Southwest New Family Boarding (test)

[runnerchick]

Interesting thread! I LUV SW!!! Have the companion pass and Alist. Any flights in/out of MCO, do yourself a favor and just purchase priority boarding. The "family boarding" is a bit of a free for all. I have moved and have seen so many people move their seat so families can sit together - gives everyone a good feeling!

On a side note, on our flight two weeks ago to FLL, one of our suitcases was punctured. I went to the SW "lost baggage" office - hoping for a patch to fix the suitcase. They gave me a brand new, beautiful suitcase! Did I mention how much I luv SW??!!!!

 

[Gracie09]

Take a look at the sex offender registry for your town/city/rural area and see if you still think that.



We'll have to agree to disagree. Would you let your 4 year old sit with strangers on a plane? If not, how old is old enough? I'm empowering myself to keep my daughter safe. She is empowered in situations that she has control over. Getting stuck next to a drunk or a creepy guy on a plane while I'm aisles away is not something I would ever want her to have to handle at that age.

Over 90% of all molestation and kidnapping of children happens by people they know, usually family members. The Center for Missing and Exploited Children is a good resource for information.

People on sex offender registrys have to register for a variety of reasons. A 19 year old kid has sex with his 16 year old partner. In some states that is statutory rape. On the registry. Kids sending or receiving (yes receiving texts they didn't ask for) sexting pictures. Can be possession of child pornography - on the registry. There are thousands of cases just like this. But your real threat is Uncle Joe who likes to have Janie sit on his lap.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Take a look at the sex offender registry for your town/city/rural area and see if you still think that.



We'll have to agree to disagree. Would you let your 4 year old sit with strangers on a plane? If not, how old is old enough? I'm empowering myself to keep my daughter safe. She is empowered in situations that she has control over. Getting stuck next to a drunk or a creepy guy on a plane while I'm aisles away is not something I would ever want her to have to handle at that age.

I really don't care to argue this issue, but your argument doesn't make sense. What does the sex offender registry have to do with anything? Statistically speaking, most of them did not molest strangers, especially strangers on a plane. Also, a lot of people on the sex offender registry did not molest minors or commit terrible crimes. Some are minor. And no, I do not support this type of behavior.

I don't have the seating problem on planes, because I usually do not fly Southwest! If your child is separated from you and is sitting next to someone "creepy," why not change places! Simple solution.

 

[ibob52]

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

I love the no reserved seats boarding process and it's nice not to have to worry that when the airline changes planes it will bump us from the seats we reserved 6 months prior only to place us in middle seats scattered all around! That happened on Alaska Air 3 times before our vacation last year. Every time I checked it said we had "no assigned seats" and I'd have to call in and have them re-reserve something together. We went from the front of the plane all 3 together in one row to the back of the plane and 1 person sitting a row behind the others. If I hadn't caught it and called we would have been each stuck in middle seats in separate rows for a 5+ hour flight.

I will always buy EBCI. It's the easiest decision I make when we travel. When comparing prices, I automatically add that to the SW fare when making my decision.

And while 4 may be young enough to board without assistance, no way would I let my DD sit between 2 strangers when she was 4 (5, 6 or even now at 12). Sorry to say it but pervs and child molesters are everywhere and they commit crimes of opportunity. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/...-boy-3-during-flight-to-Salt-Lake.html?pg=all

I take it you never, ever, ever let your 12-year-old out of your sight? She's is permanently attached to your hip? Otherwise, there could be "pervs and child molesters" anywhere. There's enough real things in the world to worry about, no need to make up more! I totally understand wanting to sit together as a family but this over-the-top kind of paranoia is just not necessary.

 

[sharona]

You'll be waiting awhile. I don't mind when people have a different opinion than mine.

 

[maxiesmom]

I flew Southwest out of Orlando yesterday, and the announcement was Family Boarding was after the A group. Which is how it should be, if they can't figure out a way to make it after all EBCI guests board.

On a side note, there was an insane number of medial pre-boards in wheelchairs. I stopped counting at 20. Someone else in line wondered if it was a bunch of snowbirds flying back to Michigan for the summer. It took over half an hour for them to be boarded. It made me very happy I had purchased OLCI.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

When exactly do you board with EBCI? After medical preboards and families??

 

[LisaS]

When exactly do you board with EBCI? After medical preboards and families??

The boarding order goes like this: Pre-boards, Business Select fare passengers, non-Business Selects who paid $40 to upgrade their boarding assignment, A-List preferred, A-List, then passengers with EBCI with "A" boarding passes, then A-Listers with "B" or "C" boarding passes, then family boarding, then EBCI passengers with "B" boarding passes, then everybody else. Within the EBCI group, those who paid for an Anytime fare are ahead of those who purchased a Wanna Get Away fare. Within a fare class with EBCI, it's in order of when you paid for EBCI.

While it sounds complicated, everything other than the pre-boards and the upgraders have a boarding position assigned by the computer so we all just get in line by boarding number.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Geesh. With all of those people in front of EBCI, and the possibility of getting a B boarding even with EBCI, is EBCI even worth it?

I am going to purchase since DS15 is kind of nervous to fly and DD9 I don't want sitting with just anyone. She will not be happy if she's not with me.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I would like to see Family Boarding after everyone who purchases EBCI is called, whether that after A or after B or wherever it lands. It seems the most "fair". Parents have the opportunity to purchase it if they feel they need it. People who do purchase it and end up in B don't see a large group of people who did not purchase it get on before them. Its kind of a win/win.

Absolutely. A passenger's failure to plan shouldn't negatively affect anyone else. Being a parent shouldn't provide a benefit not afforded to people traveling without children.

 

[LisaS]

Geesh. With all of those people in front of EBCI, and the possibility of getting a B boarding even with EBCI, is EBCI even worth it?

I am going to purchase since DS15 is kind of nervous to fly and DD9 I don't want sitting with just anyone. She will not be happy if she's not with me.

Is it worth buying EBCI? The only thing you know for sure is that you will board earlier with it than without it. In the early days of EBCI I sometimes got A16-A20, (A16 is the best you can get unless you purchase a Business Select fare or pay $40 to upgrade your position because those two groups are assigned into the A1-A15 group). Now I rarely get that close to the front of the line but I read here that others often do. Perhaps there are more A-Listers on the routes I fly or maybe there are more people purchasing Anytime fares plus EBCI pushing me further back in the queue. A40-something to A60 is more the norm for me now, sometimes even a low B if I book a flight just a couple of months before my travel dates.

Regarding the A1-A15 group, in my experience there are usually just 1 or 2 Business Select passengers and 0-4 who upgrade their boarding position so there might be anywhere from 1 to 6 passengers in A1-A15. The number of A-Listers will vary and some who have A-List status don't take advantage of it when traveling with family. For example, my DH is an A-Lister so he typically gets A16-A20 on our Orlando flights. I might get A43. He boards with me so several people get to move up one boarding position. Some A-Listers do board in their assigned position and save a seat for their traveling companion so it can go either way.

 

[kaytieeldr]

And while 4 may be young enough to board without assistance, no way would I let my DD sit between 2 strangers when she was 4 (5, 6 or even now at 12). Sorry to say it but pervs and child molesters are everywhere and they commit crimes of opportunity

Five- and six-year-olds can travel as Unaccompanied Minors. It's not unreasonable to expect passengers in that group to fly in different rows from a parent but on the same plane. Not necessarily the ideal solution, but not as devastating as sometimes made out to be.

Ovey 90% of molestations, attacks, etc., are perpetrated by someone known to the victim.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

Is it worth buying EBCI? The only thing you know for sure is that you will board earlier with it than without it. In the early days of EBCI I sometimes got A16-A20, (A16 is the best you can get unless you purchase a Business Select fare or pay $40 to upgrade your position because those two groups are assigned into the A1-A15 group). Now I rarely get that close to the front of the line but I read here that others often do. Perhaps there are more A-Listers on the routes I fly or maybe there are more people purchasing Anytime fares plus EBCI pushing me further back in the queue. A40-something to A60 is more the norm for me now, sometimes even a low B if I book a flight just a couple of months before my travel dates.

Regarding the A1-A15 group, in my experience there are usually just 1 or 2 Business Select passengers and 0-4 who upgrade their boarding position so there might be anywhere from 1 to 6 passengers in A1-A15. The number of A-Listers will vary and some who have A-List status don't take advantage of it when traveling with family. For example, my DH is an A-Lister so he typically gets A16-A20 on our Orlando flights. I might get A43. He boards with me so several people get to move up one boarding position. Some A-Listers do board in their assigned position and save a seat for their traveling companion so it can go either way.

In the days when we'd fly SW to Orlando (no more non-stop flights from MSP means we no longer have to worry about it since we won't fly SW to Orlando anymore), EBCI was worth it because then we didn't have to worry about checking in at T24 in the middle of our last vacation day. That right there is worth the $12.50 to me.

 

[jayhawk74]

I was in Orlando today and talked with some Gate Agents that I know and they told me that they only thing being tested is age. Family Boarding will still be after the "A" boarding group and before the "B"s. However the age limit will be somewhere between 8 and 11. The exact age will be determined by these tests. My guess is that 11 will become the new maximum age for Family Boarding because that is the maximum age that Southeest charges the Unaccompanied Minor fee.

 

[Disneylover99]

I was in Orlando today and talked with some Gate Agents that I know and they told me that they only thing being tested is age. Family Boarding will still be after the "A" boarding group and before the "B"s. However the age limit will be somewhere between 8 and 11. The exact age will be determined by these tests. My guess is that 11 will become the new maximum age for Family Boarding because that is the maximum age that Southeest charges the Unaccompanied Minor fee.

11? That's a whole lot of family boarders.

 

[Magic Band Defender]

Absolutely. A passenger's failure to plan shouldn't negatively affect anyone else. Being a parent shouldn't provide a benefit not afforded to people traveling without children.

Sitting next to my small child on an airplane instead of sticking him next to strangers sounds more like a responsibility than some special privilege I should have to pay extra for.

 

[dancin Disney style]

I was in Orlando today and talked with some Gate Agents that I know and they told me that they only thing being tested is age. Family Boarding will still be after the "A" boarding group and before the "B"s. However the age limit will be somewhere between 8 and 11. The exact age will be determined by these tests. My guess is that 11 will become the new maximum age for Family Boarding because that is the maximum age that Southeest charges the Unaccompanied Minor fee.

I don't really care if they raise the age limit to 11 but if that's what happens they need to stop allowing multiple adults to board with the kids. I would suggest 1 adult with 1 or 2 kids and 2 adults if there are more than 2 kids. It really bugs me to see 4 adults boarding with 1 kid. To me, that's taking advantage. The exception would be kids with medical issues.

 

[ILoveMyDVC]

And while 4 may be young enough to board without assistance, no way would I let my DD sit between 2 strangers when she was 4 (5, 6 or even now at 12). Sorry to say it but pervs and child molesters are everywhere and they commit crimes of opportunity. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/...-boy-3-during-flight-to-Salt-Lake.html?pg=all

Wow. Would you step out of an hour long line for Toy Story Mania - or give up your F+ because you were concerned the person in front or behind the beloved child might be risky?

In this world anything can happen, but I doubt there are that many 'pervs' buying plane tickets on the chance they might sit next to a potential victim.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Sitting next to my small child on an airplane instead of sticking him next to strangers sounds more like a responsibility than some special privilege I should have to pay extra for.

Traveling with a child is your choice, option, necessity, whatever. The airline offers a reasonable process for keeping one's party [relatively] together. Traveling with young children shouldn't exempt anyone from paying the optional premium charge that the general passenger population pays to enable their parties to board - again, relatively - together.

Yes, your child is your responsibility. Doesn't give parents the automatic "right" to jump ahead of passengers who paid extra for early boarding assignment.