Southwest's new boarding process

[Detailor]

Southwest announced a new boarding procedure today -http://www.southwest.com/help/boardingschool/ - in which they hope to do away with the early line up in the A, B and C lines and re-ordering when parents with small children board.

In the new procedure, which is expected to go into effect in early November, has people boarding as follows:
1) pre-boards limited to people with disabilities and unaccompanied minors (ages 5 to 11)
2) those with A boarding passes
3) one parent from a family with a child of four years old or younger (except for those with A boarding passes) - this starts on October 2nd.
4) those with B boarding passes
5) those with C boarding passes

Additionally, the number on the boarding pass that indicates the order in which you received your pass now means something in terms of boarding order. The Southwest gate agent will call passengers by their letter and a group of numbers so there will no longer be an advantage in getting to the airport excessively early and sitting down in the A row, etc.

Dick Taylor

 

[talkamotta]

Many dont like the way SWA boards but I do.

If the kids board first I can plan by attack better. Let all the kids sit up front with each other, make new friends, whatever.

I will sit in the back with the other sleepy adults. :zzz:

On the return trip from OGG to LAX on Delta, I loved that little boy that is just big enough to kick my seat. He was just the right height.

 

[bogey21]

I like the open seating and this will improve it. The only bad part about it was the standing in line and this eliminates that. This favors the computer literate, those who can get their boarding pass up to 24 hours in advance. and that should include all of us.

GEORGE

 

[JoAnn]

I just bought tickets to Chicago's Midway on Southwest and noticed on my reservation a note about being able to get our boarding passes 24 hours before hand...so I will try that. BUT....I will not have access to a computer the 24 hours prior to our return!! unless I can find one at our motel, or somewhere else.

 

[Htoo0]

When I saw the title of this thread I thought for sure it would include a dress code inspection!

 

[theworm]

I just bought tickets to Chicago's Midway on Southwest and noticed on my reservation a note about being able to get our boarding passes 24 hours before hand...so I will try that. BUT....I will not have access to a computer the 24 hours prior to our return!! unless I can find one at our motel, or somewhere else.

Use your PDA/Blackberry or surf via cell to mobile.southwest.com and check in that way; REPRINT your boarding pass @ the airport; your group assignment is determined by your checkin online time, not when you reprint at the airport, with or without luggage.

But please don't tell anyone else.

 

[JoAnn]

Use your PDA/Blackberry or surf via cell to mobile.southwest.com and check in that way; REPRINT your boarding pass @ the airport; your group assignment is determined by your checkin online time, not when you reprint at the airport, with or without luggage.

But please don't tell anyone else.

Well, IF I had a PDA/Blackberry I would try that, but, alas, I do not have one, and probably wouldn't know how to use one if I did . They were talking about this over on Fodor's, so if I can get my SIL to do it on her PC, then we'll be fine...but it's their son's wedding day and I think they'll be very busy. But I'll try.

 

[PerryM]

I love the Opera...

Use your PDA/Blackberry or surf via cell to mobile.southwest.com and check in that way; REPRINT your boarding pass @ the airport; your group assignment is determined by your checkin online time, not when you reprint at the airport, with or without luggage.

But please don't tell anyone else.

I love the Opera Browser that I use on my Sprint Treo - it is just fantastic. Now if they just made a fantastic printer the size of a cell phone...

 

[senorak]

JoAnn- ask the front desk clerk at your motel/hotel if they can check you in for your boarding pass. I've done that several times when I didn't have a computer or laptop in my room. The only time that they weren't able to do that for me was the Nob Hill Inn in SF....but they directed me to an internet cafe down the street.

Deb

 

[jlwquilter]

Seniors & Children Can't do Online Check-in

I bought my eldery dad a roundtrip ticket on SW - he flies in this morning as a matter of fact. I bought him the Internet Special tickets as they were cheaper than the Sr. fare. I also signed him up for Rapid Rewards.

Seniors and children have to show proof of age to confrim eligibility for the reduced fare rate and therefore can't do early check in online.

I went to check him in on-line yesterday. Despite buying the NON-Sr. fare, SW wouldn't allow the check-in. I can only guess that they even know he's a senior due to the link to Rapid Rewards...?? While in this case, as he's also handicapped, I told him to talk to the agent and ask for a pre-boarding pass (which he did and was pre-boarded) so it's sorta a non-issue. However, if he was elderly and not handicapped and I bought the regular fare, I would NOT be happy to not be able to check him in early and get him into Group A.

So... I am sharing this experience to 1) let you all know so you can plan accordingly if needed and 2) is there a way around this that I don't know about?

 

[JoAnn]

Yes, we have Senior Internet Special tickets...but I'll see what happens when I try to get the boarding pass on line Monday morning. Thanks for the information! I'll let you know what happens when we get back the 30th.

 

[jlwquilter]

Yes, we have Senior Internet Special tickets...but I'll see what happens when I try to get the boarding pass on line Monday morning. Thanks for the information! I'll let you know what happens when we get back the 30th.

Good luck! I hope that you can get it to confirm and then can tell me how you did it.

My dad got in fine - in fact a few minutes early. He said the flight was great - how many times do you hear that these days?!

 

[John Cummings]

I just bought tickets to Chicago's Midway on Southwest and noticed on my reservation a note about being able to get our boarding passes 24 hours before hand...so I will try that. BUT....I will not have access to a computer the 24 hours prior to our return!! unless I can find one at our motel, or somewhere else.

Many motels/hotels have computers available for their guests free of charge. Some also have kiosks where you can print out your boarding passes for free. Usually the kiosks are actually nothing more than direct access to airline's web site. The have access to just about every airline. I have also had the front desk print out my boarding passes.

 

[Sandy]

I was once frantic to get an early boarding pass from a hotel and I could not do it through their front desk or the business office which was closed. So I went to an internet cafe, but the printer was down.

Lo and behold, I discovered that I only had to check in to get "A". It did not matter that I could not print the boarding pass until I got to the airport.

So, this eliminates any future worries about printing, all you have to do is check in. I can even do it for my mom when she travels from another city by checking her in here on my home computer! She then gets the pass when she arrives at the airport.

 

[mtwingcpa]

I guess I don't understand why they don't do away with the "groups" entirely and simply go with numbered boarding passes ??? Or maybe they are working toward that objective ???

 

[John Cummings]

I guess I don't understand why they don't do away with the "groups" entirely and simply go with numbered boarding passes ??? Or maybe they are working toward that objective ???

Southwest is not the only airline that does group boarding even though the seats are assigned.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

I was once frantic to get an early boarding pass from a hotel and I could not do it through their front desk or the business office which was closed. So I went to an internet cafe, but the printer was down.

Lo and behold, I discovered that I only had to check in to get "A". It did not matter that I could not print the boarding pass until I got to the airport.

So, this eliminates any future worries about printing, all you have to do is check in. I can even do it for my mom when she travels from another city by checking her in here on my home computer! She then gets the pass when she arrives at the airport.

You can always print the page, then select "fax" as the printer. Then you fax the boarding pass to the hotel where you are staying. I've done this often when I'm traveling and I need to get a document printed while I'm in a hotel room.

If you don't have fax set up a printer option, you can add it from the Windows setup option.

 

[Sandy]

Steve,

Thanks for that tip. Good to know.

You suggested: "You can always print the page..." What I was referring to was the situation where I did not have access to a printer at all. Sometimes it happens.

Checking in is all that SW requires. They will assign A group and I (or my mom) can get the actual pass at the airport check in.

 

[Passepartout]

We've been in the highway when it dawned on us that we hadn't checked in and of course have no smart phone or Blackberry. Both kids are IT professionals and as such were at their desk with a connected computer. We simply called and had eldest son check in for us and we were able to 'reprint' boarding passes at the airport.
Having connected offspring is handy but any friend or possibly co-worker can do this for you.

Jim Ricks

 

[Rent_Share]

I like the open seating and this will improve it. The only bad part about it was the standing in line and this eliminates that. This favors the computer literate, those who can get their boarding pass up to 24 hours in advance. and that should include all of us.

GEORGE

If you buy it within 24 hours (or claim a senior discount as the less than diplomatic gate agent assumed) there is no checking in on line or through the Kiosks - They are required to manually check your ID and you may get the personal touch from TSA

 

[John Cummings]

If you buy it within 24 hours (or claim a senior discount as the less than diplomatic gate agent assumed) there is no checking in on line or through the Kiosks - They are required to manually check your ID and you may get the personal touch from TSA

That is not true. I am a senior and fly frequently on Southwest. You can get age verified which will allows you to check-in on-line the same as everybody else. To get age verified with Southwest, you simply send them a copy of your driver's license and Rewards number. If you don't have a rewards number, you can get one on-line for free. You should allow a couple of weeks at least for them to process your age verification. Once that is done, then you will be able check-in on-line or through the kiosks.

You can call Southwest to get the mailing address to send your stuff.

Southwest gives the best deal for seniors by far of any airline. You get a fully refundable unrestricted ticket for a cheaper price than their cheapest discounted restricted ticket.

 

[roadsister]

Ok, I'm not quite getting this new check in sparing you having to get in line early......

If you print your boarding pass at home and it says A15.....they call A1 through A30... do they line you up from 1 to 30? Or do you stand in line anyway so that you will be the first one on in that category.....or are they going to put you in numerical order within that category???

 

[Rent_Share]

There are three stalls (note the livesock reference - pun intended) A, B, C when they call A all of the A's board in the order they lined up.

What they have done is give A's priority over family pre-boards (the interpretation of who quailfies for a family preboard is as precise as their new passenger dress code)

This rewards their loyal customers by giving them priority over anybody with kids who bypasses the check in priority

You need to be an astute frequent flyer, ie checking in on-line at the 24 hour window to score an A boarding pass.

I actually like USAir's (America West) new zone boarding where it is assigned by zone (priority still given to elite frequent flyers) they board the window seats before the center seats and then the aisle seats to minimize the disruption fm when the passengers do not arrive in the row in the same order. It confuses the infrequent traveler who cannot figure out why they are in different boarding groups yet sitting next to each other, if they could just figure out how to get a full crew, to a mechaically sound airplane and take off on time.

Tucson to Ontario Californa 9 hours - After refusing a connection that included TUC/PHX/LAS/ONT with a travel time of 11 hours

 

[bogey21]

That is not true. I am a senior and fly frequently on Southwest. You can get age verified which will allows you to check-in on-line the same as everybody else. To get age verified with Southwest, you simply send them a copy of your driver's license and Rewards number.

You may not have to do even that. I have been a Rapid Rewards member for like ever. I called the other day to see if I should run over to the airport and get age verified. They checked my account and it was already done. So if you are a Senior Rapids Rewards member, I suggest just calling SW to see. You may be ok already

GEORGE

 

[Icarus]

I just bought tickets to Chicago's Midway on Southwest and noticed on my reservation a note about being able to get our boarding passes 24 hours before hand...so I will try that. BUT....I will not have access to a computer the 24 hours prior to our return!! unless I can find one at our motel, or somewhere else.

Apparently, you will be able to check in by phone also.

-David