How do I make sure people sit together on Southwest?

Southwest Family Boarding: How to sit together The best way to ensure you sit together and where you want, is to buy a Business Select fare, upgrade your boarding pass or have the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card or the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card.



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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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Those assigned Zone A (listed on your boarding pass) are the first group of passengers to board the plane, but EarlyBird DOES NOT guarantee you Zone A boarding.

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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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  1. Book Window & Aisle Seats … & Cross Your Fingers.
  2. Monitor Your Seat Map Before Boarding.
  3. Pay For an Extra Seat to Guarantee More Space.
  4. Block the Middle Seat for a Smaller Fee.
  5. Pick the Right Plane to Avoid Middle Seats Altogether.


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Southwest has three boarding groups, A, B, and C, and each group has 60 'positions. ' Upon checking in, you'll be assigned one of these 180 positions, determining when you can board and choose your seat.

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C 1-60: This is the group you will most likely get if you don't check in right on time. While the C group isn't a guaranteed middle seat, the chances are pretty high that you won't be sitting in the ideal spot.

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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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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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First-time Southwest Airlines Customers in the 1970s were welcomed on board with a unique proposition: self-serve, open seating. Your reservation confirmed a seat on the plane . . . you just never knew which one. Some Hostesses (now called Flight Attendants) would quip, “It's open seating.

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If you want absolute certainty that you'll be able to sit together as a group on a flight, then paying for seats will usually be your best option. However, a few airlines will let groups sit together on a flight for free.

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A parent who purchases airline tickets for a family should receive a guarantee from the airline that it will seat the parent and child together without fees or a last-minute scramble at the gate or having to ask other passengers to give up their seat to allow the parent and child to sit together.

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Choose your family's seats when booking, whether it's included with your fare or you have to pay an additional fee. If you are unable to get your family's seats together at the time of booking, call the airline and speak with a reservations agent to determine the best course of action.

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C - Business Class. D - Business Class Discounted. E - Shuttle Service (no reservation allowed) or Economy/Coach Discounted. F - First Class.

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Boarding on a Southwest flight is easy and efficient. Passengers are assigned to one of three boarding groups (A, B, or C) based on their ticket type. Group A boards first followed by group B and then group C.

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However, even in general boarding, there are clear queues: Group 5 (Preferred Boarding): Passengers in Main Cabin Extra seats (not on Basic Economy tickets), AAdvantage members who accrue 15,000 Loyalty Points (milestone benefit), and select AAdvantage co-brand card holders.

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Travel Companions Can Now Board With Southwest A-List and A-List Preferred Members. Anyone on the SAME RESERVATION (that means you'll have the same confirmation number) on Southwest Airlines as someone who holds elite status with Southwest (called A-List or A-List Preferred) can now board with the elite status member.

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Typically, if you have a boarding position under B30 you should be able to find a window or aisle seat. The further back in the plane you decide to sit, the more likely you will find a window or aisle seat. When do standbys board? Standby passengers will be the last to board.

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That means you don't have to worry about checking in exactly 24 hours ahead of time — which is a luxury when flying on Southwest. Boarding right after the A group also guarantees you'll be able to find a group of seats together, which is essential when traveling with little ones.

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Check in early. The earlier you check in, the better position you will secure for yourself. Check-In begins 24 hours prior to your departure time. The earlier you board the plane, the more seating options will be available to you.

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A strategy that travelers have been trying for years to varying degrees of success is the middle seat trick — when checking in online, two people traveling together will each select the aisle and window seats in a three-seat row and hope that the middle seat remains open.

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