Does Southwest seat families together?

If I am traveling with a child, can we sit together on the aircraft? If you are traveling with a child age six years old or younger: Up to two adults traveling with a child six years old or younger may board during Family Boarding, which occurs after the “A” group has boarded and before the “B” group begins boarding.



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Re: Boarding together * Southwest boards in groups, A, B and C, 1-30 and 31-60 in each. Your best bet is to try and check in online right at 24 hours prior to departure. With A or B positions you should have no trouble sitting together, since one of you will be in a middle seat, and those are the last to fill.

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And yes, you may feel a bit like cattle. Southwest offers Family Boarding after the A group but before the B group, for up to two adults traveling with children 6 and younger. This essentially allows families to skip the line if they were otherwise assigned a B or C boarding position.

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Up to two adults traveling with a child six years old or younger may board during Family Boarding, which occurs after the “A” group has boarded and before the “B” group begins boarding. There should be enough open seats to enable the child to sit next to at least one accompanying adult.

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If you have a B group boarding position, the chances are good that you'll still be able to get a window or aisle seat or find 2 seats together if you're traveling with a companion. Hot Tip: If you are in the B group (or even one of the first numbers in the C group), head to the back of the plane.

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Depending on their ages and which airline you have chosen, some airlines invite families to board in front of everybody else, while others allow those with kids to slide in somewhere between elite passengers and regular coach-flying folk.

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Southwest offers Family Boarding, which occurs after the “A” group has boarded and before the “B” group begins boarding. Up to two adults traveling with a child six years old or younger may board during Family Boarding.

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Customers who purchase an Anytime fare will automatically be checked in to their flight 36 hours prior to scheduled departure—that's 12 hours before our traditional 24-hour check-in. You will receive an earlier boarding position, improved seat selection, and earlier access to overhead bins.

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Some families like to sit near the back where they can be by the bathrooms and worry less about disturbing other travelers. If you need to make a connecting flight, you may want to sit closer to the front of the plane if you can. Or split the difference and sit in the middle of the plane.

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If, on the day of your flight, your family still doesn't have assigned seating next to each other, arrive early to the airport and explain your situation to gate agents. They may not be able to seat an entire family together, but they will most likely try to seat each child next to an adult in their family.

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You're more likely to be caught if you try to board with the first group or two. Unless the gate agent is a real jerk, or you are, the worst that can happen is that you'll be told to wait for your own group.

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Re: Saving Seats Unfortunately, there's no policy to enforce. Officially, Southwest has no policy for or against seat saving, and in practice actively allows it. Reps will even suggest that passengers save seats for later boarding companions.

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Southwest Airlines has long argued that its unassigned seating policy is popular with passengers and facilitates speedier boarding. That means planes spend less time at the gate and more time in the air generating Southwest money. Over the years, the airline has tinkered with the no-system boarding system.

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To allow enough time for check-in, arrive early and be sure to have any required travel documents. You may have to present proof of age like a birth certificate for any children under the age of 18. Families with children under 2 years old can ask to board early at the gate.

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Flight Centre's tips for travelling with kids summarises the conundrum well: “Priority boarding can go two ways,” they warn. “[It] can allow you extra time and space to settle the kids into their seats. It also lengthens the amount of time in cabin confinement.

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To keep flights orderly and boarding smooth, airlines calculate that it makes sense for small children to board early with a parent and get settled before the anxious masses wanting an on-time or early departure.

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B-36 is a great number. When your number comes up, you get your choice of whatever seat is not occupied on the plane. If you really want to sit near the front, you may have to pick a middle.

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There are two elite status levels: A-List and A-List Preferred. A-List is earned by taking 25 one-way flights or earning 35,000 tier-qualifying points. A-List Preferred is earned by flying 50 one-way flights or earning 70,000 tier-qualifying points. How do you become an A-lister on Southwest?

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