, I would say that is a possibility except that they are in a kind of long distance relationship right now since they are three hours away from each other. So I would *think* they would like to spend some time together, but what do I know

Anyway, he got group B with boarding position 13. I hope that's good enough. Apparently he is before the rest of his party.

 

[winterwhite]

B13 is fine. There's 143 seats on a 737-300 plane and only a maximum of 72+ family boarding will have gotten on, so more than half the plane will still be empty by the time he boards.

 

[bballmom56]

B13 is fine. There's 143 seats on a 737-300 plane and only a maximum of 72+ family boarding will have gotten on, so more than half the plane will still be empty by the time he boards.

Good to know.Thanks! Word is the rest of the party is in the B30's and 2 of them are in B40's. I was sitting at the computer ready to hit "check in" at exactly the 24 hr. mark.