SWA Advice Needed Please

[DutchsMommy]

I have never flown SWA before, but thanks to mousy_in_canada's head's up I went ahead and booked at a great rate. So........my question is.......what can you tell me about SWA in general, the whole printing off your boarding pass thing, flying SWA out of Buffalo, any good hotels near the Buffalo airport, and anything else you can think of to tell me!!! LOL Thanks!

Oops -meant to add - DH and I will be flying with DS (3) - do they have any special boarding for kids, how do you go about this, is there anything else you can tell me about having a little guy on SWA - is there TVs on the back of the seat in front of you? Do you need to bring your own earphones, do they play cartoons??

Boy, this board is great

 

[bopeep9207]

Preboarding is available to folks with kids under 5.
No plugs for headphones, no TV's in the back of the seat.
You can print your boarding pass after midnight on the day of your departure ONLY if the reservations are separate. If you booked them together call and have them separated.
You will have to supply the amusement for your little one.
Cannot help you with hotels, but, you can access the Buffalo airport and they will have links to hotels.
There is a lot of information on the Southwest web site.

 

[VickiVM]

Southwest is a no frills airline. No meals are served and the aircraft (as far as I'm aware of) do not have tv/videos.

But what you will get for your hard earned money is an airline that has a high on-time percentage with few incidences of cancelled or delayed flights except for in the case of weather related problems.

You will also get a great customer service team that is usually very helpful, friendly and accomodating.

As far as boarding, you will need to go to their website for the particulars. The gist of how it works is that there is no assigned seating. When you check in you get a group letter. First ones checking in get A, followed by B, etc. And when they call for boarding, the A group boards first, followed by B...you get the picture. I have not flown since they started this system, so someone else can probably give you the specifics or you can access that info from their website. Also, check the airport SW counter early to see what they recommend is the optimal time to arrive prior to you flight... it can vary from city to city depending on the airport and the particular flight you're on. Some airports may request 1 to 2 hours. I know here in San Antonio, my boss frequently leaves the office at 9:30am to catch a 10:30 SW flight...the airport is about 20 minutes away and parking is easy.

There really is no huge advantage to getting a seat on the plane first - most seats are identical in legroom. However, since you have children, you'll want to check in early so that you can get seats together in a way that is convenient for you. Most aircraft, if not all, have 3 seats together on each side of aisle.

Having said that, if for some reason you are among the last to board the plane, don't stress. I've never witnessed where others didn't trade their spots so that parents could sit with their children. And if no one budges, then the flight attendants will gently coax other passengers to shift around for families.

If your flight is long, or you have a short interval between legs of your flight, I recommend that you take snacks/sack lunch and not waste time roaming the airport purchasing food. One of the biggest reasons SW is such a success story as far as airlines go is that they schedule their flights with little wiggle room at each stop. They can complete more flights in any given day (take in more revenue) by strictly adhering to this schedule.

If you're lucky you'll get a crew that is cheerful and interacts with the passengers...those are the most fun flights and they make you totally oblivious to the frills they lack.

Have fun!

 

[plutolovr]

Actually, if you have a child under 5, you can preboard, so boarding pass letter is a non-issue.

Plutolovr

 

[disneyfanatic60]

Dutchsmommy,

You will like SW. Yes, you can preboard and will not have to worry about boarding passes since your child in under 5. Are you taking the non-stop flight into MCO or going through Baltimore? We have been using SW out of Buffalo (I live just five minutes from the Buffalo Airport) for years and swear by them. I've never once had a problem. We are using them again in December for a trip to WDW.

As far as nice hotels near the airport, there are a few of them. A new Holiday Inn Express was just built across the street. There is also a Holiday Inn Airport location right there as well. Also, you could try these: Best Western, Comfort Suites, Homewood Suites, Quality Inn, and Sleep Inn. They are all either on Genesee Street, Holtz Road, or Dick Road and exactly where you would like to be. The two "suites" hotels are a little farther but still within two blocks of the airport.

If you need any other information about Buffalo or SW, just PM me. I'd be glad to help.

Michele

 

[bratray]

hi

i have been to the buffalo airport many times & normally fly southwest....never had any problems- i like to get to the airport about 1hour & 30 minutes to 2 hours early- just in case there is a problem with traffic or security.. i also want an A boarding pass- but have recently started printing mine out on my PC the nite before

Southwest will provide snacks for the buffalo to orlando flight- you get a choice of beverage pop or juice and a snack; peanuts and snack crackers (sometimes cookies). they also have a little pack of crayons and coloring book for the little ones but you usually have to ask for this

a no frills airline that gives you a great price & ususally gets you to your destination on time

i love Southwest!!

 

[bopeep9207]

Originally posted by plutolovr
Actually, if you have a child under 5, you can preboard, so boarding pass letter is a non-issue.

Plutolovr

If there are a lot of preboards, they will suspend preboarding for children under 5 and only allow those with special needs to preboard. It is wise to get those boarding pass letters early.

 

[Magic2000]

I LOVE Southwest!!! They have some really good non-stop flights out of New Orleans, and convenient times too!! We'll be flying SW again in December!!!!

We've been flying SW for a few years now. On one of our flights TO Orlando, we pre-boarded with my youngest DD with no problems. On the flight home (FROM Orlando), they said they do not pre-board, because there are so many small children flying.
(But, the next year, we were able to pre-board in Orlando - so it may just depend on the flight).

DD is no longer under 5, so we just get to the airport about 2 hrs ahead of our flight time (as requested), and we've always gotten an "A" boarding pass. I've never really heard anyone complaining about their seating, or looking for anyone to swap - so I would think most people do get to sit together.

For my DD, I usually try to find a NEW coloring book/colors or NEW card game that we can play during the flight. (I usually buy something and keep it hidden until we are actually on the plane) You may also want to bring some goldfish crackers, or peanut butter crackers, etc for your little one, in case he would get the munchies!!! Enjoy your flight!!!

 

[Cantw8]

This Tuesday will be my first trip on Southwest. I was wonderin if there is a way to confirm your reservation on line? I was all over their website, but could not find a link to check on my ressie. Anyone?

 

[mareed]

Cantw8 - to check your ressie, go to Travel Center, then Retrieve/E-mail Air Reservation.

 

[NotUrsula]

"If there are a lot of preboards, they will suspend preboarding for children under 5 and only allow those with special needs to preboard."

On SWA, you will *always* be allowed to preboard at least one adult with any child who will be sitting in a carseat during the flight. This is because there are FAA restrictions on which seat positions may accomodate a carseat. Yet another good reason to use a carseat on board the aircraft.

 

[mousy_in_canada]

My DD is 5 does that count for preboarding? or is it Under 5?
thanks!

 

[bopeep9207]

It is under 5. Not 5 and under. http://www.southwest.com/travel_center/checkin.html

 

[bopeep9207]

Originally posted by NotUrsula
On SWA, you will *always* be allowed to preboard at least one adult with any child who will be sitting in a carseat during the flight. This is because there are FAA restrictions on which seat positions may accomodate a carseat. Yet another good reason to use a carseat on board the aircraft.

That is not always true. The only places a seat cannot be placed, according to Southwest's site is in an exit row or a non-forward facing seat. They do say the window seat is the best.
They do, in fact, stop all preboarding for children under 5 if there are a lot of preboards and limit it to those with disabilities and children flying alone.

How should a CRD be used?
Once onboard the aircraft, your CRD must be placed in a forward-facing seat that is not in an exit row. It is best to place the CRD in a window seat so it will not block access to the aircraft aisle. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for securing the CRD to the seat, fastening the aircraft seatbelt around the CRD as tightly as possible.

 

[vossjemi]

What if you have a 5 year old and a 3 year old. Does the whole family get to pre-board? Or just 1 parent and the 3 year old?

 

[bopeep9207]

Originally posted by vossjemi
What if you have a 5 year old and a 3 year old. Does the whole family get to pre-board? Or just 1 parent and the 3 year old?

It depends on the amount of preboards. Normally, the parents and sibs get to board together. If it is really crowded, then only the under 5 and one parent preboard.

 

[vossjemi]

Ok, so if I and the 3 year old pre-board, can we save seats for my DH and 5 year old if they don't let them pre-board? Or is seat saving a no no on SWA?

 

[bopeep9207]

It is sort of a "no-no" but it seems everyone does it.

 

[ToTLaugher]

I called SWA to check on preboarding. I asked about saving seats for the rest of the family and they said I could save them.