How do I qualify for early boarding on Southwest?

Passengers who require additional assistance and passengers traveling with a child under the age of six years old may preboard. Please see a Customer Service Agent at your departure gate to receive a preboard pass.



To secure early boarding on Southwest Airlines in 2026, the most effective method is to purchase Business Select or Anytime fares, which automatically grant you an "A1–A15" boarding position or a guaranteed A-list position. If you have already booked a lower-tier "Wanna Get Away" fare, you can pay for "Upgraded Boarding" starting 24 hours before departure through the Southwest app (if spots are available). Alternatively, you can add "EarlyBird Check-In" to your reservation, which automatically checks you in 36 hours before the flight, typically resulting in a high "A" or early "B" group position. Frequent travelers can also qualify for A-List or A-List Preferred status by flying 20 or 40 one-way segments per year, which gives you a "reserved" boarding spot just after the A15 group. For families, Southwest provides a "Family Boarding" window between the A and B groups for those traveling with children aged 6 and under, ensuring they can find seats together without needing to pay for a premium boarding position.

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On Southwest.com, navigate to the “Check-In” window and enter the confirmation number. The Upgraded Boarding option is displayed below the flight's itinerary. Customers can also purchase Upgraded Boarding from a Customer Service Agent at the departure gate or ticket counter prior to their flight.

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Purchase a Business Select fare or upgrade to Business Select: Customers who purchase a Business Select fare will get guaranteed A1-A15 boarding. If a Customer did not originally purchase a Business Select fare but wants guaranteed A1-A15 boarding, they can upgrade their flight to Business Select.

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Southwest allows preboarding only for customers who 1) need a specific seat on the plane, or 2) need assistance boarding the plane. If you find that having a specific seat helps with your anxiety, that would be a way for you to preboard.

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Preboarding is available for Customers who have a specific seating need to accommodate their disability and/or need assistance in boarding the aircraft or stowing an assistive device. Customers who are traveling with assistance and emotional support animals qualify for preboarding.

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Who should do it? A ticket upgrade may make sense if any of the following are true: You like the idea of boarding the plane quickly so you can choose your preferred seat and are guaranteed an A1 through A15 boarding position. You want to maximize the Rapid Rewards points that you earn.

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B boarding group: This is the next best boarding group to be in if you want the chance to select a seat you can live with. However, being near the beginning of the B group is a lot better than the end.

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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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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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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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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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As such, we do not publish flight loads. If for any reason you're uncomfortable traveling in the current environment and would like to discuss the flight load of your upcoming flight, we strongly encourage you to reach out to our Customer Service Department via any of the options below. Email here.

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If the seat is available, the passenger pays for the upgrade on the flight. So while you shouldn't expect a free upgrade on a flight, you can still ask for upgrades from booking till boarding — and you may be able to pay your way to a much more comfortable seat.

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If you're looking for a more comfortable flight experience, then upgrading to A1 15 may be the right choice for you. It will give you priority boarding and access to the best seats in the plane, so if that's important to you then it could be worth it.

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Therefore, before a flight starts boarding, you can check with a gate agent to see if this scenario is playing out on your flight. And if so, tell them that you're interested in paying for an upgrade. For a final try, if that also fails, you can ask the lead flight attendant or flight attendant at the boarding door.

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What are the Rapid Rewards Rules and Regulations? Rapid Rewards is a rewards program offered by Southwest Airlines® Co. for Southwest Airlines Customers.

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Re: Question about qualification for preboarding Southwest allows preboarding only for customers who 1) need a specific seat on the plane, or 2) need assistance boarding the plane. If you find that having a specific seat helps with your anxiety, that would be a way for you to preboard.

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