How to Get Seated Together on Southwest Airlines
Families who want to fly together don't always get to when flying with Southwest Airlines. Due to a change in policy a few years back, Southwest Airlines lost their status of being one of the most family-friendly airlines when they went from allowing families with small children to pre-board first, before group A, to making them wait to pre-board until after group A. This policy change meant that families could no longer guarantee seats together. Fortunately all is not lost for families who still want to fly via Southwest Airlines. The following tips will help ensure or at least up your chances of being seated together on your next Southwest Airlines flight.
Early Bird Check-In
One way to up your chances of getting your family seated together are with Southwest Airlines Early Bird Check-In. Up to 36 hours before your flight, you can elect to pay $10 each way, per passenger to get a better seating position. If you are one of the first to sign up, you should end up in group A, right behind the Business Select and A List customers. Not all Southwest Airlines passengers are eligible-only customers who purchased the Wanna Get Away, Anytime, Senior or DING! fares are.
Pre-Board
Families traveling with small children are eligible for family pre-board, which occurs just after group A. This is great for anyone who has been positioned in groups B or C. To up your chances of finding seats together, be at your gate in time for pre-board, unless you are already in group A.
Travel Early
Another way to ensure that you and your small children will be seated together is to travel early in the day. If your plane is just starting out, they won't have additional passengers from their previous airport. Even if you are not in group A, you should be able to find seating together, since there are only 60 passengers in group A.
Ask
If you cannot pre-board or doing so doesn't help you get seated with your family, don't be afraid to ask someone to move.
Pay it Forward
Lastly, to help make it possible for you and your family to get seated together on a Southwest Airlines flight, lead by example. Anytime you are traveling solo, switch seats to accommodate couples or families. Others may learn from your example.
Published by Nik Minor
Nik is a freelance writer, editor, law student, and small business owner. View profile
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7 Comments
Post a CommentI like flying Southwest and they seem to do their best to keep families together. They have asked passengers if they would mind switching seats to keep a family together and there are always those of us who will.
I used to fly Southwest all the time but haven't flown much in the past few years. I will keep this in mind if I ever get the money to start flying again, since I have a small child. Thanks for the tips.
Good tips for family seating on flights. I prefer driving. No distance is too far.
The last time I flew w/the fam (not on South West) I had to ask other passengers to switch seats for us to remain together. Smart advice Shanika.
I so needed this article! Thank you:)
Switching seats to accommodate couples or families and leading by example is an excellent idea!
Or you can explain to the snooty ticket lady that your sister is a certified schitzo and cannot board or sit alone. Heh,heh,heh. Hey, it worked.