How does Southwest do boarding positions?

Southwest® Boarding Process. How does the boarding process work? You will be assigned a boarding group (A, B, or C) and position (1-60+) upon check in. Your unique group and position combination (for example: A35) will be displayed on your boarding pass and represents a reserved spot in the boarding group at the gate.



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How much does Upgraded Boarding cost? Upgraded Boarding pricing starts at $30 per segment, per Customer, based on the popularity and length of each flight segment. A credit card must be used for the purchase of Upgraded 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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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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Groups 1 and 2 are made up of passengers with elite status in MileagePlus and partner programs, as well as those passengers seated in premium cabins. Group 2 also includes United co-branded credit card members and passengers who have purchased Priority Boarding.

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Additionally, you should strongly consider EarlyBird Check-In if you're pretty particular about your seat; while it doesn't guarantee A Group boarding, it certainly gives you a much better chance of nabbing your desired spot.

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Southwest assigns boarding positions rather than seats
  • You'll either be in group A, B, or C, with A being allowed to board first, B being allowed to board second, and C being allowed to board last.
  • You'll be given a specific number within that range, which determines the order in which you can board within each group.


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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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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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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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United boarding groups are determined by a number of factors including the cabin you're traveling in, if you have elite status with the airline and whether you hold a qualifying United credit card that gets you priority boarding.

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There are two Southwest credit cards that give Upgraded Boarding — a personal and business version. Both provide 4 Southwest upgraded boardings per cardmember year. This means that if you open a card in October 2022, you will get 4 upgraded boarding credits to use over the next 12 months.

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EarlyBird Check-In® If you purchase EarlyBird Check-In, we'll automatically check you in and reserve your boarding position 36 hours before you flight's departure.

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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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Like many other airlines, Southwest begins boarding about 30 minutes before scheduled departure. The similarities largely end there, though, because Southwest's boarding process is unlike any other airline thanks to its open seating policy, which means you can sit just about anywhere you want without assigned seats.

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Book a main cabin extra seat and don't fly basic economy If you want to board a little sooner, your next option is to book a main cabin extra seat, which is named differently depending on the airline. You can buy these seats online or at the check-in counter.

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Hold AAdvantage, Oneworld or JetBlue elite status No matter what tier of elite status you have, you'll get to board the flight during priority boarding — even if you're flying in economy. Executive Platinum members can board in Group 1, while Platinum Pro (and Oneworld Emerald) members may board in Group 2.

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