Southwest questions........never used them.

[d1sneyf4n]

I see that many have not been so happy with Airtran, who we normally use. So I have considered using Southwest. I see that at the resorts you can check your bags in the day you are leaving to come home. I also know that you can not pick seats until 24 hours prior to your flight. My husband has an I-phone so I am assuming we would be able to check in through that. Is that correct? Also if we did check in through the I-phone we would have no way of printing our boarding passes. Can we go to the airport with out the boarding passes but with our seats already picked via the web? I hope that makes sense. TIA

 

[goofy4tink]

If you have been happy with AirTran, why change??? Many people have no issues with AirTran. As long as you understand what your choices are and are good with that, then you'll be fine.

SW is a good airline. I fly both SW and JB. SW does now participate in the RAC program at almost all WDW resorts..which is very nice.
And yes, you do checkin at the 24 hr mark. BUT...that is not when you choose your seats. What happens is that, depending on how soon/quickly you get onto the checkin site, you will be issued a boarding pass group/number. They are broken down into the A, B, and C groups. Within those groups are numbers...groups of 5. You could get A15 or B42..it all depends on how many people beat you to the punch at the 24 hr mark. Then, as you board, you choose the seat(s) you want. There is no assigned seating..it's pretty much first come, first served. Those boarding further down the line (late Bs and the Cs) will have a harder time finding mulitple seats together.

SW now offers Early Bird checkin. For the price of $10 pp you can have SW check you in at the 36 hr mark..no need for you to do it. Then, at some point, after the 24 hr mark, you can go online and print out the boarding passes that SW got you. Those that have paid for EBCI will get better boarding groups than those who don't pay for it.

Now....with that in mind......those with any kind of medical issue, or minors flying on their own, are boarded first. Then, A1-15 people are boarded. Those are the fliers who have paid business select fares, basically fully refundable fares, which are sometimes double the web fares. Sometimes that grouping has no travelers. Then, those who have lined up in the A grouping, according to the numbers on the posts you will see at the gate area, will start boarding in groups of 5. Those who paid for EBCI will have the A group lower numbers, with the 'regular' fliers following them.
If you are a family, with a child 4 or under, you will be allowed to board in between the A and B groups. Now, this is a plus if you got a B or C group number.

if you have no way to pring out your boading pass, such as checkin in with a cell phone, you can just wait until you get to the airport and do it then.

 

[d1sneyf4n]

If you have been happy with AirTran, why change??? Many people have no issues with AirTran. As long as you understand what your choices are and are good with that, then you'll be fine.

SW is a good airline. I fly both SW and JB. SW does now participate in the RAC program at almost all WDW resorts..which is very nice.
And yes, you do checkin at the 24 hr mark. BUT...that is not when you choose your seats. What happens is that, depending on how soon/quickly you get onto the checkin site, you will be issued a boarding pass group/number. They are broken down into the A, B, and C groups. Within those groups are numbers...groups of 5. You could get A15 or B42..it all depends on how many people beat you to the punch at the 24 hr mark. Then, as you board, you choose the seat(s) you want. There is no assigned seating..it's pretty much first come, first served. Those boarding further down the line (late Bs and the Cs) will have a harder time finding mulitple seats together.

SW now offers Early Bird checkin. For the price of $10 pp you can have SW check you in at the 36 hr mark..no need for you to do it. Then, at some point, after the 24 hr mark, you can go online and print out the boarding passes that SW got you. Those that have paid for EBCI will get better boarding groups than those who don't pay for it.

Now....with that in mind......those with any kind of medical issue, or minors flying on their own, are boarded first. Then, A1-15 people are boarded. Those are the fliers who have paid business select fares, basically fully refundable fares, which are sometimes double the web fares. Sometimes that grouping has no travelers. Then, those who have lined up in the A grouping, according to the numbers on the posts you will see at the gate area, will start boarding in groups of 5. Those who paid for EBCI will have the A group lower numbers, with the 'regular' fliers following them.
If you are a family, with a child 4 or under, you will be allowed to board in between the A and B groups. Now, this is a plus if you got a B or C group number.

if you have no way to pring out your boading pass, such as checkin in with a cell phone, you can just wait until you get to the airport and do it then.

Thanks for all the info. I may just stick with Airtran. To me it seems less complicated.

 

[Missytara]

I agree; I love Airtran, never had an issue with them out of BWI. They have never changed my flights, and I know my seat assignment.

 

[d1sneyf4n]

I agree; I love Airtran, never had an issue with them out of BWI. They have never changed my flights, and I know my seat assignment.

I did have Airtran change my flight time once out of Philadelphia but it was no big deal to me. I called them and told them that I would rather have an earlier flight instead of the later flight they put us on and they said no problem.

 

[goofy4tink]

SW is really not complicated. It's just a slightly different way of doing things. It's really quite easy once you do it.
BUT..it's always wise to stick with what you know. Much less of a chance of messing up.

 

[bumbershoot]

I don't see it as being more complicated at all. I haven't flown AT, but I've flown the other carriers where you supposedly choose your seat...it hasn't happened to me recently (though it has to DH!), but I often had that chosen seat changed on me when I got to the airport (and I get there early, so it's not that I was running up to the gate last minute). So what was the point of choosing the seat ahead of time?

With SW it can't be simpler...choose your seat as you get on the plane. To me that's simplicity at its finest.


And I'm finding that ALL airlines allow you to print/re-print a boarding pass when you get to the airport. We haven't found one yet that doesn't, actually. DH has been flying for business this past year, and I check him in from home more times than not...he goes to whatever airport he's flying from, gives them his confirmation number (or on this flight, just his name is doing just fine, but to be fair, Asiana doesn't have online checkin from the States, but he still doesn't have to have anything printed at all), and they print out a boarding pass easy peasy. I think that airlines recognize that one can print it out then lose it along the way, so as long as you are you, you can get one printed there.


If you like AT, don't change...but many of us don't find SW to be complicated at all.

 

[Huff]

I really enjoy SW. Their staff is always fun, helpful and planes are more often on time than most.

You can check in using a cell phone to their mobile website. That allows you to get a better seat. At the airport you'll use the Kiosk to print out your boarding pass.

Going to WDW DME will get your luggage to any resort. I don't believe DME handles SW luggage on your return trip. I had heard of one or two WDW resorts handling SW luggage on a trial basis. We take DME and when at the airport take our own luggage off the bus and check it curbside or inside. Never been much trouble.

 

[Poohlovr]

The problem I've found with pre-selecting my seats on other carriers is that my flight has changed every single time and the seats I chose are gone.

What's the point of choosing of me choosing them, when they are taken away, anyway? Then, I'm on the phone trying to get new seat assignments on the new flight and hoping we can get them close together--at least 2 and 2. When 2 flights have been merged into one, I've found that extremely difficult to do on occasion.

I may as well take my chance at boarding time.