I really dislike flying with SWA due to their boarding process

[maxiesmom]

Hypothetical question:

Jane books a flight in Sacramento with a change of planes in Denver on the way to Orlando. Jane leaves Sacramento at 8 and Denver at 12.
Bob books a flight from Denver to Orlando on the same plane leaving at 12.

Jane can check in for her flight at 8 the day before. Does she get checked in for BOTH legs at 8, thereby putting her ahead of Bob who cannot check in until 12?

Yes. But Jane would already be on the plane, once they land she can move seats if she wishes to. So she is already ahead of Bob anyway.

 

[Allison]

Hypothetical question:

Jane books a flight in Sacramento with a change of planes in Denver on the way to Orlando. Jane leaves Sacramento at 8 and Denver at 12.
Bob books a flight from Denver to Orlando on the same plane leaving at 12.

Jane can check in for her flight at 8 the day before. Does she get checked in for BOTH legs at 8, thereby putting her ahead of Bob who cannot check in until 12?

Yes, unless Bob purchased EBCI and all other factors of the kind of ticket they bought being the same.

 

[Baklava]

Yes. But Jane would already be on the plane, once they land she can move seats if she wishes to. So she is already ahead of Bob anyway.

No, Jane had to change planes in Denver, so she's boarding a whole new plane. Assuming neither one had EBCI (good point, Allison) or other perks, it sounds like Jane would have an earlier boarding number than Bob.

 

[LisaS]

No, Jane had to change planes in Denver, so she's boarding a whole new plane. Assuming neither one had EBCI (good point, Allison) or other perks, it sounds like Jane would have an earlier boarding number than Bob.

Assuming everyone checks in as early as possible, Jane would be ahead of Bob because she was able to check in 4 hours earlier than any of the passengers who are starting their trip in Denver. On the other hand, Jane would be behind any other connecting passengers whose flights into Denver left earlier than 8am.

 

[tjmw2727]

Hypothetical question:

Jane books a flight in Sacramento with a change of planes in Denver on the way to Orlando. Jane leaves Sacramento at 8 and Denver at 12.
Bob books a flight from Denver to Orlando on the same plane leaving at 12.

Jane can check in for her flight at 8 the day before. Does she get checked in for BOTH legs at 8, thereby putting her ahead of Bob who cannot check in until 12?

Yes - if Jane checks in herself atT24 she checks in for both legs, if she uses EBCI she will be auto checked in at T36 for both legs of the flight so she is ahead of Bob unless he purchased EBCI and she did not.

So when I book SW I always check if it is a connecting or continuing flight. If it is a continuing flight I will be lined up behind folks who are on the 2nd leg of the flight (assuming their first flight was on time). If it is a continuing flight then there will be passengers onboard already who can reseat themselves while waiting for the new passengers to board. This all affects my decision as to what fare to purchase, weather or not to purchase EBIC or choose another airline.

 

[tjmw2727]

duplicate

 

[goofy4tink]

I can't believe this thread is still going!! And is reasonably polite.
Let me add my two cents. I sat and watched a woman and her child (about 6ish if I remember correctly) walking around the gate area, years ago. She and her son would sit every so often, but would get up and wander quite often. We boarded. I was in the late A group. Well.....at the very end of boarding, this woman and her son boarded the plane....not surprisingly, there were no seats together. The FA asked for some people to change seats so the mother and son could sit together. No one offered. The FA then announced that the plane was not pulling away from the gate until the mother was seated with her child. A few passengers finally offered to move. At this point, the mother asked if there were seats closer to the front!!!
So, I understand that possibly her son was better off waiting until the last minute to board....that used to be SOP. But with SW, that won't get you seated together!! If being seated with your group is important to you, there are options. You can pay for EBCI and get a better boarding position. Or, you can book with an airline that allows you to choose your seat when booking.
It's up to parents (or others) to take responsibility. It isn't fair to expect others to change their seats in order to accommodate you. They may very well have their own reasons for choosing those seats.
I have offered to move....on many occasions. But I will not be badgered into it. It's just not my responsibility to make it possible for others to sit together.

 

[supersnoop]

Hypothetical question:

Jane books a flight in Sacramento with a change of planes in Denver on the way to Orlando. Jane leaves Sacramento at 8 and Denver at 12.
Bob books a flight from Denver to Orlando on the same plane leaving at 12.

Jane can check in for her flight at 8 the day before. Does she get checked in for BOTH legs at 8, thereby putting her ahead of Bob who cannot check in until 12?

Yes.

 

[Muskegon78]

You can check in starting at 24 hours before your first flight (if you have a connecting flight). You are assigned a boarding position at the time you check in. If you check in 12 hours before the flight, you'll be behind someone who checked in 24 hours before the flights, but ahead of someone who checks in at 2 hours before the flight.

And you do it over again for the returns? Since we'll be on a cruise I won't be able to until a few hours prior, could a family member do it for us?

 

[sam_gordon]

And you do it over again for the returns? Since we'll be on a cruise I won't be able to until a few hours prior, could a family member do it for us?

I think they need confirmation number and last name, but they should be able to. That's a situation where I'd probably do EBCI and then not have to worry about it.

 

[stitchlovestink]

And you do it over again for the returns? Since we'll be on a cruise I won't be able to until a few hours prior, could a family member do it for us?

Yes, give them the confirmation info and they can check you in. But make sure they understand the importance of checking you in asap at the 24 hkur mark. I have checked my sister in and she has checked me in.

 

[Boopuff]

I was beginning to think I joined a math thread... If Jane leaves California at 5 heading east at 500 miles per hour and Bob leaves New York at 6 heading west.... And no one bought EBIC.... Who gets the Lowest boarding position?

 

[Muskegon78]

Yes, give them the confirmation info and they can check you in. But make sure they understand the importance of checking you in asap at the 24 hkur mark. I have checked my sister in and she has checked me in.

Do you see what your boarding group is during the check in process?

 

[tjmw2727]

Do you see what your boarding group is during the check in process?

When doing your own check in at T24 Yes, you will get your boarding pass with the boarding group and number printed on the boarding pass.
When doing EBCI you will be checked in automatically at T36 but you have to wait until T24 to go online and get your boarding pass to see your group and number.

 

[gdrj]

I will fly the cheapest airline. Sometimes SWA sometimes not.

We have not flown with young kids for sometime. When we use to, it was not uncommon to maybe split to 2 and 2 or grab a full row and a single seat sometimes not close by. The further back we went the greater success we had of being able to sit together.

One of the reasons (in theory) for the open seating is to speed up the boarding process, which allows shorter down time, reducing flight costs.

Seems like the option to fly another airline at a higher cost and pay extra for preassigned seats is the solution. Of course that could be $100's of dollars.

The issues of flying with young kids, or with grandparents, or wanting to be together is a (not trying to be rude) you issue, not a SWA issue. I understand wanting to be together, but even with preassigned seats it be hard with a large party.

 

[gdrj]

On our last trip we took magical express from the airport. We were one of the first to get on the bus and we sat maybe 3 rows back. This extended family with kids and Aunts/Uncles Grandparents and maybe someone they found on the side of the road created a nightmare for a 30 minute bus ride. They had to sit near each other, child "A" had to sit near Uncle Tommy, Aunt Sally had the kids snacks, Grand Pop who probably wanted to sit in the back away from everyone had sit where his Daughter told him to sit. It was funny to see how some people think their life's and their needs arise above everyone else's. I can only imagine being on their flight no matter SWA or any airline

 

[stitchlovestink]

Do you see what your boarding group is during the check in process?

The check in process is pretty quick and easy. as soon as you complete it, you will know your boarding position.

 

[Baklava]

When doing your own check in at T24 Yes, you will get your boarding pass with the boarding group and number printed on the boarding pass.
When doing EBCI you will be checked in automatically at T36 but you have to wait until T24 to go online and get your boarding pass to see your group and number.

Thank you for that detailed answer. It saves me from asking another question in another thread!

 

[Muskegon78]

When doing your own check in at T24 Yes, you will get your boarding pass with the boarding group and number printed on the boarding pass.
When doing EBCI you will be checked in automatically at T36 but you have to wait until T24 to go online and get your boarding pass to see your group and number.

If a family member is going to check us in, will it be a problem if we can't print boarding passes...or is it just an email thing they can forward to us?

 

[tjmw2727]

If a family member is going to check us in, will it be a problem if we can't print boarding passes...or is it just an email thing they can forward to us?

Just re-print them when you get to the airport, as long as your checked in you will have secured your boarding spot.