What is the best way to get a good seat on Southwest Airlines?

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Gimp

If you must fly SWA, check-in online 24 hours prior to your flight and get an A boarding pass. (you can still drop off luggage at the airport the next day).

Then, have a seat in the gate area 35 mins before boarding time. Don't get in line and stand there for hours before the flight like some of the choads do. Sit comfortably until almost the entire "A" group has been let into the jetway, then get up and go in right behind the "A"'s, before the start the B group.

You will not waste any time standing in line like cattle, and you will get an aisle seat near the front of the plane.

For All That It's Worth

You have heard correctly.

All that matters is when you check-in. If you check-in early, you're bound to get Group A.

As a note, you can check in up to 24 hours prior to the plane's departure.

As for class, Southwest is all economy.

Jay G

get your boarding pass as early as possible. Then get to the airport 2 hours before your departure time. If you are willing to stand in line for an hour then stand at the boarding entry point under you boarding group designation. If you are looking for extra leg room sit in the seats that are over the wing. If you want to get off the plane quickly once you have landed sit in front of the plane. If your hungry buy food past the security check point and take it on the plane.

druhill119

Its all the same and the earlier you get there the better chance you have. They group you by A B C and then they let you pick a seat. So if you get into group A you will be in the first group to borad and you can pick your seat first.

Sareli7

get to the airport early. They baord the people in order of who checked in first, and the seats are first come first served

Tom-SJ

Yes, home-printed SW boarding passes get you into the first group. But you need to be standing in line when they start boarding Group 1 - it does not good if you show up when the gate attendants are boarding Group 2 or 3.

SW has only one class of service - economy (or coach.) No first or business. Everyone is treated the same.

BTW, they are testing in a few markets the use of pre-assigned seats, to see how it works. If successful, they might roll it out nationwide. Until this test, their computer system did not provide any preassigned seating.

ÐœÉ¨ÒžÒ¾

my mom always does this for me and my sister. she goes to the air line place where you get info and she asks if we can get a window seat. i got the windo seat when we went and my sister when we left. i got to see he mountains in Alaska it was cool

MJ2

click to http://ld.net/?mj2 click TRAVEL

you have your choice at your own privacy. good luck

nikki puddin

What I do is to book online. At least you know there's a seat for you. Most airports have those self check-ins. I usually will try to upgrade or see what seats are available.
Then when you get to the gate, sometimes ask if the flight is full. I've had luck where the flight isn't full and I can upgrade to a better seat and sometimes it's not as expensive as booking it that way in the first place.
As far as printing it at home, you still have to check in anyway...it just makes it easier so you can go right to the security area (and we all know how long that takes!!)

Fluffy

pay for first class!

mspain79

Honestly, don't fly Southwest. I have found MUCH better fares on the other carriers AND get assigned seating. Secondly they are OLD 737's and their pilot's arent the safest in the world. (Worked in the industry for years....)They always speed down the taxiway's and in several airport have overshot the runway on numerous occasions.

But if you choose to be herded like cattle and fly Southwest, the only way to ensure you are in the first group is to check in online 24 hrs before your flight. Online check in is always going to be Seating Group A. Then the first people checking in at the counter will have higher liklihood of being in Seating Group A as well. In most airports you can check in at the ticket counter no more than 6hrs before your departure time. Now legally, you can not check your bags and leave the airport, so if asked, just tell them that you will be hanging out in the airport until departure should you arrive that early. Leaving the airport once you check your bags is considered abandonment and carries federal penalties if caught.

Southwest is a single cabin 737, all coach seating. In the industry, we call it the Wal-Mart of the skies. But now that they are having to raise fares to offset the price of fuel, I have yet to find them cheaper in the routes I have booked for people. I still find competitive fares with the major US carriers AND better routes. They do offer more flights, but that is usually because you are stopping somewhere along the way, and possibly two or 3 stops.

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