Kevin Kleistso's 09/02/2009announcement promises the following when paying an extra $10.00 for EarlyBird Check-in:
- you can find that coveted seat without having to watch the clock for your 24-hour window to check in
- customers will automatically obtain a reserved boarding position before general check-in begins
- this help you get a better boarding position, which of course leads to improved seat selection and earlier access to overhead bin space
- EarlyBird Check-in customers will begin boarding the plane after our Business Select and Rapid Rewards A-List Customers
I spent the extra $10.00 to purchase the Early Bird Check-in option for a two-leg flight today from New Olreans to Baltimore. I bought this online yesterday morning. My husband traveled with me, but decided to wait until the 24-hour mark to get his group boarding pass. I received an A-24 boarding position on the first leg of the flight while my husbamd received A-27. On the second leg, I received A-34 while my husband got A-17. Southwest certaintly didn't live up to its promises to provide a "reserved boarding position before general check-in begins,"and "EarlyBird Check-in customers will begin boarding the plane after our Business Select and Rapid Rewards A-List Customers" on the second leg; and the two-position improvement on the first leg was clearly not worth the extra $10.00 I paid. So, I feel that I received little, if anything, for the extra $10.00 I spent.
An added note: when I complained to the person at the airport SW checkin counter, she said "I have been telling peopleit is not worth it. Just write Southwest a letter of complaint."
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