SW and a family of 4

[happygirlagain]

This will be our 1st time flying SW (always was able to pick a seat with other airlines), how do you sit together as a family with young children and with 4 people (2A, 2C)?

 

[clanmcculloch]

Do you mean how do you ensure that you're together or do you mean how do configure yourselves since there are 3 seats on either side of the aisle?

To ensure that you get seats together, either pay for Early Bird Check In for everybody in your group so that your boarding positions are assigned at 36 hours before your flight or log in RIGHT at 24 hours before your flight. Your boarding position will be lower with EBCI but you should have no trouble getting seats together even if it means towards the back of the plane by checking in at exactly 24 hours before your flight. Note that 24 hours means 24 hours and not 23 hours 58 minutes. Yes it makes a difference. You're likely fine not being exact but with more people knowing how this works these days, it's getting more and more important to log in exactly 24 hours ahead.

If you mean how do you configure yourselves, that's a personal choice. We typically do 3 on one side and 1 on the other so that the kids can play together. Lucky DH gets to be the lone person while I take care of the kids. Others prefer to do 2 on each side so that each adult is caring for a child.

 

[happygirlagain]

thanks for the quick reply.

I wanted to know how do we get to sit together, 2 each would be fine, kids do not want to sit together. I wasn't sure of the boarding procedure.

I really enjoyed picking flight seats because you can pick and isle and a window with 2 people and most people won't want to be in the middle unless the flight is full.

 

[bumbershoot]

With SW, you're truly choosing your seats, so you should enjoy that even more than choosing on a website.

Just check in as early and as quickly as possible (that's if you don't do earlybird) and it will almost certainly be fine.

 

[1tufgt]

thanks for the quick reply.

I wanted to know how do we get to sit together, 2 each would be fine, kids do not want to sit together. I wasn't sure of the boarding procedure.

I really enjoyed picking flight seats because you can pick and isle and a window with 2 people and most people won't want to be in the middle unless the flight is full.

Well once you check in you will get your boarding pass number. They go 1-60. A's 1st then B's, then C's Even if you get in to the B's you should be ok to sit 2 to a row, but it might not be at the front but shouldn't have a problem sitting 2 x 2.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I really enjoyed picking flight seats because you can pick and isle [sic] and a window with 2 people and most people won't want to be in the middle unless the flight is full.

If you are flying SWA in the summer to MCO, it is very likely that the flight will be full.

When I travel with my husband and we are on a plane with a 3 seat across configuration, we never chose aisle/window because it's a given someone will be put in the middle. We like to take aisle seats across from each other.

 

[goofy4tink]

How old are your kids??? SW allows the immediate family traveling with a child under 4 to board inbetween the A group and the B goup. But if that isn't your situation, I would be tempted to pay for EBCI. Yes, it will add $40 to each leg, but it may be worth it to not have to worry.
You pay the $10 pp, each way. Then, SW checks you in 36 hrs before flight departure. You don't have to worry about doing it yourself at the 24 hr window. Those who have paid for EBCI get lower boarding numbers than those who wait for the 24 hr window.

As far as trying to leave the middle seat open...you can try, but it may not work. SW if flying more and more flights almost completely full. I was on one SW flight that had a largish family, maybe about 9 or 10 of them, on it. They boarded and then spread out over the first 2 or 3 rows on both sides of the plane. They took the aisle and window seats and put a belonging in that middle seat. It was this way from about row 4 back to row 6. Well, people came along, looked, and kept looking for seats together. After the B group had boarded, the FA came over the PA and announced that this flight was 100% full...there were no empty seats. You should have seen this family scrambling to get seats together rather than have a stranger in between some of them. All of a sudden 2 rows emptied and were now available.
Their faces were pretty funny.

I would look for an empty row and have a child sit on the window, then a parent in the middle, another child on the aisle and the other parent across the aisle in the aisle seat.

 

[happygirlagain]

we are flying on Nov 16th with DS9 and DD15.

I am going to just pay the $40 (we are driving back, we wanted to make extra stops), to save me the headache.

thanks everyone for the information, I have never flown without chosing a seat before.

 

[goofy4tink]

we are flying on Nov 16th with DS9 and DD15.

I am going to just pay the $40 (we are driving back, we wanted to make extra stops), to save me the headache.

thanks everyone for the information, I have never flown without chosing a seat before.

Really, you'll like it. I've had chosen seats moved more times than I care to remember with other airlines. They change equipment or flight times and I find my seat is gone...have to redo the who thing, very annoying. But with SW, there is no worry about losing your seat. Really, as long as you are in group A or B, you'll be fine. And since you'll be doing EBCI, you should be in the A group, early on.

 

[happygirlagain]

just finished purchasing EB - few more questions:

do I have to go online at 36 hours before or is it done automatically?

do I need to print my tickets at home or will they do it at the airport (we are flying nonstop, one way)?

how far in advance do we have to be at the airport? (when we fly out of our small airport locally - just 30 minutes, it only has 2 ramps) This time we will be flying out of New Orleans.

thanks again for all the answers

 

[clanmcculloch]

You're checked in automatically by SWA's computer system at 36 hours.

Beginning at 24 hours you can print your boarding pass yourself. You don't have to though. You can get it printed at the SWA desk when you check your bags. If you'd like you can check your boarding positions online and not print your boarding passes until you get to the airport.

It's best to be inside the actual airport at least 2 hours before your flight (that means not pulling into the parking lot and not getting on a shuttle to head to the main terminal; be INSIDE the terminal). This gives you time to deal with lines at the SWA desk and lines at TSA.

 

[happygirlagain]

Thank you all - the people on DIS rocks

So now all I have left to do is print boarding pass 24 hours before we leave and pack - oh and WAIT to leave.

airline with EB - check
ME - check
reservation at CB - check
MVMCP - check
reservation at VWL - check
ADR's - check
rental car - check