Southwest Vacations???

[2boysmom1998]

Has anyone here used Southwest Vacations? Do you have good luck with them? I know you can check in online but I have read on other boards that if you use Southwest Vacations you are unable to print out your boarding pass at home and will end up in the C group and won't be able to sit with whomever you are traveling with. Is that true?

 

[Cholula]

What group you are assigned to is based on when you check in, not when you print your boarding pass. (I used to not even print my boarding pass until I got to the airport and now I just use my phone.) I haven't used Southwest Vacations specifically, but just looking at their FAQ, if you have a vacation package you would just check in on the regular Southwest site as if you were booked on a standard flight.

 

[ParkHopper1]

Southwest pro here..not sure about the ability to not print your boarding pass but regardless of where you buy tickets, all you need is your confirmation number to check in 24 hours ahead of time...then you can get your boarding pass at the gate when your check your bags. You do not need to necessarily print your boarding pass when you check in. SW boarding positions are assigned in order fist come first serve starting at that 24 hour mark from departure time. Only positions that are "reserved" are business select tickets and A-List members. Be willing to bet those bad reviews just didn't understand the SW system which is different than most carriers and didn't bother to check in att he 24 hour mark resulting in the C group position.

 

[ParkHopper1]

Southwest pro here..not sure about the ability to not print your boarding pass but regardless of where you buy tickets, all you need is your confirmation number to check in 24 hours ahead of time...then you can get your boarding pass at the gate when your check your bags. You do not need to necessarily print your boarding pass when you check in. SW boarding positions are assigned in order fist come first serve starting at that 24 hour mark from departure time. Only positions that are "reserved" are business select tickets and A-List members. Be willing to bet those bad reviews just didn't understand the SW system which is different than most carriers and didn't bother to check in att he 24 hour mark resulting in the C group position.

 

[2boysmom1998]

Do I have to print my boarding pass at home? Can I check in online and then print my boarding pass at the kiosk at the airport?

 

[Cholula]

Do I have to print my boarding pass at home?

No, when you check in online it will give you an option to print your boarding pass but you don't have to do it then.

Can I check in online and then print my boarding pass at the kiosk at the airport?

Yep.

 

[Gisele]

Another option is to show your boarding pass on your phone. It is very easy to do.

 

[2boysmom1998]

My husband will be at home with my youngest son, he's not going with us this year, it's just me and my older son. So, if my husband checks me in online 24 hours before I can print my boarding pass at the airport. That will be great if I can get that to work! I haven't flown Southwest before so, I'm not sure how it works.

I also purchased park hopper tickets through Southwest as well. When I called and talked to Southwest Vacations they said that I just show my itinerary at the window and they will give me my park hopper ticket. I don't have a voucher or anything. There is a customer # on my itinerary. Has anyone purchased park tickets through them? How does that work?

 

[Gisele]

You may check-in on your phone too. Or do early bird check-in. It is $12.50. Southwest will check you in.

 

[Gisele]

https://mobile.southwest.com/#_frmHome


Have you joined Rapid Rewards? You will earn points if you do. Can add up quickly too.

I luv SW airlines. Some of their pilots are real cuties.
The flight attendants and crew are very helpful and nice too. And love the honey roasted peanuts. If your allergic no worries. You may have pretzels instead. A complimentary beverage is also served. Just watch your over head storage space because some passengers might become a bit unpleasant. That only happened to me once. Lol

 

[ParkHopper1]

Do I have to print my boarding pass at home? Can I check in online and then print my boarding pass at the kiosk at the airport?

Nope...as other said the only thing you gotta do at home is check in right at the 24 hour mark. Anyone can check you in as long as you have the confirmation number and passenger names as it appears on the reservation. You want to do it literally right at the 24 hour mark. The longer you wait the crappier boarding position you get. You can check in on line, on your phone with internet access or on their mobile app. SW has open seating once one board so you want to try and get an early boarding position by checking in as easily as you can to be sure your family all sits together.

If you wanna do the mobile boarding pass where they scan your phone, keep in mind each and every passenger needs their OWN boarding pass on the own device...you can not have multiple boarding passes on one phone so it does not work too well for families.

As mentioned above, you do not need to print your boarding pass. Once you are checked in, that secures your position, not when you receive your printed boarding pass. I actually recommend waiting till you check your bags to get your boarding pass so you don't have to worry about hanging on to one more thing while getting to the airport...even though if you print one at home and loose it, they will print ya another at the counter. It is not a document that you have to worry about keeping the original printed one. They can reprint them at any time.

 

[Gisele]

Just do early bird check-in. The small cost is worth the piece of mind. Again, SW will check you in with EB. You don't have to do anything but pay the $12.50

 

[Cholula]

My husband will be at home with my youngest son, he's not going with us this year, it's just me and my older son. So, if my husband checks me in online 24 hours before I can print my boarding pass at the airport. That will be great if I can get that to work! I haven't flown Southwest before so, I'm not sure how it works.

That's actually a great plan. You can have your husband check you in for your return flight while you enjoy park time and not have to worry about it.

In regards to Early Bird check-in; it's an option but I haven't found it to be necessary IMO. The $12.50 charge would be per person and would only work for 1 leg of your trip. So if you wanted it for you and your son that's an extra $50 for roundtrip. As long as you (or your husband) checks you in right at the 24 hour mark you should get a decent boarding position. Even if you get a mid-to-late B position you should still be able to get seats together. It's really once you hit C that you get stuck with a bunch of middle seats.

 

[Gisele]

Or again, one may always choose to check in on their phone. I find EB to be a very nice and useful feature. Utilizing EB again makes for one less thing to have to worry about. If $12.50 seems a bit pricey, then maybe one cannot afford to travel.

 

[2boysmom1998]

Or again, one may always choose to check in on their phone. I find EB to be a very nice and useful feature. Utilizing EB again makes for one less thing to have to worry about. If $12.50 seems a bit pricey, then maybe one cannot afford to travel.

Maybe I will do EB check in. I didn't know it was so inexpensive. That might be the way to go. Thank you!

 

[JessM]

Personally, I would buy EB or check in on your phone. My parents ask me to check them in ALL the time, and since I'm not the one flying I sometimes forget When I'm the one flying I always remember haha

 

[Cholula]

Or again, one may always choose to check in on their phone. I find EB to be a very nice and useful feature. Utilizing EB again makes for one less thing to have to worry about. If $12.50 seems a bit pricey, then maybe one cannot afford to travel.

If someone is flying Southwest I don't think they get to look down on people who don't spend extra.

 

[Gisele]

If someone is flying Southwest I don't think they get to look down on people who don't spend extra.

What's your point exactly? Are you interested in an argument? Trolling are you?

It is by your own words that you are making this assumption. Don't put words in my mouth. It's not necessary or appreciated. Thank you

 

[Cholula]

What's your point exactly? Are you interested in an argument? Trolling are you?

It is by your own words that you are making this assumption. Don't put words in my mouth. It's not necessary or appreciated. Thank you

Um, no, you're the one who brought up the unnecessary crack about maybe people can't afford to travel.

You keep mentioning $12.50 for EB and I was simply pointing out that with 2 passengers and flying roundtrip it would be more than that. If the OP feels that option would be best for her, by all means she should utilize it, but she should be aware that is more than "just $12.50".

 

[Gisele]

Um, no, you're the one who brought up the unnecessary crack about maybe people can't afford to travel.

You keep mentioning $12.50 for EB and I was simply pointing out that with 2 passengers and flying roundtrip it would be more than that. If the OP feels that option would be best for her, by all means she should utilize it, but she should be aware that is more than "just $12.50".

It's your opinion not a fact that my comment was a "crack" It is also your opinion that my comment was "unnecessary"
Personally I find a number of your comments to be unnecessary. So let us just go back and forth on the subject and debate it until the end of days.
Obviously a sore spot must have been struck, going by how offended and hostile you chose to become.