Southwest Boarding With Children

[Zigster]

Traveling with my grandchildren 11 and 8 years old. Will we have priority boarding so that we will be able to sit together?

Thank you for any information y'all are able to provide.

[6rugrats]

No. You'll have to board on your assigned group. Southwest has no preboarding for children.

[Zigster]

Thank you 6rugrats!

[6rugrats]

Just do OLCI at 24 hours and you should be fine.

[Clay Clayton]

Just in case someone else reads this post, 6rugrats answer was correct for you but if the kids were under 5 then you could have boarded between the A and B groups in accordance with Southwest's policies.

[6rugrats]

Just in case someone else reads this post, 6rugrats answer was correct for you but if the kids were under 5 then you could have boarded between the A and B groups in accordance with Southwest's policies.

Southwest policy is family boarding, between A & B group, is for children four and under, who may be accompanied by one adult. Didn't even go into this as it doesn't apply to OP.

Edited February 15, 2015 by 6rugrats

[slidergirl]

Southwest policy is family boarding, between A & B group, is for children four and under, who may be accompanied by one adult. Didn't even go into this as it doesn't apply to OP.

 

Thank you for pointing out that it does NOT mean the ENTIRE extended family may board at the same time just because one of the party is 4 or under. I remember in the old days, on one particular school holiday in Utah, you'd see tens of families of 6-8 people trying to board that cheap WN or (pre-buyout Morris Air) flight to Disneyland under the guise of "family boarding". Once they were on, the pickings for seats was pretty slim...

[6rugrats]

Thank you for pointing out that it does NOT mean the ENTIRE extended family may board at the same time just because one of the party is 4 or under. I remember in the old days, on one particular school holiday in Utah, you'd see tens of families of 6-8 people trying to board that cheap WN or (pre-buyout Morris Air) flight to Disneyland under the guise of "family boarding". Once they were on, the pickings for seats was pretty slim...

 

Yes, am pretty sure the abuse of the former policy was one of the reasons for this change. Also, people trying to claim their child was under two, when they obviously weren't, (I used to fly Southwest weekly and often saw some pretty large and articulate "under two" year olds flying free), resulted in Southwest requiring your child's birth certificate to fly as a lap child.

[Zigster]

Appreciate the information, thank you.

Edited February 15, 2015 by Zigster

[em-sk]

I fly quite a bit for work, but almost never on domestic only US routes. So Southwest is an airline I have never used. To a foreigner, this entire boarding process just looks weird from the outline. However passengers must like as Sothewest appears to be popular.

 

Most other airlines between the check-in agents and the gate agent they manage to get family (especially with small kids) seated together. When it does not work out, once on the aircraft the flight attendants will politely ask people to swap seats to achieve the desired outcome of having children with their parents.

 

At Sothwest do they just give up on the check-in agents and gate agents to do properly assign seats and just leave it up to the cabin crew to move people around on the aircraft to have families seated together?

[grandma*knows*best]

Gate agents and check-in agents have nothing to do with Southwest seating, as it is unassigned. You need to check in at the 24 hour mark and hope for good boarding positions, or pay for Early Bird Check In (explained on Southwest's website).

[slidergirl]

Cabin crew cannot force anyone to change seats to ensure that a family can sit together. Once I find a seat that I like, I will sit there and not change so a family who poorly planned can sit together in exchange for me having to take a less-desirable seat. Just because I travel solo does not mean I must be relegated to a middle seat so that Ma and Pa Kettle and their 6 kids can sit together. If a family wants to sit together, they should either buy the Early Bird for EVERYONE (no buying for 1 person and saving seats), or fly an airline which assigns seats. Even then, it's not a guarantee (equipment changes, everyone on the flight buys EB, etc.). Otherwise, everyone takes their chances that they can find seats together.

Edited February 16, 2015 by slidergirl

[kelmac]

Cabin crew cannot force anyone to change seats to ensure that a family can sit together. Once I find a seat that I like, I will sit there and not change so a family who poorly planned can sit together in exchange for me having to take a less-desirable seat. Just because I travel solo does not mean I must be relegated to a middle seat so that Ma and Pa Kettle and their 6 kids can sit together. If a family wants to sit together, they should either buy the Early Bird for EVERYONE (no buying for 1 person and saving seats), or fly an airline which assigns seats. Even then, it's not a guarantee (equipment changes, everyone on the flight buys EB, etc.). Otherwise, everyone takes their chances that they can find seats together.

 

I agree 100% with sg,

 

Best that you purchase Early Bird for everyone in your family. This is the best way to ensure that everyone will will sit together. DO NOT purchase one or two early birds and try and save seats.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

[em-sk]

Cabin crew cannot force anyone to change seats to ensure that a family can sit together. Once I find a seat that I like, I will sit there and not change so a family who poorly planned can sit together in exchange for me having to take a less-desirable seat. Just because I travel solo does not mean I must be relegated to a middle seat so that Ma and Pa Kettle and their 6 kids can sit together. If a family wants to sit together, they should either buy the Early Bird for EVERYONE (no buying for 1 person and saving seats), or fly an airline which assigns seats. Even then, it's not a guarantee (equipment changes, everyone on the flight buys EB, etc.). Otherwise, everyone takes their chances that they can find seats together.

 

Wow. I have heard good things about Southwest. Never flow on them. Clearly that has been a good thing.

 

WestJet up here was modeled on SouthWest but clearly WestJet decided to be a more family friendly airline. They keep a few rows of seats under airport control so the check-in agents and gate agents can do the seat assignments and put kids with their parents. Thought WestJet does do assigned seating.

 

As a frequent business travel I welcome the effort that airline staff put into putting kids with parents. Being seated next to an unaccompanied minor is awkward at best. Usually when kids are seated next to their parent behaviour is less of an issue.

 

My own experience has been when you are asked to move to keep a family together the airline staff try to make certain you get ahead in the arrangement with a better seat, even if it means bumping someone up to business or first. It is would be unusually to ask someone to move into a middle seat so someone else's family sits together.

Edited February 17, 2015 by em-sk

[kenish]

Cabin crew cannot force anyone to change seats to ensure that a family can sit together.

 

Of course they can. Cabin and flight deck crew are "flight crew members". It's a violation of FAR's (hence a federal offense) to interfere or not comply with their instructions. I get what you're saying in practice...but now and then there's news of a passenger being detained or taken off a flight when things go sideways and escalate...usually a belligerent passenger and/or cabin crew on a power trip.

[alcpa1]

Very often people choose Southwest because they think that it is the least expensive flight available. That's certainly not always the case. And, in order to get the "cheap Southwest fare" they give up reserved seating.

I totally agree with Slidergirl. Unless directed by a flight attendant, under abnormal circumstances, I am not giving up my seat for anything but the front cabin.