Southwest Question

[kami2199]

Hello everyone,

Less than two weeks away from our magical Disney vacation and I have some questions about the flight.

Let me say I have not taken my children on a plane and this is the first time. What documents will I need at the airport for my children? Will I have to show proof of who they are? Will they question the kids as to what their names are, if we are their parents, etc.? I have heard from some that they do and others that they don't. I have also heard that no documentation is required for children but others have told me that it is.

Anyone who has flown with children via Southwest, PLEASE HELP! We are flying out of Chicago Midway to Orlando and back. Is there an airport policy or just a Southwest policy to follow?

Also, anyone who has used the online check in, please tell me how it works. What is the benifit? Thanks for all the help, these are probably sounding like stupid questions to those of you who fly alot, but we don't. Thanks!

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

We flew SWA out of Philly last April. Our kids were 13 & 14 at the time. Neither one needed to have any form of ID with them nor were they questioned for it. Had they been traveling alone, it would have been a different story. The same was true for the return flight from MCO.

The online checkin is pretty straight forward. You can check in as early as 24 hours prior to your departure time. You need to have ticketless reservations and the fares that you purchased need to be adult fares (no youth fares, child fares or seniors fares permitted). You will need your confirmation number and the full name as it appears on the reservation. Go to Southwest.com - check in tutorial. They explain the procedure very thoroughly there. Make sure that you can print your boarding passes from your computer! You will need those passes to get past security.

 

[ladyariadne]

I just booked Southwest the other day. I was told that I should bring ID for my kids. It doesn't have to be photo ID, that a birth certificate or shot records would do. I was also told that chances are that I would not be asked for it, but it would be a good idea to bring it because there was a possibility that we would be asked for it.

I am actually thinking about having photo ID made for my kids anyway because it just sounds like a good idea. I think the photo place at Walmart will do it.

Elizabeth

 

[KelNottAt]

The main benefit of using online check-in is that it improves your chances of having your whole party sit together on the plane.

As you know, SW doesn't assign seats. It's first come first serve for seats on the plane. So, if you want the best pick of the seats to ensure you are with or near your kids, you should try to be among the "first come." SW will board its passengers in the following order:
individuals who need special assistance
parties with children under age 5
regular passengers in the "A" boarding group
Regular passengers in the "B" group
Regular passengers in the "C" group
stand bys

If one of your children is under age 5, you'll have no problem and can have your pick of the seats. But, if none of your party is older than 5, you'll probably want to be in the "A" boarding group. I'm not sure if they open up the on-line check-in 24 hours before departure or 12:01 am on the day of departure. Better check.

We've been known to check in 8 hours before departure and still get A's. And once or twice we've checked-in at 12:30 am and ended up with B's. When we were B's we made sure to get to the airport early enough to be first in line at the B queue. We still got seats with the kids.

In general, I'd say it's a pretty good system.

Oh, BTW, my kids are SWA frequent flyers. (Just earned their first free trips! ) They've never been asked for ID. They're 11 and 13.

HTH,

edited to correct misinformation above

 

[gottaluvdis]

I just booked Southwest the other day. I was told that I should bring ID for my kids. It doesn't have to be photo ID, that a birth certificate or shot records would do. I was also told that chances are that I would not be asked for it, but it would be a good idea to bring it because there was a possibility that we would be asked for it.

I am actually thinking about having photo ID made for my kids anyway because it just sounds like a good idea. I think the photo place at Walmart will do it.

Elizabeth

We fly Southwest at least twice a year from NH to Orlando with our DD8 and have never once been asked for her ID. I don't bring any ID for her for these flights. She does have a passport that we used for the Disney cruise last year, but I don't bring it for domestic flights. You should be fine with your kids. That having been said, I do have an ID for her that was made in case (God forbid) she ever goes missing. It's laminated with her photo and all her vital info. It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to carry that with me next time we go.

Regarding SW check-in, you can print your bording passes out on your home printer starting at midnight the day you fly. Just go to Southwest.com, hit "Travel Center" at the top of the page, then go to "Check in online/print boarding pass". As long as you have the 6 digit confirmation number and the name of the person to whom the tickets were charged, you're all set. I would suggest printing your passes as close to midnight as possible in order to get A group boarding. Once you have those passes, you can check in curbside to get rid of your luggage and then head directly through security and to your gate. There will be lines forming for A, B, and C boarding. If one of your children is under age 5, your family will be able to pre-board before they start calling A, B or C group passengers. It's OK if you already printed your passes and you have a letter group on it - they will give you another special pre-board pass at the gate if you have a young child or children. Be aware that Orlando flights are heavily comprised of families with young children, so sometimes the pre-board line is very long. The sooner you get to the gate, the closer to the front of any of these lines you will be.

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

Regarding SW check-in, you can print your bording passes out on your home printer starting at midnight the day you fly.

SWA recently made a change to online checkin and you can now do it as soon as 24 hours prior to your scheduled departure. No need to stay up past midnight to try to get that A boarding pass.

 

[KelNottAt]

SWA recently made a change to online checkin and you can now do it as soon as 24 hours prior to your scheduled departure. No need to stay up past midnight to try to get that A boarding pass.

That's the best travel news I've heard in a while. We're flying on Friday. Now DH doesnt' have to stay up late!

 

[StephMK]

We flew last month & weren't asked for any ID, even though my oldest has a different last name. I always carry their birth certs just in case. This time, my 3 y.o. son (not his first flight) was listed on the "do not fly" list! We had to check in at the desk instead of curbside. Even then, they didn't ask for his ID, just birth date. We joked they must know him already! I love Southwest, have a great trip!

 

[Colinsmom]

We flew SWA out of Midway last month, and they did ask DS3 what his name was when they checked our IDs at security. I had a birth certificate in my bag just in case (it doesn't take up much room, so why not?) but never needed to pull it out.

They didn't ask DS anything at the Orlando airport.

 

[taximomfor4]

Only time we have needed our kids birth certificates was when we had not bought a seat for the under-2 child. They asked for the birth certificate, and asked my 5yo what the baby's name was (making sure it was the right birth certificate, that I didn't just borrow one??) Anyway, the only penalty would have been, if we had not passed that "test, " having to buy a seat for the toddler.

If you bought seats for everyone, then it's probably not such a big dea; either way. Maybe check with the airline directly for their policy.

Beth