southwest question

[babygirlamg]

We will be traveling a peak season ( presidents day ) which we arent used to. My question is i know the airline tickets will be more expensive. So im planning on getting my ticket and then a few weeks later purchase my daughters ticket...Im not picky where i board on the plane...But i will get early bird check in with both tickets...So if i get lets say i get A boarding and my daughter gets B or C , can i just stand in the line with her??? Or should i board and save her a seat...She is 11...

 

[kamik86]

If your daughter isn't really uncomfortable I would board and save her a seat, you would be saving a middle seat anyway if you want to sit next to her and with EBCI are still probably looking at mid B at worst when she boards so your very unlikely to have a problem. If you wait to board with her and get mid Bs you'll be very far back if your together and have a slight chance of not being able to be together (mostly if there were alot of through passengers or singles.

My husband and I do this because I'm A-list and he isn't. So I'll board in early A and save him the middle seat next to me when he boards later. By the time he boards people are just starting to take rows where they would have to make someone get up so I have never even had to put anything on the seat or tell someone I"m saving it, no one has ever even asked

 

[JimboCh]

We will be traveling a peak season ( presidents day ) which we arent used to. My question is i know the airline tickets will be more expensive. So im planning on getting my ticket and then a few weeks later purchase my daughters ticket...Im not picky where i board on the plane...But i will get early bird check in with both tickets...So if i get lets say i get A boarding and my daughter gets B or C , can i just stand in the line with her??? Or should i board and save her a seat...She is 11...

Read a book, put a box of tissues in the seat with a bag of cough drops. You will have no trouble saving that seat. or or the other seat in that row.

 

[JessM]

Just because you have two different confirmation numbers doesn't mean she will end up with B or C boarding position while you end up in A. If you purchase EBCI with both tickets than you should both get As. If you wait and check in 24hrs before, even checking in with two different confirmation numbers, she shouldn't end up too far away from your boarding position. If you check in yourself on one window and her in another you should only be a couple positions apart, I have done this for my parents many times (they always book with points and thus have two confirmation #s).

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

I would board and save her a seat. That is what we do.

 

[gladdiola]

Read a book, put a box of tissues in the seat with a bag of cough drops. You will have no trouble saving that seat. or or the other seat in that row.

lol, I will have to remember this one.

 

[DebbieB]

Will there be an issue buying a separate ticket when she's 11, would it flag her as an unaccompanied minor? Same issue with boarding alone?

 

[babygirlamg]

Will there be an issue buying a separate ticket when she's 11, would it flag her as an unaccompanied minor? Same issue with boarding alone?

I didn't think of that??? Anyone know??

 

[kaytieeldr]

Read a book, put a box of tissues in the seat with a bag of cough drops. You will have no trouble saving that seat. or or the other seat in that row.

lol, I will have to remember this one.

Not even close to humorous.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Will there be an issue buying a separate ticket when she's 11, would it flag her as an unaccompanied minor? Same issue with boarding alone?

I didn't think of that??? Anyone know??

Good question. The website might ask who she's flying with - but may not accept information from someone who booked weeks earlier.

OP - could you buy Southwest gift cards? Or just wait until you can afford both fares? Or purchase one-way fares for both of you now, then both return trips in a few weeks?

 

[babygirlamg]

Good question. The website might ask who she's flying with - but may not accept information from someone who booked weeks earlier.

OP - could you buy Southwest gift cards? Or just wait until you can afford both fares? Or purchase one-way fares for both of you now, then both return trips in a few weeks?

Yea i think i may just get one way tickets when they are realeased and then a few weeks later buy the one way home tickets...and if everything is sold out then i have no problem staying in Disney

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Not even close to humorous.

And if I wanted that seat, it wouldn't keep me from sitting there.

OP, WN requires you to pay the unaccompanied minor fee for ages 5-11 booked without an accompanying adult. I suppose you could just buy her an adult ticket if you buy the tickets separately. Personally, I would wait to buy both tickets at the same time.

 

[DebbieB]

And if I wanted that seat, it wouldn't keep me from sitting there.

OP, WN requires you to pay the unaccompanied minor fee for ages 5-11 booked without an accompanying adult. I suppose you could just buy her an adult ticket if you buy the tickets separately. Personally, I would wait to buy both tickets at the same time.

There's no "adult ticket" to get around unaccompanied minor. You probably could have them note the file that the adult is on a separate reservation but I would be concerned about boarding first to save a seat and allow her to board herself later.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

There's no "adult ticket" to get around unaccompanied minor. You probably could have them note the file that the adult is on a separate reservation but I would be concerned about boarding first to save a seat and allow her to board herself later.

Sure there is a way to get around this. You just fill in the passenger information with a birth date a year earlier than the actual birth date. For a minor, this won't matter. However, I just don't understand buying tickets at separate times.

 

[Tigger1]

If you buy tickets separately there is a chance the flight will run out of seats. But one way for both then buy other flight later.

 

[DVCismyhappyplace]

Either buy the tickets at the same time or buy one way at a time. However, if you did get different boarding numbers, the person with the better number can go ahead and wait in the later group - not the other way around.

 

[tjmw2727]

I didn't think of that??? Anyone know??

No, no problem! They system will ask you at some point if she is unaccompanied or traveling with an adult. I have done this when using points, myself and my two daughters had 3 different confirmation numbers. We did purchase EBCI and were very close in numbers. We all boarded with the highest number since we all had A's.

FWIW though I would not do this if not for having to in order to use points. As pp's suggested purchase your tickets together if at all possible to avoid any issues. Perhaps the flight out first and then the return flight as two one way trips. I do this often as it is more flexible for us in case of changes.