SWA - earlybird online check-in - saved!!!

[iluveeyore]

Just checked in online at the 24 hour mark and saved $70 on the earlybird fee, and I was still able to get all 7 of us in the A boarding group
Now I have 23 hours and 7 minutes before we leave

So if you're wondering whether you need it or not, if it's during the week I would guess you could save the $10 each and just do it yourself!

Merry Christmas!

 

[Lewisc]

Your flight was first thing in the morning. Passengers on a flight late enough to have connecting passengers, departing from an airport likely to have connecting passengers (BWI for example), should consider EBCI. Connecting passengers are able to get their BPs an hour or two before your 24 hour window opens.

 

[Pembo]

I've always gotten A when I check in at the 24 hour mark. I use EBCI on our return flight so I don't have to stress over checking in when I'm at a park.

 

[dudspizza]

OP, do a quick survey when you are in line to see if there is anyone behind you that purchased EBCI........ it would be interesting to see if the system is even working.....

Duds

 

[rubato]

I've always gotten A when I check in at the 24 hour mark. I use EBCI on our return flight so I don't have to stress over checking in when I'm at a park.

That's how I work it as well. I would hate to miss check in by a few minutes, so it's worth it for the return flight, but I've always had great luck on our departures with checking in right at 24 hours.

 

[Lewisc]

I don't want to beat a dead horse but people shouldn't base their decision on EBCI on the BPs obtained by DIS, unless the departure airport and approximate flight time is the same as yours.

I would absolutely suggest EBCI to people taking a flight from BWI to MCO. SW dropped a lot of N/S flights to MCO. A lot of passengers connect in BWI. Those passengers will be getting their BPs 24 hours before their first flight, 25-28 hours before their connecting flight. Chances are the flight didn't originate at BWI. You'll have continuing passengers on the plane.

Check in at exactly T-24 and you could easily get a B BP.

My suggestion would be different if you don't care if you get split up, and get middle seats.

 

[mollybeasley]

Your flight was first thing in the morning. Passengers on a flight late enough to have connecting passengers, departing from an airport likely to have connecting passengers (BWI for example), should consider EBCI. Connecting passengers are able to get their BPs an hour or two before your 24 hour window opens.

Ah, that explains why we got a much better number for our second leg than our first one. We didn't check in until about 16 hours before our first flight today.

 

[tmli]

I checked in for my flight from Buffalo last week (departing on a Saturday, on a direct flight)right at the 24 hour mark, I got an A60. On my return checked in again right on the 24 hour mark (also a direct flight, on a THursday) and got a B24.

If an A is important to you, I think EBCI has become the only way to guarantee it.

I have to check in tomorrow for our Thursday morning flights and again I didn't pay for EBCI, there are 6 of us and I am beginning to think I should have.

 

[Jestocost]

Just to add to what Lewisc and some other posters have said about airports like BWI and MDW, we checked in at the 24-hour mark for a flight with a connection in BWI this past summer and while we got A boarding passes for our originating flight in STL we got B boarding passes for the connection in BWI. That likely means we were behind some combination of people that used EBCI and passengers who checked in at the 24-hour mark but had earlier originating flights than we did.

The lesson to me is clear that it's getting tougher and tougher to get the A boarding passes--particularly for connecting flights at airports with a lot of SWA transfers.

And to clarify one thing a PP said; EBCI will NOT guarantee you an A boarding pass. It will (if it is working properly) check you in 36 hours before your original flight. In most cases that will result in getting an A pass, but if there are enough others using EBCI and people connecting to your flight who used EBCI and had a few hours head start, it's possible that you can use EBCI and still get a B boarding number.

 

[Lewisc]

we checked in at the 24-hour mark for a flight with a connection in BWI this past summer and while we got A boarding passes for our originating flight in STL we got B boarding passes for the connection in BWI. That likely means we were behind some combination of people that used EBCI and passengers who checked in at the 24-hour mark but had earlier originating flights than we did.

It also means passengers living in the Baltimore area have no shot at getting an A BP checking in at T-24 and might not even get an a BP with EBCI.

 

[tjmw2727]

It also means passengers living in the Baltimore area have no shot at getting an A BP checking in at T-24 and might not even get an a BP with EBCI.

This was true for a flight earlier in the month where I was able to compare BP's with a number of folks as we were on the same flight. Those of us who purchased EBCI leaving out of BWI got low A's starting at A50. Those that did not and were at the computer at T24 got mid B's.

 

[ibcnu]

I just signed in for a flight leaving tomorrow to RSW (Fort Myers) from Philadelphia. I checked-in at the 24 hour mark, worrying that because it's the Christmas holiday week that I would end up in C.

NOPE! I was surprised when my family received boarding passes in the high A's. I just saved $30!!

 

[M2DD's]

Just checked in on our flight to LAX( with a layover in LAS) and my family of 4 got A boarding passes with high A's out of Milwaukee and low A's out of Los Vegas
These are afternoon flights leaving the day before Christmas eve