Southwest boarding process: How to get Group A and more tips

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Twitter is abuzz with not-so-humble boasts from travelers who secured a coveted Group A boarding pass, as well as complaints from those stuck in Group C, including some who say they checked in when they could.

Factors such as whether you use the Southwest app to check in, being a frequent flyer member (other than elite members), the size of your group and the purpose of travel are not included in boarding position assignments, Laura Swift said. a Southwest spokeswoman. .

Still, getting into Group A isn’t just about when you check in: Southwest boarding assignments are determined by a combination of money, time, status, and pure chance.

“It’s incredibly complicated,” said Brett Snyder, who runs the consumer air travel blog Cranky Flier, noting that some aspects of Southwest’s boarding duties remain a “black box” even for travel experts. .

Here’s why checking in 24 hours before your flight might not get you the boarding position you want — and what you can do to secure an earlier seat.

The only way to guarantee an early boarding position is to pay. Purchasing or upgrading to a Business Select ticket—Southwest’s most expensive fare class—guarantees an A1-A15 boarding position.

If there are fewer than 15 selected Business passengers on the flight, the remaining seats in group A1-A15 are sold starting 24 hours before the flight as upgraded boarding positions, starting at $30 per flight. The price varies based on the “popularity and length of each flight segment,” according to Southwest’s website. While previously only available at the gate, in August the company added the option to purchase Upgraded Boarding after check-in on its app and website.

For frequent fliers with Priority Express Rewards or Business Express Rewards credit cards, the airline will reimburse up to four aircraft upgrades purchased with the cards per year.

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Keep in mind, however, that being first to board does not guarantee the best seat, because Southwest operates “through” flights, meaning that passengers from an earlier section may still be on board and are allowed to change seats (after flight attendants take a head count).

“You might even have A1 and you might not be the first person on that plane,” Snyder said.

You can pay to check in early

Even if you check in exactly 24 hours in advance, you likely won’t be the first passenger to be assigned a boarding position. That’s because Southwest offers “EarlyBird” check-in, which automatically reserves a boarding position for the passenger 36 hours before departure for a fee. You’ll still need to register to get your boarding pass, but your boarding position – possibly in Group A – will already be secured.

Some fliers get EarlyBird check-in included with their purchase: those who pay for an Anytime fee and elite members in Southwest’s frequent flyer program (A-List Preferred or A-List status), along with accompanying theirs. EarlyBird check-in can also be purchased for $15 to $25, depending on the flight.

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Gary Leff, who runs the travel blog View From the Wing, recommends that if you’re traveling with others, one person can buy EarlyBird check-in and reserve seats for the rest of the party. Southwest does not have a policy against saving seats, although it can cause conflict among passengers.

Certain categories of passengers can board at certain times, which usually ensures a good seat. Passengers with disabilities may preempt, while active duty military personnel, elite members in Southwest’s frequent flyer program who do not already have EarlyBird check-in (if they booked their flight at the last minute, for example) and families with a child under 6 can ride between groups A and B.

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“If you have young children, it’s probably not worth buying EarlyBird because you won’t have much trouble finding seats together,” Snyder said.

Seconds matter if you don’t want to pay

Beyond these groups, boarding positions become strictly first-come, first-served – until the second you check in.

“As far as we know, when you’re doing regular check-in, it’s strictly in order of when you click the button,” Snyder said. “That counts for second – you just have to be ahead of everyone else.”

Snyder said he generally doesn’t buy EarlyBird when he’s traveling just because he can usually secure a non-middle seat with regular check-in.

“If I check myself right away in 24 hours, I probably won’t have anything above the low B zone,” he said.

Although he recommends checking in as close to 24 hours as possible, Snyder said passengers who can check in closer to their flight can occasionally get the boarding position of another passenger who canceled at the last minute.

“Sometimes you can go in there and get a surprisingly good number that you don’t expect,” he said. “But there’s no way to know this in advance, so always try to check right away in 24 hours.”

Swift, the spokeswoman for Southwest, said there are “several factors involved during the boarding process” and that the airline cannot guarantee that a passenger will get the seat of another who has canceled.

Leff said there are websites that automate the check-in process in exactly 24 hours, but most have been shut down by the airline. Swift said Southwest “does not use third-party apps” and encouraged passengers to use the airline’s website or app to check in.

How to find the “golden seat”

So you’ve been assigned a coveted A boarding position and get on the plane with your chosen seats – which one should you go for?

Leff said his top priority is securing an empty seat next to him, so he will often check with the gate agent before boarding to see if there will be an empty seat.

If the plane isn’t full, it skips the empty seats near the front that many passengers want and heads for an aisle seat about two-thirds of the way down the plane.

“Nobody’s necessarily going to try to go all the way to the back looking for a middle — if you get stuck with the middle, you’re probably getting it close to the front,” Leff said.

However, on a full flight, every middle seat will be filled, so Leff said he heads straight for the “infinite legroom” seat, the window seat behind the exit row, which is missing a seat. forward. Snyder called it the “gold headquarters” of the Southwest.

Leff said the single most important factor in securing your desired seat is getting to the gate 30 minutes before your flight.

“If you’re flying on another airline that has assigned seating and you’re not trying to fight for overhead bin space, it doesn’t matter when you board as long as you’re there before they close the boarding door,” he said. . “But Southwest turns this on its head — if your boarding number is A20, well, it doesn’t help if they’re already boarding the Cs when you show up at the gate.”