Is Southwest’s EarlyBird check-in worth $10? The answer is …

swplane1Yes. Sure, Southwest’s decision to begin charging for early boarding is taking it down a slippery slope toward a la carte fees, but what a ride it is, according to passengers like Jennifer Rigdon.

What is EarlyBird? Southwest describes it as follows:

With EarlyBird Check-in, you’ll receive a better boarding position that is confirmed for your trip. Since you’re boarding earlier, there will be more open seats and overhead bin space from which to choose. Then you can sit back and relax as the other passengers board.

Rigdon emailed me shortly after Southwest’s announcement to let me know she wanted to try it. I asked her to report back.

For $20, it’s not a huge loss if it’s not a benefit. I signed up, paid and will know when I print my boarding pass on Saturday whether it was worth it.

Before getting to Rigdon’s experience, a little context: Southwest has always been the most egalitarian domestic airline. There’s no first class section, no seat assignments. In fact, until it revised its boarding procedures in 2007, getting on a Southwest flight was pretty much a free-for-all — you got there first, you boarded first.

It was clear that Southwest wanted to go with assigned seating, but it stopped short of that, maybe because assigned seats ran contrary to its corporate culture.

But the airline still wanted to segment its customers, giving business travelers first crack at the best seats, so it compromised. Its revised policies allowed business travelers paying the most for their tickets to board first. EarlyBird is a natural outgrowth of that decision, turned upside-down. Instead of paying more money for your ticket and getting on the plane early, you’re paying a fee after you’ve bought a less expensive ticket. (Either way, Southwest makes money.)

AirTran, Spirit and Allegiant already offer a comparable fee. You pay an extra $15 or more for a confirmed reservation. Somehow, EarlyBird doesn’t feel as bad, though.

Here’s what Rigdon told me about being an EarlyBird:

I did the Southwest early bird check-in for both legs of my trip to Tempe, Ariz. The order of check-in priority is: Business Select, A-Listers and then those of us who paid the up-charge as early birds. Both flights were full. I was A-28 there and A-25 on the return. There are few Business Select passengers, leaving a gap in the numbering to begin with.

I think the hard part is there is nothing to compare it to. I print my boarding pass as soon as it’s available, so it is hard to know what would happen if I printed it later. Next time I’m going to wait a while and then print the pass – Early Bird doesn’t guarantee an A group boarding pass, but I’m thinking that it wouldn’t/shouldn’t be a C group pass.

I’ll definitely do it again – it’s more reasonable than the upgrade to Business Select, and for $20 I think it’s worth it.

Would you pay an extra $10 to get on the plane early? Under the right circumstances, I might.

The better question is: Should I have to?

(Photo: flygraphix/Flickr Creative Commons)

  • http://twitter.com/flyingphotog Paul Thompson

    Saying that “It’s clear Southwest wanted to go with assigned seating” is a pretty big assumption to make. Southwest polled the passengers and the majority said they like open seating. When an online service popped up a few years ago that allowed Southwest pax to pay for early check-in, Southwest had it shut down. Southwest has now taken that concept and adopted it as a new service.

  • Carver Farrow

    Of course, this fits perfectly with the economic model of those who desire a service should pay for it and those who don’t find that service useful should pay for it. As anyone who uses seatguru knows, not all seats on a given plan, even a single class one, are equal. Perhaps I am tall, or wide, or hate the rear of the plane, but you don’t.

    The economic model is that I pay a little (or a lot) extra, get the seat that I want, while you, who don’t care, haven’t been hurt.

    Win-Win situation. The only person who’s not happy is the person who wants the better seat without paying for it.

    Note: Just because I think that Southworst is right in this instant should NOT be taken as indicative that I will ever set foot on the crappy airline.

  • Mantini

    The only advantage I can see to this is if you know you won’t be around a computer/printer in the 24 to 12 hours before your flight. The last time I flew Southwest, I checked in about 23 hours before my flight, and was between A45 and A50 both times. That left me my choice of seats, and plenty of overhead space. I wouldn’t pay $20 to be a few slots further ahead, but if I knew I wasn’t going to be able to check in until much later in the process, then I might do it.

    That said, if more and more people do this, then checking in 24 hours ahead of time won’t get you nearly as good of a place in line. But, similarly, the more people do EarlyBird, the less benefit there is because you might end up at the back of the EarlyBird pack.

  • SirWired

    The problem with this fee is that it is difficult to know how much good it is doing you, or if it is doing any good at all.

    Since SW does not limit the number of early-bird seats, you could end up in a situation where you still have a C-class pass, even with the fee, and little better off than you would have been just showing up at the airport.

    If SW sells few early-bird/business/FF seats, then it could still be quite easy to get an A pass, even without the fee.

    I would appreciate it if SW published the current stats for the flight, so each traveler could make an informed decision about their purchase.

    For myself, I have paid the fee for a return trip coming up, as we will have little to know access to the website 24 hours prior to the flight, but have not paid it on the way out.

  • Ian

    Here’s the catch: Anyone who buys this option clearly knows the good seats. This means, whereas before A-25 might score you an exit row, now that menas there are 24 frequent, most likely knowledgable travelers already onboard the plane. Bulkheads, gone. Exit row seats, gone. The exit row seat with the ridiculous leg room? Definitely gone.

    I used this option on 4 flights last week and had no worse than A-25. The best seat I was able to secure was an aisle bulkhead seat, and that was for only one of the flights. The rest of the time, I got the same seats I could’ve gotten with B-52 as with A-25.

    Not worth it.

  • Phil

    I don’t pay fees period. Not for seats, not for luggage, not for food, nada, nothing period. I don’t pay for the credit cards I have and I won’t pay the airlines any more than the ticket price to get me from point A to B. If everyone did the same the fees would go away, the ticket price may be a little higher but then at least all would know up front prior to the purchase what the actual cost is. I remember many many years ago, the boycott of beef at the supermarkets, it really worked, prices came down, so with the airlines, boycott the fees, don’t buy anything extra and the fees may go away, and for those airlines that survive on the extra fees, well maybe they should go away also, airlines should survive on the good service they provide to the consumer, just like any other business, and if they don’t they don’t deserve to be in business.

  • Dave

    It’s just sad to see Southwest starting down this road . . .

  • Eric Smith

    Ian’s comment, along with a few others, makes me suggest that if they want to continue with this idea, they have to limit the number of early check-ins available for each flight, or at least tell you where you’ll be in the pecking order before you fork over your $10.

  • Sally

    While I understand the pros and cons of this fee, in the final analysis, I am sure Southwest would prefer not to have to go to fees. But since the flying public won’t accept higher ticket prices then fees becomes an alternative revenue source that people can choose…or not. The reality is all our domestic airlines are suffering financially. At least Southwest has been well managed. When Southwest is in trouble financially, then you know how bad off the industry is as a whole. I’m grateful there are no baggage fees on Southwest…..yet. Everyone has their preferences of airlines. I fly Southwest whenever it is convenient to where I am going and when it is within $25 of another airline’s price. It’s my first preference. If I have to use another airline, I pay for upgrades because the seats are so uncomfortable.

  • Ray

    I think what you are really paying for here, should you choose to, is convenience – not necessarily a better seat.

    Anyone who flies SW knows that it is all about completing the on-line check-in at exactly 24 hours before the scheduled flight departure. If you do that, you’ll be somewhere in the A group or at worst the front of the B group. Either will prevent you from getting stuck in a dreaded middle seat.

    Paying the extra $10, just like paying extra for Business Select, guarantees you a decent spot in the boarding line regardless of when you check-in. So if you are going to be too busy 24 hours out to get online, or if you are forgetful, the $10 fee allows you to not worry about it and still get a decent spot in the queue. It’s a convenience, nothing more.

    I have flown Business Select on numerous occasions and rarely has it produced a bulkhead or exit row seat. It simply allowed me to not worry about checking in while I am in the middle of a business meeting. I would probably pay the extra $10 for the same peace-of-mind.

  • bernard cantor

    does s.w. still allow early boarding for people with medical problems?

  • karen diamond

    to Bernard Cantor,
    I BELIEVE that because of the ADA, it is illegal not to allow people with medical problems to board early. Otherwise, everyone behind us would be pushing and shoving to get by us. Having had 4 joint replacements, I always travel in my own motorized scooter or secure an airlines wheelchair. The TSA folks put us through so much humiliation- I actually had one look down the inside of my underwear,
    feel my breasts with her hands and check my hands for bomb residue- that they at least let us get on the plane first to make up for it. Also, I’m completely unable to scoot over to a window or middle seat which is what could be available. Does anyone out there know of anyone to contact about the ridiculous TSA treatment of seniors with joint replacements? As I pointed out to the agent, anyone who has gone through the extreme pain of a joint replacement, only wants to live.

  • Kevin M

    Well, I’m not a Southwest rep, but I do recall very clearly the public discussion Southwest made regarding the changes to boarding when they were adopted a few years ago, and I recall them differently from Chris. Southwest did experiment with assigned boarding, not because *it* wanted it, but because customers frequently complained that the worst part of flying Southwest was the free-for-all boarding process. A person could show up at the airport hours before they started giving out boarding passes, wait in line at the gate, and get pass A1, but when boarding was announced, all the other A’s could rush the gate and get ahead of you. Or they could crowd the gate before boarding was even called.

    Southwest tried assigned seating and found it slowed the turnaround time at the gate too much – so they abandoned the idea. In other words, the positions of the airline and the customers (at least the vocal ones SW was trying to appease) were the reverse of what Chris suggested.

    I’m opposed, not because of the fee involved, but because it’s essentially a line-cutting service: pay us a small bribe, and we’ll let you cut in front of other people who played by all our (other) published rules. Unlike the A-listers and the Business Selects (who are paying the stiff walkup/fully refundable rate) who generate a lot of revenue for SW, this is a small drop in the bucket for the airline and a major spit in the eye to all the rest of the passengers. I think for that reason it’s a bad idea, going against that egalitarian culture Chris described.

    Sally: the traveling public accepts fare increases at times – usually, in fact, when led by Southwest. The fact is, SW fares in most markets usually set the cap, and other airlines raise above theirs at their peril; but when SW moves first, the others follow and the increase usually sticks. Southwest prefers not to raise fares more because it dilutes their competitive edge than because they “can’t”.

    For what it’s worth: you can also check in for a flight on SW on a smart cell phone, even if you don’t have access to a computer. Complete the checkin there, get to the airport, and print your boarding pass at a kiosk.

    Carver: Sorry you feel that way, perhaps you regularly fly in business or first class. Otherwise, I haven’t seen any difference between coach on the dinosaur carriers and coach on Southwest in almost a decade – that is, except that the flight attendants I’ve had on Continental and Delta in the last few years were a lot surlier and less helpful than those on Southwest. Not saying their treatment by the airlines didn’t perhaps justify some of it, but I’ve gotten better treatment on Southwest than on either of the others.

  • Garnet

    My Sister flew from Baltimore to San Diego on Saturday. They checked in on line as soon as they could, 23:59 before the flight. They got boarding numbers B45 & B46. So, it looks like a lot of people are paying the $10 fee. Don’t expect it to go away soon, the airline is making a lot of money.

  • Rob

    I flew Southwest this past Friday. I paid the $10 for Early Bird, mostly because I knew that I’d be on the road to work at the 24-hour mark the day before my flight. I signed up for it for my already-purchased flights within a day or two of the program’s announcement.

    For my two legs that day I got A18 and A22. On the A18 flight, there were only 4 people in front of me, in the Business Select spots A1-A4, and I was able to get an Emergency Exit row. But our plane got stuck in a long line for takeoff (12th with only one runway open for takeoffs and landings), and my 50-minute layover at BWI became a scant 15 minutes. I had to power-walk through the terminal, and when I got to the gate they were just finishing the C group, and I was one of the last onto the plane so my A22 pass was useless. Luckily I found an open window seat next to a husband and wife in the aisle and center seats.

    In the future, if I fly Southwest again I may just take my chances with checking in at the 24-hour mark.

  • Wally

    I just purchased the “so called” Early-Bird-Checkin for a recent flight. I kicked back like they said and didn’t worry about checking in. OOPS! My bad. There was a screw up in their system and it didn’t check me in and I got stuck in the last boarding group. Have no worry, just call customer service right? NOT! Customer service was rude and told me it didn’t work because they made a change in their system and it was a mistake but they will give me my 10 bucks back. What the?! Isn’t this about boarding early for business, not the 10 bucks and a middle seat??? Seriously folks, check yourselves in and don’t get caught in this 50/50 gamble on a middle seat, it doesn’t always work!

  • Tad Kallini

    Anyone know if you can simply pick up the boarding pass at the airport? My return trip from Dallas may not allow time to go online and print out the pass before I leave for the airport.

  • Tad Kallini

    Anyone know if one can simply pick up the boarding pass at the airport versus online prior to the flight? My schedule is such that I may not be able to get online and print it out before I leave for the airport.

  • Tad Kallini

    Re: above…the SWA agent in Dallas answered my question. And yes, you can pick up your “pre-paid” boarding pass any time up to flight time at the airport.

  • Mark Kelling

    I have used the Early Bird process several (around 10) times with great success. It works equally well on paid tickets and Reward tickets. It is worth the extra 20 so that on the return trip I don’t have to spend time and effort finding somewhere to get on the internet to check in so that I am in the A group. You can tell if your purchase has taken effect and you will be in the early group by checking your reservation online — if you see “EB” next to your flight, you are in the Early Bird group. For paid tickets I have been in the A 20 to 25 group and for rewards it has been A 25 to 30. So far no issues, problems or disappointments.

  • W IRVIN

    I used early boarding both ways recently when flying to Denver with adult daughter. Would gladly pay again and I hold nothing against SW for offering the service. Appreciated not having to sit apart or trampling over others to try to get seats together, as some people do. Returning, I was suffering from a horrible case of the flu and certainly appreciated a window seat (for easier napping) and again being next to daughter who could help me with iced drinks and carryon luggage.

  • Rick Damiani

    Re: Ian
    [quote Here’s the catch: Anyone who buys this option clearly knows the good seats. ]

    Not so much. My idea of a good seat is the aisle seat just ahead of the engine on the right side of the plane. It’s quieter than the seats behind the engine, it’s not so close to the front of the plane that I feel like I’m holding people up as I grab my bags, and sitting on the right side me use the proper (left) hand for things like my carry-on lunch without bumping elbows with all the wrong-handed people the world is infested with.

  • Jason

    I would not pay $10 fee. First reason is what if I paid the fee in advance and got to the gate later? And the second one is what if I got on the plane among first people and later during boarding a big person seats next to me, I feel uncomfortable all the flight and still regreting of the fee paid. I fly Southwest very rarely and for flight not longer 1 hr. So, the seat selection is not very important for me in this case.

  • Nancy

    I pay the Early Bird rate, because I have bad arthritis in one of my knees and need to sit on the right side of the plane to stretch that leg out in the aisle, if possible. (Otherwise, I might not be able to stand back up when the plane lands.) However, on one recent flight, I was held up for a long time for “secondary screening” by the TSA and ended up boarding very late, despite paying the Early Bird fee. Since I was one of the last ones on the plane, I had to sit in a middle seat, which caused a lot of pain. So paying the Early Bird does not always guarantee that you’ll get your choice of seats.

  • ak

    i got tricked into purchasing early bird too and it’s NOT WORTH IT! my friends who did not purchase it somehow ended up getting A16 and A19 while I got A25. i just wasted $10.

  • MH

    NOT WORTH IT! I relied on the Early Bird Check-In for a flight tomorrow. Family of 4 with 2 small children. It did NOT check us in. Now stuck in the C line, wont be able to sit together, and Southwest said “Sorry” but they are having trouble and it’s not working! Nothing they can do.
    Don’t depend on anyone else, check-in yourself if you want it done right.

  • Dan

    This is not a value at all, I booked and paid for my tickets 6 months in advance including early boarding, upon getting my boarding pass 23 hours ahead of time I was a 58- aprox 60 % of the passengers will be boarding ahead of me.

  • Debbie

    It’s not a great value anymore. At first, you could get seats like A16-A20. On my last few trips, I’ve gotten much higher numbers. Today, for a trip I booked six months ago, I got spot A56. That’s nearly the B group.

    My feeling is save your money on shorter trips but take your chance on longer ones.

    I wish Southwest had reserved seats but at least Early Bird is better than nothing.

  • Sam

    I never pay for and A seating assignment. I use a Free program that I found called “Book Me” to do the work for me 24 hours before my flight. Its not perfect, but I get my “A” more times than not. The only downfall is that it isn’t a mobile app, so your computer has to be running when it gets 24 hours before your flight. Check it out @ http://get-your-a.com and see what you think. It won’t cost you anything, but maybe a couple of clicks on ads to support the young buck that did the programming.

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/2NZAJ6KPWUWJV23TTE3TNBMJZI Trudi

    If I’m traveling with someone I want to sit with, or a group I want to sit near, then the extra fee is definitely worth it. If I see a family with young children who are already acting out, then I want to find a seat far from them, so the extra fee is worth it. In short, I’m willing to pay it most of the time because I’m picky and I know it. I’ve been generally more pleased with Southwest than I was before they adopted this fee.

  • Spanky_McF

     Drive.

  • TexanPatriot1

    I always get it.   Can’t afford not to, and be crammed in to the middle.   Heck no.

  • TexanPatriot1

    I make it a point of getting there EARLY because of that snarky TSA.

  • TexanPatriot1

    With Southwest…..if you’re getting B45 at 23:59 before the flight, that doesn’t necessarily mean that there are 30 people in A and 45 in B ahead of you….   They set a window of what they might anticipate.   I’ve seen rows and rows in line with very large gapt.  

  • http://yrihf.com John Bailo

    I wish that Southwest (my favorite airline of all time) would penalize people for bringing on board luggage.   Waiting for people to cram all their egregiously heavy bags into the bins slows down the entering and exiting so much that it’s about as long as waiting by the conveyor belts.

    If they really want to streamline, I would get rid of all the overhead racks entirely (making the seating area much more roomy and light) and only allow people to bring what they can put under the seat in front of them.

    This would also streamline the TSA process which takes too long.

    Southwest passengers with no carry on can speed through a separate line.
     

  • travelagentman

    If you choose to fly on an airline, you also choose to abide by their rules. Pay / don’t pay the extra seat fee, it’s your choice for inconvenience. You could also pay 10x’s as much and fly first class on United or Ammeican or, or , or.

  • maudr

    I fly Southwest and don’t use this and as long as I check in 24 hours ahead of time I’ve not had a problem with a decent seat. 
    I’m a bit disappointed Southwest is charging for this “perk”.

  • Napi123

    I purchased EB check in for myself and my two sisters and it was ABSOLUTELY USELESS.  Not only did the SW employee never announce boarding in the usual SW manner (i.e, those needing assistance, then A, B, C, etc.) he even announced the WRONG DESTINATION (we were returning to Philadelphia and he announced Chicago several times).  I actually thought the plane at our gate was boarding the last of the passengers heading for Chicago.  I walked a ways down the hall to check the monitor it it said our flight said it was boarding.  I then I asked the man at the gate if the plane was going to Philadelphia and he said yes, and it is boarding now.  We were among the last several on the plane and got lousy seats. Never, ever, ever again.  I wrote Southwest, explained the above and requested a refund and was told that Early Bird check ins were non-refundable. A $30.00 refund request turned down for a service we did not receive.  So I am writing to the BBB and the DOT Aviation Consumer Protection. I really liked this airline until this nonsense.

    I DEFINITELY WOULD NOT PURCHASE EB CHECK IN AGAIN.

  • protector7700

    Airlines can go down the tubes as far as I am concerned. None of them are concerned anymore with giving any type of service you might consider “excellent”. The new business model of cramming as many people into a tin can as possible and nickel and dime-ing you to death is part of the problem, not the solution. I will be glad to sink my money into filling my SUV with gas and driving where I need to go.

  • Movin Lady

    I paid for the Early Bird check-in as we are elderly and need the opportunity to board earlier with better choice of seats. No not handicapped. I just went online to check-in at the 24 hr pre-boarding time and what did we get? A52 and 53 so what good is this really?

  • SP

    I had to cancel my Southwest flight and guess what – YOU LOOSE THE EARLY BIRD FEES. Something to keep in mind.

  • SP

    I had to cancel my Southwest flight and guess what – YOU LOOSE THE EARLY BIRD FEES. Something to keep in mind.

  • AbolishingIgnorance

    ummm…those planes hold 130-150 passengers. 60% would have been boarding AFTER you.

  • AbolishingIgnorance

    ummm…those planes hold 130-150 passengers. 60% would have been boarding AFTER you.

  • ripped off in oregon

    unless you buy the early bird when you buy your ticket, forget it. It means nothing but throwing your money away