southwest - open seating has anyone experienced this?

[Ava]

Does Southwest have pre-boarding for families with children under a certain age? Just wondering if we end up on SW next year with DD, who will be 2, if we'll have to pay if we want early boarding or if we'll automatically get to pre-board due to her age.

 

[bettymae1121]

I just flew SWA a few weeks ago. DH and I didn't check in until we got to the airport and were at the tail end of the C group. We got two seats together but it was at the very back of the plane. I figure as long as a group is in A or B seating, they can pretty much be sure they can get seats together. As long as you can check in 24 hours prior to travel so you can get A or B grouping, I think you'll be fine. If not, as other posters have said, you can pay the extra $10 for the early bird boarding.

 

[design_mom]

We almost always fly Southwest. I love how casual they are.

The open seating is not bad as long as you are not the last ones onto the plane. We have never paid for EBCI and as long as you check in 24 hours in advance, we've always gotten A boarding group. (They have greatly improved their boarding process (get in line by number) rather than the old way which was an A-B-C group cattle call.)

I have never flown Jet Blue, but we are very happy with SWA.

 

[rosanne91]

We have flown SW a few times and never had any problems. They do offer an option to paya fee and be seated first. Also, if you have a problem finding seating together, I have seen the flight attendents help families find people who are willing to swith their seats.

 

[onyx8]

Don't worry about. You can have early C passes and still get seats together. You will be fine.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Does Southwest have pre-boarding for families with children under a certain age? Just wondering if we end up on SW next year with DD, who will be 2, if we'll have to pay if we want early boarding or if we'll automatically get to pre-board due to her age.

No, they have mid-boarding. Especially with a destination/departure point like Orlando, families with young children can be half the plane or more. Not really reasonable to preboard ALL those people ahead of passengers with lower boarding pass numbers, right? Families with children four and younger board between the A and B groups.

So now - and this is approximate, the actual order can be found at southwest.com - boarding order is:

• medical assistance (don't even THINK of sitting in an exit row)
• unaccompanied minors
• business/frequent fliers (may be separate)
• boarding pass A in number order
• immediate families with children 4 and under
• boarding pass B in number order
• boarding pass C in number order
• stragglers

By the way, EBCI isn't early boarding; it's Southwest assigning your boarding pass letter/number earlier than the 24 hours this option opens to the general public. It generally gets you a lower combination that if you wait until 24 hours before the flight and do it yourself, and it definitely frees you of the need of computer access right at the 24 hours (especially great for return flights).

 

[disneymomjcs]

We love SWA and have flown them for quite a few years.

People balk at the A B C boarding but I find it loads quicker then assigned seats. People walk on pick their spot and sit down.

We took a flight is February with US Airways and had assigned seats and it took forever for people to find their seats put their bags up and just sit down. Not to mention the guy freaking out because his bag couldn't be right above where he was sitting. He thought he owned the overhead bin.

For SWA we register 24 hours ahead and are usually always A sometimes early B. We have always gotten seats together. Even when you get on at the beginning of B the whole plane looks pretty empty.

Don't pay the extra I think you'll be disappointed. Also as other poster said you can have someone do your return boarding pass or the front desk at any of the WDW properties will do it and print them if you have your confirmation #. Have a great trip.

 

[ccgirl]

Frequent SW flyer here. My family has gotten "C" passes and have never had a problem finding 3 seats together. For the flight on the way home, you can go to guest services at any park or at your hotel and they will be happy to check in for you. I now use my Blackberry so I don't need to go to guest services anymore. You just need to check in to get your boarding letter/number not actually print out the boarding pass.

As far as "family Boarding" as they call it. The age 4 is not always the rule. On quite a few flights from PVD to MCO they have decreased the age to 2 and under due to the sheer number of children flying. As a PP stated, the family boarding is between A and B. Meaning, if you get A you want to board with them. If you get a C and have a child under 2/4 (depending on the flight) you can board after A and before B.

As I said, I have never had a problem sitting together. The EBCI is $10 per person per way. Not worth it IMHO.

 

[Ava]

For the flight on the way home, you can go to guest services at any park or at your hotel and they will be happy to check in for you. I now use my Blackberry so I don't need to go to guest services anymore. You just need to check in to get your boarding letter/number not actually print out the boarding pass.

When you get your boarding # via Blackberry, do you then just go to a kiosk at the airport to print your boarding pass?

Thanks for the info everyone!

 

[design_mom]

When you get your boarding # via Blackberry, do you then just go to a kiosk at the airport to print your boarding pass?

Thanks for the info everyone!

Yes. You can just go to the kiosk at the airport, put in your confirmation number and one of your options will be "print boarding passes." You'll get the same assignment as when you checked in online.

 

[heatherleigh]

I, normally, do not fly them because I get too much anxiety in the waiting area, before boarding the plane. I'm not a competitive person or pushy person, so it makes me nervous that I'm not going to get a window or aisle seat. I have had people cut in front, so you just have to know you will stand your ground.

My very first experience with SouthWest wasn't great either. My husband got a middle seat on some row, and I got an aisle seat in the row directly behind him. I asked the aisle if they would trade with me (and just be in a different row) but the person refused! Not sure why they wanted to sit next to my husband so desperately. The middle by me wouldn't switch with my husband either. I guess both individuals wanted to sit by my hubby & I for some reason. It was on a long flight too, from Atlanta to Phx. Not even sure if they fly that route anymore.

However, do not let this story discourage you. We fully intend on trying them out again this fall on our Disney vacation. Since we will be traveling w/ a bunch of small kids, I know we will get two rows to ourselves. Surely they wouldn't separate us from our children (and I doubt anyone would want to sit next to my baby anyway).

 

[design_mom]

I, normally, do not fly them because I get too much anxiety in the waiting area, before boarding the plane. I'm not a competitive person or pushy person, so it makes me nervous that I'm not going to get a window or aisle seat. I have had people cut in front, so you just have to know you will stand your ground.

Have you flown SW since they instituted their new "line up by number" boarding plan? It works *so* much better than the old way. I have not had anyone cut in front of me under the new system (someone tried, but since their number was higher than mine, they were not allowed to board before me.)

I used to hate the boarding process, too -- I hate "mobs" anyway. (I also hate the "everyone move forward and fill up this room" queuing lines at WDW -- like for Muppetvision 3-D and the laugh floor. I'd much rather stand in a queue. The mob makes me anxious and uncomfortable.)

 

[DVCsince02]

I am afraid I am too fat to fly Southwest lol! But I have had some pretty good success with Airtran. I switched to them after Midwest airlines started to go under. They still offer pretty good rates and if you sign up on most airlines pages they will send you a notice of their low airfares.

Did you know.....

You can buy a 2nd seat on SW online (just use a name like Extra Passenger), then after you purchase the ticket you must call SW and tell them you are a larger person and purchased a 2nd seat. The person will make a note on your account. Then when you arrive at the airport, go to the check in line and the agent will give you a "seat reserved" card to place on the seat next to you when you board. No one may then sit there as you have paid for that extra seat.

The best part of this is, if the flight is NOT sold out, call SW after you arrive at your destination, and they will CREDIT YOU BACK THE PRICE OF THE EXTRA SEAT. If the plane is sold put, you still had plenty of space and pay for the extra ticket.

 

[Shreggor]

I did EBCI in January and wound up with a low B number. I was furious. Ended up upgrading to business for $20 more a person and boarded first.

 

[Maybelle]

Love SW! Not paying for checked bags is a big draw for them!! The open seating has never been a problem for us. You check in 24 hours before your flight and you'll get a letter-number combination which is a place in line to board the plane. Group A is the best, then B, then C. The numbers go 1-60. If you check in right at 24 hours before, you'll usually get in the A group, which boards first. People will usually start sitting at the front of the plane, you should have no problem getting seats together if you do this.

I have only read through the first page of posts, BUT...we have always flown SW, and love them. Until this previous summer we had always gotten boarding group A when checking in exactly at the 24 hour before flight time mark. However, last summer we were not able to get in boarding group A for either leg of our flight, although we checked in EXACTLY at the 24 hour mark (DH works for a TV statiion, and his watch is set to "station" time, which is extremely accurate). I have heard this has been the case for most people these days.

Having said that, we have never had a problem getting seats together on our flights. DD prefers to be behind the wing anyway, so she can watch the landing gear come down...go figure. I will definitely continue to fly SW, at least while baggage flies free.

 

[clanmcculloch]

I would definitely check in right at 24 hours, but I read on their website that the letter assigned as to do not only with what time you check in but what you paid, and I plan to pay the cheapest wanna travel rate. Paying $80 for early check in negates the discount we are looking for because Jet blue is just $100 more. We really need to spend every penny!

The based on what you paid is sort of how the EBCI works, not the 24 hour checkin. For 24 hour checkin, the BP#s are issued first come-first served. With EBCI, it goes by fare type followed by when it was purchased.

I do understand that you don't want to pay the $80. It's great that EBCI is optional; it's not for everybody. Just check in at exactly 24 hours before your flight is scheduled to take off and at worst you'll get mid-B boarding positions though likely much better. With mid-Bs you shouldn't have trouble finding 3 seats together towards the back of the plane. For your return flight, either have somebody that you REALLY trust check you in, check in using your web enabled phone (super easy if you have one) or have Guest Relations at a park or the Concierge at your resort check you in. You will have to be standing at their desk with your confirmation number in hand at T-24 to have a CM check you in; you can't just go to them in the morning and expect them to do it later in the day.

the open seating is not bad but I won't fly SW anymore. I refuse. I'll pay a little more for the comforts of Jetblue and fly out of Boston instead of Manchester (which Man is closer to me but I dislike SW that much)

You've piqued my curiosity as I fly SWA out of MHT though I have considered JB out of Boston. Would you mind sharing why?

As long as you can access a computer 24 hours before fligh time, NEVER pay that $10 per person. If there is 4 of you that would be $40 per way. Are you kidding me?? NEVER. I am a family of 3. We never pay for early, and we ALWAYS sit together. We fly SW 4-6 times per year, so 8-12 flights. One time we were in the bathroom with our son and almost missed the flight (it was close) and was boarding last (we were getting paged over head and everything, so we had to seperate on that flight. But even if we paid for A boarding passes that time it would have been the same. We just did not board on time due to an accident in the pants!! That $10 per person can kill a flight budget and is really not needed, unless your hotel has no wifi or something.

While it's obviously not for everybody, that's a pretty harsh statement. You're basically saying that any reasons that those of us who do pay it might have are completely bogus and we're just fools to pay it. While not paying for EBCI may work well for you and for many others, some of us do choose to pay it and we do have valid reasons. In my case, I could save the money and get a blue sleeve and do preboarding but I try not to take advantage of my child's disability and she doesn't like to stand out which she would do if we preboarded. Boarding near the beginning helps her to settle in without too many people moving around yet. I know we'd be able to secure seats together checking ourselves in (we used to do it pre-EBCI) but there are other reasons why people may choose to pay for this service. We have our real reasons for paying the $80 round trip.

I, normally, do not fly them because I get too much anxiety in the waiting area, before boarding the plane. I'm not a competitive person or pushy person, so it makes me nervous that I'm not going to get a window or aisle seat. I have had people cut in front, so you just have to know you will stand your ground.

My very first experience with SouthWest wasn't great either. My husband got a middle seat on some row, and I got an aisle seat in the row directly behind him. I asked the aisle if they would trade with me (and just be in a different row) but the person refused! Not sure why they wanted to sit next to my husband so desperately. The middle by me wouldn't switch with my husband either. I guess both individuals wanted to sit by my hubby & I for some reason. It was on a long flight too, from Atlanta to Phx. Not even sure if they fly that route anymore.

However, do not let this story discourage you. We fully intend on trying them out again this fall on our Disney vacation. Since we will be traveling w/ a bunch of small kids, I know we will get two rows to ourselves. Surely they wouldn't separate us from our children (and I doubt anyone would want to sit next to my baby anyway).

If you check in at T-24 then you shouldn't have this problem. Back before the online checkin when it was truly a cattle call of getting there early and holding your spot then yes, it was more likely. Now, you can know exactly what boarding position you'll have before you even leave home for the airport (as early as 24 hours before your flight). You can feel very confident that if you have an A or B boarding pass then two people can sit together. Even upper Cs shouldn't have to worry. Checking in 24 hours before your flight should secure you low to mid B at the worst. EBCI should get you an A or low B at the worst.

Do not assume that they won't separate kids from adults. If others have paid EBCI then don't count on people to move for you as they paid extra to board early. If you have kids under 4 then you should be able to board between groups A and B but if you've got kids of varying ages then they might ask your party to split up for boarding so one adult boards with the little ones between A and B while the other adult boards with older kids in their assigned boarding positions. If you get anxiety from not knowing about seating then it's worth paying for EBCI or at the very least making sure that somebody will be in front of a computer at exactly 24 hours before your flight in order to secure good boarding positions. If you don't take this kind of initiative and just show up at the airport assuming that they "have" to seat you together then the only person separating you from your children is you. Kids as young as 5 can fly as unaccompanied minors so there's no reason a child that age can't fly not seated next to a parent. Take the steps to ensure a low boarding position.

 

[clanmcculloch]

I did EBCI in January and wound up with a low B number. I was furious. Ended up upgrading to business for $20 more a person and boarded first.

SWA does not guarantee an A boarding pass. They will assign boarding positions to those who paid for EBCI at 36 hours before the flight in the order in which EBCI was purchased. If it only cost $20 more to upgrade to business class then most of the plane was likely sold out before you bought your tickets which means a lot of people paid for EBCI before you. All EBCI guarantees you is checkin at 36 hours before your flight so you're checked in before those who didn't pay have that option. If you pay for it between T-36 and T-25 then you'll be checked in at T-25 so still before everybody else but after those who paid ahead of time.

If prices were that close when I booked, I would have just paid the $20 to fly business class rather than $10 for EBCI to get not only the early boarding position but also the double RR credits, free drink and knowledge that the high price was fully refundable rather than just getting a credit should I cancel.

 

[ccgirl]

When you get your boarding # via Blackberry, do you then just go to a kiosk at the airport to print your boarding pass?

Thanks for the info everyone!

As others said, you can print your boarding pass at the airport. If you are staying on site and using RAC they can print it for you. Even if you are not using RAC, guest services will print it for you. I have even stayed off site and the concierge printed it for me. If you are checking bags, they will also print it for you once you need. The address for mobile phones is mobile.southwest.com

Hope this helps.

 

[vacation_junkie]

I believe that it is $10 pp per route. You can select to do it for only one way (i.e. the return flight.) My family and I usually end up flying SW. I check my parents in all the time. The key is to literally check in at EXACTLY the 24 hour mark. Like clear your schedule, be home, have your check-in information typed into the fields and when the clock changes, hit the button.

In this method, we have ALWAYS gotten A seating. One time, flying from Phoenix (SW hub), I got the very LAST A boarding. LOL. I checked my parents in today, as a matter of fact, and they got A22 and A23.

SW used to reserve A1-15 for business class passengers. It used to be that there would be a big gap in the seating lines, because so few passengers paid for the business class. Now they offer early bird check-in. I don't know if this is in addition to, or replaces, the business class. If you pay for early-bird check in, then SW will automatically check you in, and they will do it BEFORE everyone else can at the 24 mark.

Generally, when you consider the capacity of a typical SW plane, 149 seats, usually 6 seats across, with one third of the seats being aisles, windows, and middles. This means that there are roughly 47 aisle seats and 47 window seats and 47 middle seats. There are 60 people in each boarding group. You know the size of your group and what seating arrangement would work out best, but odds are, if you make checking in a priority, you should be able to find seats together no problem.

Early bird starts at A16...there was no Business class infrom of us for the A1-15..so we were first to board the plane tuesday!

 

[Janell]

Business class on SW, does this get you more leg room or a bigger seat? Some airlines it does, some it doesn't.