What is your recent SW boarding Letters Using Earlybird Checkin?

[mckinley]

I am just trying to figure out if i want to give SW $30 for our flight to Disney on March 30 out of St.Louis, MO. We have only flown SW once since the Earlybird Checkin started. So i have not had much experience with it. I do know that we did recieve A-30is when we used it from Orlando to St.louis last Feb.

If you have not payed the extra what have you gotten? A, B Or C

Since we are flying out so early will i have a chance to get A if i checkin myself?

 

[vicki_c]

We just used Southwest a week ago to Orlando. I did not buy EBCI this time, and I checked myself in right at the 24 hour mark. We got B2-5, I think (this was a Saturday AM flight).

On the way home, I forgot to check in until 15 minutes after the 24 hour mark and our assignments were B40s - high 40s, I think. (This was a Tuesday early evening.)

 

[Anal Annie]

We also have only used SW once since they started that. I am looking for flights to FL for August & SW (out of our preferred airport) is a lot higher than United out of our 2nd choice airport. BUT the parking is cheaper at #1 and of course SW includes a free checked bag....but then I have to pay to get checked in which only adds to the bottom line. On the other hand United will charge us to check a bag (I think for a summer trip we can get by almost with carry-ons - maybe just 1 checked bag for the 3 of us) but they won't charge me to have assigned seats!! The diff. in airfare alone is about $180 for 3 ppl. + then the EBC etc. I feel like it's more valuable on our return flight where we don't have to stop what we're doing in order to check in.

Since it's been awhile now I was wondering if most people are buying the EBC for everyone in their party or if most are just paying for one person & then saving seats for everyone else once they get on?! Is there a trend now that it's been awhile since they started this??

 

[DVC-Don]

I've all over the A's and B's with Early Bird. Last flight (3 weeks ago) I got A-30, Last year, same time frame, I got B-49. I've never had an issue getting a good seat.

 

[KGK]

Since it's been awhile now I was wondering if most people are buying the EBC for everyone in their party or if most are just paying for one person & then saving seats for everyone else once they get on?! Is there a trend now that it's been awhile since they started this??

You must buy EBCI for everyone booked together. If you book separately, and don't link the reservations together, getting EBCI for one person and saving seats might work.

A low "B" number is fine for getting a good seat. We book EBCI (for everyone) for our return trip if I'll be in a place where 24 hr check in would be a problem (like at WDW - who wants to think about checking in while on TOT?). For our upcoming trip, I booked EBCI for our departing flight also as the airfares skyrocketed (IMHO that means the plane is filling up).

For some reason, to me, paying for EBCI does not seem as "bad" as paying for luggage. And SW almost always has the least expensive flights, by far, from our airport.

 

[mb187143]

for our trip in September, i added EBCI in late August (about 2 weeks before our trip), and we got A20-24 going down, and A 34-38 going home.

In December, i didn't buy EBCI, and checked in at T24, and got B3-4 going down, and when i checked in at T22 for the way home, I got B19-20.

We had no issues with seats during any of these flights.

 

[paults]

if you check in at T24 hr then I wouldn't pay the extra money.

 

[mckinley]

For some reason, to me, paying for EBCI does not seem as "bad" as paying for luggage.

This is what i was thinking today. When we have flew with delta & airtran we paid more than the cost of EBCI for our luggage just one way. We didn't choose SW for the free baggage part. It was chosen cause it was much cheaper. We always fly with what ever airline is the cheapest at the time whether it be Delta, AA or even Airtran.

From what i have read on here and by searching the internet most people are getting mostly A using EBCI, & other are getting A's & B's checking in @ 24hour mark online. Thanks for the replys I am gonna go ahead and purchase it for both ways i suppose.

 

[dancin Disney style]

For some reason, to me, paying for EBCI does not seem as "bad" as paying for luggage.

It's not....everyone charges quite a bit more than $10 for luggage.


With EBCI I only buy it for my flight home while on vacation....other trips I check myself it. So far I've had numbers in the A19-26 range.

 

[KGK]

EBCI check in for flight tomorrow. A54,55,56.

 

[diesel]

EBCI 1/26 for a 4:50 pm flight A40 & A46
EBCI 1/29 for a 6:30 pm flight A22 & A26

 

[PlutosFriend]

Just got back, using SWA. I did NOT pay for EBCI. I checked in at the 24 hour mark, exactly going both ways. I too am from STL. For that way down I got B 13-16. There were PLENTY of seats to choose from and they even announced it was an overbooked flight by 1 seat. For the trip home, we got high A's. So my opinion is, as long as you can check in at the 24 hour mark, and it is so easy to do these days with smart phones, etc, don't waste your money paying the extra $10 per seat!!