Southwest/online passes UGH!

[ILoveMyDVC]

Never again! I don’t care how cheap their fares are…it’s just not worth the aggravation. I printed our boarding passes at 12:01am. My children and I held passes 1-3 in the “A” group. We were second in line to board in the “A” line. We ended up at the back of the plane. On the return trip we were first in line in the “A’ group – still we sat well after the wing.
I completely accept the idea the elderly, handicap and VERY YOUNG children need extra time to board but I do not subscribe to the idea that they are entitled to better seats. In fact is it contradictory. If the families w( traveling with their home version of Babies R Us) need extra time to board, it stands to reason that they will need extra time to gather their things and leave the aircraft therefore all of the passengers would be better off if the families with little ones were at the back of the plane where they could take all the time in the world to gather their things to exit the aircraft.
I am also unhappy with Southwest’s decision to allow entire entourages to pre-board because 1 person in the group qualifies for pre-boarding. Whatever happened to the rule of letting only one person accompany the qualified pre-boarder?
The businessmen in front of me in the A line told me that he had been flying the PVD to MCO route once a week and that this was the last straw for him.
Besides the seating, the general attitude of the employees was miserable. The nice couple in front of me on the return trip was ready to hit one of the flight attendants – she was so cocky and arrogant.
I know these boards contain many Southwest fans – Good luck to you- you will now have more seats available. I’m willing to pay the extra 15 bucks a ticket to have a seat where I want it with the people I want to sit with without having to print passes at midnight and camp out in an airport terminal for 2 hours for the privilege of sitting in the back of the plane.
Note: Southwest does not allow anyone with children on the aircraft to sit in the exit rows and it doesn’t matter if they are with other parents or adults.

 

[prncess674]

FYI, you will probably be sitting behind the wing on most mainline carriers as well (AA, UAL, CO, US, DL, etc) since the first part of the plane is First Class then the next 8 to 10 rows are reserved for frequent flyers of that particular airline. There is no guarantee that you will get "good" seats on any other airlines. The only thing you are guaranteed is A seat. Airlines have the right to change your seat at their discretion. You can complain till the cow's come home if they change your seat but it happens all the time for many reasons (aircraft change, time change, etc).

I hope the other airlines provide the level of service you are looking for but you may be disappointed with them as well.

 

[Lewisc]

Flights to Orlando are filled with grandparents and young kids. On some flights SW gets rid of all pre-boarding for families.

Sounds like that's what they should have done on your flight.

 

[NotUrsula]

"Note: Southwest does not allow anyone with children on the aircraft to sit in the exit rows and it doesn’t matter if they are with other parents or adults."

No US airline allows children to sit in an exit row at any time; that is universally forbidden by FAA rules.

I'm sorry you had a bad time of it, but I have to point out that flying on an airline that supposedly assigns seats is still no guarantee that you will get that assignment before you arrive at the airport, nor that your entire party will be seated together. Lately I've been told MANY times by AA and United that the available seats are blocked, and that I was not getting seat assignments until I arrived at the airport. Upon arrival in a situation like that, I've never managed to get more than 2 contiguous seats. My opinion is, that if I have to deal with last minute seats, I'd rather do it w/ SWA, where what *I* do controls the likelihood of getting contiguous seats.

I'm assuming that you were on a flight that was continuing from another destination. You were at the back b/c the passengers remaining all shifted forward once the deplaning passengers got off. Maybe it's an American trait, but the people who have been on the plane the longest tend to feel entitled to put themselves in a position to get off first.

As to putting preboards at the back of the plane, that makes perfect sense for everyone EXCEPT those who are mobility-impaired. Anyone who needs to use a walker or transfer to a wheelchair is most efficiently seated in the front rows. Most of us who are experienced at flying with children in carseats head straight for the back of the plane on SWA, but lots of people find that difficult to do b/c you have to carry a carseat overhead to get it down the aisle. I always just mumbled "Sorry!" in a continuous chant until I got past the wing, on every airline, because I *always* hit at least one person in my trek to the back. (Being only 5'3", if I carry a seat on an aircraft, I can't see past it. You would think that people who see a carseat blindly bobbing down the aisle toward them would duck out of the way, but they don't. )

 

[ILoveMyDVC]

No, we were on the orginating flight- The plane was empty. There were no "C's and 4 "B"s the rest were pre-boards.
I have flown many times on other carrriers (used to fly for business) and am well aware of the possibility of being reassigned a seat (it has neve happened to me). I like having a seat - I like knowing that I will be sitting with my travelling companions in the seats printed on my itinerary and I can do so without camping out in a lettered aisle in a terminal for 2 hours. But aside from the seating, I found the employees to be exceptionally difficult (as did some of my fellow passengers).
As I stated in my first post - I am fully aware that these boards contain many Southwest fans.

 

[Lewisc]

Originally posted by ILoveMyDVC
As I stated in my first post - I am fully aware that these boards contain many Southwest fans.

I'm a SW fan BUT I agree they handled your flight poorly. No reason to allow that many people to pre-board. They shouldn't have allowed pre-boarding for parents with young children. I've seen that done on Orlando flights.

 

[prncess674]

my personal belief is that only those who are disabled or those travelling with children in a car seat should be allowed to preboard. All others should get in line especially when flying into/ out of MCO!

 

[Lewisc]

Originally posted by prncess674
my personal belief is that only those who are disabled or those travelling with children in a car seat should be allowed to preboard. All others should get in line especially when flying into/ out of MCO!

Agreed, I've been on flights in which that was SW policy. What's the point of pre-boarding if more than half the plane is pre-boards?

I assume you mean those travelling with children in a car seat that purchased a seat for said child.

 

[prncess674]

Originally posted by Lewisc

I assume you mean those travelling with children in a car seat that purchased a seat for said child.

of course If you haven't paid for a seat for your child then stand in line with your child. I didn't pay extra for a seat for my purse that sits in my lap and I don't get to preboard so if a person doesn't pay for a lap child then they can board as the same time as me and my purse.

 

[NotUrsula]

FAA regulations require that a child who is under age 5 cannot travel unaccompanied. For safety purposes, that is generally interpreted to mean "sitting next to a responsible adult in the same party."

As SWA does not assign seats, the only efficient way for them to operate within the law is to allow parents with young children to preboard. (Not lap babies, as they don't take up a separate seat.) If a party with small children boards later only to find only single seats available, the FA's have to do the whole "I need a volunteer to switch seats with X passenger" shuffle, which is time-consuming. I think they can get away with suspending preboarding on the MCO run because there are so few individuals travelling that route; everyone is with someone else, which doesn't leave many single seats empty in a given row.

I think that the key is to keep down the number of adults and older siblings that board with each young child, regardless of what the destination is. They really do need to crack down on the big multi-generational family preboards.

 

[wdwstar]

i am flying to mco a week from today, and i was planning to get up to print dsis and my boarding pass, our plane leaves at 6:50am, so i dont think i will be very happy if i have A boarding pass and i am sitting in the back of the plane, after investing all this time into getting a close seat to the front and aisle seat, i get motion sickness and have bad knees, i am fine on an aisle seat far away from the window. i always fly ata so i can pick my seat, and have had no problem getting the first 5 rows and aisle seats. but sw came out with a great airfare, and after i booked , ata was matching it, darn. so now i will have to fly sw, and everyone is making me nerves about the seating.

 

[prncess674]

Even if you are in the very last row of the plane you will get off the plane less than 5 minutes before the first person gets off the plane. Sitting in the back is not THAT bad. The ENTIRE plane is going to MCO. It's not like the back of the plane is being dropped off in Pensacola, FL and then must walk to Disney.

If you can not walk the length of the aircraft due to bad knees you are going to have one hell of a time in WDW. There are literally miles and miles to walk in WDW.

I don't understand what motion sickness has to do with the front/back of the plane. it just doesnt make that big of a difference like in a car.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Note: Southwest does not allow anyone with children on the aircraft to sit in the exit rows and it doesn’t matter if they are with other parents or adults.

Note: It is against FAA regs. to allow children in any exit row on ANY airline. It doesn't matter if they are with adults or parents anywhere.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by prncess674
my personal belief is that only those who are disabled or those travelling with children in a car seat should be allowed to preboard. All others should get in line especially when flying into/ out of MCO!

ITA!!!!! And not just for the in and out of MCO.

 

[Aisling]

you will probably be sitting behind the wing on most mainline carriers as well

Not if you fly Song. I always book front cabin seats. Last year, row 2 going, row 3 coming back. his year row 4 going, row 5 coming back. Song doesn't have class distinctions.

I don't understand what motion sickness has to do with the front/back of the plane.

I prefer the front of the plane, because it feels different than when I sit in the middle or in back. And you don't get the hum of the engine quite as much when you're up front. That noise makes me nervous!

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by wdwstar
i am flying to mco a week from today, and i was planning to get up to print dsis and my boarding pass, our plane leaves at 6:50am, so i dont think i will be very happy if i have A boarding pass and i am sitting in the back of the plane, after investing all this time into getting a close seat to the front and aisle seat, i get motion sickness and have bad knees, i am fine on an aisle seat far away from the window. i always fly ata so i can pick my seat, and have had no problem getting the first 5 rows and aisle seats. but sw came out with a great airfare, and after i booked , ata was matching it, darn. so now i will have to fly sw, and everyone is making me nerves about the seating.

I cannot believe that one negative post is going to throw you into a tizzy. One bad time is not indicitive to anything.
I fly SWA all the time and I have NEVER encountered what the OP did. I find the FA's, gate and pilots to be top notch and a lot of fun.
I have bad knees also, but, I think if I could not walk 25' to a seat, I would rethink my plans to go to WDW. As to motion sickness, I think another poster covered that well. As to aisle seats, I am sure you will get one with an A or B pass.

 

[Gary M]

Last winter we flew SWA from IND to MCO and ran into the same preboarding situation. The preboard line was longer than the total of non-preboarders. I am 62 years old with grey hair and was probably the only grey haired person that didn't preboard. It was funny watching the able-bodied "old" people fight for position with the families with young children while getting in line for preboarding. I had an A boarding pass and got an aisle seat toward the back of the plane which didn't bother me.

When we have flown SWA to Vegas the preboard line is very small, with only few children and people that really do need help to board.

I try to fly ATA when possible, but at times SWA is our better choice. ATA has assigned seats and usually matches SWA's cost.

 

[sgtdisney]

Originally posted by Aisling
And you don't get the hum of the engine quite as much when you're up front. That noise makes me nervous!

I think it would make me more nervous if I *didn't* hear that humming engine noise when the plane was airborne..

(Sorry I couldn't resist.. )

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by sgtdisney
I think it would make me more nervous if I *didn't* hear that humming engine noise when the plane was airborne..

(Sorry I couldn't resist.. )

LOL, me too!!!! Actually, the hum and a few Gin Bloody Mary's put me right to sleep.

 

[wdwstar]

i am sorry if i sound like in a tizzy state, i am not, just concern, its not the walking i have a problem its the sitting for the 2 1/2 hour flight.