Southwest Airlines has a somewhat unusual boarding procedure in comparison with other airlines. While often described as a cattle call, I find Southwest’s boarding process both great and terrible, all at the same time. The unique boarding process is something Southwest has been doing since its founding. There are even studies that show it’s one of the most efficient ways to board an aircraft.
A few things first, Southwest does not do seat assignments. Even their top tier flyers cannot pre-select seats. Southwest does open seating, if you see a seat you like, sit in it. That’s the whole seat selection process, as you board the plane, sit wherever you want. The boarding order is decided upon by a few factors, for most people, this is based on when you check in. So as weird as it sounds, the Southwest boarding process starts when you check in. I both love and hate the whole boarding process at Southwest and here’s why.
Southwest Airlines Check in
With Southwest airlines, the boarding process really does begin with check in. Southwest assigns each person a boarding position instead of a seat. For the most part, boarding position is assigned by check in time. Southwest opens check-in right at 24 hours before flight departure, so to get the best boarding position, you want to check in as soon as the window opens.
The easiest way to check in is on the Southwest app. I usually set a reminder on my calendar so that I can check in as close to 24 hours as possible. People who hold A-List or A-List Preferred, Southwest’s elite status members, get priority boarding automatically. For a fee, you can also add automatic check in. This means that right at 24 hours, Southwest will check you in automatically gaining a good boarding position.
Southwest Airlines Boarding Positions
Southwest Airlines boarding positions are groups A, B, and C. Each group is divided into positions 1-60. A-01 would be the best boarding position and C-60 would be the worst.
On a recent flight, Val was assigned Group B, position 01. She checked in about 1 minute after the 24 hour mark. So that means about 60 people are ahead of her to board. B-01 is a pretty decent position and will insure that when she boarded, she was able to chose a window or aisle.
So how bad is Southwest boarding group C? If you are assigned a C boarding position, there’s a pretty high chance that you’ll have to sit in a middle seat. Not always, but more often than not. On a recent Southwest trip I was the last person to board, I was also able to score an exit row aisle seat. So a C boarding position isn’t always bad, just a lot of the time.
Southwest Airlines Gate Lineup
Southwest’s boarding process begins with the gate agent calling for people in Group A to line up. At each Southwest gate there are a set of pillars with numbers on them. On one side of the pillar are numbers 01-30 and on the other side are numbers 31-60.
At the head of each line is a monitor or flip board that shows A, B, or C. When your boarding position is called and shown on the board, you simply lineup.
Once in line, the agent will then have each line board in turn. Once that boarding group has passed through the door, the next group will line up. The whole process is very orderly and easy.
Southwest Airlines Boarding
As weird as it sounds, you literally just board the plane and sit wherever you want. If there’s an empty seat, you can sit in it. Window, aisle, exit row, front, or rear, any open seat is yours. The down side is that if you happen to have checked in late, you’re likely to be stuck in a middle seat. So set a reminder and don’t forget!
How to Get the Best Seats
All of Southwest’s planes are 737s in an all economy configuration. So none of the seats are great, but some are better than others. Don’t be late to boarding. Because there are no assigned seats you don’t want to miss your boarding group.
The exit row on the Southwest 737 has extra leg room. And some rows are only 2 seats instead of the usually 3, so these are great if you’re traveling as a pair. Getting an exit row on Southwest is mostly just about having a good boarding position. An early A boarding group can often grab one of these exit row seats. The flight attendants will often stand in the exit row during boarding, they aren’t blocking you, they just want to make sure everyone sitting there is eligible.
I personally like window seats towards the front of the plane. I give a look at the exit rows, if they are empty I head for those. If they are full, once I reached row 3-4ish, I look for overhead bin space and sit in the first window seat that’s open.
While not amazing, the leg room is mostly adequate. I’ve found that most people end up walking towards the back before they choose a seat. By going ugly early at the front of the plane, I’ve had somewhat decent luck at getting an empty seat next to me.
Of course if it’s a completely full flight, there’s no hope of an empty seat next to you. I find the rear of the plane to be more dense than the front, so I pay the odds and sit upfront trying for a little extra space. The down side is that you’ll never know if the seat next to you will be open until the door closes. With pre-seat selection you can at lease know if your stuck in a middle seat or not ahead of time.
Southwest Airlines Continuing Flights
Very few airlines operate continuing flights anymore. They are a hold over from long ago but are very common for Southwest.
On these continuation flights, you do not have to leave the plane on its stops. The flight attendants will announce the number of continuing passengers, the departing passengers will leave, and the remaining will be counted. Once counted, you can move to any seat you want. This is done before the new passengers board so you can pick the best seat on the plane.
Val has a full review of a Southwest continuation flight from 2020. If you want to check it out.
Southwest Boarding Final Thoughts
Southwest has a pretty unique boarding process. I do find it to be fast but it can be a pain. I love the efficiency at which Southwest boards a plane. I like when I get a good boarding position and end up in a great exit row seat. I hate when I’m running late, check in late, or book a walk up fare and end up with a bad boarding position.
My Southwest boarding tips and tricks:
- Set an alarm and check in exactly at 24 hours before departure.
- Don’t be late to boarding.
- Check to see if the exit row is full, the flight attendants often stand there.
- Grab a good seat early, the front of the plane is usually less full than the rear.
- Make sure you have space for your luggage if you have a carry on.
Pretty simply to get a good seat on Southwest, but lots of pit falls. It’s a love hate thing for me. I love how fast it is, I hate how I can accidentally end up in a middle seat.