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Southwest Airlines Community

Early Bird Check-In Cost

AtomB
Explorer C

I have paid for early check-in when I fly SW. I usually pay $25 each way. I noticed early bird check-in can be $15 to $25 per flight. What is the difference between the $15 and $25 fee?

2 REPLIES 2

Re: Early Bird Check-In Cost

TheMiddleSeat
Aviator A

Much like how airfare is priced, the cost to purchase EBCI varies based on historical demand for that particular route and other factors.  It's a set price for a flight, you won't have an option to purchase either a $15 or $25 EBCI for one particular flight.

 

--TheMiddleSeat

Re: Early Bird Check-In Cost

TheMiddleSeat
Aviator A
Solution

Took me a minute to find the rest of the details.  According to a story from when the new pricing plan was introduced, here's how it is determined:

 

The pricing “will depend on a combination of two factors: length of route and EarlyBird demand on that particular route.” Prices will remain the same on any given route and “will not change by day of week or time of day.” Although, Southwest notes that it may “update pricing in the future based on route popularity and as the product continues to evolve.”

 

https://thepointsguy.com/news/southwest-is-switching-to-dynamic-pricing-for-earlybird-check-in/

 

--TheMiddleSeat