Southwest Question

[Pan's Dad]

Approx 3 yrs ago, we flew SW to WDW. At that time, we had 9 (2 families) and recd tickets from a travel agent..when we arrived at the airport, we had to wait in a line at the gate to get boarding passes..we were in line first so we were able to all sit together.

On 9/1, we have a 8:10am flight from Albany NY--- we only live about 7 minutes from the airport. I spoke to rep the other day and he suggested i go to the airport at 5am, get my boarding pass and then go back to pickup and bring my family to the airport (4 of us) - he thought we would all be assigned per my boarding pass, even if their's differed (i think he said "a" boarding pass get on first).

Is there a different system in place then 3 yrs ago in getting boarding passes? (sounds like i can get them at the curb vs standing at gate?)

Does this make sense to do - the 5am jaunt?
How soon would you arrive at airport for this flight? We really do not fly often.

With ticketless travel, do you usually give your luggage and get boarding pass from curbside attendant?

How soon would you arrive at Orlando airport for an 11:25 am departure? we will be returning our Dollar rental at the airport. Would you drop spouse and kids off at curbside with luggage and meet your family at the gate after returning the car yourself?

thanks for any advice!

 

[maraakl]

Call SWA and have them separate your confirmations so each member of your party has their own confirmation numbers/letters. You can then check in online after 12:01 am on the day of your flight.
They have changed the procedure in the last year or two.
http://www.southwest.com/travel_center/checkin.html

You have options with tickeless travel, you can either use the skycap (remember to tip this person) or you can check in at the counter. If you have no luggage to check you can get your boarding passes from the kiosk or the gate.

This is well outlined on their website.

As to the jaunt at 5 am, not for me. I would rather check in via computer in my jammies. LOL


I would be at the airport at least 1 hour before departure. The list of suggested time frames is also on the Southwest site.

 

[Alison Wonderland]

If you have "A" boarding pass and the others in your group have "B" or "C" boarding passes I am pretty sure they will not let the non-"A" holder board with you.

 

[beccasmom]

I just came back from WDW flying Southwest for the first time out of Philly. It was fine. I did get to the airport earlier (5:15 a.m. for a 7:00 a.m. flight) because my printer jammed and I could not print out my boarding pass at midnight. I was on the "A" list.

While waiting to board, a family was in back of me and one of their daughters had a "B" pass. They were told to board with the "A" folks. There should be no problems.

One thing I noted: when flying out of the Orlando airport, SW allows pre-boarding of families limited to little ones under the age of 4....I believe the age is higher in other gateways.

Although open-seating sounded chaotic to me at first, it worked very well. Anyone trying to "butt" into line with the wrong pass was told they had to wait for their turn. The reps are assertive, but not rude.