Southwest Airlines: Is It Worth Paying For Early-Bird Check-In?

Southwest Airlines: Is It Worth Paying Extra For Early-Bird Check-In?  

View from a Southwest Airplane

  I love Southwest Airlines for their low fares and wide range of destinations in the United States, but I am not a fan of their seating plan. I have no doubt that there are many others that feel the same!  

What is Southwest Airlines boarding procedure?

With a ticket on Southwest Airlines, you will need to check in for your flight exactly 24 hours in advance.  You will then be assigned a boarding group and number. The first 60 will be group A, the next 60 will be group B, and the unfortunate last group of 60 will be group C. Then there will be customers who require seating before group A, and families will children under 7 will be boarded between groups A and B. When you buy a ticket, you have the option to pay extra to purchase Early Bird Check-In, $15 per person, per way. This will give you the privilege of being checked in 36 hours in advance of your flight, perhaps increasing the odds that you will get assigned into group A!

Should You Purchase Early-Bird Check-In?

   This is always something I ponder before I purchase tickets for my family.  My youngest child is well beyond the age of 7, so we can't sneak in between boarding groups A and B.  There have been a few times where I have purchased Early-Bird Check-In for my family, and still ended up in boarding group B. Sigh. Yes, we can still get seats fairly close together, but I paid extra so I wouldn't have to deal with this. We often get assigned group B when our flights have been changed, and therefore we get a lower boarding assignment than the passengers who were already booked on that flight who have purchased Early Bird Check-In. 

Will I Buy Early-Bird Check-In Again?

I don't think it's worth the extra money.  I can set my alarm to remind me when it's almost time to check in and be on the Southwest App exactly 24 hours in advance. I'll probably get group B, but there is a chance I could get assigned group A.  I have a few months before my next flight, so I'll let you know how this works out! 

Side note:

I've been pretty loyal to Southwest to get to my destinations over the last few years. I recently flew to New York City to visit my son using JetBlue Airlines. You pick your seat when you book your flight, no frills, reliable service. No stress upon boarding. Nice. I will consider JetBlue for future flights. One more advantage of JetBlue: Their booking window opens long before Southwest Airlines. Great for when I booked a cruise with my daughters nearly a year in advance.  I know that Southwest has a plan to change their boarding in the near future. Hopefully they will be like JetBlue and let you choose a seat when you book your flight at no extra charge. 

What has your experience been with Southwest Airline's Early Bird Check-In?