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Re: Early Bird didn't work?

dfwskier
Aviator A

@mjweber wrote:

I've used Early Bird for years and never had anything but an A position. Purchased it this time and the dreaded B48/B49. Glad it's a short flight and we aren't on a tightt deadline. No thanks, you won't get my extra $$ anymore for no benefit. I don't need to be checked in early, I can remember that myself. I'd rather have a choice of seat.


By some chance did you buy your early bird less than 36 hours before flight time? If so that could explain that high boarding position. Other than that , you may have just been unlucky enough to be on a flight with a lot of A-list passengers and people that bought EBCI before you bought yours.

 

I'm A-list now so SW checks me in automatically, but I know lots of people that check in exactly 24 hours before flight time, and normally they get pretty good boarding positions.

 

Remember  the way SW assigns boarding positions though: first to A-list followed by EBCI followed by people that check in themselves. By definition, that means you'll never get a better boarding position yourself than you would get with EBCI

 

.unless you get lucky.

 

if a person holding a good boarding position happens to cancel his/her flight at the moment you check in, then you get the best available boarding position, which in this case would be the one held by the person who just cancelled a reservation.

Re: Early Bird didn't work?

nekotakacho
Explorer C

I will never pay for Early Bird Check In boarding. You have people that attempt to cut in line. Then you have people that dont understand numbering or how that works. All the while, you are rushing to get onto a plane, and Southwest only has ONE PERSON handling tickets.

 

So if someone has a problem with their boarding pass, it holds up the line, people move/shift out of their numbered spots.

 

It doesn't matter to pay for any of this because you still have to get off the plane and wait 20 minutes for your bags to arrive.

Re: Early Bird didn't work?

Iccabailey
Explorer C

I will not pay for it again either!  Waste of money!  I am in mid B boarding and it did not check me in as it advertises.  So I missed out on doing it myself right at 24 hours prior to get better boarding.   Ridiculous!  $25 for worse boarding than could have gotten myself!

Re: Early Bird didn't work?

ID10T-error
Explorer C

@Iccabailey wrote:

I will not pay for it again either!  Waste of money!  I am in mid B boarding and it did not check me in as it advertises.  So I missed out on doing it myself right at 24 hours prior to get better boarding.   Ridiculous!  $25 for worse boarding than could have gotten myself!


Southwest does NOT advertise that Early Bird check in will check you in. Early Bird assigns you a boarding position 36 hours before your flight. You still have to check yourself in.
You would still have a worse position if you had checked yourself in at 24 hours prior. Perhaps you should read the directions closer next time.

Re: Early Bird didn't work?

TheMiddleSeat
Aviator A

A mid-B boarding position from EBCI sounds right on a lot of routes, it certainly depends on how many A-List flyers are on the flight so popular business flyer routes are going to have higher boarding positions for EarlyBird.  As noted, you're 99% more likely to get a worse boarding position without EBCI than with EBCI.

 

--TheMiddleSeat

Re: Early Bird didn't work?

chgoflyer
Aviator A

@ID10T-error wrote:

@Iccabailey wrote:

I will not pay for it again either!  Waste of money!  I am in mid B boarding and it did not check me in as it advertises.  So I missed out on doing it myself right at 24 hours prior to get better boarding.   Ridiculous!  $25 for worse boarding than could have gotten myself!


Southwest does NOT advertise that Early Bird check in will check you in. Early Bird assigns you a boarding position 36 hours before your flight. You still have to check yourself in.
You would still have a worse position if you had checked yourself in at 24 hours prior. Perhaps you should read the directions closer next time.


 

I think maybe you're confused.

 

PSX_20181001_002849.jpg

 

 

EBCI should automatically check you in and give you a boarding position before anyone else can check in at t-24. However, sometimes it fails and you are not checked in automatically, and this is discovered later, only after others have completed manual check in at t-24. I believe this may be the previous poster's point. 😉

 

When EBCI does fail (often by becoming somehow unattached to the itinerary), contact Customer Relations and they will process a refund of the fee.

Re: Early Bird didn't work?

Iccabailey
Explorer C

I will not pay for it again either!  Waste of money!  I am in mid B boarding and it did not check me in as it advertises.  So I missed out on doing it myself right at 24 hours prior to get better boarding.   Ridiculous!  $25 for worse boarding than could have gotten myself!

Re: Early Bird didn't work?

bec102896
Aviator A

@Iccabailey

 

We're the words early bird on the boarding pass? If so you were indeed checked in automatically. There is no limit to the number of EB check in purchases so there could be 50 people on a flight that buy early bird check-in which would put people in the B group. if there were no A List people and you were the first person to buy EB on a flight the best position you could get is A16 but most flights have at least 1 A List passenger and the more A Listers the further back EB people go 

 

-Blake

Re: Early Bird didn't work?

chgoflyer
Aviator A

Yes, as noted, you should check your boarding pass -- if it says "EarlyBird Check-In" then everything worked as it was supposed to.

 

Unfortunately, EarlyBird does not guarantee any specific position or boarding group. In addition to the reasons others here have suggested for receiving a relatively bad boarding number even after paying the fee, be aware that positions are assigned essentially in order of purchase, so if you added EarlyBird close to your departure date you'll be at the back of the EarlyBird group. 

 

If it did work correctly, even with a undesirable position, you are still very likely ahead of where you would have been had you checked in manually at t-24.

 

If your boarding pass does not say EarlyBird Check-In, then it didn't work correctly and you are due a refund of the EarlyBird Check-In fee. 

 

 

Re: Early Bird didn't work?

LuvTravel
Explorer C

Early Bird was wonderful years ago, but now I feel it's going the same way as the "Express Pass" at Disney.  You feel the need to purchase it for even the chance of a decent seat.  It would be a great service to SW customers if SW allowed visibility to how may EBCI passes have been purchased for your flight to help  determine if it's worth the fee.  That being said, I purchase early bird for nearly every flight and I still love SouthWest.  The EBCI might be a bit greedy, but at least it's not hidden fees to pick a seat or bring a bag or get a beverage and snack while in flight.