Families first – with a caveat. Corresponds to DOT request. Important for future Southwest Hawaii Flights.
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128 thoughts on “Family Boarding Trial a Big Boon For Southwest Hawaii Flights”
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Families first – with a caveat. Corresponds to DOT request. Important for future Southwest Hawaii Flights.
Get Breaking Hawaii Travel News
Comments are closed.
How about having assigned seating when you book your flight,like Hawaiian,Delta,United,Alaska,and other Airlines.
I’m so sicko hearing about the poor families. They expect special attention and now everyone is bowing to them. We need adults only flights. Problem solved.
Row 30 0r higher. No one in front wants young kids crying and screaming sitting up front.
Yes ok for families to board before A+ but only seat n rows 15 or higher. Good compromise.
I agree with the caveat of any rows after 15th row. That seems fair to all.
Preferred family seating in the back of the plane (beyond row 20) seems to address concerns of all parties.
I agree, should be restricted to row 20 to 30 and only add on rows 10 to 15 if needed.
This is a plan that everyone should be able to live with!
No , one parent can go with the child under 6 but the people who have paid extra to sit where they want are being penalized for not having children.
We should have some rights.
Just like the plane not being full and the people who paid to get on first should have the right to sit wherever and let the other’s balance balance the place out
100% do not agree, I paid for a seat and I should have choice. If you want to sit together get early bird
As a A lister and if this policy changes my boarding assignment I will no longer fly LUV
Maybe try boarding the families after A listers. And behind the emergency exits at the wings.
Even if you seat them after the A group the people in B boarding group have paid for seats also it’s not fair to them either
Aloha BoH!
My problem with SW is they already have too many people boarding early without paying the EB fee. I fly exclusively SW because it is cheaper and I always pay for EB. In the last few years I have seen more and more people with a “friend or relative” in a wheelchair, which means they board first without paying extra. After arrival, about 80% of these passengers exit the plane without using the wheelchairs available to them, which proves they are cheating the system. SW needs to address this issue.
Families boarding now without paying extra like the rest of us? No, they should have to pay the EB fee like the rest of us. If I was traveling with a child, I would pay extra to assure my child sat with me.
I fly out of the tourist capital , Orlando. Those with challenges board first with as many as 30 or so on some flights and taking the front rows. People pay for or earn early boarding on southwest. In my view if families need a new system to be together, they can buy early bird. That would guarantee them boarding early and having seats together. They should not bump those who paid to board early.
No absolutely not. We paid for early bird check-in flying out of Orlando and there were so many families with children who boarded before us that my wife and I couldn’t get 2 seats together. I don’t think it’s right that we pay for early boarding and families don’t have to.
Since Southwest offers “early bird” boarding to be purchased with ticket, I believe that’s the best and most fair way to provide opportunities for families to ensure they are seated together. Case in point, I had a B1 boarding pass and families were boarded after A; there was an exit aisle seat available so I was glad that I had purchased early bird even though it didn’t guarantee me A. Parents boarded with their 5 year old and dad took the exit aisle and the mother went to the back. So much for families sitting together.
It appears that Southwest May have a good idea. I wonder how long it will take before people find a way to abuse the concept?
Good! Now those of us without children can choose seats in line with our preferences regarding children.
We have 3 daughters who are now grown, but there have been plenty of times that even when purchasing an early boarding pass, we were all separated and in different rows. There is nothing more unnerving than your little girl sitting in between two strangers on a flight, and with no way to make sure that she is okay. This seems like such a good idea. It will not affect early boarders, these families would not be able to take your seats in the first 15 rows. This may also help them get through the aisle with car seats, etc and not get dirty looks from people up front who refuse to tuck their arms and feet in like a civil human so that they can make it towards the back or middle of the plane. Sitting with your family should not be a luxury.
As long as they can be grouped together, the row should not matter. I think Southwest made a great compromise having families selects rows beyond row 15.
They would be restricted to anything After the first 15 rows? That would be anything after the first 90 seats. They would be better off leaving it the way it is. As you said, they board after the first 60 people. Why change it? Now they will be made to go even further back.
I just hope they have a flight attendant monitoring it.
It’s bad enough all the “early boarders” get those prime close up seats… but oh well. It is what it is.
How do you know those people with a chair are faking it? Did you verify their diagnoses and make sure they don’t have limited mobility? There are people with medical conditions who would need help through the airport and yet still able to walk down the aisle to their seats ya know.
When those people get wheeled on in a chair and at flight’s end they are able to walk up the jetway and out vs wait for a chair,that is faking it to receive preferential treatment.I see this several times a year.
Sorry, but that’s nonsense. Being able to walk off (or even onto) the plane does not mean that you don’t have a disability that requires extra time to board. I don’t doubt that some people abuse it, but assuming that someone is abusing the system just because they can physically walk off of the plae.
Simple answer. If you don’t like it fly another airline. I don’t agree with what SWA is doing in this situation yet again so I don’t give them my money.
Stop flying them and they will change. Pay a few dollars extra and you can avoid the hassle.
Only way this should be acceptable is that they sit in the back and middle seat should be mandatory for every two or three passengers traveling together. As an SW A+ member, this may affect my SW Air preference if this creates more issues for All SW travelers.
No, A-List should go first. Families boarding after A group have plenty of seating options to still sit together.
I think Families should be allowed to sit together. I see nothing wrong with letting Families board first. After all, the plane is big enough for everyone that purchased a seat.I can’t amagine a 6 yea old sitting alone or with a stranger!
I understand and I think hood but my only issue is this kind of devalues upgrading to business class on Southwest Airlines .
There is no business class on Southwest Airline
Understand boarding first but they should be in back of the plane if they are not being charged for that luxury. Row 15 is not far enough back! Paying Early Bird consumers are negatively impacted by thus plan. Perhaps there should be an Early Family First Boarding option for families that want to guarantee sitting together just like there is for the rest of us that want better seating position.
Southwest needs to consider increasing the age from 6 to maybe 10. I’m flying Southwest in March with a 9 and 6 year old. I think we’ll qualify for Family Boarding but I cannot imagine my 9 year old having to sit by himself on a 5+ hour flight.
No. If they check-in on time they can sit together or early checkin
I fly Southwest frequently , and No I don’t like it. Southwest charges extra to improve your boarding group position. The family boarding after group A was a compromise Is Southwest came up with when more And more people were exploiting Pre boarding. And those paying Extra for a group boarding Were becoming increasingly disgruntled. Like everything else, people with take advantage. Leave it how it is! What are they going to do? Station an attendant to make sure no family sits in the first 25 rows? Especially when the other pre boards can and do grab up those first rows!
I want the kids on first so I know where I don’t want to sit.
I think SW needs to change their stupid boarding procedure altogether. First come, first serve when u purchase ur ticket and select ur seats just like everyone else should be the policy. Other airlines board from the back to the front so I just don’t get how their boarding system in groups. A, B, and C can make it that much faster while also considering the inconveniencing of passengers.
Please, back to front, except first, except military, except babies, except old people, except elites. It’s not really back to front in practice.
The earlier you buy tickets and sign in online, the better seat chance for anyone. No I think all ticket purchasers are equal. Whomever is flying together wants to be seated together.
No.
Southwest charges premium price for A-1 to A-15. Next come frequent travelers that have earned early boarding because they have earned points from various programs. Then comes the “early bird” group that have paid for earlier boarding assignments.
Family groups have all these opportunities as well, so boarding between AandB groups is sufficient priority.
I don’t agree. It’s not our problem they chose to have kids. Pay more or fly another airline to guarantee you’re seats. So tired of hearing kids as their excuse. Who cares about your kids? Nobody just you. Thank you.
Southwest should eliminate non- assigned seats – would solve all their problems and make the whole process for families and boarding simple – in my opinion
Thank you
Board families first, but they must start from back row first and must sit together to fill in each row. That’s only fair since they don’t pay for EarlyBird.
Absolutely not unless they will include an older couple as a “family”. In June 2022 we boarded a SW flight from Lihue to Oakland where they allowed “families” to board after the A group but before the B and C groups. We watched in the B line as the entire plane filed up with families of all ages, sizes, shapes and descriptions. By the time we were allowed to board the entire plane was full. Who else visits Hawaii besides families? It wasn’t fair to us as a couple because we weren’t included in the “family” category. If it happens again I will insist on boarding as a “family couple”. In other words only singles don’t qualify as “family” and it’s not fair to make them last priority in seat selection either. This is boarding chaos,
I’m not sure how travel is to Hawaii for non rever’s from LAX or LGB. Also, what days are best to non Rev to Hawaii? Is there a certain criteria that all travelers must follow when traveling to Hawaii? Examples: Vaccinations, accommodations paid before traveling,etc. Please allow me to know those requirements for travel. Thank you.
If families are going to board first they should start in the back of the plane and their carry on bags should also be in the back overhead areas.
Huh? Non revers.. what does that have to do with SWA and family boarding?
Hi there, if families board before A group they should have to fill the last 15 rows. They should also have to get off the plane last.
Thank you
You should read the article, it says they have to sit after row 15. Also, getting off the plane 3 minutes ahead of others doesn’t make your bag arrive any faster at baggage claim. It’s Hawaii, time to slow down and unwind when you get here.
So… people who decide to travel with children get an advantage over those of us who don’t. I’m sure this will not be well received, but your child is only special to you. You’ve done nothing that every other living person before you has done. Should people actually be rewarded for making other sit through an 8 hour flight listening to crying children? I’d say no.
So you rather make kids sit with strangers than their own parents because people won’t trade a seat to let that happen?? thats good to know, you should board last and just fill any empty seat.
No, not as long as I have to pay extra to secure a boarding position in A or B.
I think it’s a good idea to seat families first but only immediate family members only – no extended family. I also think they need to really monitor the number of carry on bags since large families tend to carry everything on board.
I pay extra to board early. I wonder how well early check in will work and if it will still be worth it.
Also, the families carry on luggage should be placed in the last 15 rows as well.
assigned seats are best
Agree within a reasonable number of family members traveling with under 6 year olds. However, seen one young child and her father, her mother, two aunties, her cousins, a half brother and grandpa try and board under this guise of “family boarding”… real bogus.
Yes,agreed.On a recent SWA flight from AUA to MCO,five passengers, three of which were allegedly handicapped,preboarded.I followed them as a bonafide handicap and disabled vet.On entering the cabin,the five seated in the front row,of which one on the left tried to block the open seat,ostensibly for family that had to board consistent with boarding group number.I asked the woman to choose her seat to allow me to choose my open front row seat. Two women across the aisle began criticizing me, though I insisted, to which the two women originally sitting in the front row, moved to the second row.All five,verbally harassed me during the entire flight at which end, having to wait for wheelchairs, they all miraculously, were able to walk, like Laza