Flying Southwest with a paper ticket

Well the trip is finally close enough (Wed) to start thinking about these things...

I%26#39;m flying Southwest with a paper ticket. It%26#39;s the only way they do it when you purchase a package thru Southwest vacations. The website won%26#39;t let you check in ahead of time %26amp; print a boarding pass unless you have an e-ticket. Unless I%26#39;m missing something. Is there a way around this? Or do i have to check in at the airport an hour before my flight? I really don%26#39;t care where i sit on the plane, but i do want to sid with DH.

Please help...

Flying Southwest with a paper ticket

I don%26#39;t think you can get around it. Even with an E-ticket, I go more than an hour early for my flight. You never know when there might be some glitch in security that will delay your checking in. You don%26#39;t say what time you leave. If your flight is a popular one, it may take some time to go through baggage check. We were use to going on an early flight and going through baggage check easily, before Hurrican Katrina changed so much in New Orleans. Our first trip after that (Feb. %26#39;06) we were on a different flight. Had trouble getting a cab to pick us up at our home and had an unusually long line at the baggage check. We almost missed our flight.

Flying Southwest with a paper ticket

Check In at least 1-1/2 hrs early to get decent seating together.

Stop at ticket counter for pass, before SECURITY Fiasco.

Please someone, there has to be a way around it. I would even go to the airport and stand in line a few days early if they could switch out my paper ticket. I don%26#39;t want to end up with a C boarding pass and sit in the middle of two unknown people, instead of hubby.

I flew SW last week, Friday checkin at 7a for an 8:44 flight. Checked golf clubs and had no problem at all. I did have an e-ticket so I was able to print my boarding pass 24hrs in advance and get a coveted %26#39;A%26#39;. The chance of sitting next to DH is good since middle seats are the last to go and even a %26#39;C%26#39; can sit right next to an %26#39;A%26#39; who may have the window or aisle.

VODKAXX , that%26#39;s not going to work, when everyone the night before has already checked in. Most Southwest flyers have an alarm clock or something and check in at exactly 24 hours and .02 seconds.

since you don%26#39;t care where you sit, just go as early as you can. you will most likley get a b or c pass. that means you will board last. but you don%26#39;t care where you sit. you will most likley be in the back. in middle and window.

Greg, we do care to whom we sit next to. C means, no carry on and most likely a middle seat. We just don%26#39;t care where on the plane where we sit, such as front, middle or back of the plane. We want to check in 24hrs ahead of time, just like everyone else.

Did you call and ask Southwest?

Just saw on the news last night that all airlines will be doing away with paper tickets in the next few months. They say it will save the airlines several billions of dollars by doing this. I know this doesn%26#39;t help you now but thought I would pass on the info.

ok...just got off the phone with Southwest. They told me there is absolutely no way around this. If you buy a hotel %26amp; airfare package, the paper ticket, with the no option for early check in, is part of that package.

So I have to work till 3, go home, race to airport (in rush hour traffic), park in an off site lot, shuttle to actual airport, and still try to check in at least 2 hours before flight which takes off at 6.

Oh well, maybe i%26#39;ll leave work even earlier. I%26#39;ll be pretty much useless that day anyway. And if i have a lot of time to kill at the airport, they have the best bloody mary%26#39;s in airport bars.

Good luck to the rest of yas w/ the same problem.