This means you will usually secure an A group or early B group boarding pass.īut that’s not the only viable shortcut. Paying for this option puts you in the front of the check in line. For longer flights when sitting together really matters, my advice is to consider paying for “Early Bird check-in.” The price varies from $15-25 each way, depending on demand. Let’s face it – busy parents don’t always remember to check in at exactly 24 hours in advance, even if you do set an alarm. But you do have to be very fast – every second counts! Now that my younger child is over the age for family boarding, I set an alarm on my phone for 5 minutes before the 24 hour mark as an extra reminder. In my experience, this is certainly early enough for a family to find seats together. As long as you check in (using the Southwest website or Southwest app) at that very moment, you have an excellent chance of getting at least an early B group boarding pass. Southwest’s boarding group numbers are assigned starting at exactly 24 hours before a flight. If your children are older than 6 and you want to make sure you get seats together, there are options for sitting together as well.įirst, there’s always the “fastest finger” option, which is totally free. 3) There are other tricks for ensuring you sit together with older kids too. My 5 year old at the line up poles for Southwest’s unique boarding process. I’ve been nearly separated from my kids far more often on the airlines that supposedly promise assigned seats. In my many dozens of flights with Southwest, I have always been able to secure three or four seats together for my family when we board during family boarding. But never fear! Southwest allows all families with children ages 6 and under to board between the A & B groups no matter what their assigned boarding numbers. This might seem like a sticky situation for families who usually want to secure three or more seats together. ![]() ![]() ![]() Passengers who board later in the process find that often only scattered middle seats are available. As you can probably guess, the good seats like exit rows, then aisles and windows go fast. Instead, it assigns boarding group numbers (A, B, & C, each numbered 1-60) to passengers, who are then free to take any open seat as they board. Southwest doesn’t have assigned seats unlike most other domestic carriers. 2) Family boarding will allow you to get seats together as a family.
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