Newbie to boards and booking travel

[KingstonGirl77]

Hi I have been a long time lurker and finally registered. I was so happy to find a board dedicated to Las Vegas! DH and I are planning a Las Vegas Trip for the end of April (18-23 or 25-30). From reading this board sounds like MGM Grand will suit our budget but I am still open.

I am a newbie to booking air travel. From what I can tell the best way for us to go is out of Buffalo,NY (drive from Kingston, ON) then fly SouthWest direct. I wanted Jetblue Syracuse but there is no direct flights.

The only thing about SouthWest that concerns me is the no assigned seating. I understand I have to check-in 24 hrs beforehand but their website says "for eligible reservations only". Will I know I have an eligible reservation when I book? Any help or tips from any of you experienced travellers would be greatly appreciated

 

[PrincessLiLi]

The unassigned seating is not so bad. Just think you're saving at $100 in booking fees.

For $10, Southwest will do the check-in for you. This means that you will get a better boarding position.

Normally, the business class board first. Then, the rest begins in Group A, B, and C. By paying the extra money, you may get a better number to board early and choose a seat of your choice.

LiLi

 

[jlima]

Hi I have been a long time lurker and finally registered. I was so happy to find a board dedicated to Las Vegas! DH and I are planning a Las Vegas Trip for the end of April (18-23 or 25-30). From reading this board sounds like MGM Grand will suit our budget but I am still open.

I am a newbie to booking air travel. From what I can tell the best way for us to go is out of Buffalo,NY (drive from Kingston, ON) then fly SouthWest direct. I wanted Jetblue Syracuse but there is no direct flights.

The only thing about SouthWest that concerns me is the no assigned seating. I understand I have to check-in 24 hrs beforehand but their website says "for eligible reservations only". Will I know I have an eligible reservation when I book? Any help or tips from any of you experienced travellers would be greatly appreciated

You'll be eligible. You just need to be at your computer EXACTLY 24 hours before your flight time, with your name & conf # keyed into the proper fields; and hit the submit button a few times until it gives you the screen you need. If you click submit too soon, their system will tell you you're too soon but it will also generate a time stamp in one of the corners of the window that opens. Use that to gauge when to try again.

Your objective is to be in the first 60 people to check in, so you are in the "A" boarding group. They reserve 1 - 15 for their business class; so what you REALLY want is number 16 - 30, because if they don't sell any business class tickets, you'll be the first ones on the plane.