2. Someone in our party will need a seat extender to make it a more comfortable journey. Does Southwest provide these, or is it something we should invest in ahead of time?
Thank you!!
I can help with this one... a seatbelt extender and an extra seat are 2 different things.
If you just need an extender, you can ask the flight attendant when you board and they can bring you one. DH used one for several years without needing an extra seat. (when we traveled when the kids were little, he was over their seat just a tad, but they didn't care).
An extra seat is something else entirely. I just recently started arranging for one for DH. You can ask at the gate...but DH finds that to be embarrassing...especially since not all the counter and gate agents know what to do. It can also get complicated if your flight is sold out. The link that
scrappinginontario provided will give you all of the options.
We prefer to book the extra seat in advance over the phone, which does require paying upfront for the seat, but once the travel is completed, you can call customer service and they will refund the cost back to the card on which you paid for it** (this is only done when the funds are used for a designated extra seat, unlike their normal travel funds policy)
.
This also helps Southwest because when they know in advance, it helps them plan for how many passengers they can actually accommodate.
If you do the pre-purchase option, when you check in at the counter (or gate if you aren't checking luggage) they will give you pre-board credentials, which have you board before the A group
. ***note that when you pre-board, there are restrictions on where you can sit (no emergency exit rows, and a few other things)
Hope that helps some!