Considered one of the most family-friendly aviation companies in America, Southwest Airlines commands the consumer loyalty of a few airlines. In many respects, the airline conducts things correctly, unlike other carriers.
It permits two free checked bags per person, making it possible for families to sit together without paying expensive fees, provides a straightforward approach to acquiring elite status, offers a family of credit cards and gives passengers four simple booking costs.
However, obtaining the best seats on Southwest Airlines can be somewhat challenging due to its unique boarding system. First-time visitors, habitual fliers, or those new to the airline can find the seat-choosing process perplexing.
Although rumors abound about Southwest perhaps altering its well-known boarding procedure, Southwest does not have assigned seats for now.
The Dallas-based carrier announced modifications to its boarding procedure starting on Aug. 15, 2023, including lowering the availability of EarlyBird Check-In to particular flights, routes and days. EarlyBird Check-In will hence not be offered to some consumers.
Southwest also now allows all passengers—including those who pay the lowest Wanna Get Away rates—same-day standby. For Southwest’s lowest pricing classes, this lets travelers waitlist for a different trip on the same day without paying a fare difference; this might be useful for those going on routes with several daily frequencies.
Lately, the airline has also changed pricing for early and upgraded boarding. As of May 30, these are the rates:
- EarlyBird Check-In: $15 to $99 one-way per traveler
- Upgraded Boarding: $30 to $149 per segment, per traveler
Given such developments, this thorough guide will address all your concerns regarding how to acquire the best seats on Southwest Airlines flights.
How Southwest Boarding Works
Like many other airlines, Southwest starts boarding around half an hour before planned departure. But the parallels mostly stop there. Thanks to its open seating philosophy, which lets passengers sit almost anywhere they like, Southwest’s boarding procedure is unique among airlines.
With limited exceptions typical of all airlines, seats are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Passengers who wish to sit in an exit row, for instance, have to satisfy age and physical criteria set by the Federal Aviation Administration.
On Southwest flights, the boarding sequence follows:
- Preboarding (those who require certain seats to suit a disability, those who require help with boarding and stowing assistive equipment, and unaccompanied minors)
- Group A 1 through 60
- An A-List and A-List Preferred members, active-duty military personnel, passengers needing more time to reach their seat, and those using family boarding—available to individuals with children six years of age or less.
- Group B 1 through 60
- Group C 1 through 60.
Southwest provides each customer a boarding group letter — A, B, or C — and a number from 1 to 60 when they check in for their journey. The unique boarding code—A45 or B52—is printed directly on the boarding pass and represents the individual’s place in line at the gate.
Passenger line up single file at gray metal columns at the gate to match their boarding group letter and boarding position. Groups of thirty call for boarding (A1 through A30, then A31 through A60 and so on). However, three categories of passengers supersede the standard Group A through the C boarding process: preboarding travelers and families, as well as A-List and A-List Preferred members.
To help turn times run better, Southwest has also set preboarding sections at some airports. Color-coded carpeted sections clearly indicate where preboarding passengers should line up.
Passengers approved to preboard come before Group A and all else. These are passengers who require particular seating to provide for a handicap or who require help reaching their seats or stowing an assistive gadget. Preboarding is decided upon by the gate agent depending on need and starts before boarding starts. Preboarding passengers cannot sit in an escape row and must board with one travel buddy for help.
Those who need a little additional time to board but are not eligible for preboarding can board the plane between the A and B groups before family boarding starts. Before boarding starts, you will have to go to a customer service staff to get a boarding card stating you may board before families.
Families with young children are also granted unique boarding rights, but only somewhat later in the process. Following Group A boarding is family boarding; qualified family groupings comprise up to two parents per child age six and under.
While other family members, including grandparents or aunts and uncles, are asked to board according to the assignment on their boarding cards, older children can also board at this time. Additionally, active military members are allowed to board at this time.
List A and List A Although preferred members are supposed to get the “best available boarding pass number,” occasionally they find themselves with a Group B or C boarding designation. As a testament to their privileged status, nevertheless, they can “cut the line” anytime after Group A boarding ends.
Once You Board, What Happens?
Those who walk onto Southwest planes first receive their choice of seats since there are no assigned seats on those planes. Generally speaking, nobody likes sitting in the middle seat, so for Group C, those usually are the seats left toward the end of the boarding procedure.
You are allowed to choose any seat you like as soon as you board the plane, but some believe it is a lot of pressure to determine where you will spend your whole flight. Knowing Southwest’s jet layouts will help you select your ideal seat. As the graphs below show, Southwest now runs three distinct models of the Boeing 737.
Boeing 737-700
Southwest has 506 Boeing 737-700 aircraft, which accounts for more than two-thirds of its operating fleet. The 737-700 features 143 seats arranged as shown below:
Boeing 737-800
Among Southwest’s fleet are 207 Boeing 737-800 aircraft. The 737-800 boasts 175 seats in the arrangement shown below:
Boeing 737 MAX 8
Southwest has 34 175-seat Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft.
What are the Best Seats on Southwest Airlines?
The best seat on Southwest will depend on who you ask and is, therefore, subjective. Some, particularly those carrying little children, like the last row. Many others pledge to sit in the first five rows; many more believe the rear row is the worst conceivable place.
Should your flight be empty, you will most likely discover fewer passengers near the rear of the aircraft, maybe leaving that seat next by empty. As you evaluate your seat, consider these things below.
If You Are Hoping for an Empty Middle Seat
As all Southwest aircraft have a 3-3 arrangement, if you are a party of three, you will want to take the whole row to guarantee no one will sit next to you.
Should you not fit that description, choose a window seat. This will provide the most privacy and guarantee that nobody is ascending over you to access or leave their seat. Additionally, other passengers and a cabin crew walking up and down the aisle are absent from your surroundings.
Then it’s up for debate whether you should sit front or rear—both offer advantages and drawbacks. Sitting in front implies that everyone boarding the aircraft following you will walk by you, selecting their seat. On the other hand, you’re among the first to get off the plane when it lands.
The plane’s rear might have fewer passengers. People choose the first open seat(s) they come across on Southwest Airlines; this typically results in more passengers in the initial half of the aircraft than in the second half. On a flight that is not full, there is also a greater likelihood that the seat next to you will remain open.
Having said that, the front of the Boeing 737-800 airplane features only one bathroom, while the rear boasts two. Therefore, should one use the loo, there is a higher chance that more passengers will go to the rear of the aircraft.
If You Wish for Legroom
Aim for seat 12A; as you face the rear of the plane on Southwest’s Boeing 737-700, it is the window seat on the right side of Row 12. Row 11, an exit row with just two seats on the right side, makes seat 11A “missing.”
The passenger in 12A has two seats worth of space to stretch out their legs, a lifesaver for tall passengers. On one of Southwest’s newest -800 and MAX 8 planes, though, the nicest seats are in rows 14 and 15.
If You Want To Get off the Plane Quickly
Opt for Row 1. Although you won’t have any storage under the seat in front of you, your prize for light packing will be among the first to walk off the plane and extra legroom. As soon as you board, make a beeline either left or right.
If You’re Thirsty
Choose rows 1, 9, or 17. Southwest flight attendants divide cabin service into three groups, and these are usually the rows where the drink and snack service starts.
If You Want One Seatmate
Target Row 11, seats B and C. On Southwest’s Boeing 737-700s, this two-seat row means you won’t have to worry about running across a third person in shared space.
If You Are OK Sitting Up Straight
Select either the row before the exit row or the last row. Although some economy passengers do not care to lean back throughout the flight, others fiercely debate their right to relax.
How To Land the Best Seat on Southwest?
These strategies will help you to get the first boarding spot:
- Check exactly twenty-four hours before departure.
- Hold A-List elite status.
- Purchase EarlyBird Check-In, Upgraded Boarding or a Business Select ticket.
- Book the first flight of the day.
Although owning a Group A boarding card doesn’t always guarantee you the seat you want, the best way to get it is to board as early as possible.
Check In 24 Hours in Advance
Checking in for your flight exactly 24 hours ahead of time is the quickest strategy to obtain the earliest boarding assignment if you purchased Southwest’s lowest Wanna Get Away fare. You could be far lower on the boarding list even waiting a minute or two following that check-in time.
Although they will automatically get the boarding slot immediately following yours, if you are utilizing the Southwest Companion Pass for another passenger in your group, you must check them in individually using a different confirmation number.
Purchase EarlyBird Check-in
While Southwest changed the EarlyBird Check-in pricing in May, guests will still be automatically checked in 36 hours before departure rather than the usual 24 hours. This increases your likelihood of obtaining a more preferred boarding seat than if you checked yourself 24 hours ahead.
Southwest is lowering the availability of its EarlyBird Check-In to particular flights, routes, and days. Thus, it may not be available at all, as was indicated above. Although EarlyBird Check-In does not guarantee an A boarding seat, it enhances your possibilities for seat selection to get a preferred seat.
Two free EarlyBird check-ins annually are yours if you own the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card or the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card.
Choose a Business Select Fare
Even with the best of reminders, timing your check-in exactly does not ensure you will receive a Group A classification—or, in extreme circumstances, even a Group B assignment. No matter when they check in, passengers paying more for more expensive Business Select flights get priority boarding places numbered A1 through A15.
Earn Southwest Elite Status
Priority is given to Southwest frequent travelers who have attained A-List or A-List Preferred elite status, including the “best available boarding pass number.”
Buy an A1 Through A15 Boarding Pass at the Gate
Should you object to the assigned number, upgraded boarding is occasionally offered at the gate on the day of departure for $30 to $149 one-way per person when A1 through A15 spaces are open.
Know that the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card and the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card provide four Upgraded Boarding tickets annually, even if you don’t want to spend that money. Four of them cover A1 through A15 slots annually.
Why You Might See Some Passengers Already on Board
Even if you have a sought-after A1 boarding seat, occasionally, you will board a Southwest trip and find people already on the aircraft. That’s so because several Southwest aircraft stop at cities between the starting point and the destination several times.
Others deplane at the midway point while passengers go for their last stop board. Later in the day, this becomes more frequent since occasionally there are changes and cancellations, and passengers are redirected onto different planes.
If someone is already seated in the seat you are looking for, there is not much you can do. To enable a parent to sit with a little kid or a caregiver can sit with someone who needs their help, Southwest will ask other passengers to yield up their seats and shuffle around.
Can You Save Seats on Southwest?
No clear Southwest policy exists either for or against seat-saving. The “Southwest shuffle” is the saving process wherein one customer boards early to save seats for another individual or group.
Still, consider carefully whether you choose to reserve tickets for your trip companion(s). Remember, you can’t keep those seats if someone insists on sitting there and your companions haven’t yet made it onto the plane.
Bottom Line
For individuals who are not acclimated to it, Southwest’s boarding procedure could be frightening or even aggravating; nevertheless, once you get the hang of it, there is plenty to value.
Southwest’s generous free checked bag policy generally results in less carry-on gear for the overhead bins; wide seating lets passengers shuffle themselves into order as they board the aircraft.
Pull this guide when you travel Southwest the next time. You will know which chairs to aim for and how to get there most quickly.