Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Use a cell phone to secure your Southwest Airlines boarding pass
Over a year ago, I wrote about how you can print your Southwest Airlines boarding pass without a printer, but since then I got a Blackberry and have adapted the same concept to a cell phone.Two weekends ago, I was in Chicago for St. Patrick's Day, and instead of leaving the party mid-day Saturday to find a computer to check in and get my "A" boarding pass for our Sunday flight back home, I used my cell phone's Internet browser to login to Southwest Airline's website. Once I entered in my information, it took me to the screen where I could select the passengers to check in and hit "print boarding pass."
Obviously I didn't have a printer attached to my cell phone, but with Southwest's system it doesn't matter. I was able to see on-screen that I had secured an "A" boarding pass, so I closed out of it and continued on my marry way. Come Sunday, hungover and ready for the flight back home, we arrived at Midway and found a SWA check-in kiosk. There I swiped my credit card, and instead of selecting "print boarding pass," I selected "re-print boarding pass."
Southwest does this in case you lose your boarding pass or run out of printer ink mid-print, but it's perfect for checking in using your cell phone or printing your boarding pass if you don't have a printer at home, but still want that coveted "A" position. Give it a try.
Filed under: Business, Airlines, Airports, Budget Travel, Internet Tools












Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Paula Berg - Southwest Airlines Mar 28th 2008 12:53PM
I'm so glad you take advantage of mobile checkin, Justin. One of the biggest complaints I hear from Customers about our boarding system is that while they are able to get a good position on the outbound portion of they're trip, they can't always do it on the return because they're not in front of a computer. Mobile checkin solves that problem, but no matter how much we promote it, it always seems to remain sort of an "insider secret."
Justin Glow Mar 28th 2008 1:02PM
Where do you promote it? I was surprised to see that this was an official offering from Southwest, because I've never heard it mentioned before.
When I wrote this article, I looked around for a while until I found a mention of the "wireless access" on the Southwest website (the "related link" above). I always thought I was sort of hacking the system, and that SWA didn't officially allow mobile check-in.
Paula Berg - Southwest Airlines Mar 28th 2008 1:25PM
No...it's offical! Southwest has issued press releases and I'm always talking it up. I think it's one of those things you just have to try once.
jessica May 6th 2009 5:26PM
Do you have to swipe the credit card used to purchase the ticket?
or can you just use your rapid rewards card?
Because the credit card holder will not be traveling with me?