How many boarding zones does southwest have

The next to get boarding passes will be A-List Preferred , which is the top-tier elite status offered by Southwest. You can qualify for A-List Preferred by flying 50 one-way qualifying segments or earning 70, qualifying points. A-list is the bottom-tier elite status just below A-List Preferred and so they get boarding passes right after A-List Preferred. A-List can be achieved by flying 25 one-way qualifying segments or earning 35, qualifying points. The next passengers to get boarding passes will be those with EarlyBird.

Southwest EarlyBird automatically checks you in 36 hours prior to departure and while it does not guarantee an A boarding spot, it will offer you a much better chance of getting a window or aisle seat. After EarlyBird passengers are issued boarding passes then boarding passes are issued based on the number of slots left over for Group A. As mentioned, it is possible that there are no Group A boarding spots left for some EarlyBird passengers so the next boarding passes issued could be for Group B.

If you are traveling with a kid 6 or under, you should be able to board in between Group A and Group B this is the family boarding time. And finally, military members usually in uniform but not always can board between Group A and Group B.

Head towards the back for your best odds. When you utilize the Companion Pass you and your partner will not necessarily get boarding passes right next to each other. Southwest has a generous baggage policy where they allow you to check two bags for free. You can view the Southwest seating charts here. Business Select fares are usually just a little bit more expensive than Anytime fares but they allow you to earn more points and also offer the following benefits:.

You can read more on whether or not Business Select fares are worth it here. To upgrade, simply approach the ticket counter or desk at the departure gate and inquire about the upgrade. Sometimes they make you upgrade at the gate reserved for your flight but other times you can do it at check-in or at another Southwest gate. The new Southwest Priority Credit Card now offers up to four upgrades to priority boarding A1 to A15 based on availability per year.

This will automatically check you in 36 hours prior to departure. EarlyBird does not guarantee an A boarding pass but it will almost always get you a boarding pass that will allow you to get an aisle or window seat. For the most part, you should be able to get a window seat or aisle seat just by checking in yourself 24 hours before your flight. You can read more about whether or not Southwest EarlyBird is worth it here.

With that said, if you have a very large group, you might be inviting some issues since saving multiple rows can get a little messy at times. Southwest will allow you to board in groups even if your boarding passes are not directly before or after each other. Southwest will ask that A25 and A60 board with B You can print your boarding pass online at Southwest.

Southwest also allows you to board with a electronic or mobile boarding passes. You can request a mobile boarding pass at the time of check-in on Southwest. But note that mobile boarding passes are not currently available to passengers traveling on international flights.

If you want to learn more tips about flying for Southwest click here. You can get the best boarding group on Southwest by purchasing or upgrading to Business Select.

You can also get a better boarding position by having A-List status. By purchasing EarlyBird, you can also increase your odds of getting in the first boarding group although it is not guaranteed. You line up based on the number on your boarding pass. There are three groups, A, B and C, with passengers numbered in each letter group. When you board, you can pick any available seat. Thus the advantage of getting the lowest boarding group and the lowest number in that group possible, especially now that Southwest is again selling flights to capacity.

If you get lucky enough to have a low number, you may be able to snag this seat on a Southwest plane. So while there are no assigned seats, Southwest has come up with several ways to sell preferred access to the lower boarding numbers.

Boarding assignments are given in the order that you check-in for the flight. Since check-in begins at T Hours from the scheduled departure time, the quicker you are to check-in, the better position you have. I can remember when people who had smartphones with internet were at a huge advantage over those who could only check-in using a desktop computer.

With connectivity everywhere and checking in just a tap away on the Southwest app, everyone has a chance to check in immediately. EarlyBird assignments are determined by when you pay your fee so the earlier you book your ticket and pay for EarlyBird , the further up in queue you are for a boarding position. This is how most passengers purchase a better boarding position, as the service is heavily promoted when booking your flight. Full disclosure: We typically purchase EarlyBird on our Southwest flights.

Get it? A Group. A-List passengers get checked in at T, a full 12 hours before the rest of the flight, ensuring them the best boarding positions.

Those crazy high Business Select fares you see when buying your ticket include preferred boarding positions. Better than Early Bird and even better than A-List. As business begins to improve, some old airline routines are getting resurrected.

After months of boarding passengers in groups of ten, Southwest Airlines is now back to boarding passengers in groups of According to the airline, passengers are looking for a return to normality. While Southwest Airlines stopped blocking the middle seat late last year, the airline has mostly won plaudits for its health and hygiene measures.

Traditionally, Southwest Airlines lined up passengers in groups of 30, positioning them in the queues according to boarding position. It was a complex system but it worked. But for most of the past year, that downsized to groups of Everyone else staying seated until a new group was called. It was kind of nice. Up until now, lower than usual passengers loads meant most passengers got an empty seat beside them. Lower passenger numbers also made the more cumbersome practice of boarding people in smaller groups viable.