Another Southwest Airlines Early Bird Question
 

Have not flown on SWA since the mid-1980's and at that time there was no "early bird" etc.

I know how it works for the first flight but my question is: does it carry over to any connecting flights or are you at the mercy of how soon you can get to that connecting flight gate?

Thanks very much.

It carries over to connecting flights assuming you get to the gate before they begin boarding. I really like the early bird option and utilize it alot.

Exactly the information I was looking for, Tchoiniere and thank you very much for responding.

Did anyone see the story about the guy that was allowed to board early but his 2 kids were not? Once he was on the plane he tweeted about it. He was dragged off the plane and had to delete the tweet before he and the kids were the last ones on.
He says that SWA has lost a loyal customer.
The gate agent now controls who gets on the plane and when not the TSA.

tom-I read that article. The guy had priority boarding I think as an A list member. Obviously his kids wouldn't have that status but he wanted them to be able to board when he did. Now I agree that Southwest handled it poorly and obviously shouldn't have taken him and his kids off the plane. I'd be furious, too.

But, why couldn't he just board with his kids? I certainly would never expect my kids to be able to board ahead of time with me unless that was their boarding number. Seems like he wanted some extra special treatment. Again, Southwest did handle it in a terrible manner. Not sure what that has to do with the TSA.

You don't threaten an A-list passenger with arrest and drag him off the plane just for tweeting.
I did have a bad flight once where a disabled passenger was in the aisle seat and was loaded on at least 10 minutes before I got to my window seat. The woman in the long dress did not say a word during the whole flight and I had to climb over her again at the end of the flight. Luckily, I did not have to use the restroom during the flight.

Exactly what was the purpose of "tweeting about it?"

Both the A-list passenger and the gate agent were angry. He tweeted something to the effect that "The customer is always right" We'll never know because the gate agent had to watch him delete the Tweet in exchange for letting him back on the plane with his kids and not being arrested.
I like the system where they load the rows at the back of the plane first and the First Class last right before closing the door.

Just another example of an "entitled" person. If he wanted his kids to board in the "A" group, he should have paid for the Early Bird Boarding. If he had a problem with the gate agent, he should have taken it up with Southwest Airlines, not social media.

Keep in mind that Early Bird doesn't always guarantee you really "good seats" which of course varies by passenger.

The seat are 1st taken by through passengers. Then the new passengers get on and the boarding #/positions goes thru various levles: Business Select, A+ Preferred, A List Preferred all get higher boarding #'s. Then Early Bird #'s get assigned positions. And the sooner you pay for early bird, the better your spot in the assignment line.

I fly on SW almost monthly and unless I absolutely can't check in within 20 -24 hours, I never use Early Bird. We have always managed to get decent seats.

I used it last week when I was in Canada, in transit to Boston for a SW flight home. I would have not been able to check in until several hours past the initial check in time. I got A30. I was still able to get my preferred seat.

Tom-I did agree that SW shouldn't have dragged him off the plane for tweeting. Main reason was because he tweeted the agent's name. Probably not a smart thing to do on the part of the passenger but it was a overreaction by SW.

However my assertion was that he created the whole situation by demanding his kids board with him instead of him just getting in line with his kids at their designated number.

Families with kids get to board after group A but before group B, even for the entitled.

Dukey, if you have early bird you can print out your two boarding passes each with a boarding number anytime after 36 hours before the flight. These boarding numbers will not usually be exactly the same because it depends on the factors listed by Debit above.
I always get it because I like to sit on the aisle in one of the first few rows and I don't have to remember to check in at 24 hours.

I might also add, that getting a low B number isn't all bad. Since all the families with kids have boarded, I can chose not to sit near them (I did that enough when I had to with my own kids! LOL!)

As several of you have pointed out: the term "decent" is subjective.

The Tweet thing is so unbelievable; why not just grab a megaphone and shout it to everybody as if that is going to rectify anything.

Since they've offered Early Bird, if you don't have it and check in exactly 24 hrs ahead, you'll probably get a B group. Yes decent is a relative term and it also depends where your flight is coming from and heading. Often the plane is already half full of ongoing passengers when you board. I see that often.

I liked it better when families with small children got to board first for that very reason, Deb!!

>the company compensated him with a $50 travel voucher, he says. But he wants more.<

This is what confuses me.........SW compensated him, but he wants a public apology for publically humiliating the gate agent? Quite honestly, in her place, I'm not sure I'd be very willing to give a passenger I perceived as hostile MY last name either. He had her first name and last initial, the gate number and the flight number~all the information he needed to file a complaint with her employer. I'm not excusing her behavior if she was rude, but I think his behavior is awful.

It was smart of Southwest to make him delete the tweet. Too bad that didn't also prevent the Today Show, CNN, Facebook, and who knows who else from broadcasting that tweet.

I don't know about Southwest, but with United, USAir, and American, when one of us has priority seating, the companion is included ( although admittedly that may not be for two.

I fly SW a few times a year and have never encountered a plane half full on boarding. Not saying it doesn't happen, but rare.

The later in the day that you board a SW flight, the greater the chances that there are lots of through passengers, add in all the groups I listed ahead of the average flyer, and a half full plane isn't unusual,especially of you are mid B boarding assignment.

I do generally fly early in the day. meant though that I have not seen half full planes before any boarding. They would of course be half full by mid B boarding as almost every flight we take is fully sold.

Southwest reminds me of bus or train travel, where some passengers get off and others stay on. You see this frequently flying from smaller cities where there are already passengers on board from a previous city "A" who are continuing on to another one "C" and don't get off in "B."
Flying first thing in the morning where the plane has been parked at your departure airport overnight helps to eliminate this situation.

>have never encountered a plane half full on boarding.<

I haven't, either; several times, I've been one of those "through passengers," and it doesn't seem like there are ever more than 15.

Sorry for the hijack, Dukey~I hope your original question got answered!

When I flew last SW (in June), the flight I was on must have had one or two stops before it reached my departing airport. I checked in for the flight EXACTLY 24 hour before it departed, and my number was C30! It was clear that a lot of through passengers were on that plane--at least half or more of the plane. I've never seen it before, but it clearly happens. (And, yes, I ended up in a middle seat, but it was only a 3 hour flight.)

As was already answered, it does carry over to your next flight and I like the early boarding a lot! It is so nice to be able to find an overhead bin close to where you choose to sit! DH and I both like isle seats so with early boarding we are always able to find isle seats across from one another with bins overhead! I find it's worth the 12.00pp charge.

I had an early bird boarding pass that I paid for. I was bumped from my flight and was told that my early bird pass would not be good for any of the other flights I was moved to. They told me when I complained that an early bird pass is not good for any connecting flights anyway. This was in April 2012.

Last time I used early bird, Dukey, I chatted with a lady who merely checked in at the 24-hour point, & was a couple of spots ahead of me in line. Might have been a fluke, but I haven't bothered with the early bird since. The cost is so low, though, you can hardly go wrong.

First they board the A passengers (60 of them), then they board people with special needs or small kids (some of whom seem pretty big), then come the B's. That's where I usually am, and if you're traveling alone there are individual seats available up front, or if you are with someone there are usually quite a few seats available together in the back. I pity anyone ending up as a C.

I never pay for early bird and check in 24 hours ahead of time. I almost always get a high A number.

I almost always get a high A number.

Either you haven't done it in a long time, or you're not flying on a popular route.

I usually get low A, high to middle B. Only twice have I gotten C boarding; once, I still got a decent seat, the other I was in a middle seat in the back of the bus. I survived. :)

I flew to Boston in May. I do have the SW app on my phone.

<i>First they board the A passengers (60 of them), then they board people with special needs or small kids</i>

"Secial needs" [formerly blue sleeve/card holders] go on first.

And can bring a companion.

Because my dad walks with a cane, he gets the "blue card" boarding, and they allow my mom to board with him.

I always pay for Early Bird if the 24 hr mark is some very inconvenient time for me to be on the computer, or if I'm on vacation on that date (ie returns) and won't have easy access to one. I don't travel with a computer and the 24 hr mark is sometimes not a time I can get online. Even if you get on exactly at 24 hrs, you often don't get the A group due to some people with perks, I guess. But you would get at the top of the B group. If I can check on 24 hrs in advance, you usually get in the B group. Either is fine, I think if you are in B you can always get an aisle or window, at least I have. The fee is minimal to me for the convenience. I'm always surprised at the people who are too cheap to pay for it only very long flights (short ones, I can see) of 5 hrs or so and then complain about being in a middle seat -- I've been next to such people. Or some moronic couple who complained because they couldn't sit together due to that (boo hoo) and it was a 4-5 hr flight. That was when it only got $10, also.

I'm surprised at someone who says they only checkin 24 hrs online and always get a "high" A number, which I presume doesn't mean 60 but 1-15. This has never happened to me, maybe it's the routes I fly. IN fact, numbers 1-15 or so are often empty, so doesn't matter. But I usually get at least 30 or more, even if I checkin exactly at 24 hrs. Which works for me, I get the seat I want with any A or low (not high) B number.

The Early Bird certainly does carry over to all your boarding passes for your flight, you get them all at the same time, after all (either print yourself or get them at the airport for your first flight).

When I said I get a high A number I do mean 54-59(that is a high number) 1-15 is a low number.

Has anyone flown SW to San Jose, Costa Rica from BWI since they started this non-stop service?

Don't count on too many people scrolling through 35 entries to answer your question as it has nothing to do with the topic--Early Bird program on Southwest Airlines.

If you really want to know about this new service to Costa Rica, you should start your own thread.

I am debating whether to purchase for flight from Michigan to Chicago and then onto to LA. My husband and I want to sit by each other and he wants a window seat. Given these two things are important to us, it is worth the extra $30 each way?

Even with Early Bird being paid, there is no guarantee as to where you end up in board line. IF you are on the same reservation, it is likely that your numbers will be sequential but no guarantee. IF you have separate reservations; you can end up several #s apart which means you board differently.

The easiest thing to do is for whomever has the earlier boarding # goes to the BACK of the plane and gets the window seat. Then the second person goes back there and sits in middle seat [which most likely not get filled until very end of boarding]. IF someone wants that middle seat before the second person gets to it, the first person can say - " My wife/husband is sitting there."