Southwest experts?

[Winnie23]

I don't post very often, but I just cannot decide if this the best flight. We fly often, but have never flown Southwest. (The boarding procedure has always made me never even consider them.) But the price is so good for our family of six! Looking for some great advice from all you experts! The flight is from Minneapolis to Orlando, with a one hour layover in Atlanta, changing planes. These are my concerns:
1. Boarding. I realize we probably won't be able to all sit together. We have two 10-year-olds and two 3-year-old. What is my best option? The early bird thing? I am afraid the family boarding will not help us because the 10-year-olds wouldn't be included? I am not comfortable leaving them in line to board after us. And if we do the early bird thing, will that even help us with our connecting flight that we may not get to very early? Especially if it is a continuing flight with people already onboard.
2. One hour layover in Atlanta. Doable? With four kids, a few carry-ons, and a gate checked double stroller?
Thanks for any help!

 

[KikiFan]

I don't post very often, but I just cannot decide if this the best flight. We fly often, but have never flown Southwest. (The boarding procedure has always made me never even consider them.) But the price is so good for our family of six! Looking for some great advice from all you experts! The flight is from Minneapolis to Orlando, with a one hour layover in Atlanta, changing planes. These are my concerns:
1. Boarding. I realize we probably won't be able to all sit together. We have two 10-year-olds and two 3-year-old. What is my best option? The early bird thing? I am afraid the family boarding will not help us because the 10-year-olds wouldn't be included? I am not comfortable leaving them in line to board after us. And if we do the early bird thing, will that even help us with our connecting flight that we may not get to very early? Especially if it is a continuing flight with people already onboard.
2. One hour layover in Atlanta. Doable? With four kids, a few carry-ons, and a gate checked double stroller?
Thanks for any help!

I can't imagine they'd leave the 10 year olds to board alone! If one of the party is young enough for early boarding - the whole family goes on.

I think the hour would be doable. I'd just get everyone to the next gate before you start making bathroom trips lol But in all the times I've flown with Southwest and done layovers (A lot because I'm in Dallas) I've never had to go very far for the gate connection.

Southwest is a great airline - if you find a great deal jump on it.

 

[DisDadDVC]

The gate agent has discretion and will possibly allow you all to board. Having said that, why do you all need to pre-board? You said you are a family of 6. Can't one adult board with the 3 year olds and everyone else in their regular spot? This is how the rule is supposed to work, but like I said, the agent may allow you flexibility. The problem is, there are a billion families on an MCO flight, so they may not.

 

[pooch]

The gate agent has discretion and will possibly allow you all to board. Having said that, why do you all need to pre-board? You said you are a family of 6. Can't one adult board with the 3 year olds and everyone else in their regular spot? This is how the rule is supposed to work, but like I said, the agent may allow you flexibility. The problem is, there are a billion families on an MCO flight, so they may not.

This! One adult boards with the little ones & the other 3 in their boarding positions. Head toward the back of the plane and you can probably get rows if not next to each other, at least very close.

 

[Winnie23]

Thank you both. We have twin three year olds, and they are very, very "spirited" kids! I guess one of us could take them both on and the other stay with the older ones. Once we are all on the plane, we could probably make it work so that each of us sat with a little one.

 

[ForMyBoys]

Every time I fly SW they let us board right after the A's and before the B's. Our whole family is allowed to board together because we had someone under 4 in our family. I think the same would apply to you. But honestly, as long as you don't have a very late boarding assignment you should have no problem boarding together. I think its actually easier to sit together as a family when there are no assigned seats. I've had way less issues with getting seats together flying Southwest then on any other airline. For some reason even when we pick seats together it seems to get goofed up, or there aren't enough open spots left together.

If you don't pay for the early boarding just make sure to set a reminder to check in exactly 24 hours before the flight. If you book all 6 tickets together you will get one confirmation code and all 6 tickets will be checked in at the same time, meaning your boarding letters should all be in a row and you will stand together in line and board together. If you do it right away at the 24 hour mark you should have no issues sitting all together unless everyone else on the plane purchased early boarding which is highly unlikely. Many times we've gotten boarding in the A group (which is better than the boarding position for family w/ young kids which is between the A and B group). Even if you get B group you will likely be fine as many planes have a C boarding group.

I love SW, I especially love that they allow two free checked bags per person (that would be 12 for your group!). Service is great and really the boarding process is quite easy.

 

[ForMyBoys]

Oh and thought I'd add, you can check in on your cell phone too, so just make sure if you are in the parks the day before you leave that you set a reminder and have your confirmation number handy.

 

[pooh4evr]

Just to be clear- family boarding is in between A and B groups. You could very well get into the A group if you do EBCI, or check in at exactly 24 hours.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

A one hour connection with 4 kids is not a flight I'd select. Waiting for the gate checked stroller is going to slow you down too. I would chose an airline with assigned seating as well; I wouldn't want to deal with the seat hassle on Southwest.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I can't imagine they'd leave the 10 year olds to board alone! If one of the party is young enough for early boarding - the whole family goes on.

.......

Not true. Family boarding is for one adult and one child 4 or younger, not the whole family. However, it's possible the whole family will be allowed to board then, you just can't count on it.

 

[ForMyBoys]

I've flown w/ the family to Orlando on SW 8 times in past 5 years, and to three other locations also on SW, In all 11 flights our family has NEVER been separated in family boarding. They always let all 5 of us board together. I highly doubt w/ 3 yo twins that they would be separated.

 

[ForMyBoys]

A one hour connection with 4 kids is not a flight I'd select. Waiting for the gate checked stroller is going to slow you down too. I would chose an airline with assigned seating as well; I wouldn't want to deal with the seat hassle on Southwest.

I honestly wouldn't worry about the seating, it really is way easier than people make it seem. I also wouldn't worry about a 1 hour layover. That is plenty of time and every time we've had one SW has been there clearly directing us where to go for the connection. I mean honestly, they only recommend you arriving in the airport 1 hour before a scheduled domestic departure. With a plane change you don't even go through security, this seems like plenty of time to me, even w/ a gate checked stroller-- which has always been right there waiting for us when we depart the plane.

They also routinely save rows of seats to ensure families w/ small kids sit together.

Have you guys posting flown SW? We've flown them a ton. I feel like I'm the only one that loves SW?

 

[barbliny]

If it gives you peace of mind to have a little bit less of the traveling left up to chance ...

If you pay for EBCI for one adult and the 10 year-olds, you will likely wind up with an A group. If that is the case and you are worried about rambunctious toddlers, that group can hang back and board with the younger ones - so no stretching rules, since you would be actually boarding later than your A passes. If EBCI gives you a B group, you would be just a little behind the others.

The larger problem is going to be the connection. Check by looking at yesterday's or today's status of the flights you are looking at - it will usually show you the gate numbers - gate for the arrival of your 1st flight, and departure of your 2nd flight. If they are close, it will be easier - they can be a little bit of a distance in some airports. Some airports, they are just about on top of each other. I would also limit your carryons, the less you have to juggle making the connection, the better.

Also, finding seats together on the second leg could be harder depending on where the flight you're connecting with originated and how many stay on the plane.

That being said, the crews flying to Orlando know that there are tons of families with young children making the flight as a connection.

We've flown SW tons of times, to lots of destinations, connecting and non-stop flights. I have never had a problem with the boarding procedure or the employees. It's all luck of the draw with the passengers though ....

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I honestly wouldn't worry about the seating, it really is way easier than people make it seem. I also wouldn't worry about a 1 hour layover. That is plenty of time and every time we've had one SW has been there clearly directing us where to go for the connection. I mean honestly, they only recommend you arriving in the airport 1 hour before a scheduled domestic departure. With a plane change you don't even go through security, this seems like plenty of time to me, even w/ a gate checked stroller-- which has always been right there waiting for us when we depart the plane.

They also routinely save rows of seats to ensure families w/ small kids sit together.

Have you guys posting flown SW? We've flown them a ton. I feel like I'm the only one that loves SW?

I'm a 1K on United Airlines, so I have plenty of experience flying and a lot of what you have posted is not good advice. You appear to have been lucky with your flights; just one unexpected event, such as weather, a crew timing out, mechanical problem, computer issues, etc., and that one hour connection is going to seem like a very bad idea.

What if the originating flight is late? A one hour layover doesn't mean you have an hour to transfer to the new flight. You have to taxi to the gate, possibly wait for a gate to open, wait to get off the plane, wait to have a stroller delivered, wrangle 4 kids, etc. By the time you're ready to make your way to the new gate, it could be 20 minutes or more since you landed, assuming the originating flight is on time. Southwest doesn't exactly have a stellar record here.

You are mistaken about a recommendation to arrive at the airport only one hour before departure time. That would be a big mistake if you're checking luggage. Southwest recommends arriving at least 90-120 minutes before a domestic flight at most U.S. Airports:

https://www.southwest.com/html/air/airport-information.html

I have flown Southwest since the 1970s (although very rarely these days) and I have never, ever seen seats saved for families.

 

[ibob52]

I mean honestly, they only recommend you arriving in the airport 1 hour before a scheduled domestic departure.

In general, the airlines and the Transportation Security Administration recommend that passengers arrive at the airport at least 90 minutes before domestic flights.

One hour is not enough time to recommend arriving at the airport.

Maybe for some (smaller) airports ... but definitely *not* the airports I fly into or from.

 

[KikiFan]

Not true. Family boarding is for one adult and one child 4 or younger, not the whole family. However, it's possible the whole family will be allowed to board then, you just can't count on it.

Are you actually telling me that if there is one adult, a 4 year old and 10 year old - they're going to allow the 10 year old to be separated from the only adult? Because that seems like a huge liablity for them if something happens to that child.

Now if there are two adults I can see requiring only one to board and one to stay with the 10 year old. But there is absolutely no way I believe SW is going to leave a 10 year old sitting in an airport without adult supervision.

 

[supersnoop]

I've flown w/ the family to Orlando on SW 8 times in past 5 years, and to three other locations also on SW, In all 11 flights our family has NEVER been separated in family boarding. They always let all 5 of us board together. I highly doubt w/ 3 yo twins that they would be separated.

You don't mention the ages of your children.

The announcement at MCO last week was that TWO people could board with the child. If that's the case, then the OP can board with one 3 year old and one 10 year old, and the spouse can do the same.

 

[mb187143]

I honestly wouldn't worry about the seating, it really is way easier than people make it seem. I also wouldn't worry about a 1 hour layover. That is plenty of time and every time we've had one SW has been there clearly directing us where to go for the connection. I mean honestly, they only recommend you arriving in the airport 1 hour before a scheduled domestic departure. With a plane change you don't even go through security, this seems like plenty of time to me, even w/ a gate checked stroller-- which has always been right there waiting for us when we depart the plane.

They also routinely save rows of seats to ensure families w/ small kids sit together.

Have you guys posting flown SW? We've flown them a ton. I feel like I'm the only one that loves SW?

I have never seen SW save seats for families for this purpose. I've been on more than 50 SW flights this year alone, and have never seen them do this. Not sure where you're flying from but it's not their procedure normally. And while an journey be enough from a regional airport, it would not be from many airports in the US, especially if bags are being checked.

OP, I don't think I'd do an hour connection in ATL with 4 kiddos. The last time I connected there, I was coming from MCI to PHL through ATL. Our flight in MCI was held for hours due to a full ground stop in ATL and I missed my connection there by the time it was lifted. My company rebooked me on a different flight from ATL once we finally got there. Ground holds aren't unusual in the summer at ATL, and we many times sit on the tarmac waiting to taxi to a gate, which can add additional time to the first leg of the flight, and I've had to literally run from one plane to then next to make it before the door closed because my gates were on opposite ends of the same terminal. An hour was going to be close for me and that was just me, with a laptop and a small carry on. No kids, nothing gate checked, etc. I fully expected the possibility of not making my connection and since it was just me, it wasn't a huge deal but if I had my family in tow I would have been more stressed about it.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Are you actually telling me that if there is one adult, a 4 year old and 10 year old - they're going to allow the 10 year old to be separated from the only adult? Because that seems like a huge liablity for them if something happens to that child.

Now if there are two adults I can see requiring only one to board and one to stay with the 10 year old. But there is absolutely no way I believe SW is going to leave a 10 year old sitting in an airport without adult supervision

Of course not. Even if Southwest did not allow an adult traveling with 2 children, only one meeting family boarding requirements, to board together, the adult and kids have the choice to board with their assigned boarding group.

Personally, I think families with young children should board last.

 

[agie65]

Are you actually telling me that if there is one adult, a 4 year old and 10 year old - they're going to allow the 10 year old to be separated from the only adult? Because that seems like a huge liablity for them if something happens to that child.

Now if there are two adults I can see requiring only one to board and one to stay with the 10 year old. But there is absolutely no way I believe SW is going to leave a 10 year old sitting in an airport without adult supervision.

I agree, Last yr in one of the SW flight gate agent did not allow others to board with little kid. If I remember correctly both parent was in this flight and gate agent allowed one parent and little kid. Don't think any gate agent will do that if only one parent is flying.