How to get your Southwest boarding position. Nerdy tip: Set a calendar reminder or phone timer for that hour mark maybe even a few minutes early to get the webpage loaded and logged in to ensure you get as early a boarding position as possible. How to guarantee an A group position on Southwest.
Purchase a Business Select fare. Purchase upgraded boarding when available. How to get a good seat on Southwest. Have Southwest status. Purchase EarlyBird Check-In. When to panic about your Southwest boarding number and what you can do about it. The bottom line. Frequently asked questions Can my family sit together on Southwest?
Is EarlyBird Check-In worth it for families? What determines your boarding group on Southwest? Can you sit anywhere on Southwest? Do seniors get priority boarding on Southwest Airlines? How to maximize your rewards. On a similar note Dive even deeper in Travel. Explore Travel. This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products.
Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page. Few airlines command the customer devotion that Southwest inspires. Fear not. Our comprehensive guide will answer all your questions on getting the best seat on your next Southwest Airlines flight. For more TPG news delivered each morning to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter. Related: These are the best Southwest Airlines credit cards.
Like many other airlines, Southwest begins boarding about 30 minutes before a flight is scheduled to depart. There are no assigned seats, not even at the very front of the plane. If you can pick any available seat you want, then who gets to board the plane first? The boarding order goes as follows:. Southwest assigns each passenger a boarding group letter — A, B or C — and a position from 1—60 when that traveler checks in for their flight.
The unique boarding code, such as A45 or B52, is printed directly on the boarding pass and represents your place in line at the gate. Boarding was called in groups of 30 A1—A30, followed by A31—A60 and so on. However, three categories of passengers supersede the standard Group A—C boarding process: preboarding travelers, families and A-List members.
Passengers authorized to preboard go before everyone else, including Group A. These are travelers who have a specific seating need to accommodate a disability or who need assistance getting to their seats or stowing an assistive device. Preboarding is based on need and is determined by the gate agent before boarding begins. Passengers who are given preboarding priority are allowed to board with one travel companion for assistance and cannot sit in an exit row.
Young families are also given special boarding privileges , but not until a little later in the process. Family boarding takes place immediately after Group A boarding is complete and qualifying family groups include up to two adults per child age 6 and under.
Older children with the family are also able to board at this time, but other family members, such as grandparents or aunts and uncles, are asked to board according to the assignment on their boarding passes.
Since there are no assigned seats on Southwest flights, whoever walks onto the plane first gets his or her pick of seats. Issuer Chase. Card Type Visa. Devon O'Rourke Contributor. More Topics Airline, Southwest. Join the Discussion! Notify of. Inline Feedbacks. View Comments. Load More Comments.
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When to use miles or points vs. How much are Amex points really worth? You can request a mobile boarding pass at the time of check-in on Southwest.
But note that mobile boarding passes are not currently available to passengers traveling on international flights. If you want to learn more tips about flying for Southwest click here. You can get the best boarding group on Southwest by purchasing or upgrading to Business Select. You can also get a better boarding position by having A-List status.
By purchasing EarlyBird, you can also increase your odds of getting in the first boarding group although it is not guaranteed. Opinions are mixed on saving seats with Southwest Airlines. The best advice is to save seats in the back of the plane if you must and try to avoid saving multiple rows at a time when flying with a large group. A-List will board directly after Business Select. Family boarding which is offered to families traveling with a kid 6 or under , allows you to board between Group A and Group B.
Typically, if you have a boarding position under B30 you should be able to find a window or aisle seat. The further back in the plane you decide to sit, the more likely you will find a window or aisle seat. No, Southwest stopped doing the special boarding process in March There are a few ways that you can get priority boarding though they all come with different degrees of assurance. UponArriving has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. UponArriving and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.
Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving. Find his full bio here. Hey Daniel, do you have any insight on this phenomenon? I was standing in line at A54 and noticed that there were a LOT of empty spots in front of me AA53 in a random array. There were even quite a few sporadic spots in the AA30 line next to me. After those AA30 people boarded the B1-B30 lined up and there were about 10 people with huge gaps between them.
The flight was obviously not full and only had about 75 people flying lucky me!
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