A-List Newbie

[DJ_Ran]

Hi gang, new to the forum and new to the A-list which I'm totally unfamiliar with so I have a couple questions.  I'm I no longer required to purchase early bird check in for my flight being I'm now on the A-list which I believe gets me priority boarding?  My wife always travels with me via the Southwest Companion pass.  Will she also be able to board with me as an A-lister or do I still need to purchase early bird boarding for her and check her in separately ?  Anything else I should be aware of? Thanks in advance.

[TheMiddleSeat · Accepted solution]

A-List flyers get assigned a boarding position 36 hours prior to the flight, just like EBCI, but A-List is ahead of the line so you will have better positions than you did with EBCI.  The system will not allow you to purchase EBCI so you don't even have to worry about it.  A very good, but unannounced perk of A-List is that a companion flying with an A-Lister is supposed to get a sequential boarding position so you don't even need to get EBCI for them.  I have not personally been able to test this out, but enough people have shared their experiences with it that it seems to be fully implemented now.  If you happen to purchase a last minute flight or for some other reason do not get an A boarding position, you can board at the end of the A group (A61).  If you add a companion less than 36 hours before departure they will not get the sequential boarding position because you miss the early assignment so they would need to check in at 24 hours prior to get a boarding position.  They could also purchase upgraded boarding at the gate if desired.

--TheMiddleSeat

[parpitt1]

I can confirm the sequential companion pass boarding for A-list, they started this last year some time and it is a much appreciated perk for me when my wife travels with me

[gsking]

Don't forget same day standby.  Great perk with A list.  It might not work so well with your companion, if at all. Maybe on flights with many open seats.

[aMomTo6]

@gsking- regarding same day standby,  your companion doesn't get that benefit if you choose to use it while traveling using CP.

[gsking]

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@aMomTo6 wrote:

@gsking- regarding same day standby,  your companion doesn't get that benefit if you choose to use it while traveling using CP.

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Right.   That's why I said it doesn't help with full flights. 

But if it's an empty flight,  they will give you the seat... then you can add the companion. 

[elijahbrantley]

Welcome to the club!

[SWFlyer007]

It seems like it has been covered here by everyone.  No, no more early bird purchases, you get most of the time on in a good boarding position, but I've been as far back as A-51.  And a YES, to my companion gets the very next boarding number when I'm checked in.  The big deal for me is that I don't have to check-in, SWA does it.  But I most of the time do so anyway 24 hours before just in case.  

[jksobonya]

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@DJ_Ran wrote:

My wife always travels with me via the Southwest Companion pass.  

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Confused by this - doesn't it require more flights/points to get Companion Pass than it does A-List or A-List Preferred? How does your wife "always" travel with you on a CP yet you have never been A-List before?

--Jessica

[TheMiddleSeat]

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@jksobonya wrote:

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@DJ_Ran wrote:

My wife always travels with me via the Southwest Companion pass.  

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Confused by this - doesn't it require more flights/points to get Companion Pass than it does A-List or A-List Preferred? How does your wife "always" travel with you on a CP yet you have never been A-List before?

--Jessica

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Credit card spend.  You can easily earn CP without ever boarding a plane.

--TheMiddleSeat