Southwest Air early bird boarding - how does it work, really?

[KmmFIdreamer]

SW is my go to airline for leisure travel. I have never bothered paying for earlybird, I just check in at 23 - 24 hours before and usually get an upper B group position.

Traveling alone - I just grab the first seat that I can put my behind into that has a place to throw my larger bag in the overhead, whether it is a middle seat or not - I am not very particular. If we are traveling as a family then we usually end up between 1/2 and 3/4 of the way back in order to get a whole empty row together. Last time DH flew though he had a cane/limp and got a preboard card. He sat toward the front in a window and my son wanted a window too so we did not sit next to him. Not a big deal for a 2 hour flight.

If you are at the very end of C boarding on a full flight you may end up gate-checking your roller bag. Most flights though seem to have enough room for everyone to stow their stuff. I usually just check in my roller bag anyway since there is no charge for luggage check-in.

I find that if we pay for tickets booked together, all three of us are on the same itinerary. If I do reward (free) flights, then the itinerary is always separated and each of us has to check-in separately.

Two of the 3 of us have a know traveler number and we store it in our profile of our rapid rewards account so we don't have to enter it each time. For some reason DH's precheck didn't take last time when I booked his ticket using my rapid rewards points - we talked to the airline and they said I should have gone ahead and typed the number in because it did not pick up from his account even though his RR # showed on the reservation. I had bought the ticket while logged into my account. (Just a little tip if you have trouble getting the spouse's precheck to take.) On a weird note, on Hawaiian Air my adult son and I were on the same itinerary and they gave him precheck too even though he has never signed up for it. I really was not expecting him to even get it. I guess they do give it to some people that don't sign up for it for some reason.

(I fly Frontier a lot too and it kinda sucks, but is cheap! I just take my chances on a seat assignment and consistently end up in rows 20 - 22. Those must be the cheap person seats!)

 

[Scuba]

You don't have to do anything. Just go to southwest.com and print your boarding pass (or open it on the mobile app on your phone) within 24 hours of departure.

With Southwest, when you board, you line up in numerical order, A1 to A60; then B1 to B60; then whatever is left in the C range. Southwest assigns boarding numbers first to A-Listers (frequent flyers with status), then early-birds, then they go in order of check-in. Leaving PHX and LAS, you will probably end up in the A30 to A60 range with early-bird since those are hubs and there tend to be a lot of A-Listers in those cities.

Any A boarding pass will let you get a window or aisle seat with your traveling companion(s). Even up to about B30 is o.k. Higher than that and you may not be able to sit together, or one of you may end up in a middle seat. On short SWA flights, when traveling alone, I often opt for a middle seat near the front over a window/aisle in the back anyway.

+1
Early bird boarding is the best! You get an assigned boarding position which for me has ranged from A-16 through B- 30 and you sit wherever you want. Well worth the nominal cost. IMO, once you get used to flying SWA, other airlines will seem sub-standard unless you buy business or first class.

 

[Scuba]

Thanks for all the insights. I have gathered that we do not necessarily need to 'check in' at the 24-hour mark - that EB means the airline has already assigned us a boarding "group"?

Correct- that is one advantage of Early Bird ... you don't need to check in 24 hours before your flight, you get an assigned seat automatically.

 

[Elbata]

OT, but another great thing about Southwest is the companion pass. (I assume they still have the offer).

Just get 2 SW Visa cards, 50K points each, that's 100K for 2. With minimum spend, that's another 4k points. 6K points more and you qualify for a companion pass for the rest of the year and the year following. I don't think there's a better travel deal out there.

 

[Lakewood90712]

I would pay for Express Egress . I am amazed how people can sometime take more time getting their stuff and getting off then it did to board. The airlines don't make it any better by using only one Jetway when 2 are available at a gate.

 

[Midpack]

I've flown Southwest more than 200 times between Chicago and Phoenix. I've never been Business, Select, A-Lister, or Early Bird. I take my chances calling in exactly 24 hrs before departure. I've only had a middle seat a couple of times and DW and I have only been split up a couple of times.

+1. We fly SWA a lot and we just call exactly 24 hours in advance too, and almost always end up in the B group which is good enough to get a decent seat. We've never paid for Early Bird or any premium, but it's probably worth it to be in the A group. Maybe I'll splurge one day...

Once you know how it works, I don't find the SWA boarding procedure to be any more trouble than the assigned seating on other airlines. Boarding is a cattle call either way. And the SWA flight attendants announcements are usually more fun than other airlines.

 

[Amethyst]

O God, we will have to deal with seat-savers too??

I can think of one thing that might cause Mr. A. to lose his temper on an airplane and cause an incident, and that's somebody acting like their straggling-in-later feeeammmleee is more important than the two of us on the spot.

With SW, if you and a traveling companion have widely separated numbers, say A33 and C10, can A33 save a seat for C30? Or will an attempt to do that get you lynched by the scrambling mob?

Does SW have the same problems with carry-ons as other airlines? Namely, too many people trying to haul on too much crap?

I flew frequently for MegaCorp back in the day but haven't been on an airplane for a decade. Now we're looking at a second home in a warmer climate but need to plan for frequent back and forth trips due to family issues. I'm starting to educate myself on all the new procedures........

 

[Midpack]

O God, we will have to deal with seat-savers too??

I can think of one thing that might cause Mr. A. to lose his temper on an airplane and cause an incident, and that's somebody acting like their straggling-in-later feeeammmleee is more important than the two of us on the spot.

I'm sure it could happen, but I've never had it happen to me. Most couples/families would check in together and board together making sitting together easier. More likely someone might (politely) ask to trade a seat to get a couple or family together. And most people would accommodate them if possible.

 

[Breedlove]

To be honest SW , is as good as it gets . A few years ago we went to Key West , when SW still flew into KW . The pilot announced that the landing would be rough but that they had made it many times before . The runways in KW are short . We hit the runway like we were dropped out of a 100 story building screeching brakes but no problems. Later we were talking to some flight attendants and pilots . We were told SW only hires Ex military . Our pilot used to fly off Aircraft carriers . LUV SW.

 

[euro]

Reminds me of the early days of SW when you had to walk up to the desk and ask for the check-in number (smalll piece of cardboard IIRC). I happened to be at the airport several hours early, so could have probably gotten a very low A number but I didn't know the process and just sat down and killed a few hours. By the time I sorted out how it all worked, it was 5 minutes before boarding and I ended up with one of the last C numbers on a full flight. THAT will make you remember how it works....

 

[Tom57]

Early Bird Boarding is a real crap shoot!

The reason to buy Early Bird Boarding is to increase your chances to get the type of seat you prefer (emergency row, aisle near front, etc.).

The reason it is a crap shoot is you must know where your airplane you are flying was before your flight. If the plane originates where you are boarding- no problem, since the plane will be empty. If the plane originated in another city or cities, then there will be some unknown number of through passengers who most likely will change seats before you even board. These passengers most likely will take the seats which you also consider most preferable.

Do you feel lucky enough to buy Early Bird Boarding on a through flight?
Do your research and hope you have good luck!

 

[TexasRider]

Thanks for all the insights. I have gathered that we do not necessarily need to 'check in' at the 24-hour mark - that EB means the airline has already assigned us a boarding "group"?

I fly SW a ton. I would say.....
- You don't necessarily NEED to by Early Bird Auto check-in but....
-You ABSOLUTELY need to check-in yourself at the 24 hour mark.

Do yourself a favor and get an "A" or early "B" boarding assignment.
Its super easy to check-in via app or website. Do it right at the 24 hour mark.

 

[TexasRider]

O God, we will have to deal with seat-savers too??

I can think of one thing that might cause Mr. A. to lose his temper on an airplane and cause an incident, and that's somebody acting like their straggling-in-later feeeammmleee is more important than the two of us on the spot.

Haven't had problems on SW. I've saved seats and had people tell me they were saving seats. I think its SW's attitude and process that (for the most part) make flyers a bit more civil.

All the more reason to get and "A" or "B" boarding position. You'll definately be able to get two together and find over-head bin space.

 

[Amethyst]

Thanks for the tips, everyone. I'll report on how things went.

 

[Philliefan33]

Our favorite airline is SW. The whole process just seems easier and friendlier. Because passengers can check two bags at no extra cost, you don't get as many people trying to carry on bags that are too big, or more than one bag.

It also seems that the majority of SW passengers are able to get on, stow their stuff,and be ready to fly. Maybe it's because some infrequent travelers aren't comfortable not having an assigned seat, so they avoid SW?

 

[Dash man]

Another thing about Early Bird and the reason we never do it. We seldom fly Southwest, but use it for our kids. Once we buy a ticket, we check periodically and if it goes down in price we just change to the new priced flight. The Early Bird fee is nonrefundable, so if you buy Early Bird the first time, and change to a cheaper flight, you don't get that back, and have to pay again if you want it on the next flight. Only if they cancel the flight do you get a refund. You could wait until you are sure you aren't going to re-issue your ticket, I suppose, but you lose some advantage because numbers are assigned in order of purchase within one class of ticket, Anytime being the first group processed.


There are apparently sites where you can input your information and they "snipe" your seat position at 24:00 hours prior, but I'm not sure if they work or whether Southwest has shut off their access.

This is not true. We always book early bird and have changed our flight plans. As long as you are just changing the existing reservation, the early bird follows you to your new flight. If you cancel the flight and rebook under a different reservation number , then you would lose the early bird boarding and have to buy it again. But at least Southwest doesn't charge fees for changing flights.

 

[greydog17]

I love SW, and have flown it often. We use Early Bird check in and never have rec'd spots higher than early B group which always gives good seats available. Best thing is no baggage fees for 1st bag, means there's fewer large carry-ons and overheads usually are available, and boarding is relatively faster - unlike many other airlines.

 

[Big_Hitter]

We just flew from BOI to HOU round trip on SWA. I always use EB check in.

On the return trip via DEN we were 54 and 55 (i.e. barely in the A group) so lot of folks must be using EB check in.

Note: HOU is REALLY nice now after the remodel. Love all the UH banners in the terminal - GO COOGS

 

[mpeirce]

... I'm 6'5". I am always on the hunt for an exit row seat.

6'6" here and with EB I get either front row or exit row about 90% of the time. It's really worth it on longer flights - and I fly the direct flight from Columbus to Oakland a couple of times a year.

And yes, I almost always pick SWA for domestic travel. The price is good. I much prefer using their website to easily see the times/route/price trade-off to regular airlines sites or orbitz/whomever.

And no regional jets in their fleet!

 

[Just_Steve]

Southwest does not fly out of the only two airports I chose to fly from. HPN - Westchester, NY and SWF - Newburgh, NY.
I will not fly out of NYC if at all humanly possible.
So I guess I will never know the joys of SWA.

 

[travelover]

Recently had a SW flight which was delayed enough to guarantee we'd miss our connecting flight. SW rerouted us and stamped our new C50+ boarding passes with a red XT stamp that allowed us to board between the A's and the B's. We snagged exit rows. Nice of SW to do that for us.

 

[shortstop14]

The boarding dance once you get on to a Southwest flight can be kind of interesting. Rarely if ever an issue if you've got an A or B boarding pass, but with a C (which kind of stands for 'Center' seat) boarding pass it can be entertaining. People hoping to keep the middle seat open on flights that aren't full sometimes do some funny things.

Even with the minor inconveniences, Southwest is still my favorite domestic airline for lots of reasons - mostly because they've got cheap flights to most places I go.

A good write-up on optimizing your Southwest seating:
Tips on How to Get a Good Seat on Southwest Airlines

One of my favorites: On the less extreme end, sometimes two people traveling together try to block off a middle seat. This is great for late boarders. If you spot one of these twosomes, make a beeline for their row and ask to sit in the middle. Most likely, they will offer up either their aisle or window seat.

 

[Ronstar]

....One of my favorites: On the less extreme end, sometimes two people traveling together try to block off a middle seat. This is great for late boarders. If you spot one of these twosomes, make a beeline for their row and ask to sit in the middle. Most likely, they will offer up either their aisle or window seat.

DW and I did this once. I sit at the window, DW on the aisle. A lady came to our row and DW and I stayed in our seats - the lady took the middle seat. DW and I were both reading, so it didn't look like we were a couple.

I ordered a beer from the flight attendant during beverage service, and the flight attendant passed my beer from DW to the middle lady to me. I passed money to the flight attendant, who gave DW change to pass to me. But DW kept the change. The middle lady turned to me and said" That lady kept your change" I told her it was ok, but the middle lady was alarmed the whole flight. This was back in the day when they took cash for drinks.

 

[urn2bfree]

I prefer the middle seat. Window seats - you are doubly trapped in there if you want to get out to use the lavatory or when you exit. Aisle - I have come to despise the aisle seat as I somehow invariably get jostled or outright whacked by passing carts, luggage, or people's butts. Usually I can get an A or B boarding position, grab a middle seat towards the front of the plane, get off faster and get a head start to the rental car desk or the parking shuttle while my spouse fetches the checked luggage. (This works best for us but you may wish to flip roles.). The potential separation on the plane from my spouse is generally not a big issue.

 

[Sue J]

I prefer the middle seat. Window seats - you are doubly trapped in there if you want to get out to use the lavatory or when you exit. Aisle - I have come to despise the aisle seat as I somehow invariably get jostled or outright whacked by passing carts, luggage, or people's butts. Usually I can get an A or B boarding position, grab a middle seat towards the front of the plane, get off faster and get a head start to the rental car desk or the parking shuttle while my spouse fetches the checked luggage. (This works best for us but you may wish to flip roles.). The potential separation on the plane from my spouse is generally not a big issue.

Southwest doesn't use the rolling carts that fill the aisle. They only serve beverages and small packages of pretzels or nuts. There is no cart, they come and take your order, pour it in the rear galley and then bring it on a tray, about 3 or 4 rows at a time.

I prefer the aisle because it gives me a longer view than the middle or window seat where I would only see the back of the seat in front of me. With my trifocals the seat back is out of focus because at that height that's in my far zone. It's disturbing to not have anything that's in focus unless I arch my neck. DH is tall enough that he can see over the seat back. In the aisle I can look forward and to the side enough that I have a view in focus.

This is probably not something that would bother many people, but I've noticed that it bothers me.