Southwest's Early-Bird Check-in?
 

Has anyone used this new service/product?

In theory, it queues you up automatically 36 hrs. before lift-off (er, take off) and you get a number in line that lets you jump ahead of everyone except those who paid more for their ticket and/or bought the Early Bird option before you did. I'm wondering how well it works, whether you do better with this arrangement than with the old 23 hrs. 59 min. 58 seconds ahead on-line check in? I admit, I'm suspicious.

And do you have to do anything other than look to see where you ended up in the line and print out the boarding pass?

Nobody?

I haven't used it yet. Never any need. But I do have a flight in early Dec where it simply won't be convenient to check in ahead of time so I did opt for the Early Bird.

We'll see how it works.

"<i>And do you have to do anything other than look to see where you ended up in the line . . . . </i>"

Oh - the way I understand it from WN's website is you won't know your position until you print the boarding pass -- which in my case won't be until I get to the airport

Can you print the boarding pass (do you think, or know) as early as just after the 36 hr. mark?

Still hoping to find out if this really helped someone or just adds $10 to your fare without genuinely helping you get toward the front of the line. My theory: Business Select and all the Anytime Fare people are still going to be the first-in-line-ers.

"and all Anytime Fare people..." who have also purchased the Early Bird option -

I figure, if they care enough about seating to purchase the more expensive fare, they'll cough up the extra $10., too.

"<i>Can you print the boarding pass (do you think, or know) as early as just after the 36 hr. mark?</i>"

I don't think you can print a boarding pass until 23 hr 59 minutes . . . .

But, the WN website has a lot of info including FAQ's about Early Bird.

Just used Southwest's early bird check-in. You can still only access your boarding pass/print it out 24 hours before. 36 hours before they automatically assign you a number, but you still cannot access it until 24 hours before. When I checked in 24 hours before, I saw I was assigned Group A number 18, so I would say the $10 was worth it.

I used it twice earlier this month, once because I had a tighter connection than usual and wanted to get whatever advantage I could. Agree with lexi - can only print bp within 24 hr.

I fly WN fairly often and lately checking in at 23 hr and 59 min has given me an A-mid 30s number. With the early checkin I got numbers below 20. For me it was worth it due to the circumstances, but not sure I'd use it on a regular basis.

The last time I checked in at 23:59:20 before departure, I got A-17.

Hmmmmmm.

"<i>The last time I checked in at 23:59:20 before departure, I got A-17.</i>"

Which doesn't mean much in the scheme of things. Some flights have a higher % of business travelers who pay the higher fares and get priority boarding numbers. Some flights are predominately leisure travelers on the cheapest fares so fewer priority boarders.

On some flights you can check in 10 hours ahead and get a low-ish A number, some you will be in the high A's at 23:59 and mid B's by 23 hours. So you really can't assume anything re boarding numbers . . . .

What I'm wondering about is the positions before, say A-17. The time I got that, I was actually fourth in line after one person who was A-16 and two at the head of the line -- which suggests that they'd set aside places A-1 through, say, A-15 for the Business Select or "A-list" travelers but only actually sold 2 of those seats.

With "Early Bird," I'm guessing some of those first 15 seats and maybe many in the next group may actually include a bunch of early birds who paid the "Anytime" fare who would not, under other circumstances, have bothered to log on at 23:59:10 to grab a higher number.

So I, as a "internet special" fare-payer, may actually do worse than I did under the old system without the Early Bird Option, when I could log on at 23:59:10 to get my place. I fly on Thursday, will let you know.

6 of us flew in October, when I checked us from home exactly 24 hrs in advance, we got like A55-60. Flying back, we forgot to check in, did it may 6 hour before the flight, got end of group B. Yes, we felt people are paying for checking in early.

Janis, yes, you can know your number before you print the boarding pass even if you don't print it, open it without clicking the print button!

Dayenu: "<i>you can know your number before you print the boarding pass even if you don't print it, open it without clicking the print button</i>"

Yep, I know. But that assumes one has access to a computer. If I could be near a computer @ 24 hours, I'd do it then instead of paying for Early Bird and then know my boarding #.

For this return flight in Dec I won't be anywhere near a computer - that's why I paid for EB and won't know my # until I get to the airport.

Um - for some of us the additional issue is whether you know your position BETWEEN the 36 -hr. Early Bird auto-check-in and the 24-hr. everyone-else check-in.

Not sure how could you - since Business select passengers get first dibs. As I understand the website, you are assigned a position - but not a precise number at 36 hours. Then at/after 24 hours you can print your boarding pass and get the #.

If 7 Business Select booked tickets after 36 hours, you be bumped down the list so how could you know the exact number before?

You're right, janisj.

And of course, no info at 35:55 before flight re: position. Would still be nice to know how far down the list I am, irrespective of Business Select group.

The WN website is pretty good at explaining it -- but not everything is clear so I'm interested to see how it works on my Dec flight.

I'm flying down to LA on Dec 1 and back on Dec 3 - bought the tix 2 days ago $51 "wanna get away" (the lowest/non refundable fare class) each way.

Well - today they sprung the $25 - $50 - $100 sale for flights from Dec 2. Sure enough, my flight on the 3rd went down to $25. I went into the site and re-booked at the lower fare. Ended up w/ a $31 credit (because fees are lower on a $25 fare) and my Early Bird transferred over like clockwork. I don't get the $$ but get a full credit on a future flight.

Just another reason I love, <B><red>LOVE</B></red> WN!

Results (kind of anti-climax): A-18. About where I've usually been pre-Early Bird when I checked in at 23:59:20. BUT without it now, who knows where I'd have ended up this morning.

So that confirms my suspicion that it actually amounts to both a $10 surcharge not to be thrown to the back of the line and a further disincentive for those paying the "Wanna Getaway" fares who used to be quick on the online-check-in trigger. Bottom line, if everyone paying less than the Business Select fare ante's up the $10, your place in line depends first on whether you pay Anytime or Getaway fares but THEN on when you bought the ticket.

So SW enters the ranks of the nickel-and-diming airlines, but through a back door, and potentially making on-line check-in meaningless.

Nonetheless I like WN, too, though I don't think the website was entirely clear about Early Bird, otherwise I wouldn't have had the questions I do - and I'm normally a scrupulous reader of fine print and instruction manuals.

I used the early bird feature a couple of weeks ago and got about the same placement I normally do when I check in 24 hrs in advance.

I gave it a try because I was flying on a route used by businessmen and on a traditionally busy day of the week AND with a husband recovering from a broken leg. I probably won't use the service when I travel on flights used mostly by the vacation crowd on Tues, Wed, or Sat.

We booked a SW Airlines vacation package to Las Vegas and they don't have the Early Bird check in yet. I plan to check in online at home 24 hrs prior to our departure, but won't be able to check in and print out the "Security Document" required on our return flight unless I can find a way to do it from the hotel.

Am considering early bird check-in on LAX to east coast itinerary, with a plane change in LV, because I will not have easy access to a computer before the flight (even with a lap top, I will not have a printer).

1. if you sign up for this the seat assignment is automatically made. Is that correct? You don't need to do anything else?

2. Will seat assignments be made for entire ticket - not just first leg?

3. Can you wait to print the boarding pass at the airport? Will SE print it or do need yo find a computer/business center?
Thank you, Travelottie

travelottie -

1. Yes (though you're not getting seat assignment - you're getting a boarding priority number)

2. Yes, if they're on one ticket.

3. Yes, just go to one of the kiosk.

Thank you dfr4848. Seat assignment was slip of the tongue, should have said boarding section & number. Have you used early-bird check-in and been satisfied?

travelottie - yes, see my earlier response above. Thought it was fine, but will probably use it for special/unusual circumstances rather than routinely.

Update on the update: The line in the A-group began with 3 people in the A1-5 group, no one in the A5-10 or 10-15 group, and the "real" line began with A-16, so I was effectively 6th in line. Which would have been just ducky except the flight was a continuation and there were many, many people already on board -- I'd say almost half the capacity of the plane.

One lesson we already knew: you can have a decently low position number in the line, but if it's a continuation, you may well be close to SOOL if you care about specific seats.

And it finally tells me that the arrival of Early Bird may not be such great news because now it won't do you a huge amount of good to do on-line check-in unless very few, if any, people pay the extra ten dollars. Once people figure this out, many pay for Early Bird esp. at crunch times, and you've lost the advantage of quick-draw 23:59:59 online check in.

After the choice of which fare level you're willing to pay, it'll come down to how far ahead you booked the flight.

AND another update: Early Bird on return flight yielded A-24. I definitely used to do better at 23:59:59, but this suggests that anyone who didn't pay for Early Bird is now WAY down the line. As I said - not an improvement.

"<i> I definitely used to do better at 23:59:59, but this suggests that anyone who didn't pay for Early Bird is now WAY down the line. As I said - not an improvement.</i>"

I just don't get how you can say that one way or the other. What you got on another flight at 23:59:59 has no bearing whatsoever on what you would have hit on this flight . . . .

Stay with me here, janisj.

I have flown almost exactly these flights (frequent trips to same place, weekday down, weekend day back) more than a dozen times (RT each = 24 flts) since on-line check-in was instituted; and I've always been at the computer at 23:59:50 (more or less) to check in. The lowest position I ever got was A-19 once when my computer froze up on me. This time, the A-24 is the lowest position number I've ever gotten, EVEN THOUGH I'd purchased the supposed short-cut log-in via "Early Bird."

So comparing past experience on about 12 similar trips/24 flights with this trip is entirely legit. And the situation -- rules, procedures, and results -- has definitely changed.

For someone like me, it means that a passenger really doesn't have any realistic way to have much say re: position in line, unless he/she pays business-select rates. The most they can hope for is to give SW their $20 (for RT) -- and hope that whatever happens behind the curtain between 36 hrs. before and 24 hrs. before works out not too much worse than before "Early Bird" was instituted.

Of course, before on-line check-in, the people who used to get to the airport hours ahead of time to camp in front of the gate -- regardless of how many other flights were also being processed through the same gate -- could and did complain that on-line check-in worked against those without access to computers or printers. That problem eventually resolved itself back to a somewhat even "playing field" as people found ways to log on.

But the new "Early Bird" system -- the promotional cheer notwithstanding - really does re-shuffle the deck and stacks it in a way that is both "non-transparent" (who knows what goes on "behind the curtain" -- after they separate fare classes, how do they give out numbers? Date of purchase?) and, um shall we say, devious: That $10 can become almost meaningless in terms of buying any real advantage (it's cheap and potentially universal) BUT the <i>absence</i> of that $10 means you may well be SOL regarding decent seating.

I've been trying to think what kind of tweaking of the basic idea would actually be both attractive to passengers and make sense for SW. Stay tuned.

"<i>I have flown almost exactly these flights . . . . and I've always been at the computer at 23:59:50 (more or less) to check in. The lowest position I ever got was A-19 once when my computer froze up on me. This time, the A-24 is the lowest position number I've ever gotten, EVEN THOUGH I'd purchased the supposed short-cut log-in via "Early Bird."

So comparing past experience on about 12 similar trips/24 flights with this trip is entirely legit. And the situation -- rules, procedures, and results -- has definitely changed.</i>"

BUT - the main determiner is how many full fare business travelers are on a flight, so I still think you can't be that sure. I flew WN too many times to count back when I covered 22 field offices up and down California. Easily more that 175-200 flights.

I am not saying Early Bird makes sense for folks who can access a computer at 23:59. I'd never pay for that. I see it as a service for situations like mine next month when I will not have on-line access for my return flight. IMO $10 is a reasonable charge to have them get my boarding # - I'd pay twice that to not get stuck in C - which is what would happen if I had to wait until at the airport.

So it definitely serves a purpose - for those situations where it truly makes a difference. If you can check in yourself, do it. If you can't - then use Early Bird. Seems pretty straight forward to me . . . . . .

I hope it does serve your purpose, but it won't if the majority of passengers purchase Early Bird along with you. And your willingness to pay twice as much to avoid C goes right along the lines of what I'm thinking about "tweaking" the arrangement. $10 just doesn't make the difference and never will. Seems pretty straightforward to me.

Did it in August the first week it was available and felt it was worth it as I wasnt going to be around a computer at the 24 hour mark. Still got A20 and was right up front. Definitely worth the $10. Will be doing it in Dec for my flight to Florida.

janisj, your purposes seem to be getting something printed out for you when you're short of time and away from printers. For me, the issue is access to specific seating. EB works much better for your purposes than mine.

Tchoiniere, I hope it is as useful for you in "high season" going to Florida as it was in August -- but again, if freeing you from sitting at a computer at a specific moment is your goal, it could still be fine for you.

However: SW is promoting EB as offering special access to seating, overhead bins, etc. (which is also not a great idea - do they really want to encourage filling up forward bins first?) rather more than they are promoting it as a way to free you from having to be at a computer and printer at a certain time.

I still think there will be some confusion and disappointment, esp. over the holidays, as people find out that the more people there are who use EB, the less advantage it will give them.

"<i>your purposes seem to be getting something printed out for you when you're short of time and away from printers.</i>"

Nothing at all to do w/ printers. Has everything to do w/ not having on-line access to <u>check in</u>

Early Bird update:

For my Dec 1 flight down to LAX, checked in on line @ 23:59 and pulled #A 34.

For my Dec 3 return flight, I paid $10 to Early Bird since I wouldn't have any chance to check-in on line. When I keyed in my conf # at the kiosk -- waiting for a bad surprise. Well, surprise (!) <B>A 24</B>

So - - - IMO this is a service that does make sense when you can't check in on line for some reason.

You just have to hope very few others are willing to pony up the $10.

First time early bird user..purchased in Sep for Dec 11 departure. Just checked my confirmation and I don't see anything about the early bird. Yet I see on my credit card they billed me $20 round trip. Should I have received some confirmation or should the emailed confirmation at time of purchase not state such? Great post thoroughout the thread...thanks.

There's a cryptic little icon/logo on your itinerary below the boxed information (I think it's a little "eb" with a circle around it or some such, in orangy-yellow, or maybe red - my memory's not good) - that's all you'll see.

They never mention the "EB" in the emailed confirmation - all you have is your receipt. It does seem sort of a secret.

And a comment on the update, since this post is a year after my last reply and I've flown SW a half-dozen times since then. If a boarding number between A-15 and about A-30 gets you the seat you'd want, you're golden.

A-1 through A-14 are reserved for Business Select pax. And of course, if it's a continuing flight when it arrives, you have to work around pax who are already aboard who may have changed seats while others disembarked. So if there are 15 continuing passengers plus 5 pre-board/handicapped plus 5 Business Select (I've rarely seen more than about that), you may have A-25 but you'll be 30th to take your seat. Again, if that gets you a seat you like, great.

(ammojohn - by "itinerary" I mean the one that comes up when you go to the website to check your information, not what's on your emailed confirmation.)

What if you buy the early bird check-in the night before your morning flight?