Is early bird worth it?

[clarkg83]

I was just wondering if early bird is really worth it? I'm sure factors vary depending on flight time and location. Has anyone gotten a good boarding position without it(assuming you checked in right on the 24 hour mark)? I'm flying from Tampa to Ohio. 

[dfwskier]

EB only guarantees two things

1) you don;t need to worry about checking in to get your boarding position

2) You will get a better boarding position than everyone that manually checks in

Whether or not you get a good boading position by checking yourself in is a function of

1) Destination -- places like Vegas and Orlando increase your risk

2) Time - spring break and holidays increase your risk

3) How close to EXACTLY 24 hours to boarding you check in -- seconds matter

Can you get a good ( A or low B) boarding position yourself? Sure. Whether you do or not depends on the factors listed in my second paragraph.

[DancingDavidE]

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@dfwskier wrote:

EB only guarantees two things

1) you don;t need to worry about checking in to get your boarding position

2) You will get a better boarding position than everyone that manually checks in

Whether or not you get a good boading position by checking yourself in is a function of

1) Destination -- places like Vegas and Orlando increase your risk

2) Time - spring break and holidays increase your risk

3) How close to EXACTLY 24 hours to boarding you check in -- seconds matter

Can you get a good ( A or low B) boarding position yourself? Sure. Whether you do or not depends on the factors listed in my second paragraph.

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I'd add #4 that what people think is "good" varies quite a bit as well - are you trying to make sure you don't get a middle seat - yes it will probably do that in most cases. Are you only happy with a window seat? Maybe but you may be towards the back. Only happy with exit row? You'll probably be unhappy unless a middle seat exit row is okay.

So it all depends on what you want it to do. If you just don't want to be bothered to check in right on time, or maybe you are in the middle of a standup routine right then...

[clarkg83]

Yes, I want a window seat. To be honest I've never sat in the aisle seat lol or middle lol

[buzzchris]

It's a hit and miss. I recently had EB on both sides of a rnd trip. I got A44, and A41. I got my EB several months in advance. My wife got the regular 24 hr check in and got A31 and A33.  !!??

[DancingDavidE]

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@buzzchris wrote:

It's a hit and miss. I recently had EB on both sides of a rnd trip. I got A44, and A41. I got my EB several months in advance. My wife got the regular 24 hr check in and got A31 and A33.  !!??

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And just to clarify your wife isn't A-list?

[buzzchris]

my wife is not an A-list. Doesn't even have a rewards account.  I forgot to mention, this is the second time this has happened within a year. It was explained to me by a SW agent on the phone that this happens when someone with a lower number cancels and the next person to check in on line gets that number. The agent said this is very common.   The words "hit and miss" actually came from the agent on the phone.  

[DancingDavidE]

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@buzzchris wrote:

my wife is not an A-list. Doesn't even have a rewards account.  I forgot to mention, this is the second time this has happened within a year. It was explained to me by a SW agent on the phone that this happens when someone with a lower number cancels and the next person to check in on line gets that number. The agent said this is very common.   The words "hit and miss" actually came from the agent on the phone.  

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That does happen probably once per flight on average I wouldn't be surprised - call it 1% of the time - the scenario is that an A-list member has a flight booked and forgot about it, or else is considering to change their flight. Gets assigned position at the front, notifications go out reminding them, then soon after - but not immediately - cancels or changes their flight. 

Then that numbered position is open, so in your case if you checked in exactly at T-24 and also the A-list members were reminded then and one or more cancel/change, then your wife checks in later could in theory get that position.

But there isn't any way to guarantee that, it is unfortunate that it rewards a later check-in.

The problem is the boarding stations all have the fixed 30/60 numbering so they can't just keep adding numbers at the end as you'll get into the D-list or need more than 60 C-spots. (I'm not sure if an -800 or Max aircraft might already go to higher C-numbers if no one buys Business Select then you need a few extra numbers for a full 175.)

If Southwest had a D-list then they could keep adding people to the end without filling in the gaps.

[clarkg83]

Yes, I feel like it's probably my more about luck lol. 

[StAugustine]

I often get EBCI for two reasons:

(1) I have an early flight and don't want to have to be ready to check in at 6AM the day before I leave and/or

(2) I don't have to watch the clock on my last full day of vacation to check in at T-24.

It's worth it to me for those reasons but your mileage may vary.