SW early bird vs non - results

[tjmw2727]

Flying out tomorrow with several other families on various reservations with SWA. Some families paid for EBCI others didn't and checked it as close to T24 as possible.

So far I have

EBCI - party of 3 A 24-25-26
EBCI - party of 2 A 40 & 41


non EBCI - party of 3 A60, B1 & B2
non EBCI - party of 2 B3-4
non EBCI - party of 5 B 16-20

This isn't an Orlando flight and is not yet sold out so it looks like EBCI may be catching on. I will update as I find out what BP's more families have.

 

[Piglets Mommy]

Thank you for posting this. I was worried that everyone who didn't pay for the early bird would get C's. It looks like I have a chance....I'm just not willing to pay an extra $80 for the boarding group. We don't have to all sit together...as long as 1 adult is with each kid, we will be happy.

 

[Anal Annie]

We don't normally use SW but are for our flight down in March. I didn't sign up for this EBCI thing yet. How much is it per person? Is it $10? I can still add it, right? Anybody know how I can do it? I definitely want to be sure to have an 'A' as we will be trying to go in just carry-ons (using Air Tran for our ret. flight and they charge for checked bags).

ETA: I just pulled out my Confirmation # and went online & added it. We're flying over spring break & I don't want any more hassles than I have to have. IMHO though, paying the $6 pp for a true assigned seat on Air Tran is a much better deal than paying $10 just for a better boarding group number. I think for $10 you should get an assigned seat!!!

 

[Piglets Mommy]

We don't normally use SW but are for our flight down in March. I didn't sign up for this EBCI thing yet. How much is it per person? Is it $10? I can still add it, right? Anybody know how I can do it? I definitely want to be sure to have an 'A' as we will be trying to go in just carry-ons (using Air Tran for our ret. flight and they charge for checked bags).

Yes, It's $10/pp/per leg. THere is a link right on the front page of the website to do it. Just know that it does NOT gurantee you an A. From what I understand, those with disabilites, young kids, Platinum status, etc, still board BEFORE thise with ECBI. Depending on how many people do it, you could STILL end up with B or C. That is why I am not paying for it on the way down. (may change my mind and break down and pay for the return flight)

 

[Anal Annie]

Yes, It's $10/pp/per leg. THere is a link right on the front page of the website to do it. Just know that it does NOT gurantee you an A. From what I understand, those with disabilites, young kids, Platinum status, etc, still board BEFORE thise with ECBI. Depending on how many people do it, you could STILL end up with B or C. That is why I am not paying for it on the way down. (may change my mind and break down and pay for the return flight)

But hopefully it WILL help. At least I shouldn't have to be stressing about checking in right exactly on the minute at the 24 hr. mark, right? It should just be taken care of at 36 hrs. from what I read. If the EBCI is done at 36 hrs. it should have better results than having to wait for the 24 hr. mark.

 

[Piglets Mommy]

But hopefully it WILL help. At least I shouldn't have to be stressing about checking in right exactly on the minute at the 24 hr. mark, right? It should just be taken care of at 36 hrs. from what I read. If the EBCI is done at 36 hrs. it should have better results than having to wait for the 24 hr. mark.

You *Should*. My thoughts are this...what if the entire flight uses EBCI? Then how would they prioritize? But you will always have cheapskates like me who refuse to pay the extra $10, and just take their chances. Heck, If it was just DH & I, we wouldn't even consider it. We just don't want either of the kids to have to sit alone.

 

[tjmw2727]

Yes, It's $10/pp/per leg. THere is a link right on the front page of the website to do it. Just know that it does NOT gurantee you an A. From what I understand, those with disabilites, young kids, Platinum status, etc, still board BEFORE thise with ECBI. Depending on how many people do it, you could STILL end up with B or C. That is why I am not paying for it on the way down. (may change my mind and break down and pay for the return flight)

That's not quite right - EBCI automaticly checks you in, in order of purchase at T36 prior to your flight vs T24. The lowest possible for anyoine other than business select or A listers is A 16. Your correct in that it's $10 pp and does not guarantee an A boarding pass.

Order of boarding,

Pre board - travelers with a blue sleeve usually for medical reasons

Business select/A listers - are issued BP's A 1-16 (I rarely see more than 4 or 5 in this category.

A boarding passes 16-60

Family boarding - families with children 4 and under, immediate family only children and up to 2 parents.

B boarding passes 1-60
and finally
C boarding passes

So far the results of our group indicate that only one person without EBCI got an A boarding pass and she got A 60, the rest got low B passes.

 

[tjmw2727]

You *Should*. My thoughts are this...what if the entire flight uses EBCI? Then how would they prioritize? But you will always have cheapskates like me who refuse to pay the extra $10, and just take their chances. Heck, If it was just DH & I, we wouldn't even consider it. We just don't want either of the kids to have to sit alone.

They prioritize by the date you purchase EBCI. .

Even with a low to middle b there is no reason why at least one parent wouldn't be able to sit each child. There are rarely 16 folks in the business select, and 137 seats on the plane. So even with preboards, business select and familes there will be plenty of seats together to choose from esp toward the rear of the aircraft.

 

[Lewisc]

A minor correction. BS passengers are assigned A1-A15. A-Listers are assigned BPs beginning with A16.

Some posters seem to be getting B BPs at T-24 but I don't think the issue is with EBCI passengers. The issue seems to be coming up when the passenger is departing from a connecting airport. Connecting passengers can get their BPs at T-24 at their first flight.

I think the OP is leaving from BWI.

 

[Piglets Mommy]

They prioritize by the date you purchase EBCI. .

Even with a low to middle b there is no reason why at least one parent wouldn't be able to sit each child. There are rarely 16 folks in the business select, and 137 seats on the plane. So even with preboards, business select and familes there will be plenty of seats together to choose from esp toward the rear of the aircraft.

The prioritizing is good to know...it makes sense that the earlier you choose EBCI, the better position you get.

I was thinking along the same lines as you with the boarding, which is why I'm choosing to try it without...I know I can check in right at T-24, and we don't ALL need to be together. Depending on how it goes on the way down, I may splurge for it on the way home, because I don't know if I'll be able to check in right at 24 hrs for that.

 

[Anal Annie]

I purchased the flights on the opening day in Oct. The EBCI thing was still new & I didn't really think twice about it at the time. I should've just purchased the EBCI thing right then. I always purchase my seats on Air Tran but this wasn't even SEATS so I breezed right past it. I hope I didn't just waste my money by adding it now. As it is spring break I see most of the fares for this flight are gone now. They're only selling a couple of the higher priced ones at this point. Like I said, I don't NORMALLY fly SW. This will only be our 3rd flight on them. I was not a fan of the cattle call boarding process before. But for this particular date / flight they beat Air Tran by about $70 pp.

Well, I am crossing my fingers that there are still many frugal SW flyers who did NOT purchase this new option. I hope more people will hop onto this thread & report how it's working out for them!!! Would like to know if there are others like me who added it later... I still have almost 4 months to go yet...

 

[Lewisc]

I purchased the flights on the opening day in Oct. .

Are you departing from BWI? What time is your flight? SW reduced N/S service from many airports to MCO. A lot of passengers connect in BWI. The issue isn't just passengers who purchase EBCI but also connecting passengers who get their BPs a few hours before your T-24 window opens.

I could see you getting a high B BP if your flight is from BWI, and leaves late enough to have connecting passengers.

 

[tjmw2727]

A minor correction. BS passengers are assigned A1-A15. A-Listers are assigned BPs beginning with A16.

Some posters seem to be getting B BPs at T-24 but I don't think the issue is with EBCI passengers. The issue seems to be coming up when the passenger is departing from a connecting airport. Connecting passengers can get their BPs at T-24 at their first flight.

I think the OP is leaving from BWI.

Not always, my sister and I are both A listers and prior to the start of EBCI have gotten A passes lower than 16 without business select.

Yes, I am flying out of BWI to Michigan later today and had not factored in connecting passengers into the situation. I usually fly out of Philly and choose an AM flight if possible.

 

[vicki_c]

Gee, now you're all making me think I should add it. I just can't see adding $10 to my $59 flight -- for 4 people. We are also departing BWI, although our flight out is at 8:20 AM - so maybe that's too early to have a connecting flight before ours? I don't know what to do.

But given that it's a Friday in January - no holidays around it or anything - I must just go without and do the normal 24 hour check in.

 

[Anal Annie]

Are you departing from BWI? What time is your flight? SW reduced N/S service from many airports to MCO. A lot of passengers connect in BWI. The issue isn't just passengers who purchase EBCI but also connecting passengers who get their BPs a few hours before your T-24 window opens.

I could see you getting a high B BP if your flight is from BWI, and leaves late enough to have connecting passengers.

Yes, we're using BWI and it's a non-stop evening flight (8:10). I chose that one as it's DS's last day of school before break & that way DH can work all day too and by going on Fri we can have all day on Sat down there before the "premier" DVC season rates kick in on Sunday. But I guess what you're saying is that there will already be people ON the plane coming from a flight that originated somewhere else? That's something else we don't normally have to deal with when we use Air Tran... Do you think at this point I just wasted my money by adding the EBCI or did I do the smart thing so that we'll get our numbers at 36 hrs???

 

[Anal Annie]

BTW - this is all the SW website says about how the EBCI order is done:

Is there an order in which EarlyBird Check-in Boarding Passes are reserved?
Yes, Customers who have purchased Anytime Fares will receive priority over other fare types during the initial boarding position assignment.

Will EarlyBird Check-in Customers get an "A" Boarding Pass and be among the first to board?
Probably, but not always. It depends upon how many Business Select, Rapid Rewards A-List, and EarlyBird Check-in Customers are on a given flight. However, as an EarlyBird Check-in Customer you will definitely get a better boarding position than Customers in the general boarding group.

When are EarlyBird Check-in Customers' boarding pass positions reserved?
EarlyBird Check-in Customers will be checked in automatically and receive a reserved boarding position 36 hours prior to their flight's scheduled local departure time. Customers who purchase EarlyBird Check-in between 36 and 25 hours prior to their flight's scheduled local departure time will have their boarding position reserved 25 hours prior to their flight's scheduled local departure time. Boarding Passes can be printed beginning 24 hours prior to the flight's scheduled local departure time.

 

[tjmw2727]

Yes, we're using BWI and it's a non-stop evening flight (8:10). I chose that one as it's DS's last day of school before break & that way DH can work all day too and by going on Fri we can have all day on Sat down there before the "premier" DVC season rates kick in on Sunday. But I guess what you're saying is that there will already be people ON the plane coming from a flight that originated somewhere else? That's something else we don't normally have to deal with when we use Air Tran... Do you think at this point I just wasted my money by adding the EBCI or did I do the smart thing so that we'll get our numbers at 36 hrs???

I don't think it was a waste of money - would you have jumped at $69 fares? When I think I need/want EBCI I just factor the cost into the fare.

Connecting passengers won't be on the aircraft but will have taken another flight to BWI, deplane and then head to the gate servicing your flight and board when you do. However since they can check in for both legs at T 24 of their first flight it gives them a jump on your T24. So your EBCI still puts you ahead of connecting passengers who didn't use EBCI for the first leg.

 

[Anal Annie]

I don't think it was a waste of money - would you have jumped at $69 fares? When I think I need/want EBCI I just factor the cost into the fare.

Connecting passengers won't be on the aircraft but will have taken another flight to BWI, deplane and then head to the gate servicing your flight and board when you do. However since they can check in for both legs at T 24 of their first flight it gives them a jump on your T24. So your EBCI still puts you ahead of connecting passengers who didn't use EBCI for the first leg.

Yes! IF I could've FOUND a $69 fare going down!! As it was these were $167 ea. + the misc. fees!! I DID snag $59 ret. fares on Air Tran a few weeks prior to booking these tho. Too bad Air Tran was so much higher at the time for the trip down (about $230-240). We have never gone down over spring break or even gone ANYWHERE over spring break & I was in sticker shock. We're used to flying Air Tran round trip for $129!!


OK, I just called SW to see if they could tell me where this flight was originating. The schedules all change in January so she couldn't tell me where it was coming from. In fact right now, their latest non-stop evening flight out of BWI is at like 6:30. This is a completely new schedule. I asked if this EBCI had turned out to be a popular option & she said yes. I asked about the Anytime Fares beating the others as far as the assignments go & she put me on hold & checked on it. She talked to a supervisor & they said that was misleading - it should be assigned by the date the EBCI is purchased. She DID check to see how full the flight is is and there are still 50 seats open so my boarding numbers should at least be 50 higher than whatever's left.

 

[tjmw2727]

If your flight originates in another airport "continuing" passengers won't deplane before going on to MCO. So it doesn't matter what BP's they have they can move seats after the aircraft arrives at BWI.

The issue with BP's comes from "connecting" passengers who arrive on various flights, deplane and then board your flight. They will be able to get the boarding pass for both legs of their flight at T24 of the first flight.

I can't inagine there would be any way to calculate the number of connecting and or continuing passengers on a given flight.

Sorry I misread - I thought you got your SWA flights at $59.00 !!

 

[dburg30]

Not always, my sister and I are both A listers and prior to the start of EBCI have gotten A passes lower than 16 without business select.

Yes, I am flying out of BWI to Michigan later today and had not factored in connecting passengers into the situation. I usually fly out of Philly and choose an AM flight if possible.

Getting lower then an A16 BP and not being a BS customer was some glitch then, as before the EBCI whenever I wasnt a-16 I would see who got it, we'd joke about it and almost always I found out they were an A-lister and that's how they got the a16

If your flight originates in another airport "continuing" passengers won't deplane before going on to MCO. So it doesn't matter what BP's they have they can move seats after the aircraft arrives at BWI.

The issue with BP's comes from "connecting" passengers who arrive on various flights, deplane and then board your flight. They will be able to get the boarding pass for both legs of their flight at T24 of the first flight.

I can't inagine there would be any way to calculate the number of connecting and or continuing passengers on a given flight.

Sorry I misread - I thought you got your SWA flights at $59.00 !!

Yea, now way you can find out. All you can do is see how much the flight costs from BWI to MCO, if the 'cheap' prices are way up there it's getting close to full, if wanna get away pricing is gone and anytime prices are way up there it's even closer IMO. Flying out of BWI I think I'd have to get the EBCI unless you can be sure you are on the first flight out of BWI that AM and no other flights were connecting.