SW concern - need input!

[NotUrsula]

I tell people over and over and over again, that the question of being separated from children on SWA is a non-issue as long as you take control of the process and be sure to check in 24 hours out.

I fly a lot with my kids, and SWA has *never* separated us. Who has? American (multiple times), Delta, USAir, and Continental. Like PP's have said, with legacy carriers you are at their mercy and there are no guarantees.

SWA puts YOU in charge of where you sit; the legacy carriers can and do pull seat assignments out from under you at the drop of a hat.

 

[goofy4tink]

You should be one of the first ones on the plane because you have a child that is only 6 years old. Your whole family will be able to board together, You shouldn't have a problem as long as you will be on a flight that starts in the city you are flying from. If you are catching an connecting flight that passes through your city chances are there should be people already on your plane when you board. You still most likely shouldn't be a problem. Just ask kindly to people in the plane to move around for you, somebody will move most likely.

Those with medical issues are boarded first, then the A group. Those families with children under 4 are allowed to board in between the A group and the B goup. Then the B group boards, and finally the C group.

If she passes out from being nervous I would suggest that you attempt to get a pre-boarding sleeve so you can settle in first thing. A man flying on my flight just this week pre-boarded for this exact problem. He was the first on the plane, took his tranquilizers to calm himself for the flight and zoned out the whole time. He was the first person off the plane too as he sat himself at the bulkhead and was standing at the door waiting for the FA's to open it.

So might be worth the try to see if that would work for your DD.

HTH!

Lots of people get very nervous when flying...I doubt that alone is enough to get a medical preboard pass.


Here's the deal...
Get online at the 24 hr mark. When that screen comes up, with everyone's names on it, be sure to check everyone's name off...otherwise you'll have to enter each one on it's own. And that is going to be an issue for you.
As soon as you are good to go, at that exact 24 hr mark, and you have all the names on the conf checked off, you can hit submit. That should get you all checked in, in an early boarding group.

Will you get to sit together? Yes. Of this I have no doubt. Even those at the end of the B boarding group can find two seats together. It may be that you have to sit with one child, while your dh sits with another, but no child is going to be seated by themselves. I have seen even those in the early C group get some seats together so that mom and her young child could sit together.
It really shouldn't be an issue.

 

[Lewisc]

Try to book a N/S flight, even if it's more expensive. Your first flight could be late. An "A" BP won't help if the plane has already boarded and the GA is holding the plane for connecting passengers. Even if your plane is ontime your connecting flight may have already started to board by the time you walk to the gate. A connecting flight is likely to have a number of continuing passengers already on board.

In the event you arrive at the gate after the plan has boarded you might consider seeing if you can be accomodated on a later flight. It may not be reasonable to expect passengers will move so a 12 year old can sit next to a parent.

 

[Pixie Dust for Me!]

It will be fine! One time we had C passes and my son and I were still able to sit together.

Tell DD that it will make her trip to Disney that much faster!

K