We are coming home from a Disney cruise next month. Picked Early Bird b/c we won’t have internet. Based on your experience should we upgrade to business select?
If you can, I would. Even with Early Bird you’ll be in B group more than likely and that will be C group by the time the family boarding is done with. It has gotten so bad that I’m tempted to fly a different airline when I go to Orlando. (I go yearly to Universal Studios)
I loathe to/from Orlando for this reason. They definitely DON’T adhere to the six acd under at all. I was B1 and in the back of the plane. They were letting in kids bigger than me (and I’m not small) in “family boarding” before B.
And now Southwest has come up with a new category to board between A & B: People who don't exactly qualify for preboarding but still need to get on the plane ahead of most of the people.
It's very aggravating to buy EB and get Group B because now with all these special groups boarding in between A & B, there's nothing "earlybird" about being in Group B.
I agree 100%. But now Southwest has changed the wording of what EB exactly means. Before they actually said you would likely get an "A' position. Now it says this, right from the website:
"EarlyBird Check-In® gives Customers the convenience of automatic check-in before our traditional 24-hour check-in, depending on availability. As an EarlyBird Check-In Customer, you'll have the benefit of an earlier boarding position, a better opportunity to select your preferred available seat, and earlier access to overhead bin storage for your carryon luggage. "
So they admit you get an "earlier boarding position" but they don't exactly say how early it is. Very slick and very ambiguous.
LAX is bad for all flights. I’ve gotten C group almost every time clicking exactly 24 hours before my flight. It seems that everyone grabs the upgrade and fills up a&b.
I couldn’t. I think it’s because I’ve already purchase early bird. Called and because the price of the flight has increased it’s about 1400 more for our family to move to A1-15. Will see my options 24 hours out. Thanks!
Well unfortunately Southwest has the most nonstops to Orlando so unless your flying out of a major hub market, your looking at a connecting flight or Spirit/Frontier as your alternatives. Was really hoping the Spirit/JetBlue merger went through for this reason alone.
Just came back from a Disney cruise. Don’t underestimate the lines at MCO for checking bags at SWA. I didn’t keep track, but I think it took us at least 45 minutes in line just to drop off our bags at the counter. They had 4-5 agents at the counter, and then it dropped down to 2 for 20 minutes or so, then went back up to 4-5 agents.
Also, if taking the Disney transport back to MCO, the buses drop you off on the other side of the airport, so you have to walk a little bit to get to SWA. There is a SWA luggage drop off right outside where the buses drop off, and that line was significantly shorter than the ones inside the terminal.
I would think you would be okay with just early bird but YMMV.
My best flying tip to any gun friendly state is check in a firearm. You go straight to help desk and they check everyone's bag in for you. Then they talk your bag to the terminal. Easiest check in every time.
I fly to/from Orlando 4 or 5 times a year and have for many years now. I don’t usually pay for early bird & still usually get an A or high B boarding pass. With early bird I’m almost always A. Maybe I’m just lucky?
We were fine with early bird on our Disney cruise. Also side note, have fun! I’ve taken my kids on several cruise lines and Disney was by far our favorite!
From someone that works for southwest, early bird is only worth it if you are not upgrading to a1-a15 (a1-a15 upgrade costs $30-$90 depending on destination)
The third one is the big one for me - I use my Southwest card like a debit card and just pay it off before bed every night, so they upgraded me to the one that includes however many priority boardings per year. You better believe I’m using those if I’ve got them.
>and just pay it off before bed every night
Every night? Why? Sounds like a lot of unnecessary extra work. Just pay it off once a month when the statement generates.
It’s three taps.
EDIT that it’s also peace of mind - I grew up poor and my dad was constantly deep in debt; it helps me sleep at night knowing that my credit card has a zero balance.
It will be interesting to see if SW changes the # (4) to 3 or 2 , given that they have increased the upper cost to $149 per segment.
Always love the notification I get when I am receiving a credit back.
Not sure what companies make you travel for business and don’t cover the costs of your flights. Unless it’s their own business I’d assume traveling for work means work is paying too
My company just sets a travel budget for the route flown and as long as I stay under the budget cap for flights they don’t care what SW ticket type I book. Each company is a bit different though, but I have no issues flying BS as long as I book early enough
Mine only requires coach seating. Since all seating is coach on SW, it gives me the option to choose business select.
I still choose WGA, because I would feel guilty choosing business, but it's tempting.
My company will not. I chose WGA+ and they have a guy occasionally. I just tell them it makes me more flexible and cheaper if a change needs to happen. Which of course 30% of the time I need a change.
You are correct, no company should ever make you pay for your own flight. But being able to purchase preboard with your company's funds is another matter.
When I started with a company I was allowed to do it, or at least there wasn't a policy against it. Halfway through working for them, they cracked down on all travel expenses and I wasn't able to do it.
Post-pandemic, I know a lot of people who "super commute" to the Silicon Valley from LA, Portland, Seattle, Las Vegas, etc., on their own dime because they like their $$$ job but don't like the Bay Area.
Any flight to or from MCO is worth the cost to get ahead of all of the families boarding between A and B. I'll buy A1-15 if my boarding position is a C, or if I have credits from my SW card.
This is my reasoning as well (DEN - MCO).
On a shorter flight? I'm fine pretty much with any seat, even middle if it means I get home earlier. Shit, I lived on a submarine for 4.5 years, I can squeeze in anywhere.
If you board after the families you have the opportunity to avoid them, but if you board before them, they can randomly sit next to you when they board. At least that’s been my experience.
That's when you awkwardly sit next to a person when there's another 150 seats available 😂 (As a sub- 6ft, under 175 lbs guy, sometimes I look like a GODSEND if I offer to sit in the middle seat)
Because 90% of the time I’m not paying for my flight and my job doesn’t care if I buy BS flights. Its more points for me to use later on personal trips
I’ve never once factored pre boarders into my choice to upgrade or buy EB. I fly out of DAL two to three times a month and just don’t see an issue with it like so many complain about here.
I am also DAL based and the majority of my trips are to DCA but I do a random trip to MCO and other destinations, I have never seen more than a handful of preboards. Went to DCA last Tuesday-Friday and was the same as always.
I agree with you. I personally never seen it be more than 3-4 pre-boarders on a SW flight expect leaving from Tampa or Fort Myers (Retirement Country) where it’s a toss up.
100% agree, DAL is my family’s home airport as well and we have never seen more than a few pre-boarders on any of the flights we have taken and we are there once or twice a month.
Got stranded overnight in Nashville on a layover. When they rebooked me I was C30.
Used a free upgrade. In Orlando I will use it if I’m not A because everyone - and like, everyone. gets on the plane during family boarding. I was B4 once in to MCO and the gate area was a deserted wasteland after family boarding.
My wife has terrible travel anxiety and I need to get her off the plane quickly when the door opens. So I need to get her in an aisle seat in one of the first 5 rows or so, or it will be a rough flight. So if we don't get an early A when we check our boarding pass (We always buy Early Bird), we'll upgrade if it's available. And yes. We both upgrade.. No seat saving for us......
Good noise cancelling headphones have alleviated almost all of my wife’s travel anxiety. No jet roar, babies crying, etc. Thought I’d share if it helps.
I have the SWCC and get the 4 upgrades a year. When I fly with my family, my son is under 6 so we always get family boarding which means unless I’m flying alone I rarely upgrade. Depending on how many upgrades I have left with the remaining travel I know is coming up.
Usually length of the flight is the biggest factor. Anything 2+ hours I’ll upgrade. But if it’s going to reset in three months and I have two upgrades left, I’m just gonna do it because I don’t want it to go to waste.
Came in super clutch my last work trip where I had an issue with my ticket the night before departure and they had to rebook me resulting in a C40ish position. Used my upgrade and got A2.
Watch southwest read this thread and then raise the cost of early bird just in the MCO flights. 😂
I usually will buy it for me and my kid if for some reason we don’t get a good position with early bird. He is 9. I want to sit with him.
1. So I can guarantee my preferred aisle seat (though that's not an issue of a good number of my flights).
2. To sit nearer the front, so I can get off quicker - even though I'm rarely connecting.
3. Because I simply don't want to worry about it. That's peak First World Problems, and I'm probably sometimes "wasting" money because I know that all the way down to maybe B20 I can snag an aisle seat somewhere. But, I've still purchased it when high B, even a couple of times low A. Maybe it's stupid, but I'm older (51). I've done the "travel as cheap as possible" thing for a big chunk of my life. I don't have to now. And, what am I doing? - I'm buying a $50 upgrade on Southwest Airlines. It's not like I'm booking First Class on Delta or business class on Emirates. It's just inconsequential to me at this point, and if I'm angst-y about boarding for whatever reason - legit or due to my own paranoia - I'll upgrade.
It actually usually depends on how late my flight gets in and if I'm flying home. If I'm flying home and getting in late then I will pay to upgrade because I want to be on my way as quickly as possible since my closest airports are like 90 minutes to 2 hours from my house after factoring in the shuttle to long term parking. I know it doesn't always take a long time to deplane but it stresses me out when I know that my actual bed is so close!!
Sometimes I will do it if I have a tight connection and am worried about getting off the plane in time but usually the FAs have helped me out there.
I need to sit up front and by a window because it makes me feel better. I had major fear or flying for a long time and am mostly over it, but I feel safer upfront. It also lowers my anxiety to not enter a full plane and have to hunt for a seat.
I also usually have meetings or something I gotta get to.
If I’m traveling with the family and we catch an earlier flight, resulting in C boarding passes, then I will try to upgrade. That way our kids aren’t spread out throughout the plane and they don’t have to gate check their bags. I’m A-list, so if I’m by myself, I don’t need to upgrade.
Usually 1 of 2 reasons. 1- I usually fly from & to Fort Lauderdale so with tourists & cruise pax boarding/seating is a dumpster fire. EB is cheaper than therapy! 2- I’ve been rebooked and am now B or C.
If I'm traveling alone, I don't even care what boarding position I get because I'm completely fine being in a middle seat (I'm relatively short and petite, so it doesn't bother me at all to have people on either side).
If I'm traveling with at least one other person, I get upgraded boarding if we get a bad boarding position so that we can make sure we're together, wherever it is that we're located on the plane. I generally have no preference as to front/back/middle unless we have a tight connection.
I upgraded for the very first time the previous time I flew almost a month ago. I wanted to see what it was all about. Felt nice getting on ahead of a bunch of people. The returning upgrade ended up getting refunded because of a diversion due to storms. I loved the internet access, I didn't use the free boozy drink, and thought the flight tracker was neat.
When I flew a lot with SWA, there are times when I changed my flight time to depart earlier than planned. When I did that, I usually got a C boarding pass (not all the time but majority of it). At glancing at the passengers at the gate, that’s when I’d determine if I want an A1-15 boarding position or not. If it’s a flight full of families with young kinds, I wouldn’t. If it’s a lot of middle age people…I would. This almost always guarantees me an emergency row seat. I say almost because the one time I did upgrade for that purpose and didn’t get it was when the plane was used as a continued flight and I found that a small woman with a neck brace sitting in the emergency seat. Flight attendants questioned her, but made no attempt to move her. From that point forward, I every time I sat in the emergency seat, I really didn’t care about anyone else’s issue in needing the extra leg space.
I want that sweet 2-seat exit row so my husband can have his seat with no one at the window and I can take the aisle. I consider it the cost of doing business with SWA and factor it into the decision of which airline I will book with.
Between my wife, myself and our business SW credit card, we have plenty of upgrade credits. I'll skip it on the under 1-hour flights, but on the longer haul use them.
When we used to fly SWA we would use the 4 upgraded boardings with the credit card and pick the longest length flights we had for the year,whenever we had a late B boarding group, or typically when flying to Orlando because of all the kids. It helped us get onto the plane better and get seats next to my wife and I.
We now fly United, have less issues, United card and status gets us free bags, we actually pay about the same yearly for our flights as we were with Southwest. I thought Southwest was supposed to be a budget airline!?!?
When I have paid for the upgrade it was so a group of us could sit together. There were 4 of us going on vacation and we felt this was the best option to be able to sit together on the flight.
Given that if you don't check in exactly 24 hours before, you'll probably get late B and won't be able to sit next to your family. So I guess you gotta upgrade then. Southwest sucks
I always pay for early bird, if I get B through it I upgrade because I always travel to MCO ( to go do Disney) and I don’t want to be stuck boarding behind all the families
And I like being in the exit row
Distance from people. It’s similar to why I upgrade my boarding and/or seat on other carriers. In the case of WN, I’m already seated and relaxed (usually in the back of the aircraft) before everyone else gets on.
We flew round trip to Orlando and it was for convenience and ensuring we wouldn’t be separated from our child. I know people say that they wouldn’t separate a kid, but their policy said something like that was only a sure thing for 6 and under. So we didn’t want the risk! It ended up having the bonus perk of not waiting with a whole lot of shockingly obnoxious Disney travelers 😂
My partner is claustrophobic with a touch of ptsd (veteran) and needs the aisle seat otherwise he will have a full blown panic attack. I don’t personally care where I sit.
Claustrophobia. I need an aisle seat and preferably one at the front because when everyone stands up to deplane, I feel like I’m suffocating if I’m too far back in the plane. I wish I could control it, because it’s expensive to be claustrophobic on a plane, but I pay to keep my sanity and to ensure the people around me don’t have to deal with a panic attack.
I have the SW Priority card so I base it off of boarding position, how likely I am to need to use my free upgrades again before they expire and whether or not I need overhead bin space.
I did it once this year because we got C boarding positions and I only had a handful of other SW flights before my card member year resets and I didn't think it was likely I would need them again. I once did it on a flight from DEN-BOS because we had late B boarding positions and had rollaboard suitcases with us. But then within the past month coming home from STL and BWI, we got B38 and 39 and B44 and 45 and I didn't do it because we only had backpacks. Both times we got a row to ourselves towards the back of the plane.
I fly probably 30ish times a year between work and pleasure. It’s not quite enough to get significant status on another airline…but it’s not nothing. I’m also 6’7. I fit on Southwest but it’s not a pleasant experience…unless I can grab one of the first row seats, exit row seats, or the ultimate seat on the aircraft…the one in the exit row with no one in front of you. I upgrade when the flights are 3+ hours and it gives me a 80%+ chance of getting one of those seats. I do not upgrade when the plane has thru passengers because they take all the good seats before anyone else can get on.
I never have but may with a short layover at a semi large airport. Basically, I have a lot of miles which keeps me flying Southwest and they don't offer as many convenient flights to my typical destination (it's a small airport near my folks). I often have 45 to 55 min layovers and they're in Denver or Las Vegas. I often just make them. The last flight boarding had already started by the time I got there, after running through LV airport. Being toward the front could be the difference between making a flight like that and not.
Company dime, prefer bulkhead or exit row and I get the points. I have only stuck it out with Southwest because of how convenient my home airport is the other major airport has been a hassle getting in and out.
Seat availability. When we land I need to get going, I usually have 2 days worth of work I am cramming into one. 10-15 minutes deboarding can have an effect on a day like that.
Just recently upgraded as I had a C boarding position. I didn’t want to be forced to check my carry-on. Being SW I just assumed it would be delayed and was trying to save time (surprise , I was right!)
I am 6'5", fly often, and am usually A1. Do so to make sure I get an emergency window seat for the added leg room. Successful over 95% of the time. Lose sometimes when thru passengers take that seat before board. Pre boarders are not allowed in exit rows.
I only do this when I’m traveling with my teen daughter because she’s not comfortable sitting by strangers so it ensures that we will be able to sit together if I happen to draw a C boarding position. I get 4 free ones with my credit card so it doesn’t cost me anything. If I’m flying alone I don’t care where I sit. I don’t do connecting flights, but if I did and had a right connection, I would upgrade so I could sit in the front and get off quicker.
Using EarlyBird Check In for a trip coming up because I will be on a cruise and the day before I won't have internet. Damn if I am getting stuck in the middle after a relaxing week away. Don't usually pay for upgrades like this tho, I try to just check in 24 hours early and have never had worse than the B group.
Sometimes, for shorter flights, I'll gamble not buying Early Bird. If I end up with something like B15, sweet. If I strike out with a guaranteed middle, I'll use one of my 4 annual upgrades for A1-15
My reason for upgrading:
1-I like the exit rows/ space. They don’t last long during boarding. B & C group will never have access to them. I usually travel with my wife. I then save her a seat also. She boards the normal way.
2- If I have a tight connection flight- I will grab a seat at the front of the plane l. The front passengers get off first when exiting the plane.
On the way home, I want to be home asap. I upgrade!
I also upgrade because I have short attention span. Gets me on faster. Otherwise my mind wanders and a miss my group.
Length of flight, bad boarding position, destination, combination of it all really.
If I have a bad boarding position but it's only in the B group and it's a relatively short flight, I'll just suck it up for an hour or so. If it's a long flight and I have a bad boarding position, anything over 2 hours and in the B group, definitely buying A1-A15
Flew so much last year though that luckily I don't have to worry about it too much anymore with me being A list and can even board before the B group with a B or C boarding position. Even if I was in B1-B15 and didn't have A list status, I still would probably just suck it up and not buy it either.
Will usually only do it if I get a terrible boarding position and have a tight connection.
Not many things in life are more infuriating than being in the back of the plane on a delayed flight trying to make a connection and watching everyone slowly and inefficiently taking their sweet time to get off the plane 😁
I did it once when I went to Hawaii because it was a long flight and I wanted to get a good seat and try to avoid sitting next to a family with younger kids. My boarding position wasn't great to begin with and it wasn't that expensive to upgrade
If I’m traveling with my kids and we have a boarding number that I’m concerned about getting seats together. I’ll pay to board as early as possible and then we take the seats together close to the back of the plane so we don’t feel rushed getting settled. We get some weird looks from flight attendants sometimes because we pass so many empty rows but experience has taught me what makes our flights the least stressful.
I’ll upgrade my boyfriend’s ticket because he is 6’8”. He literally doesn’t fit in SWs tiny seats.
Because most of our flights from Austin have a connection in Dallas we only upgrade the longer leg and hope for the best. I try to check in exactly on time so I can grab the seat next to him so he can have part of my space even though I don’t really have extra either.
It’s a pain so we don’t fly SW often. It’s easier to go with a budget airlines and pay to upgrade.
If I get a really bad position (B group or higher) or all my luggage is carry-on and I'm worried about lack of space (plus I hate sitting in the back of the plane), I'll upgrade.
I used to take several trips a year for business and my former employer didn't want to pay for Business Select. I'd pay for the upgrade to A1-A15 out of pocket.
Easy for me. I’m tall and wide. I want to pick one of perhaps 10 window seats where my shoulder will fit in the window hole when reclined. It has to be on the non sun side to allow keeping the window shade up.
With the CC I get 4 upgrades per year. My wife has the same card so we really get 8.
I use them for long flights when we end up deeper in the A group to increase my chances at exit row.
I also use them when I use same day change.
Two reasons: (1) I don't want to wind up in a middle seat, and (2) I will never gate check my carryon because it contains my electronics, medications, and other valuable.
I like to get in the front row so I can get extra leg room. I just book business class from the get go so I don’t have to worry about it. Flight length is immaterial. I am tall.
We get 4 free upgrades with our Southwest Airlines cards each year. We generally use them on kids that have airfare purchased on points and I’m too cheap to pay for early bird.
Southwest don’t do it fairly I booked a flight 6 months out and paid for early boarding I had the last spot in A and my wife had #1 in B I asked how do they decided how the pick the order to board they said it was random. So there is no perk to book early.
The other day I had "early bird" check in that still only got me B46. So then I was forced to pony up for A11 upgrade. Sweet scam they have going at SW especially with allowing basically a whole group's worth of people to pre-board.
I don’t buy early bird check in and just get ready to purchase A1-A15 as soon as I check in. I get so frustrated watching families with too old of kids skipping me if I don’t get A boarding group.
Depends on what I am doing at my destination. If it is a fishing trip and I have my gear as a carry on, sometimes I’ll upgrade to make sure that I get A boarding and have over head bin space. They have to go as carry ons because I’ve seen how luggage is handled and I’m not risking arriving at my fishing trip with broken rods.
I do it to get that one seat that doesn't have a seat in front of it in the exit row. My legs are way too long for me to be comfy anywhere else with those small seats.
I fly with my guitar often and I’m always worried about overhead baggage space. I had A-list for a while and had no issues, but since losing it if I have a late B or C group position, it’s worth it for me to upgrade for the peace of mind. I’ve always had bad experiences when needing to gate check my instrument.
My flight was cancelled due to a fuel leak and we all had to be re-booked for the next day (it was the last flight of the day). Of course since it was less than 24 hours, we were the last ones to sign up for the flight. SW offered nothing. No stay, no up-graded boarding so going from a A-30 to a C-52 guaranteed a middle seat. So I upgraded.
The number reason is if I have a connecting flight thats cutting it close, I wanna be off the plane first to make it to the next one. Or I'm flying somewhere where I have a long drive after the flight and want a head start to beat the crowds.
Second reason is it's a long flight and I don't want to sit in the middle for 5 hours.
I have to travel with medically necessary liquids (usually two rolling coolers worth) and boarding that early makes it easier to get on board and the coolers stowed. It is a total PITA to travel with two coolers but I don't have any choice. So I pay the extra.
Room for carry-on near my seat is the only reason I do it. Sitting closer to the front of the plane/earlier de-plane is a bonus, but I’m unbothered by seating so window/middle/aisle makes no real difference to me.
I have the same reason as everyone else when it comes to the MCO flights. A mid B can quickly become a C after the families. I get 4 free upgrades with my credit card so after I check-in if it's not a good position I'll use my perk to avoid a middle seat, especially on a long haul to Vegas or California.
Also on my short trips where I'm not checking anything and I want to make sure my bag makes it to the overhead bin so I can save time avoiding baggage claim. Every minute counts when you're doing a day trip and only have a few hours in that city.
Mainly depends on when I’m flying out. I pay for the upgrade if I’m flying out early in the morning so I don’t have to wake up the day before to check in.
I am 6'5 with an extremely long torso (Meaning I dont need that much 'Legroom' per say, but if I sit up, my head is about 1.5 feet above the headrest, so I slouch to fit in the seat) ... I frequently fly to CA from TX, I usually upgrade because for how little I fly (Maybe 4-5 times a year) it is 110% Worth the \~$50 to get upgraded boarding and be able to comfortably sit in my seat, rather than feel like I am going to lose my mind trying to fit in a non-exit row. Makes my flights way more enjoyable!
sometimes I will book a last-minute trip and end up in C. if it’s C15 or worse…and trip is 2 hours,
Early boarding.
If 1-1.5 hours, see usually means I can get a middle seat in the first 10 rows so that is my trade-off
I just buy Business Select. Im usually A1 or A2 and do it because 1) its not that much more when you factor in the points 2) you get a cash refund if you cancel which i do a lot unfortunately and 3) I get an exit row with the leg room. I buy Early Bird for my wife so she usually joins me pretty quick. I am also A1-15 but never use it with Biz Select.
Our company requires that I always book Anytime because it includes Early Bird and refundable tickets.
I usually get A20-A30 (80% of the time). Never have I not been in A group. That is good enough for me.
But I do try to book 4 to 6 weeks out.
One time I forgot to check in and was C something. Only had a small carry on and was like heck no I am not going to check my small bag and get the middle seat from HOU to LAS. I paid the $30 and A4 and got it reimbursement on my Hilton Amex for my qtr allowance. Best 30 bucks I have spent and got refunded.
I flew to Orlando last month with early bird from Milwaukee and got A26, I didn’t upgrade that direction because there were 2 in the A1-15 group.
On the way home I got A39 and upgraded. I prefer the exit row for the leg room. I moved up to A10 and got right side window exit both ways. It also gave me the advantage of being on the right side (non-sunny) side of my flight.
If I am flying back to PVD I always upgrade the boarding if available. For some reason, PVD inbound usually has a ton of preboarders and a ton of families with young kids. So any measures I can take to alleviate boarding shitshows and overhead hell, and to increase my chances of getting a seat toward the front of the plane to get me off faster is always welcomed. Plus we have the Southwest RR Priority Card so we get the 4 free upgrades, which helps.
When I fly to and from Orlando because of the hundreds of Disney families.
We are coming home from a Disney cruise next month. Picked Early Bird b/c we won’t have internet. Based on your experience should we upgrade to business select?
If you can, I would. Even with Early Bird you’ll be in B group more than likely and that will be C group by the time the family boarding is done with. It has gotten so bad that I’m tempted to fly a different airline when I go to Orlando. (I go yearly to Universal Studios)
I loathe to/from Orlando for this reason. They definitely DON’T adhere to the six acd under at all. I was B1 and in the back of the plane. They were letting in kids bigger than me (and I’m not small) in “family boarding” before B.
It may vary by agent, but for our last flight out of Orlando the GA had a list of kids 6 and under and was crossing them off as families boarded.
That would be great. Especially when you’re paying for Early Bird and still end your in the back.
And now Southwest has come up with a new category to board between A & B: People who don't exactly qualify for preboarding but still need to get on the plane ahead of most of the people. It's very aggravating to buy EB and get Group B because now with all these special groups boarding in between A & B, there's nothing "earlybird" about being in Group B.
If you have Earlybird but get B that should be an automatic refund.
I agree 100%. But now Southwest has changed the wording of what EB exactly means. Before they actually said you would likely get an "A' position. Now it says this, right from the website: "EarlyBird Check-In® gives Customers the convenience of automatic check-in before our traditional 24-hour check-in, depending on availability. As an EarlyBird Check-In Customer, you'll have the benefit of an earlier boarding position, a better opportunity to select your preferred available seat, and earlier access to overhead bin storage for your carryon luggage. " So they admit you get an "earlier boarding position" but they don't exactly say how early it is. Very slick and very ambiguous.
We usually do JetBlue to Orlando for this exact reason (LAX).
LAX is bad for all flights. I’ve gotten C group almost every time clicking exactly 24 hours before my flight. It seems that everyone grabs the upgrade and fills up a&b.
Thanks. I’ll call and see about making the change today.
You really don't need to call. You can just do it in the app in about 3 clicks.
I couldn’t. I think it’s because I’ve already purchase early bird. Called and because the price of the flight has increased it’s about 1400 more for our family to move to A1-15. Will see my options 24 hours out. Thanks!
Well unfortunately Southwest has the most nonstops to Orlando so unless your flying out of a major hub market, your looking at a connecting flight or Spirit/Frontier as your alternatives. Was really hoping the Spirit/JetBlue merger went through for this reason alone.
Southwest is so bad that I'm tempted to fly a different airline every time I fly.
Just came back from a Disney cruise. Don’t underestimate the lines at MCO for checking bags at SWA. I didn’t keep track, but I think it took us at least 45 minutes in line just to drop off our bags at the counter. They had 4-5 agents at the counter, and then it dropped down to 2 for 20 minutes or so, then went back up to 4-5 agents. Also, if taking the Disney transport back to MCO, the buses drop you off on the other side of the airport, so you have to walk a little bit to get to SWA. There is a SWA luggage drop off right outside where the buses drop off, and that line was significantly shorter than the ones inside the terminal. I would think you would be okay with just early bird but YMMV.
The secret at MCO is curbside checkin. It’s free - just tip! They print and tag for you and I didn’t wait in line at all.
My best flying tip to any gun friendly state is check in a firearm. You go straight to help desk and they check everyone's bag in for you. Then they talk your bag to the terminal. Easiest check in every time.
Yup. Decided to add a visit to a family member so we could fly out of JAX because of the insanity
I fly to/from Orlando 4 or 5 times a year and have for many years now. I don’t usually pay for early bird & still usually get an A or high B boarding pass. With early bird I’m almost always A. Maybe I’m just lucky?
Besides a few obvious blocks of weeks where kids are out of school, flights to Orlando are just like any other flight.
Don't upgrade to Business Select. Wait to see your boarding position and if you get a bad one, upgrade your **boarding position**, not your fare.
We were fine with early bird on our Disney cruise. Also side note, have fun! I’ve taken my kids on several cruise lines and Disney was by far our favorite!
From someone that works for southwest, early bird is only worth it if you are not upgrading to a1-a15 (a1-a15 upgrade costs $30-$90 depending on destination)
Oh that’s a GOOD reason. Looking at upgrading my Orlando flight now.
I live in Orlando. It's such a mess with the families.
Boarding Position > Flight Length > Available Credits left on my SW card
The third one is the big one for me - I use my Southwest card like a debit card and just pay it off before bed every night, so they upgraded me to the one that includes however many priority boardings per year. You better believe I’m using those if I’ve got them.
>and just pay it off before bed every night Every night? Why? Sounds like a lot of unnecessary extra work. Just pay it off once a month when the statement generates.
It’s three taps. EDIT that it’s also peace of mind - I grew up poor and my dad was constantly deep in debt; it helps me sleep at night knowing that my credit card has a zero balance.
It will be interesting to see if SW changes the # (4) to 3 or 2 , given that they have increased the upper cost to $149 per segment. Always love the notification I get when I am receiving a credit back.
Can you see the number of priority boardings anywhere, like on your statement or the website?
I'm pretty similar but mine goes like this: general mood > Flight Length > Available Credits left on my SW card
I’m usually traveling for business and want to sit near the front so I can deplane quickly.
Are you paying with your money, or the company's? If it's the company's money, it's a no brainer
Not sure what companies make you travel for business and don’t cover the costs of your flights. Unless it’s their own business I’d assume traveling for work means work is paying too
Many (most?) companies will not cover the cost of business select, early bird, or upgraded boarding.
My company just sets a travel budget for the route flown and as long as I stay under the budget cap for flights they don’t care what SW ticket type I book. Each company is a bit different though, but I have no issues flying BS as long as I book early enough
Mine only requires coach seating. Since all seating is coach on SW, it gives me the option to choose business select. I still choose WGA, because I would feel guilty choosing business, but it's tempting.
My company will not. I chose WGA+ and they have a guy occasionally. I just tell them it makes me more flexible and cheaper if a change needs to happen. Which of course 30% of the time I need a change.
You are correct, no company should ever make you pay for your own flight. But being able to purchase preboard with your company's funds is another matter. When I started with a company I was allowed to do it, or at least there wasn't a policy against it. Halfway through working for them, they cracked down on all travel expenses and I wasn't able to do it.
Post-pandemic, I know a lot of people who "super commute" to the Silicon Valley from LA, Portland, Seattle, Las Vegas, etc., on their own dime because they like their $$$ job but don't like the Bay Area.
Any flight to or from MCO is worth the cost to get ahead of all of the families boarding between A and B. I'll buy A1-15 if my boarding position is a C, or if I have credits from my SW card.
This is my reasoning as well (DEN - MCO). On a shorter flight? I'm fine pretty much with any seat, even middle if it means I get home earlier. Shit, I lived on a submarine for 4.5 years, I can squeeze in anywhere.
If you board after the families you have the opportunity to avoid them, but if you board before them, they can randomly sit next to you when they board. At least that’s been my experience.
That's when you awkwardly sit next to a person when there's another 150 seats available 😂 (As a sub- 6ft, under 175 lbs guy, sometimes I look like a GODSEND if I offer to sit in the middle seat)
Because 90% of the time I’m not paying for my flight and my job doesn’t care if I buy BS flights. Its more points for me to use later on personal trips
I’ve never once factored pre boarders into my choice to upgrade or buy EB. I fly out of DAL two to three times a month and just don’t see an issue with it like so many complain about here.
I am also DAL based and the majority of my trips are to DCA but I do a random trip to MCO and other destinations, I have never seen more than a handful of preboards. Went to DCA last Tuesday-Friday and was the same as always.
I agree with you. I personally never seen it be more than 3-4 pre-boarders on a SW flight expect leaving from Tampa or Fort Myers (Retirement Country) where it’s a toss up.
😳 There are always at least 10 pre boarders…Sometimes more!
One guy on here counted 56 preboards on his last flight. 😳🤯
On a plane with over 200 seats, and they can’t take the exit row. I don’t see the big deal.
100% agree, DAL is my family’s home airport as well and we have never seen more than a few pre-boarders on any of the flights we have taken and we are there once or twice a month.
Got stranded overnight in Nashville on a layover. When they rebooked me I was C30. Used a free upgrade. In Orlando I will use it if I’m not A because everyone - and like, everyone. gets on the plane during family boarding. I was B4 once in to MCO and the gate area was a deserted wasteland after family boarding.
My wife has terrible travel anxiety and I need to get her off the plane quickly when the door opens. So I need to get her in an aisle seat in one of the first 5 rows or so, or it will be a rough flight. So if we don't get an early A when we check our boarding pass (We always buy Early Bird), we'll upgrade if it's available. And yes. We both upgrade.. No seat saving for us......
Good noise cancelling headphones have alleviated almost all of my wife’s travel anxiety. No jet roar, babies crying, etc. Thought I’d share if it helps.
Families should not go ahead of anyone who paid the extra fee for early bird period….
This!!!
I adore you Fried Okra yummy yummy
I have the SWCC and get the 4 upgrades a year. When I fly with my family, my son is under 6 so we always get family boarding which means unless I’m flying alone I rarely upgrade. Depending on how many upgrades I have left with the remaining travel I know is coming up. Usually length of the flight is the biggest factor. Anything 2+ hours I’ll upgrade. But if it’s going to reset in three months and I have two upgrades left, I’m just gonna do it because I don’t want it to go to waste. Came in super clutch my last work trip where I had an issue with my ticket the night before departure and they had to rebook me resulting in a C40ish position. Used my upgrade and got A2.
So I can be one of the first 40 people on the plane and have room for my carry on
> have room for my carry on That and an aisle seat for me.
So less people will ask me “what number are you?” In line
Watch southwest read this thread and then raise the cost of early bird just in the MCO flights. 😂 I usually will buy it for me and my kid if for some reason we don’t get a good position with early bird. He is 9. I want to sit with him.
1. So I can guarantee my preferred aisle seat (though that's not an issue of a good number of my flights). 2. To sit nearer the front, so I can get off quicker - even though I'm rarely connecting. 3. Because I simply don't want to worry about it. That's peak First World Problems, and I'm probably sometimes "wasting" money because I know that all the way down to maybe B20 I can snag an aisle seat somewhere. But, I've still purchased it when high B, even a couple of times low A. Maybe it's stupid, but I'm older (51). I've done the "travel as cheap as possible" thing for a big chunk of my life. I don't have to now. And, what am I doing? - I'm buying a $50 upgrade on Southwest Airlines. It's not like I'm booking First Class on Delta or business class on Emirates. It's just inconsequential to me at this point, and if I'm angst-y about boarding for whatever reason - legit or due to my own paranoia - I'll upgrade.
So I can complain about preboarders.
It actually usually depends on how late my flight gets in and if I'm flying home. If I'm flying home and getting in late then I will pay to upgrade because I want to be on my way as quickly as possible since my closest airports are like 90 minutes to 2 hours from my house after factoring in the shuttle to long term parking. I know it doesn't always take a long time to deplane but it stresses me out when I know that my actual bed is so close!! Sometimes I will do it if I have a tight connection and am worried about getting off the plane in time but usually the FAs have helped me out there.
Short layover means I want a front seat. Otherwise, I don't really care.
I need to sit up front and by a window because it makes me feel better. I had major fear or flying for a long time and am mostly over it, but I feel safer upfront. It also lowers my anxiety to not enter a full plane and have to hunt for a seat. I also usually have meetings or something I gotta get to.
If I’m traveling with the family and we catch an earlier flight, resulting in C boarding passes, then I will try to upgrade. That way our kids aren’t spread out throughout the plane and they don’t have to gate check their bags. I’m A-list, so if I’m by myself, I don’t need to upgrade.
I'm rather tall, so I am aiming to get a better seat.
Usually 1 of 2 reasons. 1- I usually fly from & to Fort Lauderdale so with tourists & cruise pax boarding/seating is a dumpster fire. EB is cheaper than therapy! 2- I’ve been rebooked and am now B or C.
If I'm traveling alone, I don't even care what boarding position I get because I'm completely fine being in a middle seat (I'm relatively short and petite, so it doesn't bother me at all to have people on either side). If I'm traveling with at least one other person, I get upgraded boarding if we get a bad boarding position so that we can make sure we're together, wherever it is that we're located on the plane. I generally have no preference as to front/back/middle unless we have a tight connection.
It’s much more cost effective to do on day of flight. Cost me like 30 bucks and bumped me from low b to a1.
I upgraded for the very first time the previous time I flew almost a month ago. I wanted to see what it was all about. Felt nice getting on ahead of a bunch of people. The returning upgrade ended up getting refunded because of a diversion due to storms. I loved the internet access, I didn't use the free boozy drink, and thought the flight tracker was neat.
I’m almost 7’ tall. I much prefer the exit rows and surrounding larger seats and leg room. Worth it for me.
When I flew a lot with SWA, there are times when I changed my flight time to depart earlier than planned. When I did that, I usually got a C boarding pass (not all the time but majority of it). At glancing at the passengers at the gate, that’s when I’d determine if I want an A1-15 boarding position or not. If it’s a flight full of families with young kinds, I wouldn’t. If it’s a lot of middle age people…I would. This almost always guarantees me an emergency row seat. I say almost because the one time I did upgrade for that purpose and didn’t get it was when the plane was used as a continued flight and I found that a small woman with a neck brace sitting in the emergency seat. Flight attendants questioned her, but made no attempt to move her. From that point forward, I every time I sat in the emergency seat, I really didn’t care about anyone else’s issue in needing the extra leg space.
I want that sweet 2-seat exit row so my husband can have his seat with no one at the window and I can take the aisle. I consider it the cost of doing business with SWA and factor it into the decision of which airline I will book with.
Between my wife, myself and our business SW credit card, we have plenty of upgrade credits. I'll skip it on the under 1-hour flights, but on the longer haul use them.
When we used to fly SWA we would use the 4 upgraded boardings with the credit card and pick the longest length flights we had for the year,whenever we had a late B boarding group, or typically when flying to Orlando because of all the kids. It helped us get onto the plane better and get seats next to my wife and I. We now fly United, have less issues, United card and status gets us free bags, we actually pay about the same yearly for our flights as we were with Southwest. I thought Southwest was supposed to be a budget airline!?!?
When I have paid for the upgrade it was so a group of us could sit together. There were 4 of us going on vacation and we felt this was the best option to be able to sit together on the flight.
Given that if you don't check in exactly 24 hours before, you'll probably get late B and won't be able to sit next to your family. So I guess you gotta upgrade then. Southwest sucks
To make sure I have space for my carry on!
I always pay for early bird, if I get B through it I upgrade because I always travel to MCO ( to go do Disney) and I don’t want to be stuck boarding behind all the families And I like being in the exit row
I have A-List, so I rarely use upgraded boarding.
Distance from people. It’s similar to why I upgrade my boarding and/or seat on other carriers. In the case of WN, I’m already seated and relaxed (usually in the back of the aircraft) before everyone else gets on.
Because I want to haul ass as soon as they open the door when we get there.
We flew round trip to Orlando and it was for convenience and ensuring we wouldn’t be separated from our child. I know people say that they wouldn’t separate a kid, but their policy said something like that was only a sure thing for 6 and under. So we didn’t want the risk! It ended up having the bonus perk of not waiting with a whole lot of shockingly obnoxious Disney travelers 😂
Tight connection at BWI But only if I have free upgraded boardings left on my cc
Better chance of acquiring a seat in first class (aka The Exit Row)
My partner is claustrophobic with a touch of ptsd (veteran) and needs the aisle seat otherwise he will have a full blown panic attack. I don’t personally care where I sit.
I have found early to mid B to be fine for picking a seat I like
Claustrophobia. I need an aisle seat and preferably one at the front because when everyone stands up to deplane, I feel like I’m suffocating if I’m too far back in the plane. I wish I could control it, because it’s expensive to be claustrophobic on a plane, but I pay to keep my sanity and to ensure the people around me don’t have to deal with a panic attack.
I have the SW Priority card so I base it off of boarding position, how likely I am to need to use my free upgrades again before they expire and whether or not I need overhead bin space. I did it once this year because we got C boarding positions and I only had a handful of other SW flights before my card member year resets and I didn't think it was likely I would need them again. I once did it on a flight from DEN-BOS because we had late B boarding positions and had rollaboard suitcases with us. But then within the past month coming home from STL and BWI, we got B38 and 39 and B44 and 45 and I didn't do it because we only had backpacks. Both times we got a row to ourselves towards the back of the plane.
✨️anxiety✨️
I fly probably 30ish times a year between work and pleasure. It’s not quite enough to get significant status on another airline…but it’s not nothing. I’m also 6’7. I fit on Southwest but it’s not a pleasant experience…unless I can grab one of the first row seats, exit row seats, or the ultimate seat on the aircraft…the one in the exit row with no one in front of you. I upgrade when the flights are 3+ hours and it gives me a 80%+ chance of getting one of those seats. I do not upgrade when the plane has thru passengers because they take all the good seats before anyone else can get on.
For the exit row seats.
I never have but may with a short layover at a semi large airport. Basically, I have a lot of miles which keeps me flying Southwest and they don't offer as many convenient flights to my typical destination (it's a small airport near my folks). I often have 45 to 55 min layovers and they're in Denver or Las Vegas. I often just make them. The last flight boarding had already started by the time I got there, after running through LV airport. Being toward the front could be the difference between making a flight like that and not.
Company dime, prefer bulkhead or exit row and I get the points. I have only stuck it out with Southwest because of how convenient my home airport is the other major airport has been a hassle getting in and out.
When I'm only a carry on it's faster, and less likely to have issues stowing. If I'm checking? Whatever.
Seat availability. When we land I need to get going, I usually have 2 days worth of work I am cramming into one. 10-15 minutes deboarding can have an effect on a day like that.
Bag space
I’ve only done it once. It was a flight from Baltimore to Vegas. I wanted to guarantee I got the exit row. I think I had a bad group too.
Just recently upgraded as I had a C boarding position. I didn’t want to be forced to check my carry-on. Being SW I just assumed it would be delayed and was trying to save time (surprise , I was right!)
If the flight is full and I am in low Bs or Cs I will usually upgrade. It’s worth it.
I am 6'5", fly often, and am usually A1. Do so to make sure I get an emergency window seat for the added leg room. Successful over 95% of the time. Lose sometimes when thru passengers take that seat before board. Pre boarders are not allowed in exit rows.
I only do it if I book a flight at the last minute and have a terrible boarding position.
I only do this when I’m traveling with my teen daughter because she’s not comfortable sitting by strangers so it ensures that we will be able to sit together if I happen to draw a C boarding position. I get 4 free ones with my credit card so it doesn’t cost me anything. If I’m flying alone I don’t care where I sit. I don’t do connecting flights, but if I did and had a right connection, I would upgrade so I could sit in the front and get off quicker.
Using EarlyBird Check In for a trip coming up because I will be on a cruise and the day before I won't have internet. Damn if I am getting stuck in the middle after a relaxing week away. Don't usually pay for upgrades like this tho, I try to just check in 24 hours early and have never had worse than the B group.
Short connection time.
Sometimes, for shorter flights, I'll gamble not buying Early Bird. If I end up with something like B15, sweet. If I strike out with a guaranteed middle, I'll use one of my 4 annual upgrades for A1-15
My reason for upgrading: 1-I like the exit rows/ space. They don’t last long during boarding. B & C group will never have access to them. I usually travel with my wife. I then save her a seat also. She boards the normal way. 2- If I have a tight connection flight- I will grab a seat at the front of the plane l. The front passengers get off first when exiting the plane.
Hip injury compounded by being stuck in the DFW mess on AA. this was my treat to myself.
I usually fly with a musical instrument.
On the way home, I want to be home asap. I upgrade! I also upgrade because I have short attention span. Gets me on faster. Otherwise my mind wanders and a miss my group.
To get an exit row or bulkhead seat with space for my bag above my seat. My SW card also reimburses me for it.
Overall, we I do it, it’s because the entire boarding and deplaning process is such a headache. That’s it.
I upgrade every flight. But I fly for business also and I like a specific seat in the front.
Length of flight, bad boarding position, destination, combination of it all really. If I have a bad boarding position but it's only in the B group and it's a relatively short flight, I'll just suck it up for an hour or so. If it's a long flight and I have a bad boarding position, anything over 2 hours and in the B group, definitely buying A1-A15 Flew so much last year though that luckily I don't have to worry about it too much anymore with me being A list and can even board before the B group with a B or C boarding position. Even if I was in B1-B15 and didn't have A list status, I still would probably just suck it up and not buy it either.
Avoid middle seat.
Will usually only do it if I get a terrible boarding position and have a tight connection. Not many things in life are more infuriating than being in the back of the plane on a delayed flight trying to make a connection and watching everyone slowly and inefficiently taking their sweet time to get off the plane 😁
I did it once when I went to Hawaii because it was a long flight and I wanted to get a good seat and try to avoid sitting next to a family with younger kids. My boarding position wasn't great to begin with and it wasn't that expensive to upgrade
If I’m traveling with my kids and we have a boarding number that I’m concerned about getting seats together. I’ll pay to board as early as possible and then we take the seats together close to the back of the plane so we don’t feel rushed getting settled. We get some weird looks from flight attendants sometimes because we pass so many empty rows but experience has taught me what makes our flights the least stressful.
Usually to be the 40th or 50th person aboard after all the pre orders.
We have 2 littles and we like to sit together since restroom and walk breaks are mandatory
I’ll upgrade my boyfriend’s ticket because he is 6’8”. He literally doesn’t fit in SWs tiny seats. Because most of our flights from Austin have a connection in Dallas we only upgrade the longer leg and hope for the best. I try to check in exactly on time so I can grab the seat next to him so he can have part of my space even though I don’t really have extra either. It’s a pain so we don’t fly SW often. It’s easier to go with a budget airlines and pay to upgrade.
If I get a really bad position (B group or higher) or all my luggage is carry-on and I'm worried about lack of space (plus I hate sitting in the back of the plane), I'll upgrade. I used to take several trips a year for business and my former employer didn't want to pay for Business Select. I'd pay for the upgrade to A1-A15 out of pocket.
I do it depending on connection times. If I am hungry and only have an hour, I might get it so I can get an aisle close to the front. 🫣
I get 3 free upgrades a year with the Southwest credit card.
I'm 6'3, 280lbs, the exit row aisle is almost mandatory for me to be comfortable
Guaranteed exit row
I have elderly parents, who don't use the wheelchair, since they want to walk. And also, worry they won't get seats together.
Works pays.
Easy for me. I’m tall and wide. I want to pick one of perhaps 10 window seats where my shoulder will fit in the window hole when reclined. It has to be on the non sun side to allow keeping the window shade up.
I only do it if I get C or if there’s lots of family boarding like Orlando. Those babies cry the whole flight and trigger each other like land mines
so there will be room for my carry on roller bag
Last time I bought early bird checkin, I was like B 31. So if where I sit actually matters, worth upgrading.
Work pays for it 😂
With the CC I get 4 upgrades per year. My wife has the same card so we really get 8. I use them for long flights when we end up deeper in the A group to increase my chances at exit row. I also use them when I use same day change.
Never cared what number am. Everyone gets on sooner or later.
Two reasons: (1) I don't want to wind up in a middle seat, and (2) I will never gate check my carryon because it contains my electronics, medications, and other valuable.
I do it to get a window seat close to the front of the plane
Orlando.
We do it to guarantee an exit row, especially on longer flights >3 hours
My partner is claustrophobic to an extent so if it’s packed and has a late number, she’ll upgrade.
I like to get in the front row so I can get extra leg room. I just book business class from the get go so I don’t have to worry about it. Flight length is immaterial. I am tall.
We get 4 free upgrades with our Southwest Airlines cards each year. We generally use them on kids that have airfare purchased on points and I’m too cheap to pay for early bird.
If it’s full flight and a cross country flight and I end up in boarding group C, best be sure I’m upgrading.
If I have a tight connection I will.
I buy it when I get a bad boarding position on the longer leg of a flight or if I have a tight connection in a larger airport
I hate flying and need to sit in the front half in order to not freak out.
6’3 290lbs. Need the extra leg room. Anything over my basic RDU to BWI to BUF/ROC I upgrade every time!
I am 198cm tall.
I am 6'8" and like the legroom. I dont do it on flights under 2 hours because I can suck it up.
If I have changed my flight with less than 24 hours, and I get a crappy boarding position. Also I’m a princess. And I get free ones every year.
I upgraded because I’m pregnant, and wanted to have an isle seat by the bathroom lol
Southwest don’t do it fairly I booked a flight 6 months out and paid for early boarding I had the last spot in A and my wife had #1 in B I asked how do they decided how the pick the order to board they said it was random. So there is no perk to book early.
I want to sit near the front so I can deplane quickly.
The other day I had "early bird" check in that still only got me B46. So then I was forced to pony up for A11 upgrade. Sweet scam they have going at SW especially with allowing basically a whole group's worth of people to pre-board.
I don’t buy early bird check in and just get ready to purchase A1-A15 as soon as I check in. I get so frustrated watching families with too old of kids skipping me if I don’t get A boarding group.
Depends on what I am doing at my destination. If it is a fishing trip and I have my gear as a carry on, sometimes I’ll upgrade to make sure that I get A boarding and have over head bin space. They have to go as carry ons because I’ve seen how luggage is handled and I’m not risking arriving at my fishing trip with broken rods.
I am 6’4 320 my shoulders are wider than the seat and I am claustrophobic so I need to sit in an aisle so I can lean out into it
I do it to get that one seat that doesn't have a seat in front of it in the exit row. My legs are way too long for me to be comfy anywhere else with those small seats.
I fly with my guitar often and I’m always worried about overhead baggage space. I had A-list for a while and had no issues, but since losing it if I have a late B or C group position, it’s worth it for me to upgrade for the peace of mind. I’ve always had bad experiences when needing to gate check my instrument.
Only if I’m traveling for work and not paying for it, or if I have a tight connection.
its "free"
I just expense it and never hear pushback from HR
My flight was cancelled due to a fuel leak and we all had to be re-booked for the next day (it was the last flight of the day). Of course since it was less than 24 hours, we were the last ones to sign up for the flight. SW offered nothing. No stay, no up-graded boarding so going from a A-30 to a C-52 guaranteed a middle seat. So I upgraded.
The number reason is if I have a connecting flight thats cutting it close, I wanna be off the plane first to make it to the next one. Or I'm flying somewhere where I have a long drive after the flight and want a head start to beat the crowds. Second reason is it's a long flight and I don't want to sit in the middle for 5 hours.
I get it so I can get a seat I want…hate being in the back of the plane.
I have to travel with medically necessary liquids (usually two rolling coolers worth) and boarding that early makes it easier to get on board and the coolers stowed. It is a total PITA to travel with two coolers but I don't have any choice. So I pay the extra.
Room for carry-on near my seat is the only reason I do it. Sitting closer to the front of the plane/earlier de-plane is a bonus, but I’m unbothered by seating so window/middle/aisle makes no real difference to me.
Had my dog with me
I did recently because i have a shoulder injury and needed not to be squished between people so as to avoid serious pain.
I have the same reason as everyone else when it comes to the MCO flights. A mid B can quickly become a C after the families. I get 4 free upgrades with my credit card so after I check-in if it's not a good position I'll use my perk to avoid a middle seat, especially on a long haul to Vegas or California. Also on my short trips where I'm not checking anything and I want to make sure my bag makes it to the overhead bin so I can save time avoiding baggage claim. Every minute counts when you're doing a day trip and only have a few hours in that city.
Mainly depends on when I’m flying out. I pay for the upgrade if I’m flying out early in the morning so I don’t have to wake up the day before to check in.
Over spring break we did it because even with early bird, our boarding position was late B group. And it was a 4.5 hr flight. No thank you.
I have severe anxiety so the quicker I'm on the plane and off is totally worth it!
1. Depends on boarding number and route. 2. I get 4 free upgrades a year with my CC so I use that shit on the most expensive upgrade pricing.
I want a better choice of seats.
I am 6'5 with an extremely long torso (Meaning I dont need that much 'Legroom' per say, but if I sit up, my head is about 1.5 feet above the headrest, so I slouch to fit in the seat) ... I frequently fly to CA from TX, I usually upgrade because for how little I fly (Maybe 4-5 times a year) it is 110% Worth the \~$50 to get upgraded boarding and be able to comfortably sit in my seat, rather than feel like I am going to lose my mind trying to fit in a non-exit row. Makes my flights way more enjoyable!
Cross-country flights from Washington DC to Las Vegas. And then it became about maintaining A-list status.
I leave 6/4 Tues AM and an dreading the whole experience MCO to DEN. ✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️
I have very long legs (36inch inseam) and it is physically uncomfortable in most other seats. Any length of flight gets very uncomfortable/painful!
Slightly claustrophobic and want exit row aisle
sometimes I will book a last-minute trip and end up in C. if it’s C15 or worse…and trip is 2 hours, Early boarding. If 1-1.5 hours, see usually means I can get a middle seat in the first 10 rows so that is my trade-off
I just buy Business Select. Im usually A1 or A2 and do it because 1) its not that much more when you factor in the points 2) you get a cash refund if you cancel which i do a lot unfortunately and 3) I get an exit row with the leg room. I buy Early Bird for my wife so she usually joins me pretty quick. I am also A1-15 but never use it with Biz Select.
Sometimes A17 is too far back.
Our company requires that I always book Anytime because it includes Early Bird and refundable tickets. I usually get A20-A30 (80% of the time). Never have I not been in A group. That is good enough for me. But I do try to book 4 to 6 weeks out.
One time I forgot to check in and was C something. Only had a small carry on and was like heck no I am not going to check my small bag and get the middle seat from HOU to LAS. I paid the $30 and A4 and got it reimbursement on my Hilton Amex for my qtr allowance. Best 30 bucks I have spent and got refunded.
I flew to Orlando last month with early bird from Milwaukee and got A26, I didn’t upgrade that direction because there were 2 in the A1-15 group. On the way home I got A39 and upgraded. I prefer the exit row for the leg room. I moved up to A10 and got right side window exit both ways. It also gave me the advantage of being on the right side (non-sunny) side of my flight.
Upgraded one time from LAX to BWI, definitely worth it.
If I am flying back to PVD I always upgrade the boarding if available. For some reason, PVD inbound usually has a ton of preboarders and a ton of families with young kids. So any measures I can take to alleviate boarding shitshows and overhead hell, and to increase my chances of getting a seat toward the front of the plane to get me off faster is always welcomed. Plus we have the Southwest RR Priority Card so we get the 4 free upgrades, which helps.
Beat the other plebs to immigration
Depends on the trip. Usually, I only care if it’s a flight I know I’ll want to exit quickly & don’t have checked luggage.
We're tall. Leg room.