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What Are the Rules?

teffe
Explorer C

I am under the impression that if you are A List Preferred, you, as well as everyone on your reservation, can board after A Group. Here’s why I ask:

I travel a lot for business and during the summer months I bring my family since my wife works remotely and my two daughters are out of school. I purchase a ticket through my business account and add my wife on the companion pass. I then use points for my daughters. Though when I check in for flights I get three different confirmation numbers, one for me, one for my wife and one for my two daughters. Even though I have three different confirmation numbers, they all get linked to the same reservation. My wife and I always get boarding passes somewhere between A16-A20, but my daughter end up in late B or C group.

What are my boarding options here? I get conflicting guidance from every gate agent I talk to.

2 REPLIES 2

Re: What Are the Rules?

dfwskier
Aviator A

I think the response you got when you posted this on the Southwest Airlines subReddit was accurate.

Re: What Are the Rules?

DancingDavidE
Aviator A

@teffe wrote:

I am under the impression that if you are A List Preferred, you, as well as everyone on your reservation, can board after A Group. Here’s why I ask:

I travel a lot for business and during the summer months I bring my family since my wife works remotely and my two daughters are out of school. I purchase a ticket through my business account and add my wife on the companion pass. I then use points for my daughters. Though when I check in for flights I get three different confirmation numbers, one for me, one for my wife and one for my two daughters. Even though I have three different confirmation numbers, they all get linked to the same reservation. My wife and I always get boarding passes somewhere between A16-A20, but my daughter end up in late B or C group.

What are my boarding options here? I get conflicting guidance from every gate agent I talk to.


Boarding after the A-Group is family boarding, which would apply if one of your kids is 7 or under. 

 

Otherwise the boarding positions are working as advertised, your companion gets checked in sequentially with your ALP status but the kids on the points tickets have to check in manually.

 

Here's how we did it just recently: I have Alist and companion pass. I bought tickets with cash for me and my wife. My wife has promotional companion pass so each kid is a companion of one of us.

 

When we got the boarding passes I was A-17, my daughter companion was A-18, my wife was A-19 booked on the same reservation, and kiddo #2 was A-20 being linked to my wife's check-in.

 

It won't work if you make a separate booking with points though, it's a different confirmation number. I'm not sure what you are referring to when you said it was "the same reservation" in that description.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Home airport MDW, frequent visitor to MCO to see the mouse.