Is Southwest Finally Considering Assigned Seating?

For years, the system seemed to be relatively fair. You logged on 24 hours ahead of your flight time and “your” time to get onto the plane would be first-come-first-served, based on when you checked in.

EarlyBird Check In was introduced in 2009 . You could skip to the front of the line for a relatively small fee ($10 at its introduction). “With EarlyBird Check-in, you no longer need to watch the clock or set your alarm to be one of the first Customers to check in for a Southwest flight. EarlyBird Customers can relax, and let us do the work for them,” Kevin Krone, Southwest’s Vice President of Marketing, Sales and Distribution, said at the time.

Over the years, Southwest introduced even more ways to get to the head of the line, until it reached the point where, just like any other airline, if you had status or somehow paid, you could get onto the plane first.

Well, except for the people who began to learn that if you requested wheelchair service, you could get onto the plane even before the “beautiful people” (I’m not talking about the people who genuinely need extra help or time because of a visible or invisible disability. I’m talking about the fakers; we all know there are fakers, even if we don’t necessarily know which people in the wheelchairs they are). Everyone else could expect a spot in the “High Bs,” if not Boarding Group C. But then, hey, you might get free checked carry-ons.

a sign in a airport

PC: Southwest Community

And then, since Southwest doesn’t have a policy about saving seats, people who get onto the plane earlier wind up saving entire rows for their flying companions who may not get onto the plane until later. And that gets peoples’ dander up too.

Meanwhile, a reader wrote to us the other day – they said that they recently got a survey from Southwest, via email. Questions included how they would feel about them switching to assigned seating, options for seats with extra legroom, options for priority boarding, stuff like that. So their question was:

Is Southwest looking at switching to assigned seating?!?!?!?!

Our answer is a mixture of, “well, maybe” and, unfortunately, “probably not.”

This survey isn’t the first time Southwest has looked into the possibility of switching from open seating to assigned seating. They’ve asked their flyers about it in 2006 (they also experimented with assigned seating that year, too), 2007 , 2019 , and probably other times where I couldn’t find a link that suggested it.

They also said that assigned seating “wasn’t in the cards” in 2018 , but the then-incoming CEO Bob Jordan said in 2022 that it could be a possibility in the future.

So there ya go…are they going to switch to assigned seating? Who knows? Southwest probably wouldn’t ever tell us for sure until the decision was firmly made.

Of course, if they DID do assigned seating, you know it would be just as expensive as every other airline out there…you’d be paying for those seat assignments, that extra leg room and any form of priority boarding. So then the only difference between Southwest and all the other airlines would be the 2 free checked bags. With all the other upcharges, even that might not make flying on Southwest worth it anymore…especially if they go through with these atrocities .

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But there is always the Companion Pass which makes it a no brainer… no matter what.

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I have been flying Southwest for over 35 years and have had several versions of their Rapid Rewards credit card – I did not receive the “survey” you say they sent – I call you saying this as “bulls**t”. Prove me wrong and post a copy of said “survey”. (Comment edited by YMMV to remove NSFW language)

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We didn’t receive the survey. But a reader of ours did (that’s why they asked the question that prompted the post) and we have no reason to doubt them. A quick visit to a search engine will also find a recent Reddit thread where someone received one. I’ve also recently read a couple of similar threads in some of the travel-related Facebook groups I’m in. So I’m quite sure that surveys were recently sent out.

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Southwest Airlines Says Assigned Seats For Passengers A Possibility

southwest doesn't have assigned seats

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Southwest Airlines is known for not assigning seats, but that could change in the future — maybe . 

“Could we one day need to take back up the assigned-seating question? I think we may have to do that,” Bob Jordan, the airline’s incoming CEO recently said in a Southwest Business virtual town hall meeting, Travel Weekly reports .

Jordan, who previously was the airline’s executive vice president of corporate services and will take over as CEO on February 1, then took pains to note there are no current plans at Southwest to make the change. However, he did say the airline needs to examine whether or not seat assignments could positively impact aircraft turnaround time.

“Just know this: We are committed to continuing to look at our product, making sure it’s relevant,” Jordan said.

Southwest uses unassigned seats as a way to make itself stand out from competitors. Indeed, its slogan is “Pick a seat, any seat.”

“At Southwest, we let you sit where you like,” the airline explains . “We don’t assign seats on our flights, so feel free to sit in any available seat once you board the plane.”

Moving Forward

In many respects, Jordan has his work cut out for him.

For instance, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s analysis , Southwest Airlines’ flights were ontime 83.03 percent of the time from July 2019 to July 2021. Conversely, 16.97 percent of Southwest’s flights were late or canceled.

“We need to get back to the point where you can set your watch by the reliability of our operations,” Jordan said.

Toward that end, one of the first priorities for Southwest this year is to hire between 8,000 and 10,000 workers. Jordan says that adding that staff will help the airline get aircraft back in the sky sooner.

Jordan also noted that Southwest expanded its service to 18 new markets and increased service to Hawaii during the COVID-19 pandemic. While Southwest currently uses 120 aircraft to support that expansion, it does have plans to take delivery of 114 aircraft this year.

Even so, it’s going to take a while for the airline to resume frequency levels Southwest experienced before the pandemic.

“It’s going to take into 2023 to restore the network completely back to where we were in 2019,” Jordan said.

For more about airlines’ ontime arrival records, be sure to read The 10 U.S. Airlines With The Most Flight Delays And Cancelations .

If you’d like to learn more about airport arrival records, be sure to read up on the airports with the fewest and most delays and cancelations.

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Jim Fulcher has been a writer and editor his entire career. In addition to writing, he also enjoys traveling--particularly in an RV. Over the course of numerous trips, Jim has driven an RV through West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming. His favorite national park is Yellowstone, which he has visited three times.

How to snag the best seats on Southwest Airlines

Caroline Tanner

Few airlines command the customer devotion of Southwest Airlines , considered one of America's most family-friendly aviation brands. The airline does things right in many ways that other airlines do not: offering two free checked bags per person, making it easy for families to sit together without charging onerous fees, having a simple way to earn elite status, offering a family of credit cards, and giving passengers four booking fares.

However, Southwest's unique boarding process does not assign specific seats to travelers — a process that can be baffling for first-time travelers, infrequent flyers or those new to the airline.

As of Aug. 15, the Dallas-based carrier announced changes to its boarding process, including reducing the availability of its EarlyBird Check-In to select flights, routes and days, meaning EarlyBird Check-In will be unavailable for some customers.

Additionally, Southwest will permit same-day standby for all passengers, including those who book the cheapest Wanna Get Away fares , allowing passengers in Southwest's lowest fare classes to waitlist for a different flight on the same day without paying a fare difference, helpful for passengers flying on routes with multiple daily frequencies.

With those changes in mind, this comprehensive guide will answer all your questions on how to get the best seat on your next Southwest Airlines flight.

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How Southwest boarding works

Like many other airlines, Southwest begins boarding about 30 minutes before scheduled departure. The similarities largely end there, though, because Southwest's boarding process is unlike any other airline thanks to its open seating policy, which means you can sit just about anywhere you want without assigned seats.

It's first-come, first-seated, with just a few exceptions standard for all airlines, including passengers who choose to sit in an exit row and must meet the Federal Aviation Administration's age and physical requirements .

On Southwest flights, the boarding order is as follows:

  • Preboarding (those who need specific seats to accommodate a disability, those who need assistance with boarding and stowing an assistive device and unaccompanied minors)
  • Group A 1-60
  • A-List/A-List Preferred members, active-duty military members and family boarding (those with children age 6 and under)
  • Group B 1-60
  • Group C 1-60

southwest doesn't have assigned seats

When the traveler checks in for their flight, Southwest assigns each passenger a boarding group letter — A, B or C — and a position from 1 to 60. The unique boarding code, such as A45 or B52, is printed directly on the boarding pass and represents the person's place in line at the gate.

At the gate, passengers line up single file at gray metal columns to match their boarding group letter and boarding position. Boarding is 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/A-List Preferred members.

Since February , Southwest has been testing out designated preboarding areas at select airports as part of an effort to improve turn times, including by installing color-coded carpeted areas to make it clear where preboarding passengers should line up.

southwest doesn't have assigned seats

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.

Families with young children 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; 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.

Active military personnel are also permitted to board at this time.

A-List and A-List Preferred members are said to receive the "best available boarding pass number" but occasionally end up with a Group B or C boarding designation. However, as a nod to their elite status, they are allowed to "cut the line" anytime after Group A boarding is complete.

Once you board, what next?

Since there are no assigned seats on Southwest flights, whoever walks onto the plane first gets his or her pick of seats. As a general rule, nobody particularly enjoys sitting in the middle seat, so those tend to be left to the end of the boarding process for Group C.

As soon as you walk onto the plane, you're free to select any seat you want, but some feel it's a lot of pressure to decide on the fly where you'll spend your entire flight. It helps to know about Southwest's plane configurations when deciding your preferred seat. As you'll see in the diagrams below, Southwest currently has three different versions of the Boeing 737.

Boeing 737-700

Southwest has 506 Boeing 737-700 aircraft, accounting for more than two-thirds of its currently operating fleet. Each Southwest 737-700 has 143 seats in the configuration below:

southwest doesn't have assigned seats

Boeing 737-800

Southwest has 207 Boeing 737-800 planes in its fleet. Each Southwest 737-800 has 175 seats in the configuration below:

southwest doesn't have assigned seats

Boeing 737 MAX 8

Southwest has 34 Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes — with 175 seats.

southwest doesn't have assigned seats

What's the best seat on Southwest?

The best seat on Southwest is subjective and depends on who you ask — some prefer the last row , especially with small children in tow. Many others think the back row is the worst possible seat, while others swear by sitting in the first five rows.

If your flight isn't full, you'll most likely find fewer people in the back of the plane — potentially keeping that seat next to you empty.

Here are some things to think about as you consider your seat.

If you are hoping for an empty middle seat

If you're a party of three, you'll want to take the entire row to ensure no one will sit next to you since all Southwest planes are three-and-three.

If you don't fall into that category, pick a window seat. This will give you the most privacy and ensure that no one is climbing over you to get in or out of their seat. You also won't have cabin crew and other passengers walking up and down the aisle right next to you.

Then it's up in the air as to whether you should sit up front or in the back, which both have pros and cons. Sitting upfront means that everyone boarding the plane after you are walking right by you while picking their seat. It also means that when you go to deplane, you're one of the first to walk off the aircraft.

The back of the plane, on the other hand, might have fewer passengers. On Southwest planes, people tend to pick the first open seat(s) they see, which usually means there are more passengers in the first half of the plane versus the second half. There's also a better chance that the seat next to you will be left open on a flight that is not full.

With that being said, on the Boeing 737-800 aircraft, there are two bathrooms in the back of the plane and just one bathroom in the front. So, there is a higher probability that more passengers will head to the back of the plane if they need to use the restroom.

If you want legroom

Aim for Seat 12A, the window seat on the right side of Row 12, as you're facing the back of the plane on Southwest's Boeing 737-700s. Row 11 is an "edit" row with just two seats on the right side, which means that Seat 11A is "missing." Thus, the passenger in 12A has two seats' worth of space to stretch out their legs — a godsend for tall travelers. However, if you're on one of Southwest's newer -800 and MAX 8 models, then the best seats are in rows 14 and 15.

If you want to get off the plane quickly

Choose Row 1. You won't have any storage available under the seat in front of you, but you'll be among the very first people to walk off the plane and get extra legroom as your reward for packing light. Make a beeline to your left or your right as soon as you board.

If you're thirsty

Choose rows 1, 9 or 17. Southwest flight attendants split cabin service into three sections, and these are typically the rows where the drink and snack service begins.

If you only want 1 seatmate

Aim for Row 11, seats B and C. On Southwest's Boeing 737-700s, this is a two-seat row, so you won't have to worry about sharing space with a third person.

If you are OK sitting up straight

Choose the last row or the row in front of the exit row. While the right to recline is a hotly contested privilege among economy travelers, there are travelers who don't care to lean back during the flight.

southwest doesn't have assigned seats

How to get the best seat on Southwest

Here are some tactics to secure the earliest boarding position:

  • Check in exactly 24 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

Remember, the best way to get the seat you want is to board as early as possible, but holding a Group A boarding pass doesn't always mean that you'll get the seat you want.

Check in 24 hours in advance

If you purchased Southwest's cheapest Wanna Get Away fares, the easiest way to get the earliest boarding assignment available is to check in for your flight exactly 24 hours ahead of time. Even waiting a minute or two after that check-in period could put you significantly down on the boarding list.

Note that if you're using the Southwest Companion Pass for another passenger in your party, you'll have to check them in separately since they have a different confirmation number.

Purchase EarlyBird Check-In

For $15-$25 (based on distance) per person each way, Southwest will automatically check you in 36 hours before departure instead of just 24 hours via their EarlyBird Check-In . This means you will generally get a better boarding position than if you checked yourself in 24 hours in advance.

As mentioned, Southwest is reducing the availability of its EarlyBird Check-In to select flights, routes and days, so that EarlyBird Check-In may not be available.

"Beginning Aug. 15, EarlyBird Check-In® will be subject to availability on certain flights, routes, or days, and that will mean EarlyBird Check-In is unavailable for some customers looking to purchase it," a spokesperson for the airline told TPG.

Business Select fares automatically get A1-A15 boarding priority

Even with the best of reminders, checking in on the dot doesn't guarantee you'll get a Group A designation — or, in extreme cases, even a Group B assignment. Travelers who pay for pricier Business Select fares pay a premium to get priority boarding spots marked A1-A15, no matter what time they check in.

Earn Southwest elite status

Southwest frequent flyers who have earned A-List or A-List Preferred elite status get priority, including the "best available boarding pass number."

Purchase an A1-A15 boarding at the gate

If you don't like the number you were assigned, Upgraded Boarding is sometimes available at the gate on the day of departure for $30-$50 one-way per person when A1-A15 slots are still available. Even if you don't want to spend that cash, know that the Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card comes with four of these included A1-A15 slots each year.

Why you might see some passengers already on board

Sometimes, you'll board a Southwest flight and see passengers already on the plane, even when you hold a coveted A1 boarding spot. That's because several Southwest flights make multiple stops at cities between the origin and final destination. Travelers who are headed for the final destination stay on board when others deplane at the midway point. This becomes more and more common later in the day, as delays and cancellations sometimes happen, and travelers end up being rerouted onto other flights.

There isn't much you can do if someone's already sitting in the seat you want, but Southwest will ask other travelers to offer up their seats and shift around so a parent can sit with a toddler or young child if you're the sole caregiver for a small child or for a person who otherwise requires your care.

Can you save seats on Southwest?

There isn't any definitive Southwest policy for or against seat-saving, known as the " Southwest shuffle ," where one passenger boards early to save seats for the other traveler(s) in the group.

If you decide to save seats for your travel companion(s), be thoughtful and remember you can't keep those seats if someone else really insists on sitting there and your companions haven't yet made it onto the plane.

Save this Southwest cheat sheet

If you're new to Southwest, save this "Things to Know" graphic on your phone so you'll be able to board like a pro on your next flight.

southwest doesn't have assigned seats

Bottom line

Southwest's boarding process might be intimidating or even frustrating for some who aren't used to it, but there is a lot to appreciate once you get the hang of it. As a general rule, Southwest travelers have less carry-on luggage for the overhead bins because of its generous free checked bag policy, and open seating allows people to shuffle themselves into order as they board the plane.

So, the next time you fly Southwest, pull up this guide, and you will know what seats to target and how to get there as efficiently as possible.

Related reading:

  • Your complete guide to maximizing Southwest Rapid Rewards
  • The best Southwest Airlines credit cards
  • How to quickly earn the Southwest Companion Pass
  • What is United Airlines' elite status worth?
  • Maximize your airfare: The best credit cards for booking flights
  • The best credit cards to reach elite status
  • How to change or cancel a Southwest Airlines flight

Benet J. Wilson and Katherine Fan previously contributed reporting.

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How to Hack Southwest’s Boarding Groups

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Table of Contents

How does Southwest boarding work?

What is the southwest boarding process, how to get your southwest boarding position, southwest family boarding: how to sit together, how to get the best seat on southwest airlines (group a), other ways to get get a good seat on southwest, southwest seating chart, when you're not happy with your southwest boarding number, southwest boarding groups, recapped.

The Southwest Airlines boarding process is a practice perhaps more polarizing than whether pineapple belongs on pizza. But one thing’s for sure: The Southwest boarding process is certainly unique.

There are no assigned seats. There’s no guarantee you’ll get that coveted window seat behind the exit row (which means no seat directly in front of you). There’s no guarantee you’ll end up seated next to your travel buddy.

Yet it also means you get to pick your seat from whatever is available once you get on the plane. If the guy in Row 3 has already whipped out his tuna sandwich, maybe you opt for a seat at least a few rows back.

The Southwest boarding process is also theoretically more efficient (at least according to MythBusters ) than most boarding systems with assigned seats. So how does the process work? We unpack Southwest’s boarding method to help you get the best seat on your flight.

SOUTHWEST CREDIT CARDS WITH BOARDING BENEFITS

Unlike some credit cards offered by other major airlines, Southwest cards don't automatically get you priority boarding. But they do cover some of your costs when you pay to get a better boarding position:

Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card

on Chase's website

Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card

Reimbursement for 4 upgraded boardings, when available, each anniversary year.

Reimbursement for 2 EarlyBird check-ins each anniversary year.

To receive reimbursement for an upgraded boarding or EarlyBird Check-In, you must pay for it with the card . Reimbursement will appear as a credit on your statement within one to two billing cycles.

» Learn more: Best Southwest Airlines credit cards

Rather than assigning seats to passengers, Southwest has an open seating style. As far as determining who gets to pick their seats in which order, here’s how it works:

A Southwest boarding group (either A, B, or C) and position (1-60) will be assigned to you at check-in and it'll be printed on your boarding pass. Group A boards first, then group B, and afterwards group C. Check-in opens exactly 24 hours before departure.

If you end up with A1, then it’s your lucky day — you’ll likely get to be the first passenger on the plane. There may be some exceptions for people with certain disabilities, pre-boarders or people on an earlier connecting flight.

Here’s what a boarding pass with the boarding position looks like. This passenger will board with Group A and has a boarding position of 40.​​

southwest boarding groups how to

If you like ample seating options, aiming for boarding group A is a good idea. If you end up with C60, well, hopefully, you’re fine with the middle seat near the bathroom.

As the gate agent prepares the plane for boarding, they’ll call boarding groups (e.g., Group A, 1-30). From there, you’ll have to head to one of the numbered posts at the gate area, broken up into smaller blocks (e.g., position 1-5). Stand between the corresponding posts based on your boarding position.

Once onboard, pick any open seat, stow your stuff in the overhead bin or under the seat in front of you, and get ready for takeoff.

Here’s the order of Southwest's boarding groups, from first to last:

1. Preboarding

Southwest allows people who have a specific seating need to accommodate their disability, who need boarding help, extra time or who need help stowing an assistive device to board first. To be part of that group, you’ll have to request preboarding from a Southwest customer service agent at the ticket desk or departure gate.

Expect to be asked what Southwest calls "fact-finding questions" to decide if you meet the qualifications for pre-boarding. If you do, you’ll receive a boarding pass with a specific preboarding designation, and you’ll be allowed to preboard with one companion. If you’re traveling with more than one other person, they’ll typically have to board with their original group.

People who are preboarding are not allowed to occupy an exit row seat.

The first set of people to board Southwest flights are people with seats in A1-A15, which is typically filled with Southwest elite flyers, people who purchased Southwest Business Select fares and those who paid extra for their tickets before boarding.

You can purchase any leftover upgraded boarding positions in the A1-A15 category either online through Southwest's upgraded boarding portal within 24 hours of departure, or at the gate.

The rest of Group A follows positions A1-15 with A16-60.

3. Other people with disabilities

If you don’t qualify for preboarding but need extra time to board, you can board after the A group but before the following Family Boarding and B groups. You’ll still need to speak to a Southwest customer service agent, who will print you a new boarding pass with an extra time designation, indicating that you can board with this group.

4. Families and active-duty military in uniform

If you’re traveling with a child 6 years old or younger, you and up to one other adult can board during Family Boarding, which occurs before the B group. Active military traveling in uniform may also board during this time.

» Learn more: Bookmark these military travel discounts

5. Groups B and C

Everyone else now gets to board, with the B group going next. And for large and full flights, there’s a C group. Both groups board in numerical order starting with position 1 and moving to position 60.

There are a few ways to get an early Southwest boarding position, but many of them come at an extra cost. If you don’t want to pay anything more than what the Wanna Get Away, Wanna Get Away Plus or Anytime fares already cost, your boarding position will be decided based on the order you’ve checked in.

You can check in online at Southwest.com or on the app beginning 24 hours before your flight's scheduled departure time. Or, you can check in at the airport or with an agent at the airport. But, the longer you wait, the worse the boarding position you’ll have.

Set a calendar reminder or phone timer for that 24-hour mark (maybe even a few minutes early to get the webpage loaded and logged in) to make sure you get as early a boarding position as possible.

Families (two adults traveling with a child 6 years of age or younger) can board after Group A but before Group B. If the child and adult both have Group A assigned on their boarding pass, they can board along with Group A in their allocated boarding position.

However, this still doesn’t guarantee you’ll sit together, especially if your boarding position is A50. The best way to ensure you sit together (and where you want) is to buy a Business Select fare, upgrade your boarding pass or have the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card or the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card .

Everyone has a different favorite seat on an airplane, but the easiest way to get the best seat on Southwest is to have an A1-15 boarding group position. Since this is the first group to board, you’ll have your pick of nearly any seat on the plane. Here are three ways to guarantee an A1-15 group position on Southwest, but it’s going to cost you:

Buy a Business Select fare

Business Select fares come with many perks including Fly By priority lane access, a complimentary premium drink, and yes, guaranteed receipt of an A1-15 boarding position.

Business Select fares are not cheap. They can often be multiple times more expensive than Wanna Get Away fares, but they tend to be a better deal than Southwest’s middle tier called Anytime fares.

If you’re willing to pay for a seat upgrade, it’s almost always better to opt for Business Select over Anytime fares because you’ll get benefits like elevated points earning and the guarantee of a good seat.

Buy upgraded boarding when available

While not quite a guarantee, Southwest allows you to buy any remaining A1-A15 boarding position for an extra fee. You can purchase that either on the day of travel at the ticket desk or gate, or within 24 hours of takeoff on Southwest's website .

It’s $30 to $80 per segment depending on your itinerary. These positions are not assigned to regular ticket customers once the 24-hour check-in window begins, so if the flight is low on elite flyers or Business Select passengers, there may be some available for purchase.

Some cards, such as the The Platinum Card® from American Express or The Business Platinum Card® from American Express , can offset the cost of upgraded boarding by offering a $200 airline incidental credit , which is an annual statement credits toward incidental air travel fees with one qualifying airline of your choice.

Use a Southwest credit card to get complimentary upgraded boarding (when available)

As a benefit of having the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card or the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card , you’ll be reimbursed for up to four upgraded boardings to positions A1-A15 every anniversary year.

The process is the same as anyone else purchasing upgraded boarding. You’ll have to buy it on the day of travel at the ticket desk or gate, and it’s only for sale if seats are available. But no matter the cost — whether $30 or $50 — you’ll get that four times a year in the form of a credit reimbursement.

Those boardings can be purchased all at once or for different flights, so you could opt to upgrade your posse once or give yourself the VIP treatment a few times throughout the year.

» Learn more: The best airline credit cards

southwest doesn't have assigned seats

These choices won’t guarantee an A boarding position like the recommendations above, but they’ll still put you ahead of others who try to check in online 24 hours out or at the airport ahead of their flight:

Have Southwest elite status

Customers with Rapid Rewards A-List Preferred or A-List Member status get their boarding position automatically reserved 36 hours before departure. That's before normal check-in begins, putting them ahead of everyone else who has to wait for that 24-hour window. The benefit also applies to other travelers on the same reservation as A-List Preferred or A-List Members.

While holding Southwest status is not a guarantee of an A position (e.g., if everyone else on the flight also had A-List Preferred or A-List status), it will get you the earliest position available and most often lands you in the A1-A15 positions.

Buy EarlyBird Check-In

EarlyBird Check-In is an add-on to your ticket that automatically checks you in 36 hours before the flight's scheduled departure time. That puts you in the running for the best boarding position next to the folks with Southwest status or Anytime and Business Select fares, and ahead of everyone else who has to wait for the 24-hour window.

EarlyBird Check-In typically costs $15-$25 one-way per passenger on top of your fare price.

As far as how the order of EarlyBird Check-In is decided amongst everyone who pays for it: Boarding positions are assigned based on the time that EarlyBird Check-In was bought relative to passengers within the same fare class. So Wanna Get Away Plus passengers will be checked in ahead of Wanna Get Away passengers with EarlyBird.

EarlyBird does not guarantee a boarding position, but it does increase your odds of getting in a better boarding position. Often, you’ll find yourself in A20 or better with EarlyBird check-in.

If you’re trying to decide what’s a good seat on your Southwest flight, head over to Seatguru. Once there, type in your travel date and flight number to choose your flight.

Oftentimes, Seatguru will show several aircraft configurations for a specific flight. For Southwest, Seatguru features three aircraft seating charts: Boeing 737 MAX 8, Boeing 737-700 and Boeing 737-800. Make sure the aircraft type you’re on matches the result provided by Seatguru.

After you’ve confirmed that, take a look at the seat reviews. The seats on the plane will either be green, yellow, red or white. Green means it's a great seat (usually with extra legroom), yellow means there is some drawback (like limited recline), red shows several drawbacks (such as a misaligned window and near the bathroom).

Seats that are white have no pros and no cons, they are just regular seats for the cabin.

If you’re cool with checking your luggage if the overhead bins run out of space or don't mind the middle seat for a few hours, then getting assigned Group C will be manageable.

But if you want to be among the first to board and accidentally ended up with a bad boarding position, your best bet to jump the line is to pay the $30-$50 for an A1-15 boarding position. You can do this either in-person at the airport or online.

If Business Select is sold out, you’re probably out of luck on purchasing upgraded boarding. Next time, consider purchasing EarlyBird Check-In or booking a higher fare class to begin with.

Southwest offers three boarding groups (A, B or C), and a position 1-60+, which get assigned at check-in. While the Southwest boarding process can be confusing at first glance, remember this: Check in exactly 24 hours before your flight, and most of the time you’ll be OK.

Or, be prepared to pony up some extra cash for expensive tickets or upgraded boarding passes. Know which of your credit cards may offer airline credits to offset these fees, as they can get you out of a jam when you miss the check-in deadline.

If you’re traveling with a larger group with multiple reservation numbers, everyone needs to handle their business and check in separately if you want any shot at getting boarding positions near each other.

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southwest doesn't have assigned seats

Simple Flying

Will southwest airlines ever introduce allocated seating.

Dallas-based Southwest Airlines is an outlier in the airline industry with its unassigned seating policy. Measured by the number of flights offered, Southwest is now the world's fourth-biggest airline. But Southwest doesn't dictate where you sit. However, according to the incoming CEO, that may change.

Southwest's new CEO flags introducing allocated seating

As reported in Travel Weekly , Bob Jordan, due to take over the top job at Southwest Airlines next month, flagged dropping the unallocated seating practice at a town hall meeting held on Wednesday.

"Could we one day need to take back up the assigned-seating question? I think we may have to do that," he said.

Southwest Airlines has long argued that its unassigned seating policy is popular with passengers and facilitates speedier boarding. That means planes spend less time at the gate and more time in the air generating Southwest money.

Over the years, the airline has tinkered with the no-system boarding system. Around 15 years ago, Southwest began assigning boarding numbers within each boarding group, in the process better controlling the boarding process as more and more people took to the air.

Around the same time, Southwest stopped allowing travelers with young children to jump the queue and board early. That was an equity issue, preventing families from deliberately rocking up to the gate at the last minute on the cheapest fares and going straight to the front. These days, if you are traveling with a child aged six or under, unless you pay the premium, the best Southwest will do is board you between the A and B groups.

Southwest-Airlines-Allocated-Seating

Stay informed:   Sign up  for our daily and weekly aviation news digests.

Monetizing the Southwest Airlines unallocated seating practice

Bob Jordan told yesterday's town hall meeting that changes to how the airline boards passengers aren't a top-tier priority. But Mr Jordan is interested in minimizing the time aircraft spend at gates and courting favor with high-valued business travelers.

"Just know this. We are committed to continuing to look at our product, making sure it's relevant," the incoming CEO said.

Southwest's seating free-for-all is an interesting tactic. Southwest likes to style it as a passenger-friendly option. "At Southwest, we let you sit where you like. We don’t assign seats on our flights, so feel free to sit in any available seat once you board the plane, " the airline says.

Southwest controls what would otherwise be an unseemly scramble by assigning every passenger to one of three boarding groups and a numbered boarding position.

In the 2020 calendar year, Southwest Airlines made nearly 28% of its overall revenues from ancillary fees, and like any respectable low-cost carrier, successfully monetizes the boarding process. Depending on the itinerary, Southwest passengers can sidle up to the agent at the departure gate and pony up between US$30 - $50 to go straight to the front of the first boarding group.

Alternatively, passengers can choose to pay Southwest's full-fare option on a flight rather than buy a ticket in a discounted fare bucket. Southwest's Business Select fare also guarantees passengers a spot at the front of the first group to board.

Southwest-Airlines-Allocated-Seating

Other changes on the horizon at Southwest

Meanwhile, Bob Jordan flagged a few other things will stay the same while others may change. He confirmed there are no plans to create a Southwest first class product. Nor are there any plans to start charging for checked-in baggage.

But the new Southwest CEO says the airline does need to provide better inflight WiFi and hire up to 10,000 more employees. The latter move, which Mr Jordan wants to get done this year, will help solve the cancelations and delays that have recently plagued Southwest and caused significant problems for tens of thousands of Southwest customers.

Watch CBS News

Southwest CEO says no assigned seats -- for now

By Kate Gibson

July 27, 2018 / 3:01 PM EDT / MoneyWatch

Southwest Airlines is looking at ways to boost revenue, but assigned seating is not among them. The discount carrier isn't about to start charging fees for checked bags or changed tickets, according to CEO Gary Kelly.

Questioned by Wall Street analysts about Southwest's resistance to hit travelers with the kind of fees that generate billions for competitors, he said Thursday in an earnings call: "Let me be very blunt. We are not looking at assigning seats right now. We are not talking about assigning seats now, and we're not talking about looking at it at sometime in the future, just trying to be very clear."

Kelly gave himself some wiggle room moments later, saying that while the carrier is developing a plan that doesn't require assigned seating, its new reservation system has Southwest "in a position where we can more realistically think about that."

The upshot? Known for allowing passengers to check bags for free, its open-seating planes and not charging for ticket changes, Southwest isn't about to muck up what has made the carrier and its brand.

"I don't think we need to change the essence of what Southwest Airlines is to still find opportunities to drive revenues," Kelly said.

Southwest earlier this month said it would end  its longstanding practice of offering free peanuts on its flights in deference to people allergic to the snack.

While Southwest likes to proclaim itself as a fee-free airline, it has has for years offered passengers willing to pay $15 each way to go to the front when boarding. In 2013, it offered a variably priced priority-boarding option that lets travelers be among the first to get on the plane at the last minute. 

The airline is recovering from a large hit to second-quarter revenue due to Southwest's first passenger fatality in the carrier's roughly 50 years in business.

Dallas-based Southwest said in a statement on Thursday that its revenue for every seat-mile is in line to climb as much as 1 percent in the quarter ending Sept. 30. The closely watched measure of demand and ticket prices had fallen 3 percent in the second quarter as Southwest stopped advertising for about a month after the deadly engine explosion in April.

  • Southwest Airlines

Kate Gibson is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch in New York.

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Incoming Southwest CEO Says Assigned Seats May Be in Airline's Future

Southwest does not currently assign seats but instead gives passengers a boarding group and reserved boarding number when they check in.

southwest doesn't have assigned seats

Assigned seating may be in Southwest's future, the airline's incoming CEO said at a virtual town hall this week.

The airline, long known for its unique way of doing things, does not currently assign seats but instead gives passengers a boarding group and reserved boarding number when they check in. However, incoming CEO Robert Jordan, who was previously the airline's executive vice president and will officially take the reins in February, said it may be time for a change.

"Could we one day need to take back up the assigned-seating question? I think we may have to do that," Jordan said, per Travel Weekly , adding the airline would look at the impact of seat assignments on things like turnaround time and how important it is to business travelers. "Just know this. We are committed to continuing to look at our product, making sure it's relevant."

But Jordan added the potential move isn't something customers can expect to see in the immediate future. And as for another Southwest mainstay, Jordan said free checked bags aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

Instead, Jordan said the airline will focus on things like providing more reliable Wi-Fi, hiring more workers (which will, in turn, mean more planes in the sky), and restoring full in-flight service.

"We need to get back to the point where you can set your watch by the reliability of our operations," he said, adding, "It's going to take into 2023 to restore the network completely back to where we were in 2019."

Southwest has also added new customer services this year, like allowing passengers traveling back to the United States from international destinations to purchase discounted COVID-19 test kits .

The airline is also known for its Companion Pass program , which allows eligible fliers to designate one other person to fly with them nearly for free.

Alison Fox is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure. When she's not in New York City, she likes to spend her time at the beach or exploring new destinations and hopes to visit every country in the world. Follow her adventures on Instagram .

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EarlyBird

Saving Seats On Southwest Airlines Infuriates Flyers

by Gary Leff on September 25, 2023

Frequently, once a passenger picks their seats, the games will begin.

If the plane isn’t going to be full, passengers will try to keep people from sitting down next to them, hoping for an empty middle seat beside them when the door closes. Crumple up tissues and put them on the seat, spread out into the middle seat to make it look like an uncomfortable choice, or place your bag or jacket there to make the seat look already occupied.

Some men, especially, will be open to certain passengers over others and try to game who their empty seat looks welcoming to. An attractive female boards and suddenly they clear out that middle seat! But it’s obvious they’re doing it and creepy.

The thing about saving seats for people with a lower boarding order is that it removes good seats from the available pool for those who paid for an earlier boarding number (such as a Business Select fare) or who earned it through loyalty to the airline over a year’s worth of ticket purchases (A-List and A-List Preferred).

We regret any disappointment during the boarding process today. All Southwest flights are open seating, and we don't have a specific policy for or against saving seats. Still, we apologize for any frustration and hope for smoother sailing in the future. -Jhericca — Southwest Airlines (@SouthwestAir) September 21, 2023
So holding 5 seats on a full southwest flight is allowed now? Flight 20 heading to Houston. Last time I got yelled at for holding one seat. @SouthwestAir pic.twitter.com/aHRImFsF8P — Taylor (@TayTaySwift1103) September 24, 2023

Open seating on Southwest Airlines means Lord Of The Flies … or sometimes Thunderdome . That doesn’t work for everyone, but I actually like it.

I tend to buy tickets late – close to travel – and on many airlines that means the best seats are already gone. But with Southwest they’re still available.

In fact, when changing flights on the day of travel or getting rebooked due to a delay or cancellation, all of the seats on the plane are still available.

Flying Southwest is different than flying other airlines, but is it funny that I actually like it? Not least of which because their seats have a couple more inches of legroom than standard coach on most other airlines, too, which means I can open my laptop on board without difficulty.

More From View from the Wing

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About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

More articles by Gary Leff »

So a man wanting an attractive women sitting next to him for 3 hours is a creep? Hahah..ok.

I ponied up for the premium “Business Select” fare. Once. But whenI see my A2 boarding position diluted by fake wheel chairs accompanied by entire families of “attendents”, I recognized I was a sucker. What’s more, a Business Select position on a connecting flight from Phoenix to Honolulu was a complete waste of money since the flight already had pax onboard and all desirable seats were already occupied by those who had boarded the flight from its original departure to PHX and onward to HNL and changed seats upon arriving at PHX.

Southwest flights are generally full, so they couldn’t care less if their policy infuriates passengers. Passengers are nothing but cargo as far as Southwest is concerned. One thing that might create a change in this ridiculous policy will be when someone is injured or killed in an argument between one who insists on taking an empty exit row seat and one who is insistent on saving it.

Bad publicity and a big time lawsuit against the airline. They pay attention to things like that.

I’ll happily pay more on a real airline for an assigned seat of my choice in Premium Economy Business Class, neither of which is offered by Cattle Class Southwest.

Stop crying. If you need a seat ask someone to save you a seat. There is no rule so hush and sit down so we can get to where we need to get to. So what if people are saving seats. Worry about yourselves and that’s it.

My suggestion from witnessing some of the above..A-1 thru A-6 should be able to board before the pre-boarders. Should they want a bulkhead seats, it’s there’s. If I paid for or earned A-1 thru A-6, this would be acceptable.

I had two elderly parents and Southwest was great with caring for their needs and getting them their last flight to their Florida care facility. I would not have been able to get them down on my own.

But I too, have seen one person saving seats for the family. You purchase to get on at a better position in order to get a better seat. It seems like a breach of contract if that does not happen because others save seats.

You purchase one ticket, one seat. Seems like a fight waiting to happen. And, I’d have to say, continuing with no policy with savings seats, yet the contract of getting a better seat for purchasing better boarding, is a fight waiting to happen. And Southwest is fully complicit.

They also don’t guard against line jumpers. Those getting on earlier than their ticket deems.

And have you seen Runway Jesus? 21 people get on with wheelchairs and only one person gets off with a wheelchair. And often those wheelchair bound people are fully able to get the luggage for them and those around you. Miracle healings!

Southwest has set up some inflammatory policies. Let’s not hear how bad passengers are to flight attendants when all Hell finally breaks lose!

Fake wheelchairs – very creative, but how many people really do this? I don’t think I’ve ever seen more than a handful of wheelchair preboards on any flight on any airline, including Southwest.

Another point that comes to mind: other airlines have boarding policies that they then ignore. American has, what, 9 boarding groups, and United and Delta are similar. Not infrequently, agents don’t check very carefully – their goal is to get everyone to board on time, not (always) to police the boarding process. So people feel free to board with an earlier group. On Southwest, it’s harder for people to just ignore what’s on their boarding pass because they have to convince other passengers who’ve lined up that they belong where they are in the line. So one could make the argument that despite the seat savers and fake wheelchairs, Southwest’s process is, on the whole, more fair in that more people actually follow the rules.

I travel with a walker, which I check, and use a wheelchair to board. I travel with my 2 grandchildren and couldn’t travel without them. So, please don’t judge everyone who pre-boards. An on my last flight to Boston the flight attendants were super helpful.

Yes as a wheelchair user on SWA, I rarely had miracle flights happen, until covid. Now everyone needs a free ride down the jet way to get a front row seat, until they have to stow all belongings. But, they jump up and take off when they arrive at their destination. The worst were flights to Atlanta. One lady was running around getting food and drink for her momma and damn dog, who had it’s own chair. She had to have a wc to take her down the jet way. Then hopped up to help her momma get settled and put her luggage up.. Another time, sdf to hou, a very tall dude was wheeled down to waiting area, didn’t tip his driver. He got up a few minutes later and started walking to get food/drink. Came back and sat in chair, went to RR, then stood up to get on preboard, but they called for wc first. He jumped in front of everyone and said that was his wc and walked down. Everyone had their jaws hit the floor. Then when we arrived in hou, he jumped up and got everyone’s stuff from the overhead bin and was the first to run, yes, run up the jetway. These cheaters hurt those of us who need it. I understand ptsd, but this was not one of those cases.

,@Sherrelle Williamson. Saving seats for any event shows just how little you value yourself as well as others. This world is filled with jerks just like you who think the world owes you. If I ever want to sit in a seat someone has saved, and you won’t voluntarily give it up, I’ll 8demolish the place.

My work team and I traveled SW for work. Not by choice but under the direction of management. We are all 6’3″ or more and the extra two inches or so in the emerg row really helps us from getting our legs crammed in other seats. We get the Bus Select and try for the emerg row seating because of leg room. However, three times now, A passenger with A-1 or A-2 saves all three emerg row seats. Another time, the A-1 or 2 saves BOTH rows of emerg row seats. EACH TIME, the FA says very little or nothing . The last time, the FA sided with the “Saving” passenger (in the emerg row) and told us he is saving seats. So, what happened to Open Seating. A-1 thru 5,..or more, should board first. There should be NO saving seats in the emerg row.

What a ridiculous policy. Saving seats is so tacky and trashy. It’s like those nutty people at resorts who run down at 6am to throw towels on the loungers. I’ll never fly SW. I like to book and pay for the seat I want and have the flight attendant toss anyone who’s sitting in my seat. Why does everything have to be like Squid Game!

When I’ve wanted the change seats on a half empty aircraft,the cabin crew say it’s not allowed.Their reasoning is that,should there be any sort of accident (they have a delicate way of putting that)then it will be impossible to identify anyone if they are not in their allocated seat and seat number.So how does that work on Southwest?

I’ve had 2 spinal fusions and both hips replaced so I do make use of a wheelchair service, especially when I fly SW out of O’Hare. Their gates are in Terminal 5 which is a killer walk even for an able bodied 60 year old. Yes, they do give priority boarding but once I’m on the plane I hobble all the way to the back so I don’t clog up the isle during disembarkation. I can still walk but I’m a bit wobbly after a 4 hour flight. Some people just like to hurry up and then wait anyway. I move slow and have always gotten to baggage claim before the luggage arrives, LOL.

You all seem very violent. Please don’t take Southwest I travel Southwest I have a note from the doctor about a broken knee cap. I don’t want somebody to punch me in the face some nice person you know what I mean because they want to sit in my seat, take a different airline when you could buy first class. OK enough shit in this world

@SusanCameron sounds like someone has been watching Captain Phillips

Recently flew SW to Denver. My Husband had a large brain tumor removed 4 months earlier. He looks wonderful but becomes easily fatigued and dizzy. He walks as much as he can, but certainly cannot make it through an airport independently. He did walk into the Airport with me and up to the check in desk. We had pre arranged wheelchair services to meet us there. When he received wheelchair service, I heard a woman LOUDLY say “look at him, he walks up to the desk then fakes needing a wheelchair”. I took a deep breath and walked directly to her and told her he recently had a brain tumor removed and wasnt it remarkable he was able to walk all the way up to that desk without the wheelchair. I said it just as loudly as she had made her comment, for everyone nearby to hear. Smiled my biggest smile and continued on my way. Don’t judge……. you never know what another person is going through.

I am a wheelchair user who Always Flys SWA. I can walk, but have difficulty walking to the gate. I do get up and walk to the washroom or get a drink. After sitting on a plane for 4 hours I am so stiff I will opt not to take a wheelchair to baggage claim. I have proof I am handicap and sometimes feel we should have to show it. There were 10 wheelchairs on my last flight. And it is hard to know who actually needed them.

Here’s what I’ll do the next time some 5’6” guy grabs the seat mid-cabin with no seat in front of him for his petite wife who hasn’t paid Early Bird like I did. I’m 6’8” tall but I’d insist that I take the middle seat in that row so I’d be the one sitting next to his wife. He can’t occupy two seats and he can’t save any. Checkmate! I get the legroom or he can’t sit next to his wife. Next time the cheapskate will buy two Early Birds.

I was just at a flight where a woman sitting in the exit row, turned away three people because she told them she was saving the seat. They moved on. I talked to a flight attendant about it and he told me there was nothing he could do.

I absolutely hate Southwest boarding policy with open seats. It is like a cattle car.

I am in my 60s and have had quite a few surgeries along with physical therapy and acupuncture to keep walking. I fight not to be in a wheelchair but I do use a cane when I travel as extensive walking hurts. I also board early. I take longer to walk down the ramp and put away my carry-ons. Too many times I have either held up the speed of the others on the ramp or in the aisle trying to get settled. I always try for a window seat as I can’t always get up fast after sitting for a while and I don’t want to impose on someone trying to get past me to the bathroom. I guess that I don’t look disabled enough because I have had several Karen’s (always a 30 to 40s woman) comment on how I shouldn’t be preloading. Delta and Alaska Airlines have been great about it. Southwest…always a lecture on asking for a wheelchair. Weird.

Re: Pre Boarding

Charge those customers “ Business Select” add “Early Board 25.00”.

You will see the results.

Not all disabilities and handicaps are visible. Don’t judge until your 67yrs old with a blown out back from L1-S1 and can’t walk the long distances in the airport. Im in a wheelchair for a reason and yes could produce my handicap documentation if needed. No I don’t look my age and if it’s a good day I can get up and get some food or go to the restroom once I get to the gate. I sometimes travel with my single parent daugther and her children under age of 8 so yes I might also save a seat so the children could sit with me. She pays the early board fee. Stay kind…

People’s should not judge know bc we look fine don’t mean we are. I was in the hospital in February for a week trying to get my heart rate to slow down I take medicine for it make my heart drop to low at times can’t walked to far I don’t like the wheel chair but had heart every since I was a baby

I don’t understand why it’s so tacky for people to save seats. Americans are so weak and sensitive to the smallest things. No backbone to deal with these first world problems. There are situations in which saving seats is warranted. Other times not so. The ultimate blame goes to SW without having any regulations or guidelines.

Get used to it. Selfish , rude , even petty criminal behavior was started a long time ago via bad or negligent parenting. Kids are all 30 something or more now. Look around you. The shoplifting problem we have now is sitting next to you. So why expect large companies to manage unethical people? Because it’s the cost of staying in buisness until it’s no longer profitable. ie Walmart and Target closings.Find a seat and sit. Fairness and ethics days are over.

Southwest is a joke. Any passenger can request pre board which is not verified by the agents or reps. If your on a wheelchair you shouldn’t arrive at the gate with an overpacked suitcase which you cannot lift and expect the staff to do it especially when your traveling with an entire family to help and they usually don’t but also get to pre board. You also can ask for a free seat if you feel your fat enough to qualify again no questions asked. Being an A Lister is a waste of time as the exit row is already taken by thru passengers as well as the first 5-6 rows. The boarding process is crazy a pure cattle call and sh*t show. Why buy tickets to earn a status or purchase early bird to move up in the boarding group when everyone else will do whatever they want? No other airline has 55 wheelchairs waiting to board with one agent pushing chairs and dragging bags. That’s an unsafe situation. Most wheelchair passengers are overweight and do not care. Southwest needs to do better. But if you like the greyhound in the sky or cattle call circle atmosphere go for it! Just be ready to rumble.

It is tacky and rude to save seats on SW. There is no other way to look at it. I think seat savers are so sensitive that they can’t take a 2 hr flight sitting next to a stranger. I find that weak.

SW should just go to select your seat before you board. Or assigned seating based on your boarding group. If you’re boarding group A, you select your seat. All other groups are sit where you can find a seat. If you’re in a wheelchair, you get one caretaker. Unless you and your caretaker are in Group A – which would have an assigned seat, you get the seat you’re given by the attendant who helps you board. One parent per kid, unless you’re in Group A, you get the seat the attendant gives you. In both of these scenarios, you or you’re caretaker/kid are expected to sit in the middle seat, and no exit rows – unless you’re in Group A.

Southwest Airlines is always my absolute last choice of airlines to use because they will not allow me the reserve a seat.

My biggest issue is that after the A group boards, Southwest allows people with children to board before the B group. People with children should have to board according to their assignment of A, B, or C. Why is it fair if I have B2 but have to wait until 30 other people board before me? They don’t need to have special treatment because they chose to have kids.

I don’t care when I board a sw flight. I look for the first space available to stick my backpack which is near an empty seat between a person not flowing over the armrests and the window, aisle, or another person not flowing over the armrests. Simple. I do get slightly upset over the knucklehead seat savers, but they’re like ants at a picnic.

My husband and I head straight to the back row whether we have A or C boarding. We ‘re close to the bathroom and avoid the rush to get off the plane.

When told a seat is saved for someone with a later group, I will sit there anyway and challenge them to try and move me. They have absolutely no recourse to move me. Suck it up buttercup and buy the required amount of earlier boarding!!!

Douglas, not a smart move with me. Southwest always splits up me and my husband (Companion status) even though we book at the same time. Out of respect, I do choose the middle seat even though I board earlier, and offer the window to anyone passing by but keep the aisle for him. If someone were to try and claim the seat for my husband, who is a nervous flier, it would just not happen. And if someone were to just “sit there anyway”, I can assure you it would be a very uncomfortable flight for you. ‘oops I’m so sorry I just spilled my drink. Again.’ I do like to stretch too. Perhaps take off my shoes and let those dogs bark. Or.. you can just take the window and we all good.

Until Southwest cracks down on the wheelchair dollies and their trash troubadours, I will fly Delta. The assigned seat alleviate that bull crap!

@Douglas Rex Emmons +1000

I have MS and use my own wheelchair. My husband will board with me. Most of the time the gate agent(for Southwest Airlines) will make a point to get me first to board. We fly SW because of this, otherwise we’d pretty much have to buy 1st class on any other airline because I’m unable to walk.

I do get dirty looks sometimes, especially from people who use an airport wheelchair to try and the the front seats with leg room. Heck, I’d give them my MS and boars like every one else.

I was on a SW flight where a woman saved two exit rows for her friends in C boarding. The FA would not intervene, and a letter I sent to SW came back with the reply that it’s allowed. I have never flown SW again and never will. Vote with your dollars if you don’t like their policies.

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Re: Middle seat for C group boarding

Reporting another passenger after the fact, sitting together, holding a flight - demanding that passengers exchange seats, re: real a-list (preferred) boarding position, quick links, community champions.

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IMAGES

  1. The Best Seats When Flying on Southwest Airlines [2021]

    southwest doesn't have assigned seats

  2. Southwest Airlines boarding process

    southwest doesn't have assigned seats

  3. Southwest Airlines Does Not Assign Seats

    southwest doesn't have assigned seats

  4. Review: My first Southwest Airlines flight in nearly 18 months

    southwest doesn't have assigned seats

  5. 46++ Is there assigned seating on southwest

    southwest doesn't have assigned seats

  6. 46++ Is there assigned seating on southwest

    southwest doesn't have assigned seats

COMMENTS

  1. Solved: No assigned seat

    Explorer B. This is standard on Southwest. All seats are available to you. What you get is a boarding order and you get on the plane in that order. When you are on, you pick whatever seat, wherever you want on the plane. The boarding order is A1-60, then B1-60, then C1-60. The lower your boarding number the more choices you'll have when on the ...

  2. Is Southwest Finally Considering Assigned Seating?

    This survey isn't the first time Southwest has looked into the possibility of switching from open seating to assigned seating. They've asked their flyers about it in 2006 (they also experimented with assigned seating that year, too), 2007, 2019, and probably other times where I couldn't find a link that suggested it.

  3. Southwest Airlines Says Assigned Seats For Passengers A Possibility

    Southwest Airlines is known for not assigning seats, but that could change in the future — maybe. "Could we one day need to take back up the assigned-seating question? I think we may have to do that," Bob Jordan, the airline's incoming CEO recently said in a Southwest Business virtual town hall meeting, Travel Weekly reports.

  4. How to snag the best seats on Southwest Airlines

    Group B 1-60. Group C 1-60. SOUTHWEST AIRLINES. When the traveler checks in for their flight, Southwest assigns each passenger a boarding group letter — A, B or C — and a position from 1 to 60. The unique boarding code, such as A45 or B52, is printed directly on the boarding pass and represents the person's place in line at the gate.

  5. How to Hack Southwest's Boarding Groups

    As far as determining who gets to pick their seats in which order, here's how it works: A Southwest boarding group (either A, B, or C) and position (1-60) will be assigned to you at check-in and ...

  6. Why Has Southwest Airlines Persisted With Unallocated Seating?

    Summary. Southwest Airlines' unallocated seat assignments, or "open seating," have been a part of the airline since its beginnings. The unique seating model not only aligns with Southwest's egalitarian ticketing model but also improves boarding times. Southwest monetizes its boarding groups by offering passengers the option to purchase upgraded ...

  7. Will Southwest Airlines Ever Introduce Allocated Seating?

    Published Jan 20, 2022. Dallas-based Southwest Airlines is an outlier in the airline industry with its unassigned seating policy. Measured by the number of flights offered, Southwest is now the world's fourth-biggest airline. But Southwest doesn't dictate where you sit.

  8. Southwest Airlines says it will sell every seat

    Southwest doesn't have assigned seats so it was limiting capacity on flights to allow passengers to spread out rather than blocking middle seats like many other airlines have done. Southwest ...

  9. Southwest CEO says no assigned seats -- for now

    Heroic Southwest Flight 1380 crew describe moments after engine explosion 05:21. Southwest Airlines is looking at ways to boost revenue, but assigned seating is not among them.

  10. Southwest Airlines' Unique Boarding Process Explained

    How boarding works on Southwest Airlines. Southwest Airlines is the only major airline in the world that doesn't assign seats. Rather the airline has a very different boarding process — the order of passenger boarding is determined by the "position" someone is in, and as a result that's also the order in which people can pick seats once on the plane.

  11. Southwest Airlines

    You will be assigned a boarding group (A, B, or C) and position (1-60+) upon check in. ... Southwest-operated flights have open seating. Once onboard, simply choose any available seat and stow your carryon items in the overhead bin or under the seat in front of you. ... While it doesn't guarantee an "A" boarding position, it gets you on the ...

  12. Boarding Process

    Southwest-operated flights have open seating. Once onboard, simply choose any available seat and stow your carryon items in the overhead bin or under the seat in front of you. ... If the child and adults are all holding "A" boarding passes, they should board in their assigned boarding position rather than waiting for Family Boarding; If you ...

  13. I wish there were assigned seats

    Re: I wish there were assigned seats. 06-27-2017 02:05 PM. spacecoastbill. Frequent Flyer B. Realistically, none. If there is not a body in the seat, sit in it. There is no way a person can save a seat if it has nobody in it. I had this happen recently when a person paid for priority boarding and wanted to save a bulkhead seat for his frien in ...

  14. Southwest May Have Assigned Seats in the Future, Incoming CEO Says

    Published on January 21, 2022. Assigned seating may be in Southwest's future, the airline's incoming CEO said at a virtual town hall this week. The airline, long known for its unique way of doing ...

  15. Extra Seat Policy

    Get information about the Southwest Airlines extra seat policy. Find our FAQ on purchasing a second seat for safe and comfortable seating onboard. ... If you prefer not to purchase an additional seat in advance , you have the option of purchasing just one seat and then discussing your seating needs with the Customer Service Agent at the ...

  16. Assigned seat

    Aviator A. The airline has 48 years experience that proves it's boarding process is m ore efficient than the airlines that provide assigned seating: 1) It gets peo ple on the plane faster. 2) That allows SW to fly more flights/day/plane than the legacy airlines. 3) That provides more revenue and profit.

  17. Assigned Seating and Thoughts? : r/SouthwestAirlines

    We loaded based on assigned rows vs groups. Only crazy thing was exit row seating ($68 extra) was practically empty. Flight attendant monitored people boarding and made them move if not assigned. I think southwest could do something similar but maybe A-list could op for exit row or front of plane as a consolidation.

  18. Is Assigned Seating Inevitable? : r/SouthwestAirlines

    Southwest, everybody is trying to cut everyone or save seats for others who are boarding later. Again, you don't have seat-savers on other airlines with assigned seats. It just makes boarding a more pleasant experience. Also, if I'm running late for a connection, I already have my seat assignment, so I could be the last one and I wouldn't ...

  19. Saving Seats On Southwest Airlines Infuriates Flyers

    Saving Seats On Southwest Airlines Infuriates Flyers. by Gary Leff on September 25, 2023. Southwest Airlines doesn't have pre-assigned seats. It's first come, first served. That means how early you board the plane matters - being one of the first on the plane gets you a wider selection of seats to pick from. Frequently, once a passenger ...

  20. No assigned seat

    Actually you are close. If you want to save a seat on Southwest, you say "This seat is saved". If someone wants to sit there, then there is nothing you can do to stop them, and your saved seat is now not saved any longer. In my previous example, the seat is not saved, it was just not wanted by anyone. Trying to claim a victory there is only ...

  21. Re: No assigned seat

    DancingDavidE. Aviator A. Solution. @rowit09 wrote: No assigned seating is probably ok if you're an Aor B but if you're a C it's terrible. I don't really know how they decide what letter you are. On the first flight we got a B and sat together but on our way back we got C and it was terrible.