Ugh! B30 boarding!! family boarding??

[cmfitz14]

Well, I wouldn't pay the extra $50 for early check in for Southwest, so we have a B30-34 boarding. The only saving graces:
1) my parents had a low A boarding, so hopefully they can head to the back of the plan in a weak attempt to block off some seats
2) my son is 4.... So we hopefully can do the family boarding, right?

I'd think our chances to sit near them would be pretty decent if we get family boarding, right?

 

[Meeko5]

You can count on your son and one adult for family boarding, you may get lucky and both get to board with him but it depends on the crew that day. I would guess with the grandparents in A and 2 with family boarding your husband will easily be able to sit with you if at the back of the plane

 

[cmfitz14]

Keeping our fingers crossed!!
We also have a 6 year old... So my husband & her might have to wait.
My parents are going to sit on opposite sides of the aisle. Do you think they should each take the aisle, middle, or window seat until we arrive? (In hopes of sitting together)

 

[Minnesota!]

I would not count on family boarding if you are flying into MCO...often (in my experience!) it is cancelled due to SO MANY families.

Just tell grandma/grandpa to sit together, and the 4 of you find seats when you get on. Might have to be 2-2, but you should not have issues with an adult being with each kid.

 

[Alesia]

If it was really so important to you, why didn't you just pay the $50 for ECBI? It seems like a small price to pay to avoid stressing out about it.

 

[Meeko5]

I would not count on family boarding if you are flying into MCO...often (in my experience!) it is cancelled due to SO MANY families.

Oh no! I've never heard of them doing that. There goes my strategy of buying only EBCI for DH and DS6 and counting on family boarding for the baby and I...

Oh well, in the end I will just stick DH with the infant so my 6 year old and I can play video games uninterrupted

 

[jdb in AZ]

If your flight isn't a continuation of another flight and all seats are vacant when your flight begins boarding, B30-34 are still do-able, especially with the grand parents in the aisle seats near the back of the plane. A lot of senior couples prefer to sit across the aisle from each other because arthritis and climbing over other seats and passengers just isn't fun. If you have problems finding seats together, grandma or grandpa would probably prefer to have a small grand kid sit next to them in the middle seat, instead of moving elderly joints away from the aisle.

It's not too late to buy the early-bird check-in for your return flight so you won't have to remember to check-in at exactly 24 hours before your flight.

 

[Julylady]

We flew Southwest in July and the gate agent announced that since there were so many families, there would be no family boarding to Orlando. He said everyone had to line up according to their boarding pass number. The last three people on board were a Mom, Dad and 3 or 4 year old boy. There were two empty middle seats about 1/3 way back. The parents looked frantic and a guy on the aisle next to one of the empty seats volunteered to take the middle seat in the row ahead so that the boy could sit by one parent. The Mom said then asked the person seated at the window if she would give up her seat so that they could all sit together. The window lady said No and then the Mom motioned the flight attendant to come over. She explained that they all needed to sit together. The flight attendant said they were fortunate that they had "found" two seats together considering their boarding numbers and that one parent was going to have to find the only other single empty seat on the plane. The Mom continued to protest, but to very deaf ears. The Dad made his way to the back of the plane. The Mom continued to act devastated by the fact that she was separated from her husband. I am still wondering why they were so clueless as to the Southwest boarding process.

 

[kamik86]

What I suggest is:

If everyone is ok with wherever they sit start with grandparents on either side of an aisle towards the back.
AT family boarding they will have those rows to themselves still. Fill in the two window seats.

By the end of B your chances are low that someone will even ask for the middle seat in the back of the plane

 

[Bellabully]

This is why I purchase EBCI for everybody. The stress of scrambling for seats is NOT how I want to start my vacation or finish it.

 

[HelenParr]

I think your chances are pretty good with or without family boarding to sit near enough each other. I agree with near the back of the plane idea. Your parents about 3 rows from the back, on opposite aisles gives lots of configuration chances.

 

[mmouse50]

My son and daughter-inlaw just flew back from Las Vegas last night - the didn't buy EBCI and I checked them in from my home exactly 24 hours ahead of time - they got B21 and B23. What they didn't realize was that their flight landed in Houston and continued on to Orlando. There were so many families getting on (all ages - the 4 year and under rule wasn't enforced and neither was the 1 parent 1 child rule) in Las Vegas that they didn't get to sit together. It wasn't a deal breaker but it proves that if you have to sit by someone - buy EBCI.

I just wish that Southwest would get rid of the family boarding - it doesn't take any longer for you to situate a child than it does for 1 passenger trying to place a carry on in the overhead bid and it is not going to fit unless they completely re-arrange the overhead bin contents.

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

We flew Southwest in July and the gate agent announced that since there were so many families, there would be no family boarding to Orlando. He said everyone had to line up according to their boarding pass number. The last three people on board were a Mom, Dad and 3 or 4 year old boy. There were two empty middle seats about 1/3 way back. The parents looked frantic and a guy on the aisle next to one of the empty seats volunteered to take the middle seat in the row ahead so that the boy could sit by one parent. The Mom said then asked the person seated at the window if she would give up her seat so that they could all sit together. The window lady said No and then the Mom motioned the flight attendant to come over. She explained that they all needed to sit together. The flight attendant said they were fortunate that they had "found" two seats together considering their boarding numbers and that one parent was going to have to find the only other single empty seat on the plane. The Mom continued to protest, but to very deaf ears. The Dad made his way to the back of the plane. The Mom continued to act devastated by the fact that she was separated from her husband. I am still wondering why they were so clueless as to the Southwest boarding process.

I had a discussion about this on another post, but I was clueless about the policy too. We went to Disney for our son's 6th birthday back in 2010, it was our first experience flying on Southwest, we booked everything with a TA who didn't inform us about the boarding situation, and I'm not a heavy planner, I didn't use any travel sites or boards like this one to do any of my planning, just a tour book. It is possible to be totally clueless unfortunately. My previous flying experience told me that, when you booked a flight, you were purchasing a specific seat on the plane. We were unprepared for the free-for-all at the gate.

 

[bumbershoot]

OP, how did it go?

We were unprepared for the free-for-all at the gate.

How long ago did you book with them? If you want a free for all, try being a flyer with status on Alaska or United, standing there trying to get through the hordes of plain old coach passengers (like me...DH is the status flyer) who have all clumped up waiting until they are called to rush on and sit in their pre-arranged seat.

SW from where I use it from has routinely told people to SIT DOWN until they are called. The pre-board people go up, the As go up and put themselves into numerical order. They board, the families board, the Bs line up and board, the Cs line up and board. It's as opposite from a free for all than I have EVER seen at an airport. In my experience.

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

OP, how did it go?





How long ago did you book with them? If you want a free for all, try being a flyer with status on Alaska or United, standing there trying to get through the hordes of plain old coach passengers (like me...DH is the status flyer) who have all clumped up waiting until they are called to rush on and sit in their pre-arranged seat.

SW from where I use it from has routinely told people to SIT DOWN until they are called. The pre-board people go up, the As go up and put themselves into numerical order. They board, the families board, the Bs line up and board, the Cs line up and board. It's as opposite from a free for all than I have EVER seen at an airport. In my experience.

the first and only time we flew with Southwest was in January of 2010, so 5 1/2 years ago. It was much more chaotic than you make it sound in your description--maybe because it was a flight to Orlando with lots of kids of various ages and we didn't understand the boarding procedures? Also, I think I do remember them asking people to sit down until they were called, but I don't think anyone listened.

I don't usually feel rushed or overly chaotic on other carriers, I think I just like the peace of mind of looking at that seating chart and knowing exactly where I'm going to sit. In my experience, the clumping you're describing with the other carriers does happen and I think it's because everyone wants to try to stuff their huge carry on in the overhead before all the compartments are filled. i know nobody cared about my opinion on that matter but it's super annoying and downright rude and entitled behavior. We fly with bookbag carryons that I can almost always manage to wedge in, even when the overhead seems full, or stuff under the seat. My grandma likes to tell stories about the golden days of flying when it was civilized--don't know how true it is but she makes it sound luxurious--now we're all herded in like cattle onto a stock trailer.

 

[merina888]

Many airlines don't have family boarding out of Orlando. There are just too many families flying for it to be worth it. I considered booking southwest because we could fly without a layover, but the thought of the SW boarding process redirected me to Delta which is still cheaper even with paying for baggage (although we normally wouldn't need to because my husband is a Silver Elite member, but he's not coming on this trip)

 

[supersnoop]

How long ago did you book with them? If you want a free for all, try being a flyer with status on Alaska or United, standing there trying to get through the hordes of plain old coach passengers (like me...DH is the status flyer) who have all clumped up waiting until they are called to rush on and sit in their pre-arranged seat.

There's a term for that: gate lice. Those are the folks in "group 4" that stand in front of the boarding line despite the fact that group 4 is actually the seventh group called to board, at least on AA.

 

[afyoung]

My husband and I flew into Pittsburgh nonstop from Nashville a few months ago. His first flight, my first in about 10 years. We didn't get the EBCI, but with online check in were boading A4 & A5. When we got to the gate there was a huge line already. A group of four who had been bumped from an earlier flight boarded first (as promised to take the bump), then A1-3. And then it was our turn. People in the back of the line acted as if we were putting them out by being allowed to board in front of them because they had been in line for so long. The gatekeeprs were very specific about boarding in correct order. For the flight to Orlando with our kids (their first flights) I felt like the EBCI was worth the cost. We shall see come October.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

the first and only time we flew with Southwest was in January of 2010, so 5 1/2 years ago. It was much more chaotic than you make it sound in your description--maybe because it was a flight to Orlando with lots of kids of various ages and we didn't understand the boarding procedures? Also, I think I do remember them asking people to sit down until they were called, but I don't think anyone listened.

SW's boarding process changed a few years ago. It used to be you just got A group, B group, etc. and was very much a cattle call. Now you get an actual boarding position...A1, A2, A3, etc. They have stanchions in the terminals indicating where you line up, in order according to your boarding position. It's nothing now like it used to be. I can remember those days, getting to the airport super early just to be an Early A instead of a Late A. The new system is not all that different from having actual reserved seats, except you don't find out until 24 hours before your flight what that seat is.

 

[supersnoop]

My husband and I flew into Pittsburgh nonstop from Nashville a few months ago. His first flight, my first in about 10 years. We didn't get the EBCI, but with online check in were boading A4 & A5. When we got to the gate there was a huge line already. A group of four who had been bumped from an earlier flight boarded first (as promised to take the bump), then A1-3. And then it was our turn. People in the back of the line acted as if we were putting them out by being allowed to board in front of them because they had been in line for so long. The gatekeeprs were very specific about boarding in correct order. For the flight to Orlando with our kids (their first flights) I felt like the EBCI was worth the cost. We shall see come October.

Positions A1 through A15 are reserved for people who paid "Business Select" fares, or who paid ~$40 to upgrade into that spot. You don't get A4 and A5 by just checking in early.