SW - Early Check IN - Worth it?

[Elmo007]

I am just curious what experiences people have had with Early Check In. Last time I flew SW (NOT MCO) I did not do EBCI. I had a high A (40 or 45) and the guy only 5-7 in front of me had the EBCI. Did not seem like I really needed it then.

Is there anyone who did an EBCI and did not get an A?

 

[dburg30]

THere have been reports of very hi a's and low b's for non EBCI folks that checked in right at t-24. If you are looking at EBCI strictly as a better boarding pass # you may want to try to erase that. Granted many times you will get a better boarding pass, but it appears EBCI is applied to your ticket based on both what fare you bought (higher price level fares will be assigned EBCI before lower lever ones) and also WHEN you buy it. Now I dont know if they are basing it on when you buy EBCI or when you bought your tickets. From my 1 experience I think it has to do when you buy EBCI. I bought it for our return trip from RDU. I bought EBCI just a few days before flying back home because we werent going to be anywhere that was going to be easy to check in at t-24, and I didnt want to have to be bothered remembering to do it. My EBCI got me like a-45 or something, so I'm sure I was at the tail end of the EBCI folks. Still it was worth it to not have to worry about it. That's the real attraction of EBCI, SW checking you in so you dont have to worry about it. You will still be better then the 1st non EBCI person, but dont go in expecting a low A BP#.

 

[snowbunny]

Eh, I don't think it's worth it. But I'm not that concerned with where I sit on the plane and usually travel with just one other person. Some people are not happy if they are not at the front of the plane or their whole family together. This week I checked in as soon as it opened up and got A39 going and B24 returning (to MDW not MCO).

 

[sshaw10060]

It is well worth the money in my mind. I use it for both family and business travel. When we travel as a family we want to sit together. If you don't mind being at a computer exactly 24 hours prior to departure you can snag a low A or high B pass without spending the money and all sit together. If you are like us and tend to work right up until departure and have no interest in interupting your vacation to print boarding passes it is money well spent.

For business travel it is a no brainer. Time is money and I have no interest in a middle seat.

 

[Dziactor]

Worth it to me. One less thing for me to worry about and easier for my whole family.

 

[maurene]

I just recently flew SW (although not to Orlando) and didn't buy EBCI. DH checked us in within 5 min of the 24 hr mark, and we ended up with boarding positions in the B20s. I expected to do better. But, it didn't really matter because I was eligible for family boarding. And boarding between A and B was just fine (plenty of seats to choose from). Our flights were full - and I'm guessing that around the mid-B's is when sets of 3 seats together started being unavailable.

However, it was stressful worrying about boarding position and checking in at 24 hrs (and being at the gate at just the right time). I will probably avoid flying SW again especially once my oldest is over 4 yo. If I do ever fly SW again (due to low prices) with my kids, I will probably buy EBCI (and factor in the $10/ticket in comparing fares across airlines). Although, if I was flying alone (or perhaps with just one other adult) or eligible for family boarding I wouldn't buy EBCI.

 

[snowbunny]

If you are like us and tend to work right up until departure and have no interest in interupting your vacation to print boarding passes it is money well spent.

Takes seconds on the iphone with the SW app... set a reminder 5 minutes before, boom, done. You don't have to print until arriving at the airport.

I am self employed so $10 for business travel is $10 of my own money, I'm a cheapskate about stuff like that.

 

[Poohlovr]

Last year we went on a cruise and were not going to be able to check in at the 24 hr mark, so I got them. I ended up buying them for the flight both ways. We had BP numbers in the mid-20s, but were actually one of the first on the plane on every leg. We loved it because we were able to get the emergency exit row on each segment (DH has bad knees and they really hurt him when we we fly, because it's so cramped).

I just bought them for our July trip to WDW because there are 6 of us traveling together, including a 27 mo old. I figure this way we can get on early, so hopefully hubby can snag his beloved emergency exit row again, and our daughter can get the row behind it that is so spacious so she can get the car seat in and out easier.

That's what I'm hoping for anyway.....

 

[ahoff]

As long as I am on the plane when it takes off, I do not care if I am an A, B, or C. So it is not woth it to me.

 

[puffkin]

Nope, not worth it for us. We are eligible for family boarding so it doesn't really make sense for us to do it anyway and we just save the extra $$.

We also don't really care if we all sit together as long as one adult is with DS3. We don't have any issues checking in close to the 24 hour mark (I have the iphone app now so even easier) so even if we couldn't do the family boarding we would be just fine. Last trip both legs we were in the B20's. My mom did not family board with us and by the time she got on the plane there were still plenty of rows open towards the back of the plane.

The only time I MIGHT consider it would be on a cruise for the return trip (since I probably wouldn't have access) or if travelling on a busy travel holiday like the Wed before Thanksgiving.

 

[dburg30]

Last year we went on a cruise and were not going to be able to check in at the 24 hr mark, so I got them. I ended up buying them for the flight both ways. We had BP numbers in the mid-20s, but were actually one of the first on the plane on every leg. We loved it because we were able to get the emergency exit row on each segment (DH has bad knees and they really hurt him when we we fly, because it's so cramped).
I just bought them for our July trip to WDW because there are 6 of us traveling together, including a 27 mo old. I figure this way we can get on early, so hopefully hubby can snag his beloved emergency exit row again, and our daughter can get the row behind it that is so spacious so she can get the car seat in and out easier.

That's what I'm hoping for anyway.....

Not meaning to be a nit picker, but should he be sitting in an emergency exit row with bad knees? Can he move around quickly enough and be able to perform what's needed in case of an emergency?

 

[Poohlovr]

Yep-he can move fine. No mobility problems. They just hurt like heck and get stiff at the angle they need to be bent to sit in those cramped seats. In the seats with a little mre room, they don't get stiff or hurt.