tell me how southwest boarding works

[Sue1016]

I know southwest you board by a code u get when u check in. I purchased for my group of 9 that early bird thing.

We are going with 3 small children. how does boarding work? early birds then families? then boarding zones?

also, i just found out my flight is a connecting one.... i'm not connecting, i'm just boarding as it connects it's coming from somewhere (don't know where) to Orlando then orlando I get it, to my home city of Philly. How will they accomadate children boarding then? Not a diagnosised medical condition but several people in my group have anixety and prefer toward front of plane and we need adults near the small children

how does it all work? getting anxious here - flying for 1st time as a mom - he will be 8 months old. my husband is taking train, but i have the rest of my family ( parents, my sister and her family which include 2 small kids) my in laws.

 

[mb187143]

I know southwest you board by a code u get when u check in. I purchased for my group of 9 that early bird thing.

We are going with 3 small children. how does boarding work? early birds then families? then boarding zones?

also, i just found out my flight is a connecting one.... i'm not connecting, i'm just boarding as it connects it's coming from somewhere (don't know where) to Orlando then orlando I get it, to my home city of Philly. How will they accomadate children boarding then? Not a diagnosised medical condition but several people in my group have anixety and prefer toward front of plane and we need adults near the small children

how does it all work? getting anxious here - flying for 1st time as a mom - he will be 8 months old. my husband is taking train, but i have the rest of my family ( parents, my sister and her family which include 2 small kids) my in laws.

With the purchase of EBCI, you will be checked in at 36 hours prior to your flight. It does not guarantee anything other than the fact that you will be checked in before those on your flight who did not purchase EBCI. You can go online 24 hours before your flight to see your boarding number (group and position in line)/print your boarding passes if you choose to. SW does medical pre-boards first, then A group, then families with small children, then B and then C group.

Because you are boarding a flight that's originating prior to yours, you should be prepared for a few things. First, the plane will already have people on it, and they will have the opportunity to change seats before you get on the plane. Often this means the front rows will be full (or, the aisle and window seats will be at least). Secondly, even with the purchase of EBCI you are not guaranteed an A group boarding pass. Not saying this is an expectation you have, but it's a common misconception.

Because you're boarding a flight that's originating before you get on, even with an A boarding pass, you may find the flight is already pretty full. The best thing to do is be flexible and have a couple seating options in mind. In all likelihood your group will find opportunities for at least an adult and child to sit together, and possibly even an empty row or rows, though it's probably going to be toward the back of the plane on a flight that originated elsewhere.

 

[clr055]

I would recommend a script for Xanax for those that are nervous. Especially because I don't think your going to get seats at the front of the plane.

 

[emily94]

1. Medical pre-board
2. Business select (A1-A15)
3. A group (A16-A60)
4. Family boarding
5. B group
6. C group

Would recommend doing Early Bird check in, especially if you won't be in front of your phone or computer 24 hrs prior to take off. As a PP said, it does not guarantee anything. If you are not A group, you will probably be hard pressed to find a row or two together. You can always ask people to move but that does not always go over well. Also if you aren't in A, the overhead compartment space will be sparse too.

EDIT: Early Bird check in is $25 per person round trip (or $12.50 one way)

 

[spartankid34]

EBCI is a really nice perk! It saves the hassle of the 24 hr deadline for checking in

 

[plutoislove]

Will southwest do anything for large families, that cannot use family boarding; such as saving seats together. I will be traveling with 8 people. 4 kids, and would like to be placed together, and the $200 extra for EBCI was a little steep, but not out of the question if absolutely recommended. Keeping in mind I am always ready at the 24hr. mark to check in. What do you think my chances are?

 

[Sue1016]

I did pay that extra $225 9 people - 1 non paying infant 7 adults 3 kids worried about same.

 

[clr055]

Will southwest do anything for large families, that cannot use family boarding; such as saving seats together. I will be traveling with 8 people. 4 kids, and would like to be placed together, and the $200 extra for EBCI was a little steep, but not out of the question if absolutely recommended. Keeping in mind I am always ready at the 24hr. mark to check in. What do you think my chances are?

My understanding of Southwest is they do not take any actions in the "saving of seats" which is why people pay for EBCI otherwise its the luck of the draw.

 

[mb187143]

Will southwest do anything for large families, that cannot use family boarding; such as saving seats together. I will be traveling with 8 people. 4 kids, and would like to be placed together, and the $200 extra for EBCI was a little steep, but not out of the question if absolutely recommended. Keeping in mind I am always ready at the 24hr. mark to check in. What do you think my chances are?

First, no, SW will likely not do anything special for a large group just because they can't utilize family boarding. They have no policy on seat saving, but I've never seen FAs on SW save seats for a large group just because. The only time I saw FAs save seats were for passengers coming off of a late connection, and it was a handful of scattered seats, not a cluster together.

As to whether you should buy EBCI, that's a little more complicated. If you're on the first flight out in the morning, and you can be online at 24 hours out, and are comfortable going toward the back of the plane if needed, you could skip the expenditure. That's probably the only way I'd skip it in your case. If you're on a flight that's originating elsewhere, that changes things. In your situation, I would definitely pay for EBCI, but that's me, having flown a lot with SW over the years.

 

[spartankid34]

I would pay the extra $200, while part of me understand trying to save your pennies, the other part of me says that most of your plane is probably also going to WDW, as families...they are all going to want to sit together too. Why not get the leg up on them and book the EBCI so you can board sooner!

 

[sam_gordon]

it's coming from somewhere (don't know where) to Orlando then orlando I get it

Did anyone else catch this? OP are you boarding the plane in Orlando? If so, I doubt many people are staying on the plane in Orlando to go to Philadelphia.

A group of 9 that includes 3 kids (one a lap child)? What are the ages of the other two kids? If they're young enough (under 4 I think), you can use family boarding. EBCI will get you either A or B boarding passes. If you get B, at least six people (three adults and the three kids) can (hopefully) use family boarding (between the A and B groups).

 

[mb187143]

Did anyone else catch this? OP are you boarding the plane in Orlando? If so, I doubt many people are staying on the plane in Orlando to go to Philadelphia.

A group of 9 that includes 3 kids (one a lap child)? What are the ages of the other two kids? If they're young enough (under 4 I think), you can use family boarding. EBCI will get you either A or B boarding passes. If you get B, at least six people (three adults and the three kids) can (hopefully) use family boarding (between the A and B groups).

I did. And since I occasionally take a connecting flight from Kansas city through Orlando to Philadelphia, I can say its possible that there will be people on the plane already, or flights coming into Orlando with folks connecting to the OPs flight who could have a better boarding position than the OP since they would be able to check in or get their EBCI prior to her window. In this day and age it's always better to plan for the worst and be prepared.

 

[sam_gordon]

I did. And since I occasionally take a connecting flight from Kansas city through Orlando to Philadelphia, I can say its possible that there will be people on the plane already, or flights coming into Orlando with folks connecting to the OPs flight who could have a better boarding position than the OP since they would be able to check in or get their EBCI prior to her window. In this day and age it's always better to plan for the worst and be prepared.

OK. I'm just surprised SW is using Orlando as a connecting point.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

OP, I'm kind of surprised that you would buy EBCI without even knowing what it is. Southwest's website clearly explains their boarding process; take a look. You have a lot of seating concerns; in the future you might want to think about flying an airline with assigned seating.

 

[Sue1016]

I know the EBCI is 1. less hassle while i'm at disney - it automatically checks me in. 2. i know it gives me a better chance but not better code. i was just curious how it would work with 1. in conjunction with families. (infant, 2 yr and 5 yr old) and also how works with boarding a plane that orginated somewhere else.

 

[goofy4tink]

I wouldn't count in the entire group of 9 being able to board 'together' in family boarding. Yes, SW usually allows a family to board together if they have a child under 4.....but, that doesn't mean aunts, uncles, grandparents all get to board as part of the group. Now....if each 'family group' has a child that entitles them to family boarding then fine...their group should be able to board together.

As far as some in the group having 'anxiety issues'.....lots of people flying are anxious. With SW, seating is 'first come, first served'.....so you can't really count on getting seats up front.

You will be much more likely to find seating together if you head to the rear of the plane when you board....especially if you're looking to seat all 9 of you together....that's going to take three rows, next to each other. Impossible to find in front of the wing if you aren't in the A boarding group.

 

[Disneylover99]

OK. I'm just surprised SW is using Orlando as a connecting point.

One time we were stoked to have such low EBCI boarding positions from Orlando to Buffalo. We were almost the first ones on and we were shocked to see that the plane was over half full. We were so thankful we had purchased the EBCI on that flight.

 

[mb187143]

OK. I'm just surprised SW is using Orlando as a connecting point.

Since Southwest uses more of a point to point than a hub system, it happens. I've conected in many cities that aren't traditional hubs when flying SW. Orlando happens to be one of them specifically when I'm going from KC to PHL. The other options from KC to PHL usually have me connecting in Chicago (Midway) or in Nashville. Which is beside the point but just an example of what I'm saying about SW.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Since Southwest uses more of a point to point than a hub system, it happens. I've conected in many cities that aren't traditional hubs when flying SW. Orlando happens to be one of them specifically when I'm going from KC to PHL. The other options from KC to PHL usually have me connecting in Chicago (Midway) or in Nashville. Which is beside the point but just an example of what I'm saying about SW.

Yes, Southwest doesn't have hubs.

 

[sam_gordon]

Since Southwest uses more of a point to point than a hub system, it happens. I've conected in many cities that aren't traditional hubs when flying SW. Orlando happens to be one of them specifically when I'm going from KC to PHL. The other options from KC to PHL usually have me connecting in Chicago (Midway) or in Nashville. Which is beside the point but just an example of what I'm saying about SW.

Chicago or Nashville I could understand. KC to Orlando to Philly seems strange for me.