SW boarding numbers

[ZooKeeper13]

With all due respect, two adults boarding separately is different than splitting a family with a young kid.

I absolutely agree with you. Depending on the gate agent, they very well may tell you that one of the adults will need to board at the B number. Some of them are sticklers for the boarding numbers and some aren't. In any case, an adult and the child can definitely board with the As.

 

[jayhawk74]

Well the right thing would be to follow the rules and board with your assigned boarding pass. Since my 6 year old will not be waiting on his own to get through family boarding, he will go with us.
Really??? You want to argue about a 6 year old boarding with his parents? Its not like we are trying to jump from C to A.

They don't check ID or names on the boarding card, only the position. The right thing, and in my 20 years of flying Southwest this is what I've seen, is that you and your son take the A Boarding passes and your DH takes B1. You will still sit together as you and your son take the aisle and window leaving the middle empty. When DH shows the three of you rearrange the aisle, middle, and window seats anyway you want.

 

[Tozzie]

With all due respect, two adults boarding separately is different than splitting a family with a young kid.

I'm so glad MSP is my home airport. The gate agents there are very accommodating when you have a young kid. My son (4) has even been called up to "assist" with the boarding process before.

I really can't imagine any SW gate agent anywhere denying a single 6 year old in B01 from boarding with his A58 and A59 parents. It just defies common sense.

No you are not talking about splitting a young child one adult and the child board and then the other adult boards or they can all board with the child in the B position why is that so difficult?

 

[firegurl]

Is this really that big of an issue? I only mentioned it because I thought it was odd. The people that are boarding with family boarding between us are not paying for that priveledge so they have nothing to complain about. We officially have a higher boarding number than they do or they would just board as scheduled. I really dont think we are going to have a problem. Luckily the SW employees that I have always encountered at BWI have been awesome. I am sure they will use common sense.

 

[bumbershoot]

I do know that other families with split boarding numbers like this have been told they were welcome to board with the lowest boarding number, not the highest. Obviously YMMV - depends on gate agent

That's is what we have done when we had the same thing happen. It's simply the right thing to do. He's not A. So we board with B. Easy peasy.

Or do what the person said that you misunderstood, and have an adult and the hold go at A and then the other adult use the B pass.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I agree with that. I would be upset if I paid for early boarding and someone that didn't got to go ahead of me. My issue is a little different. We did not pay for it but my party got split up. I do not see the issue with letting one child board ahead of the family boarding because SW put someone between them in boarding assignments. If people had to pay for family boarding that would be one thing but they didn't. They recieve it free as a convenience.

There's no upset with one child boarding ahead of family boarding. The issue is with the presumption that three people can board in the A group when only two are assigned to that group.

Entirely possible that passenger who got A60 did purchase EBCI. Two people boarding ahead of them is reasonable. Three isn't.

 

[Mkrop]

Why not do the right thing and have one of the adults board with B01?

Seriously? The "right" thing is to have the 6 year old board by themselves, that would not be happening. I think I would rely on the gate agent telling me the right thing vs you. If the gate agent tells me to have the child board with us in the As than that is what we are going with.

 

[LSchrow]

our boarding #'s have been split up a few times.
we just do as others suggested to you - 1 Adult/1 Child in the A group and 1 Adult in B, or all board with B group.

both options are fair to all the passengers

 

[firegurl]

Just to clear things up, my DH and I both had A boarding. It was only our son that would be boarding ahead of family boarding. I doubt that the person with A60 had Early boarding as we did not. In the end, it wasn't a problem at all. The gate agents laughed when they saw we had different groups and let us all board with A.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Great that the airline let you a board together. Much better than you simply planning/expecting to do so on your own.

Just to clarify yet again, the proper way to board would have been either one adult and the child together in the assigned boarding group, and the other adult in the group assigned to the child; or all three with the B group.

 

[firegurl]

Funny with so many people telling me what the right thing to do was/is. I must have missed the "how to board when SW sticks a random person between your party" section on the website. FWIW-I wasn't looking for advice.

 

[Gracie09]

Funny with so many people telling me what the right thing to do was/is. I must have missed the "how to board when SW sticks a random person between your party" section on the website. FWIW-I wasn't looking for advice.

You posted one a public message board whose main purpose is to give advice. What did you think you would get, puppies? Honestly you made a mountain out if a molehill. If you had boarded one adult and one kid in a and the second adult in b you would have resolved your problem on your own and been apart five minutes.

 

[sam_gordon]

Funny with so many people telling me what the right thing to do was/is. I must have missed the "how to board when SW sticks a random person between your party" section on the website. FWIW-I wasn't looking for advice.

So what did you want? Only folks to tell you it was OK?

I'm just curious if anyone else has insight.

Does it make a difference you boarded together? No. But IMO, it was wrong in principle. You had two boarding passes, then a group of people and your third boarding pass. Whether the people with boarding positions in between you paid for the privilege or not, they were entitled to board between you.

There have been numerous reports (you probably haven't seen them) of groups getting separate boarding numbers. We've never gotten an explanation of why that happens but it does.

Another "proper" response would be for all of you to board with the higher boarding position (after family boarding).

At least you asked the gate attendant ahead of time. I suggest you let this go and enjoy the rest of your trip.

 

[maxiesmom]

You posted one a public message board whose main purpose is to give advice. What did you think you would get, puppies? Honestly you made a mountain out if a molehill. If you had boarded one adult and one kid in a and the second adult in b you would have resolved your problem on your own and been apart five minutes.

 

[Mkrop]

You posted one a public message board whose main purpose is to give advice. What did you think you would get, puppies? Honestly you made a mountain out if a molehill. If you had boarded one adult and one kid in a and the second adult in b you would have resolved your problem on your own and been apart five minutes.

Advice is one thing but all the so called experts who are telling people what is "proper" is a bit much. Proper is to do what is on the boarding passes which most people do not want a 6 yr old by themselves. Proper is to do what the gate agents tell you. Anything else is advice on what that poster would do or not do based on their own experience. If it is not spelled out on the SW website it is advice plain and simple.

And FTR, I would and have done all the things that people have suggested when my kids and I have been split when they were younger, but what came from the gate agent is what we go with most times if the line is not too long to ask. Now my kids are older and they can board by themselves. Last time DS17 and DS11 got higher than us and thought it was funny when they passed us while boarding. We were separated by quite a bit.

 

[goofy4tink]

Here's the issue. Yes, this was just one 6 y/o. And technically, one parent could have taken the B slot while the child moved to the A group. But...what if it had been a mom, dad, a 6 y/o, an 8y/o and a set of 10 y/o twins? Would it have been ok if they all moved to the A group with the parents?

Yes. The gate agents all make the call as to what to do. But...it's a good idea to know what the 'expectations' are, going in.

 

[Gracie09]

Here's the issue. Yes, this was just one 6 y/o. And technically, one parent could have taken the B slot while the child moved to the A group. But...what if it had been a mom, dad, a 6 y/o, an 8y/o and a set of 10 y/o twins? Would it have been ok if they all moved to the A group with the parents? Yes. The gate agents all make the call as to what to do. But...it's a good idea to know what the 'expectations' are, going in.

We can all come up with a what if situation. But the fact is this situation was two adults and one child and the solution was easy. The op just didn't like it for whatever reason.

 

[Gracie09]

Actually she didn't like it because people weren't saying what she wanted to hear

 

[firegurl]

Actually she didn't like it because people weren't saying what she wanted to hear

Actually, I didn't ask for advice. I asked if anyone had seen that before. It seemed unusual to me. It was simply a comment. I am certainly not taking life advice from a message board.
Thank you all for being so helpful. I'm glad you were able to offer your opinions. You know what they say about opinions... here's my opinion. Step away from the computer and enjoy life a bit.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Can't find any interpretation of insight (what was actually requested) that can be considered "...ever seen that before."

Asking unintended questions on a forum where advice is requested and shared, probably not the best route. Snarkiness most assuredly not.