Skip to main content

Southwest Airlines Community

EarlyBird Check-in: A Convenient Way to Travel

kkleist
Explorer C

Once again, Southwest Airlines is introducing a new product to make traveling a little easier for our Customers.  Many of you have told us how important it is to get an early boarding position so you can find that coveted seat without having to watch the clock for your 24-hour window to check in.  Today, I am excited to introduce EarlyBird Check-in - one more way Southwest is providing convenience during your travel experience.  For just $10 (one-way), EarlyBird Check-in Customers will automatically obtain a reserved boarding position before general check-in begins.  You no longer have to worry about checking in for your flight as we will do the work for you to help you get a better boarding position, which of course leads to improved seat selection and earlier access to overhead bin space. 

 

This project is one of many that we have been working on to bring you more options.  The process has been fast and furious, but with the help of several Southwest Teams, we were able to bring this new product to life in just a matter of months.  It started with just an idea on the whiteboard, but quickly went from an idea to a creative concept online that is now EarlyBird Check-in.  The fun part was coming up with the name for the product.  Check out just a few that didn’t make the final cut, and let us know what you might have called the new product.

 

  • Shotgun                                                                      
  • Leapfrog Check-in
  • Jet Ahead                                                                   
  • Gimme a Lift
  • First Dibs                                                                   
  • Jump Seat

                                                           

Of course, we continue to offer Customers our premium Business Select product, which guarantees that you will be one of the first Passengers onboard your flight—with a drink; extra Rapid Rewards credit; and FlyBy Security Lane access (at select airports) as added benefits!  EarlyBird Check-in Customers will begin boarding the plane after our Business Select and Rapid Rewards A-List Customers. For more information about EarlyBird Check-in, visit our web site: http://www.southwest.com/flight/early-bird-retrieve-reservation.html  

225 Comments
Mary_B
Explorer C
According to the website eligibility - only Rapid Reward A list members are eligible for Early Check-in not Rapid Rewards awards. If this is wrong it need to be corrected. As a Southwest credit card holder and Rapid Rewards members I feel any advantage I had of receiving awards through the points from the credit card have been nullified if I am not eligible for the Early Check-In. If it wasn't broke - why fix it? I would rather see the price for a flight rise than these nickel and dime fees. SW seems to be forgetting their market - this policy makes them "just another airline".
Anonymous4041
Explorer C
I have to agree with all the posts above that are against this early bird addition. I hope you are reading these comments. The reasons I fly Southwest seem to be slowly changing. I shouldn't have to pay $10 to try to get a better seat. What fee will be next? Hope you are listening to your customers...and I mean the families and non-frequent fliers, not the business class that flies everyday. This is why Southwest has been doing so well amongst other airlines, because families liked their way of operation.
Boo_Bird
Explorer C
I agree with others. This is a "boo bird" for Southwest. I fly them often and appreciated the simple straight forward pricing. Glad they fixed the boarding process so you don' t have to camp out. This reflects poorly on Southwest. So much for " no fees." Looks like the marketing department won. Be honest, this a fee just using "Early Bird" as a stalking horse for most people. Might as well go to assigned seating so you can play the same revenue harvesting game of the legacy carriers. Please cancel this program it is a bad idea.
Bob_Smith
Explorer C
Your starting to destroy the things that brought us to you in the first place. Low fares and everyone is the same. Now once again those with money can buy their way to the front. If you need to raise ticket prices raise them for everyone.
Heather20
Explorer C
Not a fan of this idea- I won't be using it.
Anonymous349
Explorer C
WOW!! Hard to believe their are so many complaints about this. If you want to pay it pay it, if you don't then don't!! For those of you saying you will no longer fly southwest, go ahead and pay another $300-$400 for a ticket on another carrier and then pay $50 to check your 2 bags, and another $15 to get a isle seat, oh yeah and enjoy your 4 hour layover in Atlanta I hear it is a great city!! You are on the plane such a short time does it really matter where you sit?? If it does, pay 3x's the price fly on of the LEGACY carriers and keep your fingers crossed that they do not go out of business (like Aloha, Midwest, ATA ect) before your trip rolls around!! And to the guy that said only seven travelers to a flight means Southwest breaks even, you are way off!! Just fueling a Jet of that size for an hour flight is thousands of dollars, then there is the cost to pay all of the ground crew that load your free bags, the counter folks that check in your free bags, the Pilot and flight attns, the $40 millon airplane, upkeep for the plane, the It folks that keep the system up and running so you can book and check in on line, I could go on and on!!! I have heard it is more like breaking even when he plane is 75 0/0 full that would be 102 people to break even!! I bet off season not many planes have 102 folks o them!! I will be more than happy to pay the $20- rather than another several hundred on the other about to go bankrupt carriers!! Thanks Southwest for keeping it cheap!!!
blusk
Aviator C
Mary B, Yes Award Tickets are eligible. Several of the members at the FlyerTalk web site have already booked EarlyBird for their Awards Tickets. I will share your request with Marketing Daniel Mark John. The position within the EarlyBird group is based on date/time of purchase. The first purchaser will get the lowest boarding position
Anonymous2662
Explorer C
It's not the fee that's bothersome, it's that if everyone purchases the option, then how to the boarding positions get assigned? If I bought the early-bird option 4 months before my flight, do I get a lower boarding position than someone who buys it 4 weeks or 4 days before the flight? The flight attendants will have to stop people from saving seats, too. If one person in a group of six pays the fee and tries to save 5 seats, I can see a lot of people getting very upset.
Anonymous1084
Explorer C
It has been three years since I've flown another airline domestically. Rather feel like one of the cattle or the great unwashed then pay a great deal more in fare. Your gate agents and flight crews have become less friendly. You're losing your edge with this one, your fare advantage has been steadily dropping as it is.
nsx
Adventurer C
To those who believe that Southwest should just raise fares by $5, rather than offering automatic check-in for $10, let's look at this from the standpoint of customer value. A $5 price increase costs everyone the same amount of money and does not change the perceived value of the product. Sales will decrease a little bit according to the rule of supply and demand. Some customers find online check-in easy and convenient. Perhaps they work at a computer or have a mobile device, so that they are rarely away from the computer at the 24-hour mark. Some customers don't really care what seat they get, especially for short flights. The $10 optional fee (yes, I'm not afraid to use the F-word here) allows customers in these categories to keep paying the same price, whereas the $5 price increase would cost them $5. Some customers are picky about the seat they get and competitive about getting a low boarding pass number. These people will be happy to pay the $10 fee, because it delivers more than $10 of value to them. The customers who value the feature pay for it without burdening the customers who don't. That's efficient pricing, delivering more value per dollar on average to customers with diverse preferences. Southwest began as "one size fits all", but it need not remain that way. The preceding logic applies somewhat to baggage fees, but the analogy is not precise. Checked baggage is more a necessity than a preference. Everyone I know already prefers to avoid checking bags if at all possible. It takes extra time and effort to check the bag and to retrieve it. Therefore a baggage fee would merely add a financial penalty to the time penalty. No customer value is created by baggage fees. nsx at flyertalk.com's Southwest forum
fastxn
Explorer C
Why all the complaints? You figured out how to get on board first years ago by getting in line early. Then the rules changed and you checked in on line exactly 24 hours before your flight. Now the rules have changed again. I AM NOW A PASSENGER THAT NEEDS EXTRA TIME AND/OR ASSISTANCE BOARDING!!! Just saved $10, don't have to worry about when I check in, and got ahead of BS and A listers!!! Just like taxes, when people feel they are unfair, they will try even harder to find loop holes!
jplanet
Explorer C
I applaud this idea and I think the real advantage is that it eliminates the hang-out-in-front-of-a-computer requirement for those of us who want to get a lower boarding pass number. I've had plenty of times when I couldn't be near a computer 24 hours before my flight; this allows me to pay $10 to eliminate that problem. Very much worth it!
Anonymous4362
Explorer C
Guys, Retract this fee ASAP, it is going to kill the "No Fee Zone" idea. Yes it actually adds value but it is not worth the PR nightmare and perceived hypocrisy by the public. Take it down, get rid of it, don't kill the brand, add a dollar to every fare instead. PLEASE, listen to me. Airtran and Jetblue are offering better products, your major advantage is that you keep it SIMPLE. Please consider these points.
jbshultz
Explorer C
I say "Nay, nay" to this one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I fly almost every week on Southwest. I don't feel the need to pay the $25 for Business Class to get in line for spaces 1-15. I am however able to log in for my boarding pass within a half hour of the 24hr login and 99 out of 100 get #s 16-18 (which still usually puts me 3rd-5th person boarding). Now anyone paying $10 gets in front of me?! Your response was that I will still likely be in the A boarding group but might get pushed back to 25-30? That's an iINSULT to those you just a year ago recognized with the frequent flyer treatment described above (sounds like taking away something you just gave me last year). Your plan was working fine (aside from the mistake of letting families with small children board after the A's. You had that right the first time. I know it was changed to humor business folks who wanted the first 10 rows but letting infants on first allowed the rest of us to (forgive me) avoid them. Now we get our choice seats (thank-you) but there is a good chance a screaming infant is next to us (I seem to attract them). So why the change? Just a way to make $10 (times a handful per flight? Seems a paltry amount when you risk ticking off so many of us "regulars." I can't justify another $300 a year to my company for something I've had all year (and earned with my loyalty). NOT HAPPY! Jeff
coremike
Explorer C
I have been a long time Loyal SWA passenger,I just heard about your latest fee plan. I think that is very unfair to change the check -in process. You claim to have no HIDDEN FEES what do you call charging 10$$ for early check-in. Southwest is changing and not for the better. Your airline is starting to become like all the other Airlines. Stick To low cost airfares,no frills traveling, this is what made your airlines succsessful I am a business travel who flies almost every week on Southwest, I have driven 3or 4 hours out of my way to fly SWA ,just because you don't service the cities I need to fly to. Don't make too many changes,LOYAL Customers may look elsewhere for their travel needs.
baba
Explorer C
So what is the priority of the Early Birds? Does the first to buy an Early Bird get the first Early Bird assignment (of the pool buying it more than 36 hrs before flight) ??
sandy
Explorer C
Re: Eemerald's return comment: See below my response. So I I pay for Early Bird, get on and go to sit in an emtpy seat and the person says to me "I'm holding that seat" and I sit down anyway after I politely tell them this is an open seat policy, and they get mad and start harrasing me, THEN the flight attendant will step in????? last time they sat back and didn't say or do anything just watched. I'm afraid for my own safety in a situation such as this and if the FA will not do anything, this is a cause for concern on any flight I take on SWA from now on. Will the FA help out or not? Sandy - SW has no policy in place prohibiting saving seats, so there is nothing for a flight attendant to enforce. . Passengers may sit in any available seat. If a passenger becomes unruly during boarding then that opens another can of worms. There are polite ways to handle a disagreement and we would hope that the traveling public is aware of that if they can't behave for boarding then maybe the bigger question will be can they behave during the flight. To all - feel free to sit in any open seat and a purse, computer, coat, lunch, etc. does not make a seat unavailable. ;) Eemrald — Wed, 09/02/2009 - 17:15
Anonymous2238
Explorer C
love this idea. Adds a small fee, but if it keeps them from raising ticket prices, I'm all for it. Now I don't have to mess up my schedule 24hrs before a flight, hoping to get on a hotel's computer to get a good seat.
Anonymous3448
Explorer C
Note to the guy with the roll of duct tape ... Use your $10 to buy some class! My POINT was not to be upset when you are sitting comfortably in your seat only to have me come on later and have NO choice but to sit next to you ... wouldn't you rather have us already on board and have the option to avoid us?!
Joe_B
Explorer C
I, like many others, wish southwest would go to reserved seating. Going to a computer exactly 24 hours in advance to get on-board first is absolutely annoying. Now the $10 fee to be automatically checked in is just as crazy. Now on the other hand, I travel to Las Vegas from Baltimore between 3-5 times a year. Printing my boarding pass from home is normally no problem. However, when I have to be at a kiosk machine in Las Vegas 24 hours in advance (and this is a minimum charge of $5.00); the $10 earlybird fee appears to be a nice option. I will be automatically checked in; and can print my boarding pass when I get to the airport. No more waiting for exactly 24 hours in advance in a hotel lobby when I can still be enjoying my vacation. I usually travel alone, however, when I do travel with others, I will pay the $10 fee for one person and save seats for the others.
Anonymous1738
Explorer B
Hey, it's called fair pricing and equity, something Southwest has always excelled at. Let me throw out an idea. A-group, 40 spots max, $20. B-group 40 spots max, $10. If you are a passenger who needs early boarding, or a family, pay your $20 for the premium seat which you are using. Not all seats on the airplane are created equal, thus they should be priced differently. Rather than assigned seating, your first come first serve is the way to go. A three tiered pricing system of A, B, C is easy to follow. Now, just take out a row, and have 34" of seat pitch in the front half of the plane.
Anonymous3460
Explorer C
A little torn on this one. I sympathize with those customers that feel like this is a hidden fee. However, the bottom line is that we, the flying public, seem unwilling to pay the kind of fares that allow an airline to be profitable and grow. Southwest, the most efficient airline out there right now, barely eeks out a profit at the current prices that customers are willing to pay. Think about it. Investing in Southwest stock, today, returns less to the investor than a safer investment like a Certificate of Deposit. So, since the public won't pay fares that allow for a healthy, growing business, something has to give. Southwest's hand is being forced. They need to find new sources of revenue, or they will stop growing, start shrinking, and eventually die. Make sense? Fuel is more expensive, labor is more expensive, but the public is paying the same kind of fares they did ten years ago. And, when SWA raises fares, they start buying at other airlines. So, in that context, is EarlyBird really a bad idea? It's less like a fee, because you get something tangible and premium for your dollar. Certainly beats being charged to call the 1-800 number, or paying for a checked bag, etc.
baba
Explorer C
So does it matter to be the earliest Early Bird? What are the priorities within the Early Birds, the ones more than 36 hrs early? Does the first who pays the $10 get the first group assignment? I can't find the answer to this one.
blusk
Aviator C
Baba, we have already answered your question three or four times. The latest is just abouve your first comment at 11:14
Anonymous4015
Explorer C
i am an A-lister and I would just call the program by a four letter word that begins with a C.........cuts....just like at the amusement parks. Not good SWA. Not good at all.
Travel_Writer
Explorer C
What a terrible idea, SW!!! I'm disappointed in you. This fee will only serve to send me back to the other airlines (which I had long ago abandoned in favor of YOU) that offer reserved seating. Your fares are no longer as good as they once were...and now this? By the way, I will also be giving you bad press if you do this. Hasta la vista, Baby!
Anonymous1781
Explorer C
I think this $10 fee is a really bad idea. And yes it does make SWA seem more like all the other airlines. My biggest complaint is you are paying for something and you don't exactly know what that something is. If nearly everyone pays the $10 then you may still get "B" or "C" boarding despite paying extra. And if by some chance everyone paid the $10 you would be getting nothing except a random boarding order. I liked knowing if I checked-in 23:59:59 ahead I would get a decend boarding order usually middle of the "A"s. I really think this is of very little benefit to the customers. And that what SWA really hopes is enough people will feel the need to assure they still get a decent spot in boarding order and pay the $10. Then once that happens more and more people will start paying the fee and eventually the majority of people will pay the $10 just to have a chance at not being last to board the plane. So where is the benefit in that to the customers? SWA gets an extra $10 per flight for most customers that is the benefit. So why not just charge the extra $10 per flight and leave check-in and boarding the plane as is. Our family members have been big fans of SWA for quite a while, flying them whenever possible. I always tell people to checkout SWA not so sure I can make that recommendation any more.
Matt7
Explorer C
Like the majority on here I am disappointed by this "fee". The reason Southwest has been so successful in the past and has attracted so many loyal customers is the simplicity and equality of its service. Now Southwest has added another class of passenger and made the boarding process that much more complicated; Southwest should have stuck to the KISS priniciple (Keep It Simple, Stupid). I realize Southwest needs to change and grow as conditions change but I think it will create more challenges, and perhaps loss of some customers, than it is worth to the bottom line. I will wait to personally reserve judgment until I see what kind of boarding position I get without paying the fee however. There is a really easy to get Southwest to abandon this idea follow Southwest travelers: DON'T PAY THE EARLYBIRD FEE! If hardly anybody purchases this option it will likely go away quickly, especially when travelers who do pay the fee see that nobody else is buying EarlyBird and they could have gotten a good boarding position without paying the fee.
Anonymous1427
Explorer C
Ok, the idea of some of us hovering by our computers for the 24 check in mark may be funny to some, frustrating to others, or not an issue. However, it is quite fair - everyone outside of the A-listers and those buying the most expensive tickets had an equal shot at an 'A.' We all know what the rules were. Now this optional fee feels like a gamble - how many people are going to buy the option? How full will the flight be? I'd feel stupid if I paid an extra $20 for a half full flight.
Anonymous1738
Explorer B
Southwest is the leader in the evolution of air travel. The point to point system which avoids stops at airline hubs, being one example of how air travel is adapting and becoming better. Open seating versus assigned seating doesn't address the core issue, the middle seat sucks. Boeing and Southwest can solve this by designing the next aircraft to be a twin aisle seating two, two, and two.
Anonymous2378
Explorer C
Let me start by saying I think this is a terrible idea but if SWA insists on going through with it anyway they should limit the Early Bird check-ins to the "A" boarding spots. Another words 60 people minus the number of Business Select and A-List passengers. That way you wouldn't be caught paying extra to board after the entire "A" group and families. And people checking in 24 hours ahead would have a chance to get resonable boarding spots.
flyawaymyway
Explorer C
Ok..here we go!! First of all why don't we clear one thing up first. As previously stated, there is a difference between and OPTION and a FEE. With a fee you have no choice. For example...when you purchase a concert ticket, they have a processing fee. If you want the ticket you pay the fee..there is no choice. With an option, you have the choice. If you don't want to pay for the option then don't..see that's the beauty...YOU DON'T HAVE TOO!!!!!!!! Believe me the flight attendants do an incredible job of making sure everyone is sitting exactly where they want to be, especially if it involves a family with small children. They understand it's a complicated situation and they work very hard at trying to resovle it in the best possible manner for all parties involved. I appreciate SWA thinking of ways to increase revenue, without MAKING passangers pay more should they not want to...once again hence the OPTION reference. I would rather them give people an option to pay more so SWA can make more money without laying off any of their hardworking employees. That is something no other airline can say they have done so far. Others would rather add to the increasing unemployment rate, and still charge their passangers more for an inferior service. We all feel nickeled and dimed these days...that's no secret to anyone. But let me tell you SWA still has the best service out there. I recently took another airline across the country and we had to buy all of our food and drinks on the plane. If I wanted water I had to purchase it. It was over a 5 hour flight and we were only served twice. At SWA you still get snacks and drinks for free..the lowest cost for alcoholic beverages, and service at least twice on a 50 minute fight. You get alot for what you pay..even if you CHOOSE to pay the extra $10. GOOD JOB SWA...KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.!!!!
GottaLuvCruisin
Explorer C
We paid $40 to add early bird check-in to our flights later this month. I'd strongly prefer an option to pick specific seats at a fee. And the early bird program definitely has issues in that guests aren't even assured of "A" boarding passes. But I'll pay to avoid the check-in frenzy when I do fly Southwest.
CJ2
Explorer C
Adding my thoughts...I am not a fan of this new fee...and yes it is a fee, without a specified benefit. Yes I may board early, but earlier than how many others is undefined. My concern however, that I haven't seen posted yet, is this... I pay the $10 fee for the 3 in my family to board early. However, we end up in B boarding group, as A boarding is not a guarantee. B boarding is not the end of the world. However if I am paying an "EB" fee....will families with children still board in front of me....possibly for free....between A boarding and B boarding groups??
GottaLuvCruisin
Explorer C
Asking of Southwest employees... HOW is Southwest going to deal with the seat-savers who pay for "early bird" for one or two guests then grab seats for the whole party? Please tell us that Southwest flight attendants are actually going to deal with this.
Anonymous2247
Explorer C
I recently flew cross country, one way on Delta and returned Southwest. Paid the same price each way. On Delta I paid $15.00 for baggage and had an aisle seat (no charge). They provided me with a snack and 2-3 drinks inflight. Flew Southwest back, BWI-SAN, a long flight. Was offered one cup of beverage and a snack. Now I will have to pay $10.00 to board in an early group. On a short flight, my seat position wouldn't be that important, but for over 3hours, it is. I selected Southwest on the return because of no fees. The other carriers offered better times for me at the same price, so now I have no reason not to fly them over Southwest. I will pay $5.00 more for a legacy carrer because of my luggage, but will have a seat assignment at the time I make my reservation. I understand that the airlines are losing money . Some of this is due to the economy, high fuel prices etc. but in my case, I am flying less simply because of the hassle of air travel now and all the fees that one has to pay. I plan trips where I can drive as much as possible.
Anonymous699
Explorer C
Is it any wonder ridership is down & airlines are mothballing planes? Does anyone in the industry understand customer service or long term profits, i.e. happy repeat customers??
Shawn5
Explorer C
Now you are just pretending that you do not have fees even though this is a fee. You are forcing all of us to pay $10 to get in the A Group or maybe even the B Group- the more people pay the more A spots will be taken. Southwest is my favorite airline no more.
Bill_in_PHX
Explorer C
It's clear, many of your customers don't like the EarlyBird idea. Still, I think it has value in many situations. Checking in at just 24 hours before is frequently very difficuly and sometimes even costly. The convience will serve me well. Still, I feel like I've been forced into paying the extra money just to maintain a relative boarding position which I already enjoyed. We'll just have to see how this works in actual practice. At any rate, I know that I had to fork over extra money and then just hope. And, of course, I still don't know how I'll be ranked in the final boarding order. I see you are going to rank "full price ticket" holders, who pay the extra fee, ahead of us lesser ticket holders in the EarlyBird queue without regard to time of purchase/payment. (SWA kinda hide that one in the fine print.) I know SWA is in business to earn a profit. Overall, I think you run a very good airline; best I know of ! I'm a loyal customer of many years and hope to continue to be. Let's see how quickly you can get this thing fine tuned.
Anonymous1930
Explorer C
I don't like this idea either. For the most part, everyone else has expressed my thoughts about this new fee. I will still fly SouthWest, BUT I'm not happy with the extra fee that I will have to pay if I want to have a choice in seating. I recently travelled for business and was not allowed to pick my airline. I was booked with AirTran and was so disappointed with the service and the limited space in the plane. I'm only 5' tall and felt very confined. Seats were assigned, space was limited, and I could barely fit my small carry-on bag under the seat. I paid $40 to check in two bags. Can't say I like the NEW format of the Southwest web page either. All that "white" space makes me dizzy! I'm FRUSTRATED looking at the page. The format is not user friendly and the options have changed. What's going on Southwest?
dmjm0817
Explorer C
Note to Anonymous regarding my roll of DUCT TAPE - To bad for you if you don't want to pay the fee. The fact that you would think that it's OK for someone else to put up with your kid or kids in a foul mood on board a flight is ludicrous. You're probably one of those people that lets their kids run amok in restaurants and thinks that it's OK. Well it's not. Remember your kids are cute to you but not to other people and I have no problem telling one of them to behave (or shut up) if their parents fail to do so. Better yet maybe you should drive or take Greyhound because from the sound of things you are pretty trashy. DMJ.
dmjm0817
Explorer C
I think that if SWA is going to keep this fee that it needs to be limited to only those that can get an A boarding number/group. Once all the A positions are filled up then you should not be able to purchase the Early Bird option. It should be pretty easy with technology to tell when enough people have purchased EB check-in on a flight. Then you simply close off the option to purchase it for that flight. If a record has more people booked in it than EB positions are available a message will inform them that EB checkin is only available for X number of people and let them decide if they want to purchase it or not. Paying for EB check-in and then getting a B or C boarding pass is not fair. DMJ.
blusk
Aviator C
Bill in Phx, It sounds like you are a bit confused. Yes EarlyBird positions are after Business Select (that fare has always included the prime boarding positions) and A-List (this is based on frequency of flying with us and not the fare paid.) Within the EarlyBird group, boarding is based on time/date of purchase. Brian
Sam9
Explorer C
Southwest used to be unique in the industry with fair customer friendly practices. Every quarter, we now see how Southwest is becoming more like every other airline. I know that the financial climate is tough, but if Southwest ends up just like the others at the end of this recession, they will have really lost their special niche. When Southwest decides to start charging to make reservations or change a reservation (which is bound to happen if we keep this progression), I will no longer consider them first. I'm now waiting for a new more customer friendly airline to start flying to New England.
JL3
Explorer C
Charge me for checking bags. Charge me for snacks. Please don't charge me to sit with my family (and then not even guarantee that I'll get an A). This is ridiculous, and is not the SW I used to know and love. If SW wants to nickel and dime me they could have at least waited until the new schedule came out to start this. I am flying SW in 2 weeks, and purchased my tickets months ago, and had I known I'd have to pay extra for an A (which again isn't even guaranteed), I would have just flown Air Tran. Now I have non-refundable SW tickets, and am stuck deciding whether or not to pay an extra $80 so we can try to sit together.
get_real1
Explorer C
OK Business Select is FULL FARE board in the 1st 15, cocktail and additional Rapid Reward Credit. Early Bird is all/any fares or Frequent Flyer Certificate Use with a low number automatically checked in. We have Customers already willing to pay 10.00 to get a lower number. Some folks are willing to part with the 10.00 for a lower number. This is not a fee or an added cost, it is an option for SALE. If you go to a garage sale sometimes they have an early bird special the day before, you will get 1st choice on the items on sale and usually will pay the asking price. Day two of the garage sale you will usually find the remaining items that are unsold for lower prices. Please do not confuse the Early Bird as a forced cost, it is a choice for Customers who are willing to pay a little more for something extra.
Anonymous1074
Explorer C
This so-called "enhanced" early check-in is nothing more than a disguised method of raising seat fares. Why not have some 1st class seating and allow those who can afford to pay the higher fares for two bags of peanuts, instead of one, pay the higher fares and the rest of us "cattle" cue up when we hit the computer 24 hours in advance. Southwest should pay more attention to the proper maintenance of their planes and not fool around with class structured seating. The articles that Newsday has run should be sufficient to get Southwest to recognize its responsibilities for their passengers and not to the conveniences of just a few ...PERIOD!
Anonymous1461
Explorer C
You people notice how many positive messages have names attached as opposed to those who are anonymous? In the :Your name" box, anonymous is already set. It just seems to me that many with names instead of anonymous are with either Southwest making positive statements or some out-sourced service in India or some other country also writing predominantly positive statements with a few negative ones to try to fool those of us who think their new enhanced seating policy "stinks" As far as not joining in and not paying--a great idea but if only a few pay, then SW will keep it. SW is becoming just another airline and when those of us smart enough to recognize that there is some competition and tailor our travels to accommodate that, then SW will alter its ludicrous enhanced seating policies. In many cases, the airports SW is using is inconvenient to many of us and their new changes may just be enough to push us to a more convenient air company.
tls1
Explorer C
I for one really like this idea. I've just gotten 2 RT award tickets for Oct and paid the extra money for early bird checkin. The idea of not having to try and get to a computer/iPhone signal during vacation to checkin 24 hours before my flight sold me! Let's just see what we get as far as boarding order. Fingers crossed it works!
Declan
Explorer C
I think this is a GREAT idea. There are times where I can't be at a computer to check in exactly 24 hours before the flight and for those times I'll pay the extra $10 just to ensure I am checked in and that I don't end up with C-60.