Rut Dog

I know UMs get boarding priority but what about Young Travelers?

I'll be sending off two teens and was about to pay for EarlyBird when I realized I may not need to pay for priority boarding privileges.

No mention of it one way or the other on SWA.com Young Traveler T&C.

justhere

A small technicality but the only way to pay for priority boarding would be either buying a BS fare so that you are in the A1-15 group or if they are selling it at the gate pay the $30 or $40 or whatever it is to buy one of the A1-15 spots. Early Bird is just for checking in. Depending on a number of factors you could pay for Early Bird and still be in the B boarding group with 60 plus people boarding before you.

If they don't need or are too old for UM service, then they just board wherever their number is.

To increase their odds of sitting together make sure they check in right at 24 hours, or pay for Early Bird for both of them, or if they are comfortable doing this pay for one Early Bird and had that person save a middle seat for the other when they board. Odds are no one is going to care in the slightest if someone is saving a middle seat.

Bluesman62

They would board with whatever boarding pass number they draw at T-24; there is no special boarding group for YTs.

pinniped

But buying EBCI would have a good-enough effect, even if the teens get low-B boarding cards. Priority check-in effectively leads to reasonably priority boarding - of course provided you arrive at the gate in time to board with your group.

Checking in at T-24 will also have a good-enough effect to get two people decent seats on the flight.

justhere

That's why I said it was a "small technicality". It's also something that someone not familiar with WN could easily mistake (evidenced by posts here asking about or thinking that EBCI gives them "earlier" boarding). If you aren't familiar with EBCI, it would be easy to fail to realize that literally half the plane could still board before you. I would be very hesitant to use the word "priority" in any context associated with EBCI.

It's also why I pointed out that buying EBCI is an option to help make sure they are able to get seats together.

NextTrip

Why do they need priority boarding?

Rut Dog

Thanks for all the replies clarifying things, especially my misuse of "priority" for anyone that may read this in the future and be confused. What I meant was there's not point to pay for EBCI if they'd get priority like UMs.

I'll be on vacation with them and don't want to even think about T-24, I just want to enjoy my time with them, so EBCI is an affordable convenience I'll be taking advantage of.

Because they're teens, and the thought of "risking" two middle seats apart for 3 hours is mortifying.

joshua362

Buy EBCI for the more aggressive / mature teen then have them save a seat for the other. No one is going to care. Send a text with the row number if they are spread that far apart on line. Good luck.

NextTrip

How about they check themselves in at the 24 hour mark and they own it?

Really, as long as they are checked in exactly as the clock strikes the 24 hour mark, there shouldn't be any problem with them getting two seats together.