Beckles

Whether or not you think this violates "no fees", this bridge was crossed with the introduction of Biz Select, so I don't see it as much of a change from WN's philosophy on the matter.

WN has never been opposed to fees in general, remember, they were the ones who started the avalanche of baggage fees in January 2008 when they started to charge for the 3rd checked bag.

JerryFF

Is Early-Bird Check-In available to people traveling on a Rapid Rewards ticket?

curbcrusher

I believe this was asked in a survey, but can't find that post at the moment.

nsx

Fortunately boarding position problems have become rare. With pay-for-A in the works, I'm really shocked that Southwest took so long to get line jumping under control.

nsx

And what about travel on Green Passes and other passes?

iahphx

C'mon guys, this is a fee. It's just like the other airlines selling "preferred" seats for 10 bucks.

More fees are coming, because that's the nature of the airline business these days. If you don't like them (and, as a consumer, I'm not fond of them) sorry.

If I weren't cheap (frugal?), and I was travelling with my family, I would do exactly what some of the above posters have mentioned and buy ONE early bird seat. No frequent WN flyer will EVER buy more than one for their family (at least after they do it once. ).

I wonder how many of these they will sell. My guess -- no more than a handful each flight (which I guess is more cash than they had before!). This whole "check in 24 hours before flying to get the best seats" is kind of an "inside baseball" thing. Very few airlines do this. I doubt that many of the people who currently game the system will be reaching into their pockets to buy the privilege. They'll simply lump the fact that 4 more guys will be in front of them (big deal). The rest of the travelling public won't understand and most will simply pass up the offer and save the money. At least when the other airlines sell preferred seats, you know exactly what you're buying. Buying "preferential boarding" is just too darn obscure for the American public.

At least that's my guess. And I'm a pretty good guesser on this stuff.

6P&E

Yes, I just did it, but the SWA website FAQ section re: Early Bird does not specify.

nsx

Brian, will the number of EBCI's sold be limited? The FAQ doesn't mention any limit, meaning that you could get a high B if enough people buy EBCI.

More importantly, what about irregular operations? The FAQ says no refund if you ask for a flight change, but if your flight is canceled or you have a major delay and switch to another flight, is a refund automatic? (I think that's how Business Select works, right?)

freeflyin

Sorry-I cannot agree with you that line jumping is under control.I still see it all the time.

If WN has any intention of maintaining credibility with this new program,they need to have the GA's maintain exact boarding order and have the FA's prevent families from purchasing 1 Early Bird then saving seats for the entire group. I'd allow a single companion seat to be saved by an Early Bird or A lister ,but no more.

Just program the readers to disallow out of order boarding and perhaps pax would see this as an advantageous fee.

6P&E

It's a pretty ingenious way to add $20.00 per person to the price of a RT ticket as I imagine a lot of travelers will think it is worth it. If it really catches on, few will want to save the money only to get a C boarding pass with OLCI 24 hours in advance. Southwest doesn't guarantee even an A boarding pass with the purchase.

But I guess, I don't see it as a fee in the way the baggage fee is one. I don't have to participate in the Early-Bird if I don't want to. If my bag won't fit in the cabin, I don't have a choice but to fork over money.

We'll just have to see how it unfolds.

nsx

Agreed. The F-word applies.

I'm guessing 40 to 50 on flights out of MCO. Back in the days unnumbered, the pre-boarding line would start an hour before departure and grow to 40 or more people. I bet that most of those people would have preferred to pay $10.

nsx

Yes: Use the EarlyBird money to pay for the scanner software upgrade. Win-win. ^

curbcrusher

This is my view as well, but I certainly understand and agree somewhat with the views of the growing legion of "this is a fee" folks.

nsx

Not having to plan your days around the need to be at a computer at the 24-hour mark is a huge improvement. Worth $10? Absolutely.

This program will add measurably to the motivation to achieve A-List status. I'll bet that if Southwest looks today and 6 months from now at the 12-month rolling flight counts of its members, there will be a growing bump in the distribution at 32 to 36 flights. Those will be people who increased their travel for the purpose of making A-List.

Appletom

Devil's advocate here - what if I pay for EBCI but receive a high B (or even a C) boarding pass anyway? I would want my $10.00 back.

Since they won't tell me my BP number before giving me the choice of paying or not paying, shouldn't I be within my rights to decline it if I'm not happy with the resultant position in the boarding process?