When flying with Southwest air do you get to sit

[DreaminDisney]

together as a family? I didn't realize they don't have assigned seating and you have to check in and print boarding pass 24 hours prior and even then you might not get A seating.

What if you don't do this? While at Disney, how do you print a boarding pass 24 hours prior? Just curious as to how this works. My DD is a very nervous flyer and I'd hate that the 4 of us are all split up on a flight. I understand if you end up with class C seating you're last to be seated.

 

[PCFriar80]

I would recommend doing this (checking in online as close to the 24 hour mark) on the trip down, if you can. With that said, even if you get a "c" boarding pass you can enhance your chances of sitting together by being the first in corral C at the departure gate. There are roughly 40 per boarding group, but this does not take into account preboarders. While at Disney, check with your hotel or resort to see if they can check you in online. Just a note, you do not need to print your boarding pass when checking in online. You can if you want, but don't have to. We do this when we get to the airport. Another possibility, is have someone you know (and trust) check you in online while your at Disney. I'm doing this for my sister this Thursday!
Good luck!

 

[chasbos]

As a family of 6, we always print our boarding passes off 24 hours before hand and have never not been able to sit together.

I really think it is rare to not get seats together. I really worried about this when we flew the first time with SWA but we have flown at least 6 times since then and have never once had a problem!

 

[DreaminDisney]

Thank you both.

I didn't even think of having anyone check us in online while we were at Disney. Great idea. Thanks again!!

 

[Microcell]

Do you happen to have what I call the Golden Ticket?

My DS4 is my Golden Ticket- a child under five!!!

They preboard the under fives!!! Woo hoo!

I have heard that some resorts can print your boarding pass for you, I plan to ask at the resort when I get there.

 

[DonnaL]

DreaminDisney,

Please don't worry about this......we sometimes travel as a family of six, sometimes four, and sometimes two and we've never had a time on SW when we couldn't sit together. All SW planes are 737's and are a three seat each side configuration, so you might not be right across from each other, but, rather two in front and two behind or something like that or you could be three across and one across the aisle. People get so upset about the fact SW doesn't have preassigned seating and it really isn't a huge issue at all. Just try to print your boarding passes as close to the 24 hour mark as possible and while at WDW simply go the concierge desk in the lobby of your resort and they will gladly print them for you, again as close as possible to the 24 hour mark. Actually I prefer not having an assigned seat because then I can choose where I would like to sit (have you ever been waiting for a flight and someone nearby is being obnoxious or loud, etc. and thought to yourself "Gee I hope that person isn't sitting near me on the flight"..................

 

[DreaminDisney]

Thanks for info.

Also, Can you still use magical express when flying southwest air?

 

[1000th happy haunt]

Also, Can you still use magical express when flying southwest air?

Disney's Magical Express - What "Participating Airline" Really Means!

You can use Magical Express with any airline flying into/out of MCO. However, depending on which airline you fly you may not be able to take advantage of the luggage pickup service.

 

[DreaminDisney]

Disney's Magical Express - What "Participating Airline" Really Means!

You can use Magical Express with any airline flying into/out of MCO. However, depending on which airline you fly you may not be able to take advantage of the luggage pickup service.

very good. that answers my question then. Thanks

 

[carl59]

It's 45 people to a "letter".

 

[Gary M]

A couple of months ago we were flying from Vegas to IND on SWA. There were four of us. We checked in exactly 24 hours before departure and got boarding passes 45,46,47 and 48. The 45 was A and the others were B's. I got in the B corral with about 10 people ahead of me. When we were herded onto the plane we got good seats together, about half way back. The pre-boarding was minimal.

The pre-boarding for the MCO flights can be impressive. I think some airports hold down the number of friends and extended family that can pre-board with Junior or Missy and others don't. My couple of SWA flights from IND to MCO saw at least 50% of the plane pre-board, I'm not kidding. Others say their airports hold down the extended family and friends that pre-board with the little ones.

We were staying at the WL both times and had the front desk print out the boarding passes for our return flight.

 

[WillCAD]

All Disney resorts will print your SWA boarding passes for you. I believe you go to the Guest Relations desk for this, not the front desk.

Also, if you happen to have a laptop with you, you can check in online without printing your boarding pass. SWA has automated check-in kiosks at MCO that allow you to re-print your boarding pass; this is for those who don't have access to a printer when they check in online. You don't get a new boarding group; since you've already checked in, you simply get a fresh printing of the boarding pass.

SWA does not let tiny tots sit by themselves on a plane.This is the whole reason for pre-boarding, although the pre-boarding rules are enforced more stringently at some airports than others.

 

[scammermom]

We have never had problems with our family of 4. Coming home on the last trip, we had C boarding passes. I told hubby to head to the back of the plane. We took the last 2 rows. I figure it's next to the bathroom and we can't bother people too badly (with two kids, 5 & 7 now so no more preboarding priviledges).

I wonder if the RPR will help us out and print out our boarding passes. Anyone??? Thanks!

 

[english rose 47]

I know ifwe are split up to badly there are 2 adults 3 kids ( youngest 5) the stewardesses will have a hard time with 3 screaming kids who have never flown before. So I will definately be loggin in24 hours ahead to get an A pass. I do think they should let a whole family preboard togeter like Mom Dad and kids but not any one else like aunt ,uncle neighbor friend. That plain isn,t fair to the families with 5 year olds plus.So I hope Buffalo is one that limits the preboarders!

 

[Leigha]

If all else fails, they will help you out! We must have had C passes once because there weren't 2 seats together and the stewardess asked the whole plane if anyone was willing to switch so we could sit 2 & 2 and they did. Thank goodness!

 

[findmewdw]

Yes, you do not need to worry about your family being split. We received a C boarding pass last time we flew and were able to sit 2 in front and 2 behind just fine. The crew will make an announcement if need be and ask for volunteers to switch seats. I remember I had my kids primed to be ready to put the tears on if necessary Luckily we didn't have to go the dramatics to be together

 

[TravelinGal]

Disney's Magical Express - What "Participating Airline" Really Means!

You can use Magical Express with any airline flying into/out of MCO. However, depending on which airline you fly you may not be able to take advantage of the luggage pickup service.[/QUOTE]

They pick up luggage from ALL inbound flights if they have the proper ME tags. There is not an airline restriction on ME picking up your inbound bags.
When you depart, the ability to pre-check your bags is limited to participating airlines, but, again, ME will transport them for you still.

Now sure what this poster was referring to...

 

[NotUrsula]

The Loew's hotels at USIOA will also print BP's at the front desk. Unlike Disney-owned hotels, there is not a no-tipping policy, so you should tip for the service.

Actually, I recently upgraded my wireless phone to a web-enabled model so that I don't have to bother with asking hotels to check me in anymore. Wherever I happen to be at 24 hrs. out, I just pull up mobile.southwest.com on my wireless phone and check in that way, then "reprint" the BP's at the airport kiosks.

 

[**Tinker*Bell*7**]

i ALWAYS fly Southwest & can answer your questions for you:

1) can we sit together?
if you get an A pass the answer is definitely. b pass most likely. c don't know, never had one of these. i've flown with as many as 6 people & have always been able to sit together.

2) can we use magical express?
YES! you can use the luggage service and ride the bus to the resort on your trip there but CANNOT use the luggage service on the trip back. You just take it with you to the bus & the driver will load it underneath. when you get to the airport, you have to check it yourself.

3)how can we check in at disney?
go to your hotel's guest relations desk (NOT FRONT DESK) with your name & reservation #. not only will they be happy to check you in, but they will print your boarding passes which can save you a line at the airport if you don't have to check luggage.

Hope this helps and have a great trip! Here's some PIXIE DUST!!!

 

[kaytieeldr]

They're not Stewardesses, they're Flight Attendants.
Flight Attendants' primary purpose on an aircraft is safety, not serving food or calming crying children.
Families come in all styles; if Southwest were to allow "Mam and Dad and kids" to preboard, any adult passengers traveling with their parents would also be eligble to preboard - after all, a 54 year old Mom and a 56 year old Dad traveling with their 30 year old daughter and her 26 year old husband fits the suggestion... oh, wait, no - the son-in-law wouldn't qualify to preboard.
Preboarding enables passengers who need extra time to get settled to do so before general boarding - for example, fastening car seats, etc. Its point is NOT to let every parent traveling with children to get on the plane first, even if that means the entire party won't be sitting together.