Southwest Airlines has made some recent changes to its policies that affect who gets on board and when. Generally, Southwest operates on a first-come, first-served basis—so the order of boarding is vital. Here’s what you need to know about the latest changes and how to get the best boarding possible.
Southwest’s recent changes
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The airline changed a couple of their policies, but the most important thing when it comes to boarding is the changes to their “EarlyBird” program. The EarlyBird allowed customers to automatically check in 24 hours before the flight, whether that was through the perks included on the tier ticket they bought, or because they bought EarlyBird individually. Southwest has now limited the availability of EarlyBird check-in on some flights as a standalone purchase (people who buy Business Select are unaffected, since they always board first). If you relied on buying the perk to check in for you, increasing your chances of boarding first, you may be out of luck, depending on availability.
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How to get better boarding on Southwest
The best and easiest way to get better boarding is buying “upgraded boarding” for your flight, which can cost $30 to $80 per passenger and allows you to move up a segment on your boarding position (if there are spots available). The other option is just buying the Business Select fare, which guarantees you a spot on the first boarding group. But those cost money, and we don’t like that.
The best thing you can do is check in exactly 24 hours before your flight is set to departure. The order of who gets to board when will be decided by who sets a reminder on their phone, has good internet, and is quickest with their fingers.
You can check in online here, through the app, or at the airport with an agent (although this is probably the slowest way).
You will want to have your confirmation number in order to check in. Remember, you will be competing with the rest of the plane, so every second makes a big difference. Once you check in, if you get an “A1-15″ boarding group position, you know you have the fastest finger on this particular Southwest flight.
How to sit together with a member of your party
Since the boarding order is based on the order of the check-ins, make sure to check in at the same time as whomever you’re flying with to make sure you all end up in the same group. If you are traveling with a child who’s six or younger, you can board after Group A but before Group B and with another adult as long as the child and one of the adults have Group A.