Southwest - Resort check-in test still going on?

[SEC]

I know that Southwest was doing a resort check-in test at Pop Century last year. Is this still going on? Any hope that it will be permanent and available at all resorts? We are going in October and have reservations at Villas at Wilderness Lodge.

 

[DISNEY FIX]

Lord knows, and he aint tellin.

 

[kathyell]

Southwest was not offered as a resort check-in airline on our last trip (we checked out Feb. 5, 2010.) It was also not offered when DD and I took a trip for her birthday late last year, checking out Dec. 3, 2009 from POR.

You know, I've wondered about this whole Southwest thing. Southwest sells WDW vacation packages via their website (which they promote somewhat heavily) and they are an official partner for the Give a Day, Get a Disney Day promotion of Disney's. I wonder where the glitch or holdup is that's keeping them from offering resort check-in for Southwest. Is the issue on SW's side or WDW's side?

I'm too curious for my own good, really. No amount of my wondering is going to make it happen if it wasn't going to already, or happen faster if it is.

 

[goofy4tink]

As of right now, it's being offered at the value resorts only. After speaking to the RAC employees at BW in Dec, I can understand what the holdup is. If SW were to add RAC availability at all Disney resorts, the amount of addtl luggage would be astronomical. From what the RAC people said, SW handles the largest bulk of the checked luggage coming from WDW resorts. If they were to be participating at all resorts, it may very well change the timing involved with checkin proceedures. As it stands now, you have to be completely checked in no less than 3 hrs before your flight departure time. But...if there were to be a huge influx of bags, due to SW's participating everywhere, they might have to change that from 3 hrs to 4 or even 5 hrs!!! Holy Cow!!!!

I'm sure that at some point SW will be 100% participatory....but no one knows for sure when that will happen.

 

[ksloane]

wow....so we'll probably be able to check in at Pop this summer? My travel agent hasn't mentioned that at all!

 

[goofy4tink]

Yes, you should be fine at Pop. I plan on using RAC at ASMusic in August. I have to say that a lot of travel agents are confused by the whole RAC process...even Disney reservation CMs. It's really not all that confusing.