Southwest Airline. Getting an “A” group boarding pass.

[RANDY P]

Originally Posted by JavaBrewer

The only time I check a bag is when we are on a dive trip and are bringing our gear. Otherwise I REFUSE to check my bag - thus the appeal to get onboard early and secure overhead space. I have traveled on 3 week business trips with just a single roller bag and my personal backpack. Laundry options exist in most places around the world Reasons to avoid checked baggage:

- Normal wait times at baggage claim are 30 minutes (often times longer). That's after de-plane and walking there. After a long business trip the last thing I need is to be standing in BC hoping my bag drops down the chute. Double that for the full RT flight - no thanks.
- Lost stuff never to be seen again. Two times I finally got my bag minus contents, one time bag was never recovered. All times the bags were gate checked meaning I don't get a receipt so no claims can be filed. You are just hoping on the good nature of the person who ended up with your bag. My son just came back from a trip to PR on Delta and his gate checked bag was taken by another passenger. Never to be seen again. It happens - but not to me anymore.
- Access to last minute flights w/o needing to account for your luggage. Many times I have arrived at transition airport and was able to board an earlier flight to my destination b/c it had empty seats. No can do with checked bags - and this saves many hours on total trip duration.
- Roller bags make in-airport very low hassle

YMMV

EDIT totally different conversation about the people in later boarding groups who block gate access for early access folks.

Originally Posted by vash

I’m not a roller bag guy. I still use a travel pack. I prob didn’t even need a bag this trip.

..I pack like I'm moving away.... min 3 pairs of shoes and all kinds of crap. Good point about stolen luggage.

rjp

[craigster59]

The great thing about Burbank/Bob Hope is you walk onto the tarmac and board and exit from both ends of the plane. Wish more airports were like that.

[Jims5543]

Originally Posted by craigster59

The great thing about Burbank/Bob Hope is you walk onto the tarmac and board and exit from both ends of the plane. Wish more airports were like that.

Ever stood on line to board on a tarmac in sub zero windy weather?

It sucks.

[rcooled]

Originally Posted by craigster59

The great thing about Burbank/Bob Hope is you walk onto the tarmac and board and exit from both ends of the plane.

Entering only from the rear of the plane and exiting from both ends would work SO much better with Southwest's 'free-for-all' style of boarding. The plane would fill up in half the time if the B & C groups didn't have to wait to get past the A group people clogging up the aisle as they try to stuff all their worldly possessions into the overheads.

[Arizona_928]

Originally Posted by rcooled

Entering only from the rear of the plane and exiting from both ends would work SO much better with Southwest's 'free-for-all' style of boarding. The plane would fill up in half the time if the B & C groups didn't have to wait to get past the A group people clogging up the aisle as they try to stuff all their worldly possessions into the overheads.

I've did that on my last commercial flight from Germany. Not nearly as much of a cluster ****. I feel like a snow flake would b line their way to the flight line and get ran over in some socialist-left seppuku....

[vash]

I got A-34 for tomorrow! It’s now what time? Beer-thirty.

[Bob Kontak]

Sigh....

I remember in the 80's in Houston just getting to the gate maybe around an hour before departure got you an A card.

[jyl]

C16 for my flight tmrw. Yaaynot

[Synchro Joe]

My motto is there are two kinds of baggage - carry on and lost. Even on overseas trips for 2 weeks, it's legal carry on size roll around and a backpack with essentials & anything valuable.
SWA is a joke for comfort, I flew them from coast to coast one time but never again. Crew is friendly, sometimes funny, but you have to like peanuts or pretzels and screaming kids. Hard to beat their prices or basic schedules. They do try, the other domestic not so much. Just my two pesos.

[cantdrv55]

Originally Posted by jyl

C16 for my flight tmrw. Yaaynot

I think you can upgrade at check in

[Rick Lee]

Probably doesn't work anymore, but an old boss of mine had some kind of trick, maybe with Photoshop, where he'd change his boarding group number on his boarding pass before he printed it. AFAIK, it worked every time.

[Rodsrsr]

Delta for me, unless its a quick flight like from Nor Cal to So Cal than I'll use SW and don't really care about the seating too much.

[GH85Carrera]

Some of my friends flew to Germany many years ago as a group. The were going to arrive in Germany in the morning, and with the time change they did not want to waste a day with jet lag. One of the group was a doctor. He gave all of them a large green pill that they took on takeoff.

The next thing they remember was a Fraulein yelling "You vill get off the plane NOW" and they all gathered their stuff and got off the airplane. Everyone else was gone. No wait at the customs and they all felt rested and ready to start drinking German beer.

[RANDY P]

Originally Posted by Rodsrsr

Delta for me, unless its a quick flight like from Nor Cal to So Cal than I'll use SW and don't really care about the seating too much.

Is it me or SW does seem to have smaller seating areas?

Sure seems that way, and it's just enough that it give me headaches flying it. Oh and the SW crowd seems to be animals.

Delta rocks.

rjp

[BK911]

Used to fly every week for work.
An "A" was just a photo shop away!!

[cantdrv55]

Have you ever flown in and out of the SWA terminal in Vegas? It’s a madhouse. Too many people, not enough space. I hate it but have to go there monthly.

[vash]

Originally Posted by cantdrv55

Have you ever flown in and out of the SWA terminal in Vegas? It’s a madhouse. Too many people, not enough space. I hate it but have to go there monthly.

That’s the circle shaped terminal? Slots in the center and the human-lines radiate towards them like spokes causing log jams to the circling traffic?

[cantdrv55]

That’s the terminal with A and B gates that you’re describing. That’s the better SWA terminal in Vegas. Wait until you fly in/out of C gates. At least the tram to baggage claim is located there.