SW If you want to sit with your kids

[Lisa F]

I've spent almost my entire life bending over backwards to accomodate other people's wants. At 44 years old, I'm done doing that. If that somehow offends you, not my problem.

lol I'm the same age so I totally get it. After being a doormat my whole life I will now stand up for myself and what I want. It's liberating to be this age.

I think the point is that while the OP maybe didn't necessarily know what this particular story was, I'm still not sure why someone boarding last should be able to expect to bump someone who paid for EBCI.

I have had a flight canceled and been bumped from my A boarding group to C. I took my lumps and sat in my middle seat (without my boyfriend who was in another middle seat). Crap happens. If it is REALLY a situation where someone NEEDS to sit with someone else (not just really really wants to) then the airline had better step up and make it right and not put it all on the shoulders of someone to volunteer. A couple of free drink coupons might be all it takes to convince someone to volunteer. But asking someone to give up their seat just because? People are within their rights to refuse.

And I have shown plenty of compassion for people in my life but that doesn't mean that every single time I have to be the one to do it. There is a plane full of people. If you have no volunteers then sweeten the deal til you get one. That's the way it should work. No making someone feel crappy for not wanting to fly in discomfort.

 

[kaytieeldr]

One time I moved so two friends could sit next to each other and ended up next to someone who literally would not shut up, even after I put headphones on and made it clear I didn't want to talk. Always a risk you run, but I felt good about letting the other people be happy.

Yeah, I once switched from F1 to C1 so the man in that seat could be right with his family instead of across the aisle. Never again! Woman in B1 was up every freaking ten minutes, walking in place, doing knee bends, etc. Five hours! On the redeye!!I

Never again!

 

[pixiedustedme]

I find most of this humorous... I think we had just over 50 flights last year...Yet, when we fly, I have never seen these issues come up at all. Everyone boards, some get stuck in the middle seats but everyone seems to be fine. Not saying things do not happen from time to time, but we just have not seen them. Reading these posts makes it seem like the norm.

If you fly 50 flights in a year I'll assume it's mostly for business. Most of the posters on these boards fly primarily for vacations. The family vacation-heavy routes to & from Orlando tend to have different issues than the business-heavy routes elsewhere. More families wanting to stick together while simultaneously pinching pennies, more couples not wanting to be separated, more novice passengers not well-versed in flight etiquette altogether.

 

[pixiedustedme]

I've spent almost my entire life bending over backwards to accomodate other people's wants. At 44 years old, I'm done doing that. If that somehow offends you, not my problem.

This. Are you my doppelganger, by any chance? I'm also 44 & have spent most of my life (very willingly) being a caregiver. When I'm on vacation, I want a break from setting aside my own wishes in order to accommodate everyone else's.

 

[goofy4tink]

Guys....everyone is entitled to their opinion. Many are making decisions based on incorrect info though. There is no longer a 'cattle call' for SW boarding. It's very organized with no gate lice!!! If you're in the A group, when they announce boarding, you get up, go to the appropriate spot for your boarding number. Then board. I find it almost relaxing!! I do wish they would limit family boarding though. Some airports will allow the entire family to board together in family boarding. Others allow just the parent with the properly aged child. If there is just one parent with several kids, then they allow them to board together. But this whole family of 7 boarding together (mom, dad, a 6 y/o, and 2 teens and grandparents) is nuts!!!!

I pay for EBCI when I'm by myself many times. I can't be bothered worrying about being online at the 24 hr window to check myself in. I figure that SW doesn't charge me for checked bags...paying for EBCI is cheaper than paying for checked bags!!! As for not being able to sit with your family, well, I guess it depends on how big your family is, and how many seats together you're going to need! I have seldom seen families split up on SW. Now, Delta?? Yeah. They put my 11 y/o dd on an entirely different flight than me!!! Talk about splitting us up!!!!!

I wish they would too. I had no idea there were people paying for EBCI who were boarding after families and not finding good seats.

It would be nice if they allowed one adult per under 6 child and if you want to raise your chances of sitting together, you have to buy EBCI like everyone else.

Also I kind of wish if the point was to allow young kids to not have to sit alone with a stranger that they would march all of the families straight to the rear of the plane and fill in all available seating from the back rather than letting them all have the prime seating that they did NOT pay for in the front. It only seems fair to me... I can see accommodating them to sit together but not also in the best seating ahead of people who paid extra for it.

That would make me very happy. It is beyond annoying to pay for EBCI, get a B slot, and then have a family of 8 get to board together before the B group. And they have just one child that qualifies for family boarding. If SW adhered to their policy, many people would be a lot happier. I sometimes feel that those of us without young children are being penalized!!!!

 

[Magical2017]

GIf SW adhered to their policy, many people would be a lot happier. I sometimes feel that those of us without young children are being penalized!!!!

Yes, I agree about adhering to the policy. We have seen Southwest say that two adults can board with children and everyone else has to wait. Then they allowed people to save seats, so what is the point? We used family boarding before, we have paid for early boarding, and we have done regular boarding. The rules are never the same, whether we fly to MCO or other destinations. DH and I have also moved to accommodate families. I don't really mind because I like Southwest overall and don't care where I sit on shorter flights. For longer flights we might use a different airline.

 

[Huff]

I've flown SW for years and never paid for EBCI. I've never once had trouble sitting together. I've always gotten an A or mid B boarding pass.

 

[rigs32]

No one has mentioned one reason the SW boarding process can go faster than legacy airlines - baggage fees!

When you can check two bags for free on SW, I cannot remember a time when the overhead bins ran out of space. Other airlines that charge for checked bags, it’s a race to grab that valuable space.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

No one has mentioned one reason the SW boarding process can go faster than legacy airlines - baggage fees!

When you can check two bags for free on SW, I cannot remember a time when the overhead bins ran out of space. Other airlines that charge for checked bags, it’s a race to grab that valuable space.

No it's not really baggage fees. You actually hear from some peole that people seem to carry more carry on luggage with them. IDK if that's more ancedotal or not.

And yes they do run out of overhead bin space. "We're looking for about 10 passengers to gate check their bags any volunteers would be appreciated" is something I've heard several times before Boarding even started. They do that proactively based on the number of passengers. A completely full flight means you won't have room for everyone's carry on luggage (especially large carry on luggage) or the people who put their personal item in the overhead bin.

While not scientific in nature (as in repeated studies) if you have a chance you can search YouTube for Mythbusters episode that they tested this.

Somehow it just tends to be quicker. IDK if it's just people can spend less time trying to find their seat location based on their ticket or if it's just because they can more quickly decided what seat works better for them or if it's for some other reason.

 

[rigs32]

I fly SW a lot. Companion pass and all that. I cannot recall a single flight in the last several years where there’s been a call to gate check items and most flights are pretty full. Why carry items around with you when you can check them for free?

Though that can always vary by route

 

[disneyeveryyear]

We had a flight from BOS to STL today on SWA. We were all boarded with nothing but middle seats left when the FA got on the intercom to announce that we had a mother boarding with 5 daughters and needed to get seats together. She did indicate that adult beverages would be provided. When they actually boarded, it was mom, dad, 4 "walking" daughters and an infant in a carrier. There were quite a few people who gave up their seats so I think the entire family got together in the back of the plane.

I don't know if they had a late connection, if they showed up late, or what. I do know that I had not seen them in the gate area prior to boarding.

DH and I were seating in aisle seats across from each other. If things had gotten ugly, I would have moved to the middle seat between DH and window seatmate, but luckily it didn't come to that and I had an empty middle seat next to me.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I fly SW a lot. Companion pass and all that. I cannot recall a single flight in the last several years where there’s been a call to gate check items and most flights are pretty full. Why carry items around with you when you can check them for free?

Though that can always vary by route

It happens. Can't recall each and every flight that it happened on but it does. Of course your experience can vary. My husband who has flown a ton as well has never experienced passengers bickering about a saved seat but he know it happens somewhere on some flight lol.

As for why carry items around when you can check them for free there's a variety of reasons and a variety of situational reasons. We don't check a bag for each and every flight. Depends on where we're going, how long, excess time spent, space in vehicle, expected activities, etc.

Everyone is different and has their own preferences.

 

[pixiedustedme]

Why carry items around with you when you can check them for free?

Because having SWA misplace your bags, and also misplace the bags of several other passengers on the same flight, and having to get in line to report the problem, and then having to wait a day or more for SWA to finally get your luggage back to you...is not everyone's cup of tea.

 

[mcall12]

I fly SW a lot. Companion pass and all that. I cannot recall a single flight in the last several years where there’s been a call to gate check items and most flights are pretty full. Why carry items around with you when you can check them for free?

Though that can always vary by route

I fly often for work. Used to be weekly I’d be out Monday-Thursday. It’s less now but still 1-2 times per month. Regardless of the airline, I never check a bag. Even if I’m on southwest at most I have my backpack and a small roller bag that goes in the overhead. I don’t usually have breathing room on these trips such that I can afford to risk lost luggage. At this point I have my packing down to a science. When I fly certain legacy airlines I get everything into a backpack that fits under the seat so I don’t even have to battle for overhead space. It also now extends to personal travel. So even when I fly SW, which is often my airline of travel when flying to WDW with my family, I never have a checked bag. I have been on many SW flights where they ran out of overhead space.

 

[goofy4tink]

I've flown SW for years and never paid for EBCI. I've never once had trouble sitting together. I've always gotten an A or mid B boarding pass.

It depends on where you're flying to. I didn't pay for EBCI on my last SW flight, PVD to MCO. I completely forgot to check in at the 24 hr window..missed it by an hour or so. I ended up in the last B slot! Won't do that again. When I book my flight on the late side, and add EBCI, I tend to get put in the mid-B group. The last time I had an A slot was when I decided I wasn't willing to remain in my B30 slot and paid $40 to upgrade to A2!

With more and more passengers paying for EBCI, the slots for non-EBCI people is getting pushed further and further back. And with people plopping down in a seat, and then putting their coats/bags on the other seats in that row, it's making it hard to pay for EBCI when non-EBCI passengers can board after you and have their seats in the front of the plane 'reserved' for them. Yes, I can take any non-occupied seat, and SW will not get involved. They will stand there and say that if a seat doesn't have a body in it, you can take it. BUT....if you try to sit in that window seat, that has a jacket on the seat, you're in for a fight. The FA will not intervene.
SW would be wise to enforce their family boarding policy....one child, one adult, unless there are other kids that would have to board alone. But most certainly not mom, dad, the 3 y/o, the 3 teens, aunt/uncle and grandparents!!! Or mom and dad with a child that is more than likely over the age limit by a year or two and his siblings!

 

[jo-jo]

I'm not sure who posted about having every EBCI go on first wouldn't work. Don't the boarding passes indicate EBCI? I would think it would be easy to see in the system that EBCI goes from A-1 to B-8. We'd like to board A 1-60......We'd like to board B-1 to B-8. Now have family boarding.

 

[Lewisc]

Family boarding is designed so families with young kids can sit together. That goal wouldn't be achieved if 2/3 of the plane boarded first.
SW could just limit the number of EBCI sold, but they rarely do.
Most of us have no problems working with the SW boarding process but there are valid reasons why some people prefer assigned seats.

 

[goofy4tink]

I'm not sure who posted about having every EBCI go on first wouldn't work. Don't the boarding passes indicate EBCI? I would think it would be easy to see in the system that EBCI goes from A-1 to B-8. We'd like to board A 1-60......We'd like to board B-1 to B-8. Now have family boarding.

I don't believe your boarding pass shows the EBCI if you paid for it. There is just no way to know. I have no issues with family boarding between A and B. I just wish SW would adhere to it's policy...one underage child with an adult. As I said, there are circumstances that come along that would mean more than that would board together. But not the entire extended family.
Same with medical preboards. I'm tired of watching large families boarding with Gram in her wheelchair. SW says one person to help the medical preboard.

 

[Searc]

I don't believe your boarding pass shows the EBCI if you paid for it. There is just no way to know. I have no issues with family boarding between A and B. I just wish SW would adhere to it's policy...one underage child with an adult. As I said, there are circumstances that come along that would mean more than that would board together. But not the entire extended family.
Same with medical preboards. I'm tired of watching large families boarding with Gram in her wheelchair. SW says one person to help the medical preboard.

I just checked my digital boarding pass from my SW flight on 3/23 and it does not show I had EBCI. It shows TSA Pre, my name, and flight info.

 

[goofy4tink]

I just checked my digital boarding pass from my SW flight on 3/23 and it does not show I had EBCI. It shows TSA Pre, my name, and flight info.

That's what I thought...thanks.