Ugh! B30 boarding!! family boarding??

[afyoung]

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.

Ok. Thanks for clearing that up. But I also didn't see any additional taxes or fees added to those flights as I have with the recent ones I booked.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

Ok. Thanks for clearing that up. But I also didn't see any additional taxes or fees added to those flights as I have with the recent ones I booked.

Then you probably had the Business Select fare, rather than any Wanna Get Away (cheaper) fare. With the Business Select, the priority boarding positions (i.e., positions A1-A15) are included in the fare. With WGA fares, you have to pay an additional $12.50 each way for Early Bird Checkin.

 

[jec6613]

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.

The eighth recently: F, EXP/PLT//Sapphire/Emerald/military, Gold/Ruby, Priority (including handicap/assistance), and then 1-5. The gate lice at LaGuardia are particularly egregious, as the narrow walkways means that they spill into the gate across from them; the nicely spaced gates at JFK and the ability of the GA's to get everybody to one side to leave the Priority lane open tends to negate most of the problem there, though, even on the 777's.

 

[tjmw2727]

I have been following this thread and just flew on SWA R/T last week so I paid a bit more attention in the gate area! We purchased the tickets in April with EBCI for all three of us.

From Phil to Orlando we were A 31, 32 & 33 so I was at a good spot for people watching in the front of the line once we lined up.

Announcements I heard at the gate: Get a gate check ticket for w/c and stroller. Family boarding was available for children 4 and under and included immediate family only unless you had an A boarding pass, they also said this did NOT include grandparents, aunts, or newly made best friends. They also told every family who got a gate check when family boarding was.
For the first time ever I heard them announce that if your boarding passes were in different groups and you wanted to board together to do so with the Highest BP, the higher BP could not move up!

There were 2 wheel chair pre boards and a family of 4 and then they called A etc. They were denying boarding to folks who were boarding out of order, at least 3 groups of people who tried to board in A1-30 without the correct numbers.

Orlando to Phil we were A22,23,24 - lots of pre boarding and of course many families. The families started lining up before the aircraft was even on the ground. I heard the usual announcements including family boarding after A, 4 and under unless you have an A.

Boarding was pretty smooth but right in front of me was a Mom with an older teen (at least 15), the gate agent would not let the teen board with her as he had a B pass. The woman tried to argue but the agent stood firm and would not let him.

When I fly SWA I will continue to purchase EBCI for my party - I just add it to the cost of the fare when calculating and comparing prices.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Many airlines don't have family boarding out of Orlando. There are just too many families flying for it to be worth it.......

Most U.S. airlines don't have family boarding, period.

 

[jec6613]

Most U.S. airlines don't have family boarding, period.

I think WN is possibly unique in doing it at all - since it's one of a few with festival seating.

 

[cmfitz14]

We had no issues. The 4 of us were able to do family boarding and all 6 of us sat together in adjacent rows toward the back of the plane (row 22, I believe). In the future, I'll do EBCI, as my kids will be older!

 

[sharona]

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.

I think family boarding is more to allow families to find seats together when they have very young children.