Southwest reg check in vs early check in

[jackie101]

So there are 6 of us (4kids, 2 adults) flying out Sunday at 6am. I can do a free check in Sat at 6am (which I would wake up and check us in at 6am) or pay $10 per person to do an early 36hr advance check in. This is our 1st time with Southwest. Do you think we would get seats together with just the free 24hr check in
Thanks

 

[deserrai]

I would think so. I just flew with them for the first time a couple of weeks ago. I checked in at exactly 24 hours and there were plenty of seats each time we got on the plane. I will say we were able to board much earlier on the Saturday morning flight than the Monday morning flight. Many more business travelers Monday morning who I think pay for the early check in.

 

[Elleshoodat]

So there are 6 of us (4kids, 2 adults) flying out Sunday at 6am. I can do a free check in Sat at 6am (which I would wake up and check us in at 6am) or pay $10 per person to do an early 36hr advance check in. This is our 1st time with Southwest. Do you think we would get seats together with just the free 24hr check in
Thanks

If your kids are on the younger side (I don't remember the cutoff, but it should be on Southwest's website), they do family boarding between the A and B groups. It should be no problem for you all to sit near one another if you can utilize family boarding.

I check in at the 24- hour mark regardless; I refuse to pay to check in earlier.

 

[davedmaine]

So there are 6 of us (4kids, 2 adults) flying out Sunday at 6am. I can do a free check in Sat at 6am (which I would wake up and check us in at 6am) or pay $10 per person to do an early 36hr advance check in. This is our 1st time with Southwest. Do you think we would get seats together with just the free 24hr check in
Thanks

To be safe we always pay the early check-in fee. Having the peace of mind is worth it.

 

[dsneprincess]

Usually the family boarding is a child under 4.

I always do the 24 hour early option & never had a problem in the past. However, 2 weekends ago for a Saturday night flight out of Orlando, I checked my sister in at 24 hours early (went through at -23:59) she was C17. I was floored: she was a solo traveler & got a window, so she was ok, but it was eye-opening to me. I don't think the early morning flights are as busy, but I do think many more people are doing the EBCI.

 

[brymolmom]

How big of a city are you flying out of?

Unless you have a very young child in the group and get family boarding (and even then they sometimes only let 1 adult plus the young child in for family boarding) - i would suggest getting EBCI if it is imperative that you sit together. I have often gotten B boarding pass numbers when checking in at 24 hours and you MIGHT not get 6 seats together in B boarding.

When do you go? You get 'in line' for EBCI the earlier you purchase it. So if you're leaving in just a couple days it might not be worth it since most of the EBCI folks are already in line for their passes.

I always tell my kids that we're going to try to sit together - at least 2 and 2, but there is a possibility that we might sit a bit away from each other. You have to know it's a possibility, especially if you don't do EBCI, and be okay with that potential. If it's going to ruin your vacation - then spring for the EBCI.

 

[jackie101]

we are flying out of Boston and our kids are 12,11,9 & 9

 

[jiminy14]

I would definitely use EBCI on your return flight from Orlando if you want to sit together. I just returned from Orlando this past weekend and we used EBCI and got A44 and A45 boarding passes. In the past, we have used EBCI from Orlando and sometimes ended up with B boarding passes. More and more families are using this option from Orlando. Keep in mind that EBCI is based on the price you paid for your ticket. Individuals who purchase business select tickets and "regular" price tickets are checked in before anyone who purchased a promotional priced ticket. We learned this the hard way on our last trip when our DD got a better boarding pass number because we purchased her ticket several months after ours at a higher price. She actually boarded 15 people ahead of us.
We fly out of Philadelphia and rarely need EBCI. We purchased it on our last trip because my DH did not want to have to worry about checking in at 24 hours. We got A19 and A20 boarding passes.

 

[jackie101]

We are doing Boston-Chicago then to San Diego. Would EBCI count for both flights . We are leaving this Sunday.
Thanks so much everyone!

 

[jackie101]

Thanks again everyone, I did go ahead an purchase for both out flights. The stress was worth the $120. that it costs. I would be very upset if we were not together

 

[Denise W]

Just so you know, *when* you buy EBCI makes a difference. I always buy it the day I book my tickets. If you just bought it today for a flight this weekend, your boarding assignment may not be very good, especially as this is a holiday/vacation weekend. Are you flying to Orlando? If so you may be far down the list.

Good luck.

Denise

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

Thanks again everyone, I did go ahead an purchase for both out flights. The stress was worth the $120. that it costs. I would be very upset if we were not together

This is best. Have a great trip.

 

[brymolmom]

Thanks again everyone, I did go ahead an purchase for both out flights. The stress was worth the $120. that it costs. I would be very upset if we were not together

Good idea. Hope it works out. I would say you have a very good chance of AT LEAST being 3 and 3 together...and likely will be able to have all 6 together...Like another poster said - it really depends how far in advance of your flight you purchased your EBCI.

Good thing is that your kids are old enough to handle it just in case. But likely won't be an issue.

 

[granmanh603]

How big of a city are you flying out of?

Unless you have a very young child in the group and get family boarding (and even then they sometimes only let 1 adult plus the young child in for family boarding) - i would suggest getting EBCI if it is imperative that you sit together. I have often gotten B boarding pass numbers when checking in at 24 hours and you MIGHT not get 6 seats together in B boarding.

When do you go? You get 'in line' for EBCI the earlier you purchase it. So if you're leaving in just a couple days it might not be worth it since most of the EBCI folks are already in line for their passes.

I always tell my kids that we're going to try to sit together - at least 2 and 2, but there is a possibility that we might sit a bit away from each other. You have to know it's a possibility, especially if you don't do EBCI, and be okay with that potential. If it's going to ruin your vacation - then spring for the EBCI.

Well just this past Oct I paid for the earlly boarding and still got B I do not remember the number but out of Boston this Sunday !!!! I would pay

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

Thanks again everyone, I did go ahead an purchase for both out flights. The stress was worth the $120. that it costs. I would be very upset if we were not together

I think you did the right thing if you were going to be stressed and very upset if you did not get to sit all together.

 

[clanmcculloch]

we are flying out of Boston and our kids are 12,11,9 & 9

Thanks again everyone, I did go ahead an purchase for both out flights. The stress was worth the $120. that it costs. I would be very upset if we were not together

That was a good idea. You're flying out of Boston when most New England school districts (I think all but NH) are starting school vacations. Your flight will be filled with mostly families all of whom will want to sit with their kids.

 

[maxiesmom]

If your kids are on the younger side (I don't remember the cutoff, but it should be on Southwest's website), they do family boarding between the A and B groups. It should be no problem for you all to sit near one another if you can utilize family boarding.

I check in at the 24- hour mark regardless; I refuse to pay to check in earlier.

Family Boarding, and if they do it or not is, up to the gate agents. If they have a lot of families, they sometimes skip it! It is not a good idea for anyone to depend on having Family Boarding as a way of getting seats together.

 

[tres besitos]

I am so glad to hear that you went ahead and and purchased it. On our trip last fall we didn't get it. I didn't realize what a difference it was going to make with the boarding process. I think on our previous southwest flights it was either before they had this procedure or I was flying with babies/toddlers and was able to preboard. Our kids were 9, 7 and 5 this time, so we didn't need/qualify for the early boarding as our kids were older(but not old enough to sit alone!). As we got on the plane I realized we were in trouble. Luckily a flight attendant noticed as soon as we stepped on to the plane how young our kids were and how full the plane already was and called to the attendant in the back of the plane to hold some seats together. They were only able to get 3 seats together in the last row. My husband and I had single seats a few rows away and my husband couldn't even get an aisle seat. Luckily someone did switch seats with me and I was able to sit in-front of the kids. My 9 year old is a shy, sensitive kid who is a hesitant flyer at best so the mere mention to him of sitting alone so I could sit with his little brothers brought him to tears - not the best way to start the flight. Once we got going it was OK. But I was very stressed and cannot imagine what would have happened had they not held those seats and we all had single seats scattered throughout. Maybe people would have been more accommodating about switching seats if they had to sit next to my five year old without me near by . Needless to say, whenever we fly southwest again we will be purchasing the early check in.

 

[mm1971]

we are flying out of Boston and our kids are 12,11,9 & 9

We always use EBCI so we can sit together. It is worth it to us and I don't like to stress over the small things when we travel.

With EBCI vs. not, it will depend on several things. First, how busy is the flight. If it is a sold out flight then it is more important and sometimes fully booked flights do not have family boarding. However, your kids are older and FB is not an option. Second, at this point it depends on how many have already paid the EBCI. The A group and part of the B group may already have been paid for since it is so close to your flight. The boarding position depends on when you purchase, first come first served from my understanding. More and more people are paying for the early boarding, especially on family oriented flights.

If you want to be together then I say use the EBCI. If you are OK with splitting 2 here, 2 there and 2 somewhere else, then go with the 24 hour free check in. Just remember that on a full flight some could be filling in single seats. It's hard to give you an exact answer without knowing if the flight is full and how many EBCI people are already in line.

 

[vinmar4]

One SW worker suggested to us one time to only buy one of the Early tickets and have that person save the seats for the rest. It is 4 of us, my DD 10, DS 16 the DH and I. We will buy 2 each way because I have to make sure that my DD seats with me and then we save the other two seats. I see a lot of people savings a seat or two and the staff lets you do that unless is down to the last 2-3 seats.