SWA Online Check-In

[BigRedDad]

I have never done the online check-in with SWA for a boarding pass. Looking at the site, it looks like you have to enter the reservation number and the name of a passenger. I have two questions on this:

1. Will this provide the boarding pass for everyone in your party or just the one person that is entered?

2. If the above has to be done individually, what happens if your boarding numbers jump groups for your party?

[BigRedDad]

I have never done the online check-in with SWA for a boarding pass. Looking at the site, it looks like you have to enter the reservation number and the name of a passenger. I have two questions on this:

1. Will this provide the boarding pass for everyone in your party or just the one person that is entered?

2. If the above has to be done individually, what happens if your boarding numbers jump groups for your party? What I mean is we have a DD2. I am assuming she will need a boarding group ticket as well. What happens if hers is in another group? I know they will not make her board alone, but would my DW or I have to go back to her group to board?

[terri110874]

24 hours in advance you can go on to Southwest. All you need is reservation number and the main name its under.
When you do that the name of all guest under that reservation will come up. It will print all in your group.
If you want to be first on the plane to pick a your seat, try to do it exactly 24 hours in advance. When you print it will come out with a number like A10. If everyone in your party is under the same reservation it will have A10, A11, A12.


When you get to the airport, SW will have wheel chairs go first. Then will call letters A B and then C. There is no need to stand in line when you get there.

If you have any question PM me. I just got back from my trip from WDW and I used SW.

[BigRedDad]

Great thanks. This is what I was wondering. It will put all people on the reservation with the boarding passes at once instead of one at a time.

[TinyDancer]

Let me tell you something, because I didn't know it and I got REALLY scared. I, like many on here, am obsessive about planning and got obsessive about making sure I checked in 24 hours in advance TO THE MINUTE. It didn't go through. I must have entered it a million times and it didn't go through. My mom was leaving, I was trying to say goodbye, it was a mess, lol. Turns out, if your flight leaves at 6:00am, you can check in not at 6:00am the day before, but at 6:01!!!! Maybe no one is as bad as me... Lol. It was to the point that I was going to print out my failed attempt to prove I was doing it at exactly 24 hours so I boarded in A section. :blush:

[LauraF]

You will get passes for everyone in your reservation if you check in online.

I've always gotten A passes, even when I checked in 8 hours out from my hotel on my last trip.

[onjbj]

You have to enter each ressie number separately, so it's quite possible that you'd get separate boarding numbers. You can go on with whichever boarding number is the lowest in your traveling party- at least that has been my experience. It may vary from airport to airport, but generally, the people at the gate/desk are very helpful. I wouldn't worry about it.

[Taja]

We checked a group with one ressie in, and they ended up in both Groups A & B! Wasn't an issue, as the gate attendents allowed everyone to board together (grandmother, mother, 9-year-old and 14-week-old).

[crazeedizneefinatic]

Here is a tip though. I think SW changed again, I may be wrong but this is what I heard. The only people that can now get a boarding class A is business class?? I don't know if that is true but that is what I heard? Also, coming home last year at MCO the SW gate had 3 lines A, B and C. People were lined up when we got there and where sitting down in line. They did not call they just took the lines. That was different than previous years, just a head up if you want to get a good seat on the way home from MCO. I hope someone comes along to verify if what I heard is wrong, I hope it is.

[BMan62]

Here is a tip though. I think SW changed again, I may be wrong but this is what I heard. The only people that can now get a boarding class A is business class?? I don't know if that is true but that is what I heard? Also, coming home last year at MCO the SW gate had 3 lines A, B and C. People were lined up when we got there and where sitting down in line. They did not call they just took the lines. That was different than previous years, just a head up if you want to get a good seat on the way home from MCO. I hope someone comes along to verify if what I heard is wrong, I hope it is.

Sorry, but that information is incorrect. Business class may get the first block of "A" seats, but my last two trips have been since the changeover from the 'cattle chutes' and I have gotten mid-to-late "A" seats every flight. All SW airport terminals are supposed to have the new boarding system implemented by now - all "A" ticket holders will board in incremental groups of 5, followed by those needing assistance and those with children, followed by "B" tickets, followed by "C" tickets.

The three lines - "A", "B" and "C" have been done away with.

[crazeedizneefinatic]

Sorry, but that information is incorrect. Business class may get the first block of "A" seats, but my last two trips have been since the changeover from the 'cattle chutes' and I have gotten mid-to-late "A" seats every flight. All SW airport terminals are supposed to have the new boarding system implemented by now - all "A" ticket holders will board in incremental groups of 5, followed by those needing assistance and those with children, followed by "B" tickets, followed by "C" tickets.

The three lines - "A", "B" and "C" have been done away with.

I am glad that info was wrong. I thought it kinda weird to extort money and bump up to business class just to get an A group, LOL! I love Southwest and the person who gave me the info dislikes Southwest so was probably trying to make them look bad. Glad also to hear that the A B and C lines have gone away. Glad also that the A group is still attainable!

I do have a question though, if you board in groups of 5 how do they determine who those 5 people are if they did away with the group lines?

[BMan62]

I do have a question though, if you board in groups of 5 how do they determine who those 5 people are if they did away with the group lines?

That's the big reason to get your boarding passes printed out at the 24 hour mark! First come, first served. Say you have a 6am flight , the morning before - at 6:01am - you need to log in to SW and get your boarding passes. The first group will be all pre-paid Business Class flights, then they will start at "A" plus the next available number (number of business class tickets + 1) and continue on incrementally until the total number of "A" passes has been given out. Then they start at "B1" and go from there until they are done with the "B" seats, then they go on to "C1" and finish out the plane seating.

Depending on the size plane, there could be as many as 60 "A" seats and as little as 30.

In December, when we were coming back from WDW we got our boarding passes printed out at Epcot Guest Relations and ended up with passes "A23" and "A24" and this was about 1 minute into the 24 hour period. I remember that clearly because the CM had to do it about 3 times to get the timing right - the first two times were too early.

[DisneyDog]

We have checked in as few as 5 minutes past the 24hr mark, and have gotten B seats and even C seats. The faster you are, the better chance you have of getting A seats. If you don't get A seats, there is always the chance that your party could be separated. I was traveling alone with my 5 year old DS, so I knew I would be guaranteed seats together. They wouldn't separate a parent from a small child. But if you had 2 adults, one of the adults might have to sit elsewhere if there aren't 3 seats together.

[BigRedDad]

Fortunately, the worst we will get is after A, but before B. We are going with our DD2 so we board after all A's not matter what.

Thanks for the info.

[Johnno52]

We used SWA for the first time this year. On the way back we had a "C" pass as we didn't have a computer to check in. The flight was overbooked and we lucked out on the last 2 seats together. The people ahead of us kept going towards the back and all had to sit in leftover single seats. My DW gets nervous on take offs and doesn't want to take the chance of us not sitting together.

[saksn4]

We will be flying SW home from our Disney cruise. How can we check in 24 hours in advance from the ship??? This is our first experience with this and I don't want my children seperated from me! DH and I would each take one child to sit with---would that be easier?? (even though my youngest is 11 yrs., I don't feel comfortable with her sitting alone on plane!) Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

[crazeedizneefinatic]

I have flown SW numerous times before the newest change. I can say I have never not sat with my family even with a one time boarding class C. We were in the back of the plane, which I hated but we all sat together. Most people are very nice. We fly out of Pittsburgh International and you know the plane is going to Disney, it's all famlies. I don't think you will have a problem. I would check on the ship to see if you can do the 24 hour check in. Don't forget your reservation number! I know sounds like something you would not forget but I did, while in a rush, that's why one time we got boarding class C. Good luck!

[Beast_fanatic]

We will be flying SW home from our Disney cruise. How can we check in 24 hours in advance from the ship??? This is our first experience with this and I don't want my children seperated from me! DH and I would each take one child to sit with---would that be easier?? (even though my youngest is 11 yrs., I don't feel comfortable with her sitting alone on plane!) Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

You could have someone back home do the check-in process for you.

[Johnno52]

The only problem with someone checking you in is that the boarding pass is then issued and must be printed. How can you get the boarding passes?

[Beast_fanatic]

They can do the check in process without choosing to print the boarding pass, then when you get to the airport, you can get the boarding pass printed.