SW boarding ??

[Mickeyfaniam]

OK, I have to check in for my SW flight tomorrw in a couple of hours. If I do this and get A's on my boarding passes (only 2 of us) do we still need to be very early and stand in a line the whole time? How early should we be? And when we start boarding is it like crazy with everyone trying to crash in at once? And what if I get B's on the BP? I'm just stressing.... have never flown before without assigned seats and I'm a very nervous flyer and I really want my DH next to me.... I know if the plane was going down there wouldn't be anything he could do for me but there is still a comfort having him next to me
I know I sound lik a big baby

 

[lkjasd]

If you get "A", don't worry about getting there early unless you really want to sit up front or in some particular seat. Someone else here can probably quote the exact numbers but each group is about 1/3 of the plane. Even the last people in group A, if they move towards the back, will have the choice of seats.

 

[Maxie86]

It's really not as bad as it sounds. If you are in A or B group you won't have any trouble finding a seat together. You don't really need to stand in a line until just before boarding. The front usually fills up first, just keep moving to the back. The back of the plane gets there the same time as the front. Why does everybody wants to sit in the front anyway.

 

[DebbieB]

My niece and I had A passes last month, we had no problem getting seats together in the back half of the plane. The front half was filled with the preboarders and the seats they were saving for the rest of their families.

 

[Mickeyfaniam]

thanks guys!
front, back, middle ...really doesn't matter to me at all.... if I can sit next to hubby... I'll be happy

now what do you mean by "preboarders"? there's a group that boards before the A's?

 

[malibuconlee]

Preboarders are those who need extra time/help with boarding. Those with physical imapairments, and those with children under 5. They get to board before the A group.

 

[Corinne]

My niece and I had A passes last month, we had no problem getting seats together in the back half of the plane. The front half was filled with the preboarders and the seats they were saving for the rest of their families.

OK--how annoying is THAT!? They should not be saving seats! The pre-boarder line is something I have an issue with. There have been several other threads about it, and I had read that the SW personnel has been cracking down on the number of people pre-boarding (for example only the parents & siblings could pre-board with a child under 5, not the whole extended family).

So, from what you are saying, they may not be allowing those family members to pre-board, but they are allowing people to SAVE seats? Unacceptable!

 

[goofy4tink]

Last summer, when I flew SW out of TFGreen, I checked in, on-line, at about 5 am, for my 10:00 flight. I got my dd and myself both 'A' bp's. We got to the airport at about 8:00, got through security. There were already 8-9 people in the 'A' line. I stood there, with the carry'ons, while dd sat quietly. She joined me every once and awhile. The preboarders line kept getting longer and longer. By the time we, the 'As', boarded my dd and I had to go about 5 rows behind the wing in order to find a window/middle seat configuration. I can't tell you how many empty middle seats there were...some empty, some with bags on them. Drove me nuts. By the time the 'B' people got on, they were splitting up. HOwever, when complete strangers started sitting down in those empty middle seats, you should have seen the families moving around!!! It was pretty obvious that they had been hoping the seat would remain empty, and when someone claimed it, those on either side of it didn't want a stranger in between them. So,,,that stranger found himself with either a window or an aisle seat!!
Some of the preboarders try to save seats for the rest of the family...I wish the FA's would stop that practice. I can't understand why if I can get up early in order to print out my 'A' bp, others can't as well. THen they could be seated with their families. But, for preboarders to save a ton of seats for those other members, who are in the B and C lines is just ludicrious. It should truly be 'first come, first served'...no saves!! But, I'm just a grumpy old lady.

 

[ducklite]

It's really not as bad as it sounds. If you are in A or B group you won't have any trouble finding a seat together. You don't really need to stand in a line until just before boarding. The front usually fills up first, just keep moving to the back. The back of the plane gets there the same time as the front. Why does everybody wants to sit in the front anyway.

I don't know why a lot of people--especially families with kids who will need extra time getting off or people who have checked bags--feel the need to sit in front.

I generally have a good reason for it though. I make a lot of short trips--overnights or maybe 36 hours where I fly with only a carry-on. I get on the plane in Orlando and get off in Philly or Newark, and from there either have a ride waiting or catch mass transit or a cab--all depending on where I'm going and the purpose of my trip. If I have a seat up front I can be out of the airport and on my way to my final destination before the plane is empty.

When my time is very limited and I've packed a ton in to my very tight schedule, that extra ten or fifteen minutes really does make a difference. I park in the deck at MCO for those shorts trips, so on the way back I can be driving away before the plane is empty. That's a pretty good argument for wanting a front seat.

Anne

 

[Mickeyfaniam]

oh this is what I get for buying a cheap flight $69.00 each way!

 

[salmoneous]

oh this is what I get for buying a cheap flight $69.00 each way!

Don't worry about it. Once you see Southwest's seating in action you'll probably learn to love it as much as most SW FF do. It works great!

 

[NotUrsula]

You have to understand that SWA does not condone seat-saving, and FA's will happily make a fool of you if you ask them to confirm that a given seat is "saved". They also will happily embarrass people who spread "stuff" around in order to save seats. The FA's usually don't bother telling people off about it, because public humiliation is much more effective.

If you want a certain seat and there is no human in it, go ahead and take it. The only open seats that are truly off-limits are those with an official SWA placard that say Reserved; those placards are given to passengers who have purchased two seats for one passenger.

My personal rule, which I've noticed is the usual rule among SWA frequent travelers, is to generally let the person keep the seat if they very nicely tell me that they would like to keep the seat "for Grandma if possible", being specific about why they would like to keep it. If they pile stuff in it and/or try to avoid eye-contact, then I have no problem at all with taking the seat and ringing for the FA to come and "take away the items that must have been forgotten by a previous passenger." I *love* doing that to "stuff spreaders".
If you want to save a seat, be honest about it; you'll get a lot more respect.

 

[goofy4tink]

Have to agree with Anne yet again!!! Why is it that the very people who are going to need the most amoun of time to get off the plane, are sitting in the front of the plane! Can't tell you how many times I've just stood there, waiting for those in the front of the plane it get their stuff together, take down their multiple bags from the overhead, get the kids stuff together....
Maybe, and this is a giant leap, those that are allowed to preboard, other than disabilities, need to head to the back of the plane..no overhead storage is available until you get to the back. Then, once the preboarders, those with the kids who need the time to get settled, are on-board, the front overhead bins can be allowed in use. I know, I know....this will get people all in a tizzy. But, why is it that just because you have a 4 y/o, you get to sit up front, and hold everyone else up? I think you would find that if this were a common boarding proceedure, you would see the plane empty much faster....all those in the front would just grab and go, allowing those with little ones more time to gather it all up. Just a thought.

 

[NotUrsula]

SWA tried putting family preboarders in the back a few years ago; it actually made the situation worse, because people argued with the FA's about it, kids got into rows and would not come back out, etc. They gave it up after a few months. I think it would be easier for the FA's to just tell the preboarders that if you are first-on, you get to be last-off unless you can show a BP with a tight connection.

My personal feeling is that, on all airlines, FA's should insist people keep their bags with them until they get to their seat; no ditching the bag at row 8 and sitting in row 22. A couple of months ago I saw a deadheading AA pilot ditch his bag at row 3 on a Frontier flight; the fun part was that it was too big to fit wheels-in, and the FA's made him gate-check it. He had to wade all the way up front against the tide to take his log book out of it.

 

[catherines_mama]

I know, I know....this will get people all in a tizzy. But, why is it that just because you have a 4 y/o, you get to sit up front, and hold everyone else up? I think you would find that if this were a common boarding proceedure, you would see the plane empty much faster....all those in the front would just grab and go, allowing those with little ones more time to gather it all up. Just a thought.

I'm not going to get in a "tizzy" about it because that's not my temperment, but please don't generalize people who travel with kids. DD and I travel SW very often, and up until she turned 5 we did preboard. We preboarded because it kept us from having to stand in line and lose our spot for our 2 previous to take off potty breaks. Yup, I always sit up front 2nd or 3rd row is my choice. However, I have my act together if I do say so myself. Before decent I prep DD for departure, we pack our stuff and stow them at our feet. While we taxi in, bags get brought up from the floor and as soon as the seatbelt light is off, up and out we go. Why? that darned potty is the 1st stop we hit.

Sitting on a plane for 2 hrs, my DD acts wonderfully. Pushing that an extra 10 minutes while its hot and people are pushing out of a plane, not needed as a reward for her good behaviour. We then take our time going potty and grabbing a snack on our way to the baggage claim. I'm not a stressed rushed flyer, we take our time, and because of it DD is a relaxed traveler as well.

I've flown A LOT between NYC & Charlotte for work, a big US Air route, and a plane full of business men unload as slow as a plane full of families, so please don't generalize.

 

[Mickeyfaniam]

well, I got my A's this morning so I'm a tad more relaxed
but OMG... I go to the website and go to check i and I hit submit and there's my A"s and I'm all yippee and I hit "print" and then my computer tells me it can't connect to the printer
you gotta know what a spazz I am... I freaked!! I'm looking at my computer and my printer and ALL THEM WIRES running between them and
I picked up the phone and called my DH... I was going to have him do it from work ...but no, he wasn't at his desk and I didn't think it would be wise to have him paged....what if he were in a meeting or something and I called him out interrupting everyone all because 'I' need BP's printed to ensure I won't have to sit alone
yea right... so i pulled out the tower to try to figure it out... I found one lose wire but a bunch empty slots to put it in so i picked one and it worked...either lucky guess or any of them would have worked

Anyway... I got my A's and I'm happy

and if I have to sit in the back... thats OK .... especially if all those kids are up front

 

[NotUrsula]

It's OK if you don't PRINT the boarding passes until you get to the airport (desk or kiosk). As long as you have checked in and been assigned a group, you get to keep that letter unless you don't get to the gate until after boarding begins.

 

[Mickeyfaniam]

Is that right??
I spazzed for nothing!!

 

[goofy4tink]

I'm not going to get in a "tizzy" about it because that's not my temperment, but please don't generalize people who travel with kids. DD and I travel SW very often, and up until she turned 5 we did preboard. We preboarded because it kept us from having to stand in line and lose our spot for our 2 previous to take off potty breaks. Yup, I always sit up front 2nd or 3rd row is my choice. However, I have my act together if I do say so myself. Before decent I prep DD for departure, we pack our stuff and stow them at our feet. While we taxi in, bags get brought up from the floor and as soon as the seatbelt light is off, up and out we go. Why? that darned potty is the 1st stop we hit.

Sitting on a plane for 2 hrs, my DD acts wonderfully. Pushing that an extra 10 minutes while its hot and people are pushing out of a plane, not needed as a reward for her good behaviour. We then take our time going potty and grabbing a snack on our way to the baggage claim. I'm not a stressed rushed flyer, we take our time, and because of it DD is a relaxed traveler as well.

I've flown A LOT between NYC & Charlotte for work, a big US Air route, and a plane full of business men unload as slow as a plane full of families, so please don't generalize.

I'm sorry...I didn't mean to generalize. My dd is also an excellent traveler...has been flying since she was a toddler and knows just what is expected of her. But, there are more people that are truly clueless than there are those with their acts together. Believe me...I see it in flights with assigned seating...I flew Song once with a family of about 5..they spread out all over the place. They had books, snacks, electronics spread everywhere. When it came time to deplane, it took them forever to get their bags together. You would have thought that they would have had time once the plane started it's descent. And the truly funny thing? While at baggage claim, I overheard the mother screaching at an employee..saying they had to get back to the plane, since their son had left his 'electronics' behind. The issue though was that the plane was taxiing out to the runway. When Song said it turned those planes around quickly, it wasn't kidding!!!
So...again, I do apologize. I realize there are families that can get off the plane in a timely fashion. But you have to admit, it's usually the families with kids that are holding up those behind them. Not our kids, but someone else's (sorry, couldn't resist)

 

[NotUrsula]

Sitting on a plane for 2 hrs, my DD acts wonderfully. Pushing that an extra 10 minutes while its hot and people are pushing out of a plane, not needed as a reward for her good behaviour.

I don't mean to criticize, but I'm curious: why would that extra 10 minutes make a difference to a well-behaved child, if she's still sitting calmly in her seat? I keep our stuff neatly packed up, too, but I always leave one book to be carried in their hands, so they can look at it while we wait for everyone else to get off the plane.

IME, the trick is to stay in your seat until the aisle clears, acting as though the wait is just part of the flight. I don't get up to reach for bags, etc., and I don't stare at the folks standing, trying to gauge when we might be able to jump up. When the aisle is clear, we stand up, reach for our bags/jackets, and walk off, never once feeling any more pressured that we did during the flight.

We tend to sit in the back of the plane precisely because I don't care to deal with the shovers and the folks who hover halfway out of their seats while the plane taxis to the gate. We even sat in back when we preboarded -- WITH carseats.