<p>Is it worth paying $10 a seat for early check-in on Southwest? I haven’t flown SW in a while and this option never existed before. It irks me to pay for “extras” that don’t really seem extra to me…but I love Southwest in general. Thank you!</p>
<p>The plane gets there at the same time, no matter where you’re sitting.</p>
<p>As long as you have computer access pretty much right at 24 hours prior to your flight, so you can get your boarding pass, you should be fine.</p>
<p>I never have. Like teri mentioned, just be conscientious about printing out your boarding pass.</p>
<p>Depends. I opted for it on our last flight, mostly because I knew we would be helping our DD move into her dorm 24hrs preflight & I didn’t want to hassle checking in online (or forgetting to!). I suppose it would also be worth it to people traveling as a group who wouldn’t want to be separated. That said, on our last flight the flight attendants asked for volunteers to rearrange so that a couple of parent/child pairs could sit together.</p>
<p>unless you knew that you will be the last group to be boarded and the plane is full, I don’t want to sit next to the toilet and have to endure that smell for the whole flight.</p>
<p>I just used it and for me it was well worth the ten dollars. I can get claustrophic on a plane and really need an aisle seat. With the early board I was the 23 person to board and had a good choice of seats. Without it I might not have found an aisle. Also I am on the West Coast and often fly out early am or stay near the airport overnight the night before so I may or not be at a computer exactly 24 hours prior to flight.</p>
<p>Thank you everyone-- just what I needed to know-- in this case the flight is an hour so seating doesn’t matter that much, though I’d rather sit near D. I will print out with alacrity!</p>
<p>I fly SW often. If you have a roller bag, you might want to consider paying the $10. Depending on what number you have, there might not be overhead space, and you might have to check your bag. Not an issue if you don’t mind waiting, but kind of a hassle.</p>
<p>If I’m flying with S, we save the $20 and sit in middle seats in the general vicinity of each other. W, on the other hand, doesn’t fly well. If she’s along, it’s worth the $10 a head to board early so we can sit together. Done this on two flights, now. Boarded with the second “A” group the first time and the first “B” group the second.</p>
<p>YES! I was able to grab one of the more spacious[ more leg room] exit row seats. That made it worthwhile! And got first dibs on overhead storage.</p>
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<p>Actually, you can print your boarding pass later — even at the airport from one of the kiosks, but what really matters is that you do the computer check-in the day before as soon as it’s allowed, which is 24 hours before your scheduled flight. </p>
<p>I usually start trying to do it about five minutes before the 24 hour period and keep trying until it goes through. Doing this pretty much guarantees a spot in the A group for boarding, which means you’ll get an aisle seat if you want, plenty of spots to sit with whoever you want, and plenty of space in the overhead bins for carryons. Missing the timing by even a little can stick you in the B group, which isn’t the worst, but C group generally means you are sitting in the middle, your companions scattered around the plane, and all the overhead bin space may be gone.</p>
<p>Getting yourself checked in 24 hours in advance doesn’t cost extra. Paying the $10 means you will be automatically checked in and be in the A group so you don’t have to worry about whether you can be on the computer/internet the day before your flight, exactly 24 hours ahead of departure. Sometimes it’s definitely worth the money to know that it’s taken care of.</p>
<p>DH is a business traveler. He always pays the extra…that way he knows he is going to have overhead bin space for his carry on bag…and a seat of his choice.</p>
<p>If you are organized and/or have a smart phone, it is easy to check in right on the stroke of the 24 hour advance. You will at least get a low B unless there are a lot of connecting passengers ahead of you (i.e. if someone is starting in Birmingham on their trip and connecting in Nashville, they will have a lower boarding number than someone starting in Nashville). </p>
<p>I am a frequent flier and never have paid the $10. Now I am “A” list and Southwest automatically checks me in so I’m almost always an “A” board. If H is flying with me, I just save him the middle seat. None of our Southwest flights are horribly long and we aren’t big people, so we’re fine.</p>
<p>It really depends a lot. If I’m traveling with a roller bag that can’t be checked (ie. computer/projector), I purchase early boarding. I often fly through St. Louis or Chicago which are semi-hubs. If you have a cross country flight stopping there, there may be 20-30 people remaining on the flight, so even if you have an A boarding group, if there are already 30 people on the plane it can be tight. I buy them for S2 when he travels with his sax to make sure there is bin space for it. If you really want an aisle or window seat, you might want to do it. </p>
<p>If you are in the B boarding group with a roller bag, take the first overhead bin space you see. Do not hold on to your bag until you find a seat in the back of the plane. That’s when you’ll be stuck checking your bag. Also the first or last flights of the day are less likely to be completely full, but with SW you can never be sure.</p>
<p>Paying the extra ten bucks is a great deal… for Southwest Airlines.</p>
<p>The last time I flew Southwest, I asked how those with early check-in got their assignment. The first 15 or so “A”'s are for business fares, and those with their frequent flyer highest status. After that, the earlier you pay for the early check-in, the earlier you board. If you wait until a few days before your flight to add it on, then you will board later than someone who purchased it much earlier. </p>
<p>I usually purchase it. However, my cousin says that she only buys it on her return trip because that is when she is more likely to be away from computer access. I like the aisle seat, so I almost always purchase it. That way if I can’t get to the computer, I at least have an aisle seat. Even as late as A-25, I have gotten an exit row.</p>
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<p>Setting my alarm on my iPhone to do just this.</p>
<p>Flew from CA to East Coast twice this month. First time with SW early checkin. Smooth sailing. Free bag check in which I used to take stuff to DS. Aisle seats. On the flight home I took a voluntary bump. Got the cost of my ticket plus three hundred dollars. total 558 bucks. Enough to get DS home for Christmas. I went to the AA Admirals club. Free drinks and food, DH was working near the airport and was happy for the extra time. Second time was on American. Carry on bags only. Even though I booked seats when purchasing months ago no aisle seats left. Flights home overbooked. Voluntary bump was a flat 300. Since we were three flying to a major airport-LAX we said sure. at the last minute they decided they did not need our seats. Boarded dead last, crappy seats, no overhead space for a carry on only trip. that plus we can never use our AA flyer miles. After almost 20 years I’m ready to dump my AA master card and never look bak. Consier me a SW convert.</p>
<p>I am lifetime platinum on AA. I had the credit card, etc. When I moved away from Dallas I completely converted to Southwest- even switched the credit card. Air travel is not fun, but Southwest is usually at least tolerable. The no charge for checked baggage alone puts them on top.</p>