Southwest Online Check In

[accord99cutie]

I hit enter right at my exact 24 hr mark and got the "a" group, there was a group of older ladies on my flight and I over heard them talkign about how they all checked in exactly at 24 hours before and some were in B and some were in C... I suppose it realyl does matter what your clock is set to, seconds count when checking in!!!

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

Mind if I ask why you loathe Southwest?

Mainly because there is a good chance you will not get to sit with your family. It's so stressfull waiting in line and then scrambing through the plane trying to find seats next to each other.

On our last trip in Jan. 08 we couldn't sit together on the way down because by the time we loaded in the late B group, there weren't 2 seats next to each other anywhere on the plane.

While we were in Disney on that trip, my husband proposed to me. We were hoping to start doing some wedding planning on the way home. We tried to check in at the front desk of our hotel but were told that all the online check in spots were already taken. Our only choice was to check in when we got to the airport. Because of some problems with the Magical Express (long story) we arrived at the airport later than we were hoping to. I got the last ticket in the C group and my husband was put on standby. We went to the desk to complain because I had my computer print out with my reservation number which clearly stated that I bought my tickets in August for a Jan. trip. We felt it was only fair that the last person who bought their ticket be put on standby, not my husband.

Luckily, someone else agreed to take a later flight after being offered $200 by Southwest. My husband was given her boarding letter/number which was in the A's. He boarded and saved me a seat next to him so luckily, we were able to sit together after all.

Southwest is just so stressful for me. But as I said in my first post, its the only airline that flies directly to Orlando from Providence.

 

[rwdavis2]

Mind if I ask why you loathe Southwest?

No assigned seats. The checking in at 24hr was a pain. Now we'll pay the $10 a seat when we have to fly SW.
BD

 

[lighteningqueen]

I just don't get it. I have never flwon before and this is so silly. I have to sit next to my husband as this is my first trip and I am terrified as it is to get on. IF i happen to get a A boarding pass then can we sit anywhere on the plane??? anywhere. I just want to sit together and is there a place no one wants to sit. I will take it if it is the only way to sit together. Do people really not move to let 2 sit together??? That is just mean. I am having second thoughts now. We will be getting ready to go eat at Boma 2 hours prior to being able to check in to leave WDW. I hope to have time to get back and check in then get on a bus to be there in time. If I have my daughter do this for me and she is at her home in texas how can I get a copy to take with me to prove she pre checked us in??? Can i reprint another once I get to the Airport? So confusing... I just tell you this If I was sitting on a plane and a single rider I would sure move over for someone so they get to sit together.It will just be the 2 of us. Do people really just plop and never give a second thought about people of 2 wanting to sit together???

 

[Rob562]

I just don't get it. I have never flwon before and this is so silly. I have to sit next to my husband as this is my first trip and I am terrified as it is to get on. IF i happen to get a A boarding pass then can we sit anywhere on the plane??? anywhere. I just want to sit together and is there a place no one wants to sit. I will take it if it is the only way to sit together. Do people really not move to let 2 sit together??? That is just mean. I am having second thoughts now. We will be getting ready to go eat at Boma 2 hours prior to being able to check in to leave WDW. I hope to have time to get back and check in then get on a bus to be there in time. If I have my daughter do this for me and she is at her home in texas how can I get a copy to take with me to prove she pre checked us in??? Can i reprint another once I get to the Airport? So confusing... I just tell you this If I was sitting on a plane and a single rider I would sure move over for someone so they get to sit together.It will just be the 2 of us. Do people really just plop and never give a second thought about people of 2 wanting to sit together???

Seating on Southwest is akin to seating in a movie theater. If you're the first to walk in, you have the whole thing to yourself and you can sit anywhere you want. As more and more people come in, those pairs of seats together become more and more difficult to find. And if you're one of the last people in, seats together can be nigh impossible.

But whereas in a movie theater the middle seats are usually more desirable, it's the opposite on a plane. If someone specifically likes being on the aisle or window, and there are no other seats like those on the plane, they may be loathe to move if you're the last on the flight.

The person who sits by the window so they can nap with their head against the wall, or the person who sits on the aisle because they want/need to be able to make a hasty dash to the restroom, those people may not like the idea of moving to a seat where they're squished between two strangers.

Another option to keep an eye out for as your board are two seats directly across the aisle from each other. You're still "next" to each other, but there's a space of perhaps 2 feet separating you.

-Rob

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

Ya I'm not sure what would happen if you asked someone to move. I guess it depends on the person!
I know that families with children under the age of four are allowed to board first. Everyone else is assigned a number depending on when you checked in. On one of my flights an annoucement was made saying that a mother and her 7 year old son could not find 2 seats together and would anyone be willing to move. I'm guessing they don't mind making announcements like this when a child is involved but I've never heard them do it for an adult. I even lied once and said I had a great fear of flying and it was really important I sit next to my husband. I was basically told to suck it up

 

[rwdavis2]

If I have my daughter do this for me and she is at her home in texas how can I get a copy to take with me to prove she pre checked us in??? Can i reprint another once I get to the Airport?

If you have your daughter check you in then you can print a boarding pass at the airport. They have kiosks that allow you to do so. Your exact situation on the return flight is what the early check in is good for. It's done for you automatically. To be sure, once the 36 hour auto-check in time has passed you could then call SW to confirm that you are checked in.

I've also heard people claim that they checked in for a boarding pass by calling Southwest directly. I'm skeptical but the person claims to have done it.

Don't worry, everything will be fine.
BD

 

[lighteningqueen]

Ok then I do not have to do this when we leave Disney or do I??? I will be at a show the day before with my business and cannot check in that Sunday morning at 10... No phone lines for my computer. But if she does it then when we get to Dallas Monday morning at about 7:30 we leave at 10:10 I can just rep[rint it out by going to the Kiosk and putting in our flight number and then go where to print it out? Then I do not have to do this agin for a A boarding pass to come bck home? I do not get that??? I am not going to pay the $10.00 extra per 2 of us to do that. Seems silly. Do I have this right?? Thanks for the info

 

[accord99cutie]

Have her go in exactly 24 hours before your return flight home to check you in. Just as you check in 24 hours to your departing flight, have her check u in 24 hours prior to your return flight. Then when u get the airport, go to the southwest desk, and u can print your boarding passes that will have the boarding location on them that your daughter got when she checked in for you....

 

[lighteningqueen]

Ok got it finally!!!!!Thanks so much... Now for the other question. Does it really matter wharere we sit if we can get something together. Meaning are we going to die if we sit in the back or is it dirty and torn up? Just do not have a clue and also the seat situation 2's or 3's across???

 

[lilclerk]

Ok got it finally!!!!!Thanks so much... Now for the other question. Does it really matter wharere we sit if we can get something together. Meaning are we going to die if we sit in the back or is it dirty and torn up? Just do not have a clue and also the seat situation 2's or 3's across???

Well you most likely won't die on any of the seats, no. But seats over the wing tend to have a smoother flight, front row and emergency exit rows have more leg room... they tend to be the first to go in my experience. IMO if it's your first time flying, as long as you're sitting together, you'll be fine anywhere =) And don't stress about getting into the A group, I've been in B and still gotten two seats together. C on the other hand is tricky.

 

[Rob562]

I know that families with children under the age of four are allowed to board first. Everyone else is assigned a number depending on when you checked in.

When Southwest changed to the letter/number combo, families with kids were moved to boarding between the A and B groups. (Though if a family with kids actually has "A" boarding passes, they are free to board with everyone else at their proper place in the lineup) Handicap and other Guests mobility issues board before everyone, just as it always has been.

Ok got it finally!!!!!Thanks so much... Now for the other question. Does it really matter wharere we sit if we can get something together. Meaning are we going to die if we sit in the back or is it dirty and torn up? Just do not have a clue and also the seat situation 2's or 3's across???

As others have said, flying is very, very safe. (Should I roll out the statistic that you're many times more likely to die during the drive *TO* the airport than on your flight?)
As for seating configurations, on Southwest all planes have a single aisle down the middle with 3 seats on each side. (Due to the configuration, there is a single row at the over-wing exit where one side only has 2 seats, with no window seat)

Overall, all seats on Southwest planes are exactly the same.
But some things to keep in mind:
-Seats in the row immediately in FRONT of emergency exit rows do not recline.
-Seats in the very last row either don't recline at all or only recline a little bit because of the wall behind them. They also can be annoying because of their proximity to the rear bathrooms.

Personally, if I can't get an over-wing Emergency Exit row, I'll walk about 2/3 of the way back the plane to take a seat. Just my preference. (And if you're claustrophobic, if you sit toward the back, the view of ALLLLLLL that space in front of you might help to calm you down a bit)

Lastly, here is the seating diagram on SeatGuru.com of the most typical layout of the Southwest jets, with good, bad, and average seats indicated. (roll your mouse over individual seats to read about the pros and cons of those seats)
http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Southwest_Airlines/Southwest_Airlines_Boeing_737-300.php


-Rob

 

[lighteningqueen]

Rob562 Thank you so much at least now I know what they look like. I do not really see what the big deal is to be closer to the front. There are no partition walls between sections so all is fair game right? I would like to see out a window if possible since I have not flown. I want to maybe look down to see the Magic Kingdom if I can. So no computers tv etc on their flights. Just sleep or talk right... Did anyone ever ge to ride on the SW plane that was painted like Tink?? I never herd anyone say they rode that one last year.

Thanks again so much.. It was very helpull the diagram.

 

[Rob562]

Rob562 Thank you so much at least now I know what they look like. I do not really see what the big deal is to be closer to the front. There are no partition walls between sections so all is fair game right? I would like to see out a window if possible since I have not flown. I want to maybe look down to see the Magic Kingdom if I can. So no computers tv etc on their flights. Just sleep or talk right... Did anyone ever ge to ride on the SW plane that was painted like Tink?? I never herd anyone say they rode that one last year.

Thanks again so much.. It was very helpull the diagram.

It's very doubtful you would see the MK from the plane. The planes don't fly over WDW during their approach, and the airport is 20 miles from WDW property. As a veteran WDW visitor, even when I'm on the correct side of the plane (which can change, as their approach during landing can be from the north or the south dependsing on wind direction), I've never been able to pick out WDW during the descent.

During the flight, you can chat with your traveling companions (or the stranger in the seat enxt to you if they're feeling chatty), read, take a nap. While they don't have in-flight entertainment like satellite radio or TV like on Jetblue, you can bring along a laptop computer or a portable DVD player to use during flight (except for the first few and last few minutes of the flight when they have to be turned off and stowed away in your bag).

If this is your first time ever flying, it also might be beneficial to take a few minutes to read through the info on the TSA website.
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/index.shtm
That way you'll know procedures and restrictions when it comes to the security checkpoints. (Pay special attention to the "3-1-1" liquids rule and the "how to get through the line faster" section.)

-Rob

 

[Teachr4Disney]

I know that families with children under the age of four are allowed to board first. Everyone else is assigned a number depending on when you checked in. On one of my flights an annoucement was made saying that a mother and her 7 year old son could not find 2 seats together and would anyone be willing to move. I'm guessing they don't mind making announcements like this when a child is involved but I've never heard them do it for an adult.

Well, we leave in a week on SWA. It's just me and DD (she's 6) flying down together. I wasn't worried about us sitting together but NOW I AM!! :lookaroun

 

[cdswanda]

If you have your daughter check you in then you can print a boarding pass at the airport. They have kiosks that allow you to do so. Your exact situation on the return flight is what the early check in is good for. It's done for you automatically. To be sure, once the 36 hour auto-check in time has passed you could then call SW to confirm that you are checked in.

I've also heard people claim that they checked in for a boarding pass by calling Southwest directly. I'm skeptical but the person claims to have done it.

Don't worry, everything will be fine.
BD

Yes BD that would have been me. Why is it hard to believe you can call and check in? Try it is works just call 1800IFLYSWA. I've flown Southwest for years and many many other airlines so I am very familar with what you can and cannot do. My dad works for the FAA and my mother in law is a flight attendant so trust me it's legit.

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

Well I just did my online check in about a half hour ago. I leave tomorrow at 11:30am. My husband did not want to do early bird check in. Let's just say he's a little more frugal than me

I entered my info a few minutes before and hit go at exactly 11:30. I got A35 and A36. It's the first time I've ever gotten an A so thats exciting! Maybe this time we can actually sit together! :sohappy:

 

[Rob562]

I fly on Southwest tomorrow, too, out of Logan. With a connection in Baltimore, a totally full flight from Boston to Baltimore, and connecting to a plane that's a continuing flight originating in another city, I decided to do Early Bird check-in.

It may just be because I signed up for it within the first day or two that it was offered, but I got A18 for my BOS-BWI flight, and A22 for my BWI-MCO flight.

I have friends flying non-stop out of Manchester who did Early Bird, and they got A29 and A30. (He has long legs, and very much prefers the Emergency Exit rows with the extra legroom)

-Rob

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

I fly out of Providence tomorrow, non stop to MCO
Have a great trip!!

 

[Disney_Belle]

I fly out of Providence tomorrow, non stop to MCO
Have a great trip!!

I'm flying out of Providence on Sunday :wave: Non stop to MCO on SWA!