yet another post about boarding passes with SW

[Day-Day]

I just printed out our boarding passes for our flight in the morning

I had EBCI and while we did get Isa pre which we like our numbers are

B29 and 30 so right in the middle of the Bs

...

We have booked SWA for the first time. What is "Isa pre"?

 

[gwynne]

We have booked SWA for the first time. What is "Isa pre"?

TSA Pre is what she was trying to say. Some people pay to have it, sometimes it pops up on a boarding pass anyway. It's an easier screening for the passenger.
https://www.tsa.gov/tsa-precheck

 

[Day-Day]

TSA Pre is what she was trying to say. Some people pay to have it, sometimes it pops up on a boarding pass anyway. It's an easier screening for the passenger.
https://www.tsa.gov/tsa-precheck

Thanks. I've received TSA Pre-check quite a few times. I thought maybe "Isa pre" was something that Southwest offered other than Early Bird Check-In.

 

[LisaS]

OP live from the magical express we did get seats together near the back...

Thanks for the update. I'm glad you found seats together!

 

[hsmamato2]

We've gotten mid B's before with EBCI.... it happens!

 

[nkereina]

Not sure if it would be worth it to you, but often when I fly SWA and have an iffy boarding number, I'll check with the counter to see if any business select positions are still available (A1-15). Often times they are and often you can upgrade your boarding position to an A1-15 for $30 per person. You could do this for one of you if available and head straight to the back of the plane, and cross your fingers no one sits in the middle seat next to you. Your chances would be good if the second person got on in mid-Bs.

 

[LisaS]

Often times they are and often you can upgrade your boarding position to an A1-15 for $30 per person.

I thought it was $40 per person. Did they lower the price?

ETA: I just looked it up on Southwest's website (https://www.southwest.com/html/travel-experience/boarding-your-flight/) and it has changed. They state that the cost to upgrade to a boarding position to A1-A15 is "$30 or $40 per flight depending your itinerary". Does anyone know what it is about one's itinerary that determines whether the cost is $30 or $40?

 

[nkereina]

ETA: I just looked it up on Southwest's website (https://www.southwest.com/html/travel-experience/boarding-your-flight/) and it has changed. They state that the cost to upgrade to a boarding position to A1-A15 is "$30 or $40 per flight depending your itinerary". Does anyone know what it is about one's itinerary that determines whether the cost is $30 or $40?

Interesting! I've upgraded three times in the last 6 months or so (business traveler), and it has been $30 for each one. I haven't encountered a $40 one yet. FWIW, the flights were MDW-BUF, MDW-DAL, and BWI-ATL.

 

[kaytieeldr]

So, probably the distance. Maybe plane changes.

 

[LisaS]

I did a little digging on flyertalk and it looks like the change from $40 to "$30 or $40 per flight depending on your itinerary" occurred sometime in August 2015. From the posts discussing the offer being $30 instead of $40, there isn't any obvious pattern. Maybe it is based on some actual criteria or maybe it's just random, to see if they get more takers at the lower price.

 

[nkereina]

I did a little digging on flyertalk and it looks like the change from $40 to "$30 or $40 per flight depending on your itinerary" occurred sometime in August 2015. From the posts discussing the offer being $30 instead of $40, there isn't any obvious pattern. Maybe it is based on some actual criteria or maybe it's just random, to see if they get more takers at the lower price.

Maybe it also depends on how many A1-15 slots they have left to fill? If only one or two, $40 upgrade. If most of the positions are open, $30 upgrade. No idea, just speculating. On all the flights I've upgraded on, there were maybe only 1-2 other A1-15 people besides me.

 

[LisaS]

Another possibility: Maybe the lower fee is being tested on routes with a higher percentage of business travelers. My DH has considered paying to upgrade a couple of times when he thought his boarding position would put him too far back to be guaranteed he could stow his rolling bag in the overhead bin. When traveling on vacation, we bring larger bags that must be checked so we're not concerned about bin space, or upgrading our boarding position.

 

[goofy4tink]

Interesting! I've upgraded three times in the last 6 months or so (business traveler), and it has been $30 for each one. I haven't encountered a $40 one yet. FWIW, the flights were MDW-BUF, MDW-DAL, and BWI-ATL.

I flew MCO to Providence, in early Aug, and paid $40 to get A2!!! And I had A36, but I was feeling crappy and wanted to get on that plane, get an exit row window seat and go to sleep!

Here's the thing with EBCI... It may be time to just think of it as part of the fare. More and more people are buying it. It you want to level that playing field, you now need to buy EBCI for popular routes.
Flying isn't cheap...the airlines are nickle and diming the passengers to death.

 

[georgina]

Here's the thing with EBCI... It may be time to just think of it as part of the fare. More and more people are buying it. It you want to level that playing field, you now need to buy EBCI for popular routes.
Flying isn't cheap...the airlines are nickle and diming the passengers to death.

Nope, now that my kids are adults and rarely fly with us anyway, I never get EBCI. It just doesn't matter that much where we sit. I will check in right at 24 hrs and take what I get!

 

[Day-Day]

Nope, now that my kids are adults and rarely fly with us anyway, I never get EBCI. It just doesn't matter that much where we sit. I will check in right at 24 hrs and take what I get!

Same here. We purchased EBCI for one leg of our trip in which we will travel with our kids and grand-kids. The other leg we saved our $25.