Priority Boarding when traveling as a companion

[asabeck]

I was sent a message back in June concerning a new policy that allows a person that is A-Listed to have their companion board with them.  When I speak with the customer service agents by phone they tell me that is the policy, but when I go to the gate there seems to be confusion about it.

I try to work it out with the gate agent while my wife is not there.  I have asked customer service to send me something, but they tell me they are not able to email from their computers.  Can someone tell me how I can get a copy of this policy so that I can show it to the gate agents?

[elijahbrantley · Accepted solution]

I just want to clarify the policy as it can be confusing...

If you are A List with a fellow traveler on the same reservation/booking as you, they will get a boarding position with you and can board with you. It is automatic. Here is the language: “...you and all Passengers included on your reservation will receive priority boarding which means Southwest will automatically reserve a boarding position 36 hours prior to the flight. You and Passengers on your reservation will still need to check in within 24 hours of scheduled departure to retrieve your boarding passes. Some restrictions apply.“

If you are talking about your Companion Pass companion, that is different and does not fall under this policy. Companions (for CPs) are technically booked on a separate reservation (different conf #), so they will have the check in separately and get their own boarding position.

My wife and I fall into the CP category. I board in my better A List Pref boarding position and hold a seat for her. If her boarding position is particularly “bad,” we use an upgraded boarding credit from my Chase Southwest Premier credit card so that we are closer together. 

I hope this clarifies. 

[aMomTo6]

I had actually wondered about this too. I have a CP and had a similar misunderstanding of this policy.  Thanks for the clarification!

[RySA20]

This is still a point of confusion between the customer service folks on the phone and the gate agents. 

My wife is traveling with me as my companion. She has A-list and I was told 5 times on separate phone calls that I could board with her AND that I would automatically be checked in. 

Neither happened. 

I wasn’t automatically checked in like I used to be when I was A-list. Then when we get to the gate the agent kicks me out of line and won’t let me board with her because he says we are not linked and CP holders are not able to board together. 

I called an agent On the phone as I went back to my B position and again was told they were incorrect at the gate and I should have boarded with her. 

Apparently a new memo or notice was sent out last week regarding CP and A-list boarding together and I should have been allowed to board. 

I’m not angry or anything, just annoyed a little that the message is not clear. 

[elijahbrantley]

Interesting. You guys have a unique situation in that you hold the CP without A List status but your “companion” has A List. 

there could be something that had changed, but it had always been that CP holder and companion do not board together. 

Furthermore, I would assume that if there had been a policy change made and communicated that there would have also been a tech/system update that would have accomplished the new policy automatically. 

A quick DM to the social email team would get you “official” confirmation. 

And hopefully we will indeed see an enhancement to the policy soon!

[MKKuehner]

I am an A list Preferred client with a companion.  My tickets have  been booked on the same time on the same travel Itinerary.  I'm traveling tomorrow my seat is A-17 my companion is A-57.  The booking is not automatic putting the seats together.  It also seem the gate managers are unaware of this policy.

[TheMiddleSeat]

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@MKKuehner wrote:

I am an A list Preferred client with a companion.  My tickets have  been booked on the same time on the same travel Itinerary.  I'm traveling tomorrow my seat is A-17 my companion is A-57.  The booking is not automatic putting the seats together.  It also seem the gate managers are unaware of this policy.

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The policy does not say you will receive consecutive boarding numbers, only that you will both receive priority.  Here's the working from further up in this thread, "...you and all Passengers included on your reservation will receive priority boarding which means Southwest will automatically reserve a boarding position 36 hours prior to the flight. You and Passengers on your reservation will still need to check in within 24 hours of scheduled departure to retrieve your boarding passes. Some restrictions apply.“

Since you both received A boarding positions either the system worked as designed or there are so few people flying on the flight that you both got A positions without the system working as intended.  In this case it's impossible to know which of these is true.  If you had checked in at the last minute and you received an A position and your companion received a C, then you would know the system was not working.

--TheMiddleSeat

Edit: I originally read the question stating "same itinerary" as being the same confirmation number. Re-reading the question I now believe you were referring to a free companion ticket holder flying with you, but that person is not on the same confirmation number. In this case there is no priority boarding benefit. As I note below, and as said earlier in this thread, there's a loophole in the process that does not give priority boarding to those flying free as a companion because they are not on the same confirmation number. 

[MKKuehner]

I guess my confusion came when I received an e-mail saying that my companion could board at the same time as me because of Covet -19.  this seems to be know by some people at the gate on not with others.  if you read the other clients posting I am not the only person that seems confused over this policy.

[bbland]

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@MKKuehner wrote:

I guess my confusion came when I received an e-mail saying that my companion could board at the same time as me because of Covet -19.  this seems to be know by some people at the gate on not with others.  if you read the other clients posting I am not the only person that seems confused over this policy.

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I’m A-Preferred & have companion pass. I never got that email & southwest told me the system doesn’t allow a companion to get consecutive boarding with you, which is what is supposed to happen with someone on your same reservation.  It’s crazy. Their best clients & we don’t get the perks. 

[TheMiddleSeat]

Companions booked via a companion pass are not on the same reservation/confirmation# as the companion pass holder and thus, unfortunately, do not receive the priority boarding benefit. It's a loophole in the benefit, a negative loophole that Southwest has not yet been able to fix.

--TheMiddleSeat