Post all SW questions concerns, etc. here...

[Elle23]

It is not just the date/time that determines the boarding assignment. The price of the ticket is part of the equation as well. Your Mom's Senior fare was more than your WGA fare, so her placement will be before yours. Same thing with your other family members that booked after you - they probably paid a higher fare than you did, so their boarding number will also come before yours. The timestamp is applicable *within* a fare bracket - it doesn't take precedence over the fare.
From the SW website:
"Boarding positions are assigned based on the time stamp of the EarlyBird Check-In purchase relative to passengers within the same fare class."

Steve

I never knew that. Thanks for the explanation.

 

[Llama mama]

A

It is not just the date/time that determines the boarding assignment. The price of the ticket is part of the equation as well. Your Mom's Senior fare was more than your WGA fare, so her placement will be before yours. Same thing with your other family members that booked after you - they probably paid a higher fare than you did, so their boarding number will also come before yours. The timestamp is applicable *within* a fare bracket - it doesn't take precedence over the fare.
From the SW website:
"Boarding positions are assigned based on the time stamp of the EarlyBird Check-In purchase relative to passengers within the same fare class."

Steve

After this explanation I will probably never purchase Early Bird again. I purchase my tickets 6 months out at low fares . So basically everyone after me will get a better boarding number. Due to higher fares if purchasing EB.
This explanation is much more in depth than the ticket agent gave me. She basically said the earlier I buy it the better boarding number I will receive. She never mentioned price of ticket factored in.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

A

After this explanation I will probably never purchase Early Bird again. I purchase my tickets 6 months out at low fares . So basically everyone after me will get a better boarding number. Due to higher fares if purchasing EB.
This explanation is much more in depth than the ticket agent gave me. She basically said the earlier I buy it the better boarding number I will receive. She never mentioned price of ticket factored in.

The fare class being spoken about in the description from SWA is meaning for example Anytime and Wanna Get Away fare. Someone who purchases Anytime fare with EBCI is put ahead of someone who purchased WGA fare with EBCI. In this particular case we're talking Senior Fare as opposed to WGA fare (assuming it was WGA fare purchased).

 

[Llama mama]

The fare class being spoken about in the description from SWA is meaning for example Anytime and Wanna Get Away fare. Someone who purchases Anytime fare with EBCI is put ahead of someone who purchased WGA fare with EBCI. In this particular case we're talking Senior Fare as opposed to WGA fare (assuming it was WGA fare purchased).

So wait you are stating it’s due to the category of ticket purchased. The earlier poster stated it was fare price within a fare bucket and the type of fare are part of the equation.
So a WGA who paid 200 on 1/30 whereas I paid 150 on 1/1 would still be placed after me? Now I am really confused . Everything I ever read was based on fare category WGA , Anytime etc. Not the price within the same categories.

 

[Lisa F]

So wait you are stating it’s due to the category of ticket purchased. The earlier poster stated it was fare price within a fare bucket and the type of fare are part of the equation.
So a WGA who paid 200 on 1/30 whereas I paid 150 on 1/1 would still be placed after me? Now I am really confused . Everything I ever read was based on fare category WGA , Anytime etc. Not the price within the same categories.

I don't believe that to be the case... I've purchased fares on opening day at the lowest WGA price and gotten as low as A17-18

 

[Llama mama]

I don't believe that to be the case... I've purchased fares on opening day at the lowest WGA price and gotten as low as A17-18

That’s how I hope it works. I purchase months in advance at a cheap price.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

So wait you are stating it’s due to the category of ticket purchased. The earlier poster stated it was fare price within a fare bucket and the type of fare are part of the equation.
So a WGA who paid 200 on 1/30 whereas I paid 150 on 1/1 would still be placed after me? Now I am really confused . Everything I ever read was based on fare category WGA , Anytime etc. Not the price within the same categories.

I think you've gotten it mixed up a bit or I unintentionally confused you (apologies if that's the case )

What I'm saying is:

The quote: "relative to your fare class" means it assigns it based on time stamp within the same fare class.

Fare Class is meaning Anytime Fare, WGA Fare, Senior Fare, etc.

So for example let's say you have two people who purchased WGA Fare--one person purchased EBCI 6 months ahead of the flight but the other purchased it 5 months ahead of the flight. The person who purchased it 6 months in advanced is assigned the EBCI before the person who purchased it 5 months ahead because the timestamp for the purchase of EBCI within the same fare class is earlier.

However, Anytime fare has higher priority in assignment of Boarding passes than WGA fares. Therefore if you purchased WGA Fare with EBCI 6months out but someone else purchased Anytime Fare let's say 5 months out as well as EBCI at the same time they will have higher priority than you who only purchased WGA fare.

Senior Fares are fully refundable and based on the situation the PP had I would guess Southwest is placing higher priority in terms of assigning Boarding positions to the passenger with the Senior Fare.

As far as price of the ticket----that sure isn't helping my husband out lol. His flights average $500-$700 RT to get from the LA area to KC every two weeks. His tickets however are purchased 2-3 weeks out;mostly 2 weeks out. He's been getting EBCI at that time (his company pays for the plane ticket and the EBCI). He has gotten mid to high A's and into the B's. Today his flight to Phoenix to catch his connection he was A60 and from Phoenix to LAX he was A43. His previous flight was booked further in advance because it was 4th of July weekend. From KC to LAX non-stop this time on 7/7 he was low B's but I don't remember the exact number. Every flight is different numbers; he purchases roughly the same interval as far as about 2 weeks ahead but each flight is comprised of different passengers.

 

[Llama mama]

I think you've gotten it mixed up a bit or I unintentionally confused you (apologies if that's the case )

What I'm saying is:

The quote: "relative to your fare class" means it assigns it based on time stamp within the same fare class.

Fare Class is meaning Anytime Fare, WGA Fare, Senior Fare, etc.

So for example let's say you have two people who purchased WGA Fare--one person purchased EBCI 6 months ahead of the flight but the other purchased it 5 months ahead of the flight. The person who purchased it 6 months in advanced is assigned the EBCI before the person who purchased it 5 months ahead because the timestamp for the purchase of EBCI within the same fare class is earlier.

However, Anytime fare has higher priority in assignment of Boarding passes than WGA fares. Therefore if you purchased WGA Fare with EBCI 6months out but someone else purchased Anytime Fare let's say 5 months out as well as EBCI at the same time they will have higher priority than you who only purchased WGA fare.

Senior Fares are fully refundable and based on the situation the PP had I would guess Southwest is placing higher priority in terms of assigning Boarding positions to the passenger with the Senior Fare.

As far as price of the ticket----that sure isn't helping my husband out lol. His flights average $500-$700 RT to get from the LA area to KC every two weeks. His tickets however are purchased 2-3 weeks out;mostly 2 weeks out. He's been getting EBCI at that time (his company pays for the plane ticket and the EBCI). He has gotten mid to high A's and into the B's. Today his flight to Phoenix to catch his connection he was A60 and from Phoenix to LAX he was A43. His previous flight was booked further in advance because it was 4th of July weekend. From KC to LAX non-stop this time on 7/7 he was low B's but I don't remember the exact number. Every flight is different numbers; he purchases roughly the same interval as far as about 2 weeks ahead but each flight is comprised of different passengers.

Thank you ! That’s how I thought it worked. An earlier post by someone stated her two family members had purchased after her but got better boarding spots. Another poster stated they probably paid more for their fare not clearly stating what class of fare they purchased. I read it as wait ? What? And got really confused.
So thank you for explaining. I should do pretty good then purchasing 6 months in advance with EBCI with a good boarding spot.

 

[Lisa F]

Thank you ! That’s how I thought it worked. An earlier post by someone stated her two family members had purchased after her but got better boarding spots. Another poster stated they probably paid more for their fare not clearly stating what class of fare they purchased. I read it as wait ? What? And got really confused.
So thank you for explaining. I should do pretty good then purchasing 6 months in advance with EBCI with a good boarding spot.

yes that is the best you can do basically. You should get in the A's if you do that. I have only gotten in the B's when I have purchased somewhere between opening day and the day of the flight.

 

[Llama mama]

One last question please. Southwest changed my flight and I am now leaving an hour earlier on my flight to Disney. The flight number changed too. That should not affect my EB correct? It should still time/date stamp my original purchase of early May since they did the change not me?

 

[MarBee]

One last question please. Southwest changed my flight and I am now leaving an hour earlier on my flight to Disney. The flight number changed too. That should not affect my EB correct? It should still time/date stamp my original purchase of early May since they did the change not me?

I don’t know about the EBCI but I did want to say that you should probably call Disney and update magical express just in case you didn’t

 

[JenluvsDisney]

One last question please. Southwest changed my flight and I am now leaving an hour earlier on my flight to Disney. The flight number changed too. That should not affect my EB correct? It should still time/date stamp my original purchase of early May since they did the change not me?

You should definitely contact Southwest to make sure your EBCI transferred over properly to your new flight time. This happened to me a couple of years ago. I bought EBCI for my return flight from MCO. A couple weeks after I bought my tickets (and EBCI), this return flight was changed by about an hour. My EBCI was still showing on my account so I didn't think anything of it and just figured, since I was automatically being checked in for my flight at 36 hours out, I would just do my own check-in and print my boarding passes when I arrived at MCO. BIG mistake. By the time I arrived at the airport and printed my tickets, me and my family of four were literally assigned the LAST boarding position of the entire flight. At the customer service desk, they could see that I had purchased EBCI but told me that, sometimes, when a flight time gets changed, the software messes up and doesn't properly assign EBCI to the new flight and that there was nothing they could do. My only option was to board last, then contact Southwest from home to have the EBCI reimbursed. We got VERY lucky that it wasn't a full flight and, although, we ended up sitting at the very back of the plane, we were able to sit together, and I did ultimately get my money back for the EBCI, but I would never chance it again.

 

[pfeifer1990]

I think you've gotten it mixed up a bit or I unintentionally confused you (apologies if that's the case )

What I'm saying is:

The quote: "relative to your fare class" means it assigns it based on time stamp within the same fare class.

Fare Class is meaning Anytime Fare, WGA Fare, Senior Fare, etc.

So for example let's say you have two people who purchased WGA Fare--one person purchased EBCI 6 months ahead of the flight but the other purchased it 5 months ahead of the flight. The person who purchased it 6 months in advanced is assigned the EBCI before the person who purchased it 5 months ahead because the timestamp for the purchase of EBCI within the same fare class is earlier.

However, Anytime fare has higher priority in assignment of Boarding passes than WGA fares. Therefore if you purchased WGA Fare with EBCI 6months out but someone else purchased Anytime Fare let's say 5 months out as well as EBCI at the same time they will have higher priority than you who only purchased WGA fare.

Senior Fares are fully refundable and based on the situation the PP had I would guess Southwest is placing higher priority in terms of assigning Boarding positions to the passenger with the Senior Fare.

As far as price of the ticket----that sure isn't helping my husband out lol. His flights average $500-$700 RT to get from the LA area to KC every two weeks. His tickets however are purchased 2-3 weeks out;mostly 2 weeks out. He's been getting EBCI at that time (his company pays for the plane ticket and the EBCI). He has gotten mid to high A's and into the B's. Today his flight to Phoenix to catch his connection he was A60 and from Phoenix to LAX he was A43. His previous flight was booked further in advance because it was 4th of July weekend. From KC to LAX non-stop this time on 7/7 he was low B's but I don't remember the exact number. Every flight is different numbers; he purchases roughly the same interval as far as about 2 weeks ahead but each flight is comprised of different passengers.

I'm confused what EBCI is? We are looking to fly out May 2020 (and impatiently waiting for SW to release those fares). When looking at SW website there isn't a category called EBCI. We would like some of us to be able to sit together (there are 5 of us) due to one in our party not having ever flown!

 

[Cinderumbrella]

I'm confused what EBCI is? We are looking to fly out May 2020 (and impatiently waiting for SW to release those fares). When looking at SW website there isn't a category called EBCI. We would like some of us to be able to sit together (there are 5 of us) due to one in our party not having ever flown!

EBCI= Early Bird Check In. It’s a fee you can pay to be automatically checked in for boarding position 36 hours before your flight. If you choose not to pay for it, you can check in for boarding position 24 hours before your flight.

 

[pfeifer1990]

EBCI= Early Bird Check In. It’s a fee you can pay to be automatically checked in for boarding position 36 hours before your flight. If you choose not to pay for it, you can check in for boarding position 24 hours before your flight.

Thanks! That makes sense we plan on purchasing that when we purchase our tickets.

 

[scrappinginontario]

I'm confused what EBCI is? We are looking to fly out May 2020 (and impatiently waiting for SW to release those fares). When looking at SW website there isn't a category called EBCI. We would like some of us to be able to sit together (there are 5 of us) due to one in our party not having ever flown!

If the 5 of your sitting together is important, the safest way to ensure you'll board earlier (either with A's or B's) is to purchase EBCI for all members of your party.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Thanks! That makes sense we plan on purchasing that when we purchase our tickets.

Yes it's just like the two other posters said.

The fee varies now in price based on route and demand. It's $15-$25 per person per way.

EBCI also helps for people who would be unable to check in right at 24hours for example if no cell service was available or if they would be otherwise occupied.

 

[eeyore29]

Can I use “travel funds” (credit) on the app or only on the website? And is it still true that if my future flight drops and I get a credit on that, does that credit go back to the original expiration date? If so, for that reason, would it be best to book the future departure/return flights separately?

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Can I use “travel funds” (credit) on the app or only on the website? And is it still true that if my future flight drops and I get a credit on that, does that credit go back to the original expiration date? If so, for that reason, would it be best to book the future departure/return flights separately?

Yes you can use the funds on the app. Yes the expiration date will be one year from the dated you originally purchased the tickets. As far as purchasing separately you will still have to follow the rule that the funds will expire one year from the date you purchased each ticket if purchase separately, Just because you purchased one ticket later than the other does not change the expiration date of the ticket bought earlier.

 

[dfisher9]

Another EBCI question. My wife and I just got TSA precheck. Unfortunately, my wife's precheck has her whole middle name, while her flight only had her middle initial. I called Southwest to have her middle name added, and it looks like she got a new ticket number. Is this going to reset her EBCI order (I originally purchased the tickets the day the flights went on sale).