panerd

I did a fair amount of research so hopefully this is just clearing up what I figured out but feel free to blast me if my questions are easily answerable. Have flown Southwest plenty by myself and with my wife but outside of registering 24 hours out never worried much, worst case we would get split up though a middle seat/window were never an issue.

So this will be our children's first flight (5,5,and 7). Optimal would obviously be on the same row across from each other but most likely will be me and my 7 year old together and my wife and the twins elsewhere.

So the way I understand it is that we should definitely register 24 hours out but that family boarding will include all 5 of us since two of my kids are under 6. (Some debate in some threads about whether the 7 year old would go with us but I imagine he would).

So the real question is should I get EBCI? And if so do I have to do 5 of them or just for me and my wife?

(I was single until my mid 30's so I get the animosity people have towards families on planes and thinking we expect the world handed to us. I really want to "play by the rules" I just don't know if EBCI really amounts to anything substantially more than family boarding and if it does if it is even necessary for the kids to pay for it also.)

PS: We will sit in the back by the bathrooms, they are either going to be fascinated by their first flight and scared out of their minds but I don't care about being first off the plane etc..

NoStressHere

Since you get to board at B1 without EB, so why buy it?

As to 7 year old, hand over his boarding pass LAST - would be hard for any agent to say he can not yet board. (let the arguments fly)

smmrfld

Don't waste your money...just do family boarding. You'll be fine.

panerd

That's what I kind of thought but it seemed like in a lot of the threads I researched people were like "F You, if you want to sit together buy EBCI or better yet don't fly Southwest". Can't say I totally agree but on the flip side it is me being cheap.

The problem with my 7 year old is he looks like he's 10 but yeah it would be pretty heartless to send the 4 of us off without him.

dmbolp

If worried, maybe just buy it for the 7-year old?

panerd

Thanks for the reply! My big fear was cheapness causing one of my kid's first flights to be across the aisle with a stranger but like I thought family boarding and early check in don't seem to differ at all.

pinniped

Cross-post your question to the British Airways forum, they love kids there.

Kidding... You'll be fine with family boarding. I'd still check-in at T-24 of course because I always do that, but also because on the 1 in 1000 chance you get a GA who says one parent must stay behind with the 7-year-old, you and the twins would go to the back of the plane and sit A-C-D or C-D-F, saving two middle seats. Even the people who generally oppose seat-saving probably won't argue too much about middles in the back. Ideally, select a row with a solo person already sitting in one of A or F.

dukesilver

I often do T-24 in case we get delayed going to the gate. However, even in the rare instance that we get A-boarding we tend to just do family boarding (5 year old and 2 year old). The family boarding naturally puts all of the families/kids together in one spot and we always feel better sitting next to other kids- that allows other passengers more seats away from the "kid section." There should plenty of open rows for your whole family when you get on, most likely starting at the back of the wings.

If your kids have tablets, don't forget to download the Southwest app so that they can access kids shows and see how far the plane has traveled. Pre-check is also a godsend for families with little kids if you don't already have it and have time to get it before the flights.

rsteinmetz70112

Depending on the route T-24 may get you a high A position.

Blitzjb

Sit in the back of the plane.