I'll be travelling to Fort Lauderdale in April and will fly Southwest. Its my understanding that they don't issue you assigned seats prior to check-in. I'll be travelling with my children 7-3. Realistically how far in advance should we arrive for check-in. Our flight is at 7:05 am on Palm Sunday and the return flight is 8:05 am on Good Friday. Thanks for any help. Happy Holidays

Go to Iflyswa.com and print your boarding passes the night before. That will put you in the first group to board.

Print your boarding pass online 24 hours in advance of your flight. (Follow the link with your confirmation email.) I'd say after that, one hour arrival will be fine. You will get to pre-board since you have kiddos.

Thanks, is there any chance that they would assign scattered seating?

Southwest doesn't assign seats at all prior to boarding. They divide passengers into groups, and it's first come first served - pick your own seat. If you check-in 24hr in advance online, you'll get in the first group, which means you can all sit together.

Since you've got children under 4 you'll be "pre-boarded" before even the first "A" group gets aboard.

I fly SW all the time. Be there 2 hours prior to flight time. Print your boarding passes the day before (they allow 24 hrs ahead). With kids you can pre-board but it's a good idea to have boarding passes in hand before getting to airport.

Check in online and print out a boarding pass 24-hrs. before your flight, so you will be in the "A" group (there's "B" and then "C").

At the airport ask about being part of pre-boarding because of your kids, which trumps even the A group.

There are no assigned seats given out, so as far as sitting together you just need to get on the plane as early as possible with one of the two methods above, and sit down quick!

As another poster said, you will be able to pre-board with a three year old. Don't worry.

Ignore all the advice to get there really early or that you need to do that to sit together.

Old folks, handicapped and small kids don't have ANYTHING to worry about. No need to get there hours early. In fact you don't even have to check in from home (though that is still a convenience and time saver, and you should probably do it)

Even if you WERE the last to check in and got group C, you could still pre-board in front of everyone else.

I agree with Janisj - except the part about not checking in from home. If by some chance the flight is overbooked and you show up without a boarding pass, you might be out of luck. So print the passes, and then get there no more than an hour early. With kids, you don't want to be waiting in an airport for a long time before you board. You WILL be a preboard and will get to sit together.

I agree and said as much . . . though that is still a convenience and time saver, and you should probably do it

oops. Hit post too soon. My main point was -- all this talk about one having to be in Group A doesn't apply to anyone who qualifies for pre-boarding.

One more thing about SWA and preboarding. I flew in September with my 93 yo grandparents. Age alone was not enough of a disablilty to let us preboard. It took a lot of schmoozing to get the gate agents to let us board with the disabled/small children group. The fact that my grandmother is nearly deaf and walks v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y and my grandfather is showing signs of the onset of dementia and is physically feeble weren't considered disablilties according to their rules. The outbound gate agent was very understanding and didn't give me much trouble, but the gate agent on the return flight made me put grandma in a wheelchair to board with the early group. (no problem until grandma loudly announced to everyone as she was wheeled down the jet way "Honey, I don't need this. I can just walk." I have traveled with my kids when they were little, and believe me, this was far more difficult. The elderly should be able to board with the early group.

I disagree with Janis about getting to a/p early -- I travel frequently and you never never know about security. There are times when the lines are a mile long and other times you can breeze through. Allow enough time for "problems", it is the wisest thing to do. Having kids with you is no guarantee you will get through Security fast.

OK - I guess some people read my info as talking about the Airport -- I was merely talking about the WN (Southwest) counter. There is no need to worry about one's boarding group whne they can pre-board.

How early to get to the airport is a totally different issue - and depends on the airport, day and time of the flight, etc. The OP is flying through Ft Lauderdale during Easter week so my guess is the security lines could be very long.

I disgree with "kmpordagee" about elderly autmatically getting pre-boarding passes. If there's a health problem, then sure, otherwise wait like the rest of us.

that's not nice at all.. i'm sure you get annoyed if an elderly person is walking too slow in front of you.

Okay, this can go on and on...what is "elderly"? What is "Disabled" If someone thinks they meet the criteria for early boarding then they can ask for it.

My H had surgery on his ankle in Jan and in June we flew SW. He felt the need for an aisle seat so he could stretch his leg out. There was no dr. note or disability diagnosis - just his feeling that is what he needed. We asked for pre boarding and got it immediately. I've been behind a man who was probably 6'9" who got to pre -board because he was so tall and needed the exit row. He told someone else sitting near him that he always asks for and recieved pre-boarding.

I don't know...On flights w/out assigned seats, I'd get more annoyed when mobile elderly people or a healthy young couple with one baby get to preboard and take good seats, especially if I'd gone to the trouble to plan ahead!