Southwest Airways’ distinctive boarding course of has its justifiable share of followers—and detractors. The provider has made quite a few changes over the previous couple years, together with elevating costs for its Upgraded Boarding add-on possibility final Might, and slicing its EarlyBird Test-In service from some flights in August. Now, Southwest has quietly made one other change to early boarding, and it means you would possibly quickly need to pay extra.
RELATED: Traveler Says “By no means Fly Southwest” Over Early Test-In “Rip-off.”
Southwest operates beneath an open-seating coverage, which suggests passengers aren’t assigned to a selected seat. As a substitute, the provider offers every individual a boarding group (A, B, or C) and a quantity (1 to 60+) to create a novel group and place mixture that determines after they can board the aircraft. From there, they will select any out there seat on the flight.
With this course of, the key to with the ability to get your most well-liked seat earlier than another person does is getting an earlier boarding place. When you’re prone to get a greater spot the earlier you check-in on your flight, Southwest additionally presents add-ons that may permit passengers to enhance their boarding place: Upgraded Boarding and Early Fowl Test-In.
“Upgraded Boarding offers prospects the flexibility to improve their boarding place to A1-A15 24 hours earlier than the flight, relying on availability,” Southwest states on its web site. “EarlyBird Test-In offers prospects the comfort of computerized check-in earlier than our conventional 24-hour check-in, relying on availability.”
You need to pay an additional price for Upgraded Boarding and EarlyBird Test-In—and that price has now been quietly raised.
Southwest began implementing dynamic pricing for Upgrading Boarding final yr, making it so {that a} passenger could need to pay anyplace from $30 to $80 per flight phase for this add-on. However the provider has elevated that cap: Now, you might have to pay as much as $149 per phase to get Upgraded Boarding, in keeping with the airline’s Non-compulsory Journey Prices chart.
RELATED: Southwest Airways Hints That It Might Abandon Unassigned Seating.
EarlyBird Test-In additionally operates beneath dynamic pricing, however the highest value a passenger must pay for this add-on was beforehand $25. Presently, Southwest’s chart signifies that the associated fee for EarlyBird Test-In may very well be anyplace between $15 to $99 one-way, per buyer.
“Costs can differ based mostly on flight size and demand. Worth factors throughout the new vary are topic to alter at any time, as they do at present,” a Southwest spokesperson informed USA Right now in an announcement. “This value vary enhance is a results of our common analysis of pricing for ancillary merchandise based mostly on market traits and buyer demand and can generate incremental income in assist of the corporate.”
Finest Life reached out to Southwest to verify when these boarding add-on charges have been elevated, and we’ll replace this story with the airline’s response.
But it surely appears possible that the change was made a while final month, as vacationers introduced consideration to the elevated value ranges on a Might 28 Reddit thread within the r/Southwest Airways subreddit. Many usually are not a fan of the provider’s determination.
“That sucks. $99 for Early Fowl is definitely insane,” one Reddit consumer commented on the thread.
One other responded that the rise for Upgraded Boarding is “surprising,” claiming that Southwest is “getting determined.”
Others indicated that these greater costs for Upgraded Boarding and EarlyBird Test-In make it not price it for them to guide with Southwest over another provider. “At these costs, you would possibly as properly guide with a legacy airline,” one consumer wrote.
One other commented, “Not definitely worth the trouble anymore. They’re as costly because the legacy airways at this level, and also you get much less out of them.”
