Southwest & ME

[mommykds]

How does ME work with Southwest? I didn't see it on the list of "approved airlines"

 

[CleveRocks]

How does ME work with Southwest? I didn't see it on the list of "approved airlines"

"Participating airlines" ONLY, ONLY, ONLY matters for your RETURN flight.

When you fly into Orlando, the airline has NOTHING to do with DME. Nothing. They've never heard of it, they know nothing about it, they don't have to.

When any commercial airliner flies into any airport, the airline is responsible for the de-planed luggage only up to a certain point. They then "release" the luggage to the control of the airport. It's at this point that the subcontractor for DME pulls the specially-tagged bags out of the luggage stream that's heading to the baggage claim carousel.

On the trip back home, THAT'S where "participating airlines" come into play. With some airlines, the "participating airlines," you can actually check your luggage in at your resort (and get your boarding passes!) and you won't see it again until it arrives at your home airport's baggage claim carousel. You take the bus back to the airport with just your carry-ons. People who fly one of the non-participating airlines have to take their luggage directly to the DME bus, the driver loads the luggage, and when you get to the airport the driver unloads the luggage and you take the luggage to your airline just like for any other flight.

I hope that answers your question.

So before you leave home, put those DME tags (they're yellow sticky paper, and they have all your info pre-printed on them) on your checked luggage, and do your flight like normal. DON'T ASK SOUTHWEST ABOUT DME. You'll get puzzled looks, and for good reason -- they have NOTHING to do with DME.

ENJOY WDW!

 

[CleveRocks]

Let me clarify a little further. Continental, for example, is a participating airline. When they fly INTO Orlando, Continental and the rest of the participating airlines also have NOTHING to do with DME. If you ask about DME at the Continental counter at Newark Liberty, they'll look at you funny and have no idea what you're talking about, because the people in Newark don't have any responsibility for anything to do with how luggage is handled after it's taken off the aircraft 1,000 miles away. And for your trip back, a private contractor takes your luggage from the Resort Airline Check-In desk and delivers it to your airline. One the airline has it, they treat it like every other piece of luggage in their custody.

 

[goofy4tink]

How does ME work with Southwest? I didn't see it on the list of "approved airlines"

You put your yellow tags on your bags for the trip down. When you get to MCO, head down to the DME welcome area, check-in with them, hop on your bus to BC (I believe that's where you'll be, right?). Your bags will arrive at the resort and be brought to your room when it is available.
Now...when it is time to go home ( ), you will get a notice the day before you leave telling you what time you will need to be at the bus area. That morning, you will take your luggage and head to the bus area, where they will put your bags underneath the bus, you go on the bus, and off you do, back to MCO. If you had been flying on say Delta, you could have stopped at the airport desk at BC, checked your luggage through, and gotten your boarding passes..enabling you to completely bypass checkin at MCO. But, that is the only difference.

 

[Bowen9475]

We have used ME on 4 trips flying Southwest and had a good experience every time - including flying May 5, 2005 the "official" starting date of ME.

 

[TazFan]

You put your yellow tags on your bags for the trip down. When you get to MCO, head down to the DME welcome area, check-in with them, hop on your bus to BC (I believe that's where you'll be, right?). Your bags will arrive at the resort and be brought to your room when it is available.
Now...when it is time to go home ( ), you will get a notice the day before you leave telling you what time you will need to be at the bus area. That morning, you will take your luggage and head to the bus area, where they will put your bags underneath the bus, you go on the bus, and off you do, back to MCO. If you had been flying on say Delta, you could have stopped at the airport desk at BC, checked your luggage through, and gotten your boarding passes..enabling you to completely bypass checkin at MCO. But, that is the only difference.

This doesn't sound too complicated but for us, I'm just interested in the 'free' transportation from MCO to WDW and back as we should be able to do pack everything into our carry-ons.

TazFan