Southwest out of PHL

[thefigueroas]

My family and I are leaving in a month for a week at Disney World. We are leaving on a Friday evening around 7:30 and flying Southwest. I have read a few older threads about long lines at Southwest. Can anyone give me an idea of what to expect and about what time to leave for the airport? We live about an hour away in Southern NJ. I have a 12 year old and a 1 year old so I am trying to grasp what to expect and come up with some type of game plan. Any and all suggestions are appreciated.

 

[backyardponder]

Southwest is an extremely popular airline, primarily due to its fares and no charge for baggage. With that said, lines for checkin can be long. Although I don't use PHL, I do fly out of Chicago's Midway which is extremely busy. I always arrive at the airport at least 2 hours before flight time. That gives me time to check the bags, go through security, make a pit stop, maybe buy a sandwich to take on the plane, and get to the gate. You want to be at the gate at least 30 minutes before flight time since Southwest starts boarding about 20-25 minutes before flight time. With the 18 month old, you will be boarding between the A and B group unless you have an A boarding pass. Hope this helps!

 

[jel0511]

We fly SW our of PHL all the time. We usually get to the airport about 2 hours before our flight and that's enough time. With a little one, you might want to give yourself a little more time, especially with security. My kids are 12 and 9, and security pros, so there is no issue with us going through security. The lines to check bags at PHL can get REALLY long, I've waited as long as 30 - 45 min to check bags.

 

[thefigueroas]

Thanks. I have been nervous about this. I have a little one and a 12 year old with ADHD so I will have my hands full. It is always good to have some idea of what to expect.

 

[DonnaL]

We also fly on SWA from PHL to MCO several times a year. We have flown both early in the day and late afternoon/early evening. We find the lines at check-in to be longer earlier in the day. We always check both the inside line and the curbside line at SWA.....sometimes the line outside will be long and no one inside or vice versa. We've also found the security lines to move much faster since the new security checkpoint became operational very early last year (actually I believe they went operational on New Years Day 2009). I think you should be fine with a flight at that time of day. We always allow two hours and have plenty of time and we travel quite frequently with our grandson who is now 8 and as another poster said he's a pro at the security line, but, even when he was younger and not such a pro two hours was sufficient.

 

[JustineMarie]

We fly out of PHL to MCO at least 4 to 5 times a year and usually leave on a friday night at that time! Security lines are not bad at that time. They move quickly. I would make sure to get there an hour and a half before your flight time. We always have time to sit and relax and eat crabby fries from Chickie and Pete's before boarding! Enjoy your trip!

 

[billwendy]

I would leave extra time for your drive in to Philly - traffic can get a bit crazy in this area that time of day - especially if there is a sporting event happening. We are going around the same time as you but couldnt get good airfare. So we are driving - bummer!! Have a great trip!!

 

[puffkin]

I think we are on your same flight!!!! 1759 on April 16th?

We fly 2-3 times a year on SW out of PHL. We almost always take the last flight out on a Friday night. Some of our observations:

1. Traffic is ALWAYS horrible. We are coming in from the Northwestern suburbs Schuylkill/Blue Route and it is always a nightmare at that time. Not sure how it is from NJ, but I would assume the same, especially if there are any events at the Sports Complex.
2. Baggage check lines always seem long. They usually move really fast though....
3. Security is almost never bad at this time of night (unless a holiday weekend). With the new security area it is much faster.

Let us know if you are on that flight and I'll look for you

 

[thefigueroas]

I think we are on your same flight!!!! 1759 on April 16th?

We fly 2-3 times a year on SW out of PHL. We almost always take the last flight out on a Friday night. Some of our observations:

1. Traffic is ALWAYS horrible. We are coming in from the Northwestern suburbs Schuylkill/Blue Route and it is always a nightmare at that time. Not sure how it is from NJ, but I would assume the same, especially if there are any events at the Sports Complex.
2. Baggage check lines always seem long. They usually move really fast though....
3. Security is almost never bad at this time of night (unless a holiday weekend). With the new security area it is much faster.

Let us know if you are on that flight and I'll look for you

As a matter of fact we are. Isn't that strange? I've never had this happen. Well if you see a harried woman with a 12 year old boy, a tasmanian devil little girl, and an obviously military man, that's me!

Are you heading straight over? We are staying overnight at the Hyatt at the airport before heading over the next day. The late hour combined wth the fact that, when tired, my daughter can melt down FAST brought us to the decision that this would be better for everybody (including the fellow vacationers around us!)

 

[puffkin]

As a matter of fact we are. Isn't that strange? I've never had this happen. Well if you see a harried woman with a 12 year old boy, a tasmanian devil little girl, and an obviously military man, that's me!

Are you heading straight over? We are staying overnight at the Hyatt at the airport before heading over the next day. The late hour combined wth the fact that, when tired, my daughter can melt down FAST brought us to the decision that this would be better for everybody (including the fellow vacationers around us!)

How fun! I will definitely look for you!!! It is DH and I, my mid 50's mom, and a very obnoxious 4 year old son. He just gets really excited for trips and tends to be a bit at the airport. Doesn't help that he looks 2-3 years older than he actually is and that my mom spoils him rotten. We are also usually a bit harried as we tend to run late, no matter how early we leave for the airport. It is kind of comical.

Usually when we come in late we head straight over to a Disney Value/Mod for two nights (Fri-Sat) before checking into whatever DVC resort we are staying at on Sunday. This trip we are staying at Bay Lake Tower Sat-Sat so we are probably just going to stay at the airport that Friday night and then head over to Disney in the morning. We are renting a car and the hotels at the airport are cheaper than Disney. If we stay at the airport, I usually Hotwire a 4* and have gotten either the Hyatt or the Renaissance (about a 1/2 mile down the road) in the past for about $60. Both have been great...you will like the Hyatt! I will probably just Hotwire something last minute before we leave....it does get tiring trying to get to Disney that late at night.

Trust me, I know melt downs! For as high strung as my son is, he usually doesn't do too bad on vacations/travelling, but he has had a few. Usually one or two doozies a trip, usually on a crowded bus. Last trip in December the busses were horrendous (I even had a few meltdowns) so we are renting a car this time. We seem to do MUCH MUCH better that way!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

As a matter of fact we are. Isn't that strange? I've never had this happen. Well if you see a harried woman with a 12 year old boy, a tasmanian devil little girl, and an obviously military man, that's me!

Are you heading straight over? We are staying overnight at the Hyatt at the airport before heading over the next day. The late hour combined wth the fact that, when tired, my daughter can melt down FAST brought us to the decision that this would be better for everybody (including the fellow vacationers around us!)

This is a great idea. We love the Hyatt for late arrivals. Did you buy through Hotwire? We've gotten the Hyatt many times for only $59 + tax per night.

I agree with pp about allowing plenty of time for driving to PHL. You'll need to arrive at 5:30 and that includes time to park if necessary. Though when we do drive/park, we drop bags at curbside check in 1st then shuttle back with carry on only.

 

[thefigueroas]

This is a great idea. We love the Hyatt for late arrivals. Did you buy through Hotwire? We've gotten the Hyatt many times for only $59 + tax per night.

I agree with pp about allowing plenty of time for driving to PHL. You'll need to arrive at 5:30 and that includes time to park if necessary. Though when we do drive/park, we drop bags at curbside check in 1st then shuttle back with carry on only.

We did not use Hotwire but we get a great government rate so it was worth it to me to pay a few bucks more to ensure I knew I was getting the Hyatt. As a matter of fact my son is quite the hotel snob as we always stay at somewhat nicer hotels due to the government rates most give out. When we transferred here to New Jersey from Nebraska we stopped at a Hampton Inn over night and he was SHOCKED that there was no room service menu!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

We did not use Hotwire but we get a great government rate so it was worth it to me to pay a few bucks more to ensure I knew I was getting the Hyatt. As a matter of fact my son is quite the hotel snob as we always stay at somewhat nicer hotels due to the government rates most give out. When we transferred here to New Jersey from Nebraska we stopped at a Hampton Inn over night and he was SHOCKED that there was no room service menu!

Yes, I don't blame you then. Have fun!

 

[cassie58]

I agree about the traffic- we live in SJ also, and had to fly on Fri.(probably the same SW flight you're taking), and it was Halloween, and the day of the Phillies World Series Parade(which had run very late) - yikes! (would have been at the parade were we not going to Disney!) We did curbside check-in for luggage, and had done the 24hr. before online check-in for boarding passes, so the 2 hr. was plenty of time. We use the stroller to cart the small carry-ons, and kids pull rolling bags, and we ate dinner, played w/new video camera, etc. and got called to board about 1/2 hr. before. I would plan to get there by 5:30, and if it usually takes you 1hr., give yourself an extra 1/2 hr. for traffic, but even if you got there at 6:00, you'd be fine. Have a great trip!

cassie58
11/08-ASMo & Timeshare
8/09-CSR