Southwest Rapid Rewards - Earlybird Purchase

When I bought my ticket it offered me to include EarlyBird checkin. So I did but its my second SWA flight in over 10 years so any advice? I check in as normal at T-24 but is that it? I get to bard early?

When I bought my ticket it offered me to include EarlyBird checkin. So I did but its my second SWA flight in over 10 years so any advice? I check in as normal at T-24 but is that it? I get to bard early?

It doesnt get you a lot. You do not need to check in T-24, it automatically does it for you T-36, so basically you get a 12 hour jump start. It will get you a lower boarding pass number is all.

When I bought my ticket it offered me to include EarlyBird checkin. So I did but its my second SWA flight in over 10 years so any advice? I check in as normal at T-24 but is that it? I get to bard early?

Depending on the route EBCI is often a good purchase. As the previous post stated, it checks you in before T-24 so that is not a worry. You line position will be after the A-list passengers but before anyone that did not buy EBCI.

Other than that there is a lot of variability to the process on how much it helps to secure a good seat. The most obvious one is the number of Business Select and A-list passengers that are ahead of you, and that can be a lot on some commuter-type flights. There may also be people from the previous flight already on the plane. If you are curious about this you can always take a look at the boarding screen or ask the OA at the jetway. In the center of the country, throughs can be very significant. The worst I have seen is 44 but I have read reports of 60. 10-20 is more typical. I was on one flight where I was the only through and there was a crew change. I was by myself for a minute or two.

If you get in the B boarding group, families with small children, 4 YO or under, will board in front of you.

You may also have to compete with line breakers and seat savers, but you should not have to.

You should go ahead and check in before you get to the airport. Print your boarding pass if you can, but you can always do this at the airport even if you have already checked in. My last flight I was one of the last 15 to check in for a full flight so I did not get a boarding pass until I got to the gate. It was only a small hassle but one to avoid.

EBCI will likely not get you an exit row that have more leg room, but it increases the odds significantly of not getting a middle. All of the seats are pretty much the same except the row in front of the exit row may have limited recline and the window seats in the first four rows are a bit narrower.

My last 8 flights this month have all been early bird. I typically cannot do t-24. My range for this block of 8 has been from A25 to a high of A45. YMMV.

My last 8 flights this month have all been early bird. I typically cannot do t-24. My range for this block of 8 has been from A25 to a high of A45. YMMV.

8 flights/month, and no A-List status? Are all your flights booked non-revenue?

I fly as Mr. drooley's companion on his CP. I generally buy EBCI on my inbound flights, since when traveling, we are usually out and about and I don't want to worry about checking in at T-24. I find the EBCI to be worthwhile and the $10.00 well spent.

On my outbound flights, I don't bother. I'm able to check in at T-24 from home and my boarding number is usually pretty decent. I fly out of OAK.

Even if you can check in at T-24 for one of your legs, you can't check in at T-24 exactly for all of your legs if you have an itenerary with connections. So isn't EBCI better (for the second leg) if you check at what T-24 is for the first leg, and isn't it beter (for the first leg) if you check in at what T-24 is for the second leg?

(If you check in at T-24 for the first leg, WN "guesses" at a sorta-good-maybe boarding number for any subsequent legs covered by the same check-in. But you certainly do not get first grabs at A31+ on the subsequent legs the way you might on your first leg.)

(If you check in at T-24 for the first leg, WN "guesses" at a sorta-good-maybe boarding number for any subsequent legs covered by the same check-in. But you certainly do not get first grabs at A31+ on the subsequent legs the way you might on your first leg.)

:confused: There is no need for guessing. When you check in for a flight with a connection you are issued a BP for both legs. At that time, all EBCI boarding positions have already been reserved. You will be behind those folks but ahead of the pax originating at your connecting station.

Well at T-24 today I got A24, same plane with a connection. I'm assuming thats pretty good.

Well at T-24 today I got A24, same plane with a connection. I'm assuming thats pretty good.

That's great!

Since this is your second flight in 10 yrs... the boarding process has changed to a more civil 3 boarding groups and an A group is much desired. EBCI increases that likelyhood with the one exception being a through flight with many through passengers.

That's great!

Since this is your second flight in 10 yrs... the boarding process has changed to a more civil 3 boarding groups and an A group is much desired. EBCI increases that likelyhood with the one exception being a through flight with many through passengers.

How true. I preboard and recently had to take a seat past the wing because of the number of through passengers.

If it's a long flight and you can't be at your computer at exactly t-24, I would pay the extra $10. I have managed to get an exit row in the past but they were flight originating out of DTW where I was lucky enough to snag a number in the teens with only a couple BS customers. If you are flying out of a city where WN has a big presence and there are a lot of a-listers or if it's a continuation flight with a lto of throughs you probably won't be lucky enough to get an exit but should still keep you from getting a middle seat.

If it's a short one hour flight, I don't think it's worth it. One other thing to keep in mind is if you are connecting and have a tight connection and your first flight is late you could end up at the gate when they are boarding the C-group.

Im currently at 40,000 ft @ 415 kts. In seat 11E which is great to me. Its the only 2 seats together on this bird. It was supposed to be a 737-300 but was changed to a 737-700. First leg was less than 60 seats filled, second flight every seat is filled, LAX to SEA with a stopover in OAK, with no plane change.

:confused: There is no need for guessing. When you check in for a flight with a connection you are issued a BP for both legs. At that time, all EBCI boarding positions have already been reserved. You will be behind those folks but ahead of the pax originating at your connecting station.
It had read otherwise (but can't recall exactly where offhand), and what I've experienced seemed to match what I'd read otherwise more than what you just said. Every time I've checked in for a connecting flight at T-24, I get something like A-32 on my first leg, and A-49 on my second leg. Is it always because my second leg happened to have way way way way more EBCIs than my first leg??? Or it is always because my second leg happened to have a bunch of people who had an earlier first flight (and thus their T-24 was earlier than my T-24)???

And how am I, in turn, able to get A-32ish on my first leg, if it's not the first flight of the day? You'd be thinking someone who's connecting to my flight would get A-32ish and I'd end up with the A-49ish, but no, it's always my first flight I get the lowest number on.

Btw, if you could really get A-32ish on every leg of a multi-leg itenerary at T-24 of the first leg, then it would seem everybody could be gaming the system by booking an unnecessary extra connecting leg simply to get an earlier T-24 time! Ie, instead of my flying XXX-YYY, book it as WWW-XXX-YYY, then check in a T-24 for WWW-XXX and by your theory I should get an even better boarding number on XXX-YYY (than if I had booked only XXX-YYY and thus had to wait for T-24 for XXX-YYY). But I've never heard discussion on FT of this scheme before...

Or it is always because my second leg happened to have a bunch of people who had an earlier first flight (and thus their T-24 was earlier than my T-24)???

This.


it would seem everybody could be gaming the system by booking an unnecessary extra connecting leg simply to get an earlier T-24 time! Ie, instead of my flying XXX-YYY, book it as WWW-XXX-YYY, then check in a T-24 for WWW-XXX and by your theory I should get an even better boarding number on XXX-YYY (than if I had booked only XXX-YYY and thus had to wait for T-24 for XXX-YYY). But I've never heard discussion on FT of this scheme before...

That's because it won't work. Your reservation will cancel when you don't board at WWW.

Oh I meant to say that on the connecting flight OAK to SEA during pre-boarding, a guy walks on what appears to be his wife. She sits in row 9 while he proceeds back to row 12 (exit row) where the FA confronted him and said he could not sit there as a pre-board passenger needing assistance. He needed to find another seat to which he walks back another few rows still sitting away from his traveling companion which I do think was his wife. I was surprised by both actions his and the FA's.

My situation:
Flying BOI-DEN, 2.5 hr. layover, then DEN-SAT with my wife in Oct. This flt is the last one of the day ex-BOI, arriving SAT at 10:45pm.

-Would it make sense to buy EBCI just for me and then I save a seat for her (probably a window/middle or aisle/middle combo)?

-If I don't buy EBCI and then do OLCI at T-24 (easy for me to do) will both flights have a similar priority, say high A or low B?

-If I don't buy EBCI and then do OLCI at T-24 (easy for me to do) will both flights have a similar priority, say high A or low B?

Passengers connecting from the Eastern Time Zone could precede your OLCI with theirs by up to 6-7 hours.

Passengers connecting from the Eastern Time Zone could precede your OLCI by up to 6-7 hours.

Good point. So would you recommend I buy EB for one, or both, of us?

Good point. So would you recommend I buy EB for one, or both, of us?

EBCI works.. Seat savers are generally hated on FT and if push comes to shove it might not work.

EBCI works.. Seat savers are generally hated on FT and if push comes to shove it might not work.

I don't think saving a middle seat would tick anyone off, do you? :)

I don't think saving a middle seat would tick anyone off, do you? :)
Depends which middle seat. Exit row, probably. Toward the back, probably not. But, who knows. Depends on the flight load, if other passengers want to sit together but you are saving a seat and when your companion boards.

If we both buy EBCI is there any guarantee we will have similar boarding #s?

How do most couples assure that they can sit together?

No guarantees with Southwest boarding, even if you are BS A1! That said, if you both pay for EBCI, you will most likely both get A group numbers and easily get a window-center or aisle-center combo with little drama. Even the center (leg room) exit seat(s) stay empty deep into the B group on many flights.

I'm A Preferred, my wife is my Companion, and we still pay for her EBCI to minimize the drama

My situation:
Flying BOI-DEN, 2.5 hr. layover, then DEN-SAT with my wife in Oct. This flt is the last one of the day ex-BOI, arriving SAT at 10:45pm.

-Would it make sense to buy EBCI just for me and then I save a seat for her (probably a window/middle or aisle/middle combo)?

That's what I would do. Save a middle in row 13-17 and you shouldn't have any trouble.

If we both buy EBCI is there any guarantee we will have similar boarding #s?

How do most couples assure that they can sit together?
When I buy EBCI, on principal I buy it for my whole party. But, when I don't buy it, I just make sure I check-in at T-24. Never had a problem.

Seems like the folks that are the most worried about SWA's open seating are the folks that don't usually fly SWA. It really isn't anything to be concerned about as long as you check in at that magic 24-hour mark. And if you don't want to worry about that, buy EBCI.

After your trip, please let us know what you did and how it works out.

Well I bought both tickets at the same time. And the early boarding. In the way down we were A-35 and A -37. Now going back we are A 21 and A 44

How's that?? I got a lane excuse from the GA that its because everyone is checking in at once. I explained it was ECBI and its automatically checked in.. all she did was repeat herself. I told her that was a lame excuse and left the podium

I know, I should have taken the dale Carnegie course way back when ....

Well I bought both tickets at the same time. And the early boarding. In the way down we were A-35 and A -37. Now going back we are A 21 and A 44

How's that?? I got a lane excuse from the GA that its because everyone is checking in at once. I explained it was ECBI and its automatically checked in.. all she did was repeat herself. I told her that was a lame excuse and left the podium

I know, I should have taken the dale Carnegie course way back when ....

Perhaps the people getting checked in ahead of people who buy ECBI are the same people who manage to buy up all the concert tickets 1 minute before they go on sale.

I have not flown WN in several years, so have a couple of questions about EB purchase. It does cover all legs on a flight with connections, right? My upcoming flt is one short leg and one very long leg so thinking EB would be worthwhile for the 3+ hr leg. And does WN still just board all A's as a group, then B, etc or do they now go sequentially with each group? (a1, a2, a3 etc)

Yes, on it covering all connections. If your connection is tight and you aren't at your second flight at the start of boarding, you've lost the benefit for the second flight and they'll tell you no refund, since you got the benefit for the first flight.

They have people line up sequentially within the groups.

Personally, I don't purchase EBCI unless my schedule is such that I want a seat near the front so I can exit the plane quickly so I can get to my final destination in a timely manner.

But if time isn't an issue, I find that for most flights, even checking in as late as T-18 usually gets me a boarding pass no higher than B-45 which is sufficient for me to get either an aisle or window seat in the back of the plane, which is perfectly fine with me.

But if you're gunning for an exit row, then purchasing EBCI improves your chances. But for me, that's not important at all.

(Folks know EBCI is now $12.50, right? Raising the price 25% means I now only buy EBCI for my return flight, similar to another poster here...)