BUSINESS SELECT IS NOT WORTH IT

[MWS]

.... AND, YES, a family of 5 with 2 adults in what appeared to be their 40s, and 3 children, aged approx. 10, 12, 14 years old ALL pre-boarded ahead of our A 1 & 2 position last Sunday on the 3:55pm PVR - SNA flight #764. The 'father' then HELD 2 more seats in the 1st row for 2 more family members to board later on. I asked to sit in the seats (left side, front row) and he said he was holding them for his family who were boarding from the back of the plane. In Puerto Vallarta on this particular flight, they were boarding from front and back, on the tarmac. 

[davenola]

Business Select used to be a great deal, but its no longer worth it due to the ever-growing number of scammers pre-boarding by claiming a need for pre-boarding at the gate. Southwest policy is that people who need extra time boarding are boarded after the A and before the B group, but this policy is not being followed.  Fit people who just want to board early are scamming the system. These are people who have no trouble quickly going up and down the jetway and can handle their heavy bags.  One way to control this would be to have people who board early with no mobility issues deplane last so that they can be assured of getting the "assistance" they need in deplaning and no one is in their way.  As it stands now, there is no reason to pay for business select when anyone who wants to board early just says so and boards ahead of the A group.

[SoCalFlyer97]

I currently do not use the Business Select fare but take advantage of one of its key perks a-la-carte. The fare benefits combined are all nice and when all added up, likely worth it for some...but here are my reasons why I haven't used this fare yet based on my travel needs and patterns:

• Refundability - Not needed as the flight credit will eventually be used. With WGA+ Fare, I can also transfer the credit.
  
  
• A1-A15 Boarding Position - My favorite perk of this fare but I buy a-la-carte if my 24-hour mark check-in boarding position ends up in the late B or worse. If it looks like that the flight will be full based on fare availability at the 24 hour mark, I may opt to buy the Upgraded Boarding right at the 24 hour mark too as all the A1-A15 slots sometimes sell out by the time of boarding. 
  
  
  
  Yes, sometimes the front of the plane already appears to be filled with people (through-travelers and pre-boarding group) before the A1-A15 group gets on, but even with this factor, I've always saw plenty of individual window and aisle seats on the front half when I do Upgraded Boarding. To be fair, group seats may still be tough to find in the front at this point, but I've noticed these are plentiful in the back for the A-group.
   
• Premium Drink - Sorry, folks! I'm a bit boring here. No alcohol consumption for me on the plane as I can't be sleepy during ground transportation on both ends.
  
  
• 12 TQP Rapid Rewards Points per $1 - I may consider should I near A-List or Companion Pass by points and need a point boost to cross into the tier before the year is up. May consider if this ever happens...
  
  
• Fly By Priority Express Lane - Haven't used...yet....as I'm a carry-on only and use the PreCheck Lane to go through TSA. That being said, my choice may end up costing me one day should I ever win the lottery for a random TSA screening that will land me in the general screening line but that hasn't happened yet. May also consider if I have an International flight via Southwest on a busy travel day and need to finish check-in at the counter but haven't done that yet.

Add it all up...WGA+ and Upgraded Boarding (if necessary) are my picks but everyone's needs are different.

[floridaguy]

We've discussed preboarding so many times I'm surprised that there isn't a category of its own.

Under Federal law, The Air Carrier Access Act, if you self-identify as a person with a disability you preboard.  That's the law.  In fact, you can do acrobatics all the way to the gate, self-identify as an individual with a disability, preboard, then withdraw your claim.  Since the claim does not renew for each subsequent flight, it must expire somewhere but the law is unclear.

Anyone who challenges your "disability" is leaving themselves open for legal action.  That includes other passengers who harass or otherwise attempt to shame those who self-identify with a disability.

I would be in favor of an ID card or placard similar to parking in handicap zones if the law eventually goes there.  However, that is not likely to happen anytime soon.  

This is a unique situation with Southwest.  Other airlines have assigned seating and you can preboard to your assigned seat.  On Southwest, you preboard AND get the best choice of seats.  That's a perfect storm.  However, it is not the fault of those that preboard.