Southwest baggage fees (or really the lack thereof) are one of the biggest attractions to flying with Southwest. With each flight, it’s possible to save about $60 each way compared to other major US carriers.
So in addition to cheap fares, Southwest offers extra ways to save money on your air travel. Here’s everything you need to know about the Southwest baggage fees allowance for carry-on, personal items, checked bags, and everything in between.
Southwest allows each passenger to bring one carry-on and one personal item.
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Carry-on
The carry-on bag dimensions are limited to 24 x 16 x 10 inches. If your carry-on does not fit the dimensions above, Southwest will be forced to check it at the gate.
Unlike other low-cost carriers like Frontier and Spirit Airlines, the carry-on is free.
Personal item
Personal items can be items like backpacks, purses, briefcases, cameras, food containers, or laptops (including the accompanying case). Learn more about personal items.
Your personal item must be stored under the seat in front of you and fit within the following dimensions: 16.25 x 13.5 x 8 inch. If you can’t fit your personal items beneath your seat, then you’ll be asked to store it in the overhead bin.
Exclusions
The following items are not considered to be carry-ons or personal items:
A child restraint device for a ticketed child with a reserved seat or when complimentary, available space exists.
Assistive/mobility devices for individuals with a disability. There is no limit to the number of assistive/mobility devices a Customer can bring onboard the aircraft.
Outer garments or other wearable articles of clothing.
Food for consumption during flight contained in disposable packaging.
Walking canes or umbrellas.
Read more about the Southwest carry-on policies here.
Two free checked bags
Southwest allows each passenger two free checked bags.
This is a very valuable perk to flying with Southwest and it is what helps to distinguish Southwest from other airlines like the major legacy carriers (United, Delta, American). Anytime you’re thinking about flying with another airline, you should consider how much that airline will charge you to check in your bags.
Here are some examples of what other airlines charge for domestic routes:
Spirit baggage fee: 1st bag: $32, 2nd bag $51 (also charges $37 for a carry-on)
Keep in mind that you can often check in bags for free when you have certain co-branded airline credit cards.
As you can see, most airlines are going to charge you $60 for two checked bags for a one-way flight, or $120 for two checked bags on a roundtrip. So if you travel with a lot of luggage, you are saving over $100 each time you fly with Southwest instead of one of the other legacy carriers or low-cost airlines like Spirit.
For every pice of luggage that you check in over the two free bag allowance, you’ll have to pay $75 per item one-way. Note that these bags must be under the length and weight restrictions (discussed below) or you will be subject to additional fees.
Southwest baggage fees weight restrictions
While Southwest allows for two free checked bags, they have weight restrictions that you must abide by.
Overweight items from 51 to 100 pounds and oversized items in excess of 62 inches but not more than 80 inches will be accepted for a charge of $75.00 per item one-way. Only one $75.00 charge applies if the piece is both oversized and overweight, regardless of the weight as long as it does not exceed 100 lbs.
Excess baggage which is also overweight or oversized will be charged excess baggage plus the applicable oversize or overweight charge. So if you bring a third bag to check in and it weights 60 pounds, you’ll be paying $75 for the overweight charge + $75 for bringing in a third bag.
Over 100 pounds?
Any item weighing more than 100 pounds must be shipped as Air Cargo. However, customers cannot use SWA Cargo unless classified as a “Known Shipper” as defined by the TSA or TSA approved Indirect Air Carriers (IAC). For full details about shipping cargo, visit www.swacargo.com.
Military exception
Military Passengers traveling on active duty or permanent change of station orders will be exempt from the two-piece Baggage limit and will not be subject to excess, oversize, or overweight Southwest baggage fees, provided that none of the pieces of Baggage exceeds 100 pounds in weight and 80 inches in size (L+W+H).
Strollers
Customers traveling with children will be allowed to check one stroller and one Child Restraint System (CRS) or car seat per child without charge. This is in addition to the regular free baggage allowance.
TSA’s list of prohibited items
Make sure you are aware of TSA’s baggage restrictions.
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Southwest Airlines’ liability for lost, damaged, or delayed baggage is limited to $3,500.00 per fare-paying Customer.
Keep in mind that many credit cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve offer protections for lost and delayed luggage as well.
Claims
Damaged or lost baggage must be reported, in person, within four hours of Customer’s arrival at destination. So don’t wait around if your luggage ends up lost. Report it asap.
Late Check-in
Baggage checked at curbside or at the ticket counter less than 45 minutes before scheduled departure will be tagged with a Late Check-In Tag.
Although every effort will be made to get late checked baggage on your flight, in the event your baggage does not arrive with you at your destination, Southwest will not assume delivery charges to get your baggage to you. Thus, you probably want to check in your bags at least an hour before your departure time just to play it safe.
International check-in
You cannot check in or check luggage at the curbside if traveling on an international itinerary.
Special restrictions
There are certain special restrictions for items such as alcohol, batteries, camera equipment, etc. You can click here to read more about the Southwest baggage allowances for these items.
Pets
To find out about all of the rules and restrictions for flying with pets on Southwest click here.
Final word
Southwest baggage fees are one of the best perks about flying with Southwest. Never forget to factor in these savings when shopping airfare rates. And make sure you capitalize on savings if you’re a military member.
Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and creator of the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned full-time credit card rewards/travel expert and has earned and redeemed millions of miles to travel the globe. Since 2014, his content has been featured in major publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, Forbes, CNBC, US News, and Business Insider. Find his full bio here.
Southwest Boarding Groups Explained: From A-List to Group C! [2023]
Are you wondering how exactly Southwest boarding groups work?
This article will show you everything you need to know about the Southwest boarding process.
I’ll also show you different ways that you can get priority boarding and cover things like family boarding and military boarding. I’ll also give you some details about Southwest seating (charts, maps, etc.) and some tips for getting the best seats.
How many boarding groups does Southwest have?
Southwest has three main boarding groups:
Boarding group A
Boarding group B
Boarding group C
If you want to understand the Southwest boarding process though, you’ll need to understand much more than the three boarding groups. Keep reading below for more info on the boarding process!
Tip: Use the free app WalletFlo to help you travel the world for free by finding the best travel credit cards and promotions!
Best Southwest credit cards
Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Premier Card
The Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Premier Card comes with the following benefits:
20% back on in-flight drinks, WiFi, messaging, and movies
No foreign transaction fees
Earn tier qualifying points towards A-list Status
$149 annual fee applied to your first billing statement
How does Southwest boarding work?
When you check-in for your flight, you’ll be assigned a boarding group (A, B, or C) and within that boarding group you’ll be assigned a number (1 through 60).
So for example, you might be assigned A50, which means you’ll be the 50th person to board within Group A.
It could vary depending on the airport, but generally, you’ll see monitors or signs showing you where to stand for your group. The signs will typically say something like “A 1-30” or “A 31-60.”
An “A 1-30” sign would mean that if you have an A boarding pass and your boarding number is 30 or under (e.g., A25), that is where you need to go to line up.
You should also see some silver posts marked with numbers which will tell you where to stand. These numbers are usually marked in increments of five.
So if you have A50, you’ll locate the post that might have something like “50 to 55” marked and that is where you will need to go.
You will then stand in that space and as the other four passengers start to accumulate in that area you will usually sort yourselves out by asking each other what boarding spot they have.
If you have A50, you will be in front of that little “50 to 55” section but if you had something like A53 you would be in the middle. Not all passengers care about getting in the exact order but some do.
Once you find where you need to stand, you’ll simply wait for them to start boarding and proceed to make your way to the plane. Once you’re inside the plane, you can choose any seat since seats are not assigned with Southwest.
As unconventional as it might sound from other airlines like United, the boarding procedures are usually pretty smooth.
What order does Southwest board its planes?
Although there are only three boarding groups, the actual boarding pass issuance process is actually more complex.
Below is the order that boarding passes will be issued, which also determines the order that you will board the plane.
Note that Southwest will usually not call for people to board by these categories. For example, they are not going to ask for all the “A-List” or “EarlyBird” members to board.
Instead, they will call groups up by boarding pass group number. You will hear something like, “now boarding all passengers with Group A boarding passes numbered one through 30.”
So below is the order that you can expect boarding passes to be issued/the order boarding will go.
Passengers already on the plane
Some passengers may already be on the plane depending on the origin of the flight. But if some passengers got off the plane for a layover, they might be among the first to board.
This means that you could have a Business Select ticket, and still have several people board before you depending on the size of the crowds.
Preboarding
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.”
(Those with service animals will usually be included in this group as well.)
Other passengers who might board at this time are those with large camera equipment, instruments, and certain other select people like those who need an extra seat.
This group will be able to board before anybody else despite whatever boarding group or boarding number they are issued.
Because of the open seat policy for Southwest, passengers using preboarding may come under more scrutiny than other airlines.
So if you want to use preboarding with Southwest, it’s a good idea to inquire at the check-in counter about getting that on your boarding pass. In addition, you can also add a special service request to your booking.
Business Select
The next individuals to board are those who purchased Business Select fares. (This will be the first group to be issued boarding passes beginning with Group A.)
Southwest doesn’t offer a traditional first class but they do offer Business Select fares, which offer you the highest earning rate for Rapid Rewards. (More on those tickets below).
After passengers who have purchased Business Select fares, those who were upgraded to Business Select will be issued boarding passes.
A-list Preferred
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 70,000 qualifying points.
Once you qualify for A-List Preferred, you’ll receive a 100% bonus on Rapid Rewards earned, priority check-in, and security lane access. You’ll also get free in-flight wifi (on planes equipped with wifi) and the ability to get on earlier flights for free.
A-list
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 35,000 qualifying points.
Once you qualify for A-List, you’ll receive a 25% bonus on Rapid Rewards earned, priority check-in, and security lane access.
EarlyBird
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.
Some people might always be able to board right after Group A.
Need extra time
Something interesting about Southwest is that they state that if “a Customer with a disability simply needs a little extra time to board, we will permit the Customer to board before Family Boarding, between the “A” and “B” groups.”
Technically, this goes against the rules for preboarding because even people who only need a little extra time during boarding should qualify for preboarding.
Family boarding
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).
A-List (last minute)
Also, if you’re A-List and you purchased a last minute ticket you’ll be able to board between Group A and Group B.
Military
And finally, military members (usually in uniform but not always) can board between Group A and Group B. If you’re not traveling in your uniform, consider showing your military ID to a gate agent and inquiring about priority boarding.
Boarding Group B
Once boarding Group A is filled up, then boarding Group B boarding passes will be issued.
If you’re in boarding Group B, you can still get a decent seat if you’re in B1 to B30, but the closer you get to boarding Group C, the tougher it’s going to be to get your desired seat.
However, if you’re okay with sitting in the rear of the plane, it will be easier to find desirable seats or seats together.
Boarding Group C
Once boarding Group B is filled up, then boarding Group C boarding passes will be issued.
Most of the time if you’re in Group C, it’s going to be very difficult to get a window seat or aisle seat. Head towards the back for your best odds.
The Southwest Companion Pass allows a partner to fly for free with you for up to two full calendar years and it’s one of the most valuable travel perks sought by many.
When you utilize the Companion Pass you and your partner will not necessarily get boarding passes right next to each other. Southwest did run a trial allowing companions to board next to each other but I’m unaware of the results of the trial.
Why do boarding groups matter?
Besides just being able to board the plane quicker and choose your desired seat (window or aisle), there are two specific reasons why you’d want a higher boarding pass.
As for carry-ons, it’s the same baggage policy that most other major airlines have for their standard tickets: 1 personal item and 1 carry-on.
So by getting a better boarding position, you’ll be able to guarantee that you’ll have overhead storage for your bags.
Emergency row seats
Emergency exit rows on Southwest planes have extra legroom and/or have rows with only two seats which are great for couples.
By securing a higher boarding pass, your flight can become a lot more enjoyable as you’ll have more room.
Southwest usually flies 737-700s and 737-800s and the 737-800s have more emergency exit rows with only two seats, so it’s a good idea to check ahead of time (if possible) to see which type of aircraft you are flying on.
Southwest seating details (seating chart)
If you’re flying Southwest, chances are you’ll be flying on a 737-700 or a 737-800.
You might be wondering about how much room you’ll have with your Southwest seating and here’s what you can expect:
So as you can see, when it comes to Southwest seating, you’ll get more leg room with the 737-800 according to SeatGuru and you’ll have a wider seat with the 737-800 Max.
.8 inches might now sound like that much but every little bit helps when you’re flying. You can view the Southwest seating charts here.
Get the best seat selection (Southwest priority boarding)
There are a few ways that you can secure “priority boarding” with Southwest.
I put that in quotations because there aren’t true priority boarding groups but there are some ways you can effectively get priority boarding and get the best seat selection.
Business Select
If you purchase a Business Select fare, you’ll be guaranteed a boarding position A1 to A15.
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:
Guaranteed A1-A15 boarding
Fly By lane access
Free premium drink
12 Rapid Rewards per dollar spent
Fully refundable fare
You can read more on whether or not Business Select fares are worth it here.
Upgrade to Business Select
Instead of purchasing Business Select fares you can also upgrade.
The cost to upgrade to Business Select varies from $30 to $50 per segment, depending on the route.
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.
Southwest should be able to tell you exactly what boarding number you’d receive before you upgrade so you can see if it’s worth it.
Update: you can now upgrade online at the time of check-in!
The Southwest Priority Credit Card offers up to four upgrades to priority boarding (A1 to A15) based on availability per year.
Among other benefits, it also offers a $75 annual credit, 20% back on in-flight drinks, WiFi, messaging, and movies, and 20% back on in-flight drinks, WiFi, messaging, and movies. It’s not a bad way to cover those upgrades to Business Select if you only need to cover a few of those a year.
Southwest EarlyBird
Another option to secure a priority boarding position is to go with Southwest EarlyBird.
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. (It’s often possible to get an A boarding pass checking in on your own.)
However, if you won’t be available to check in 24 hours prior or you don’t think that you’ll remember then EarlyBird could be worth it.
EarlyBird used to cost $10 each way and then it was increased to $15 each way. But recently, the pricing was changed to dynamic pricing so it could cost up to $25.
Good News: The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card now offers two annual credits for Southwest EarlyBird!
There’s a lot of debate as to whether or not its acceptable to save seats on Southwest flights.
For the most part it does seem to be frowned upon but you can usually save seats within reason.
Generally, saving seats at the rear of the plane is not an issue, especially if you’re trying to keep your family together.
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.
Also, you don’t want to save seats in the front of the plane, as that might lead to confrontations. In addition, it’s usually not a good idea to save seats in the emergency exit rows as those are usually in high demand.
Tip: One trick I’ve done in the past is to get the flight attendant to occupy a seat as people board and people will usually pass over that seat.
Tip: Use the free app WalletFlo to help you travel the world for free by finding the best travel credit cards and promotions!
Can groups board together?
Southwest will allow you to board in groups even if your boarding passes are not directly before or after each other.
The catch is that they want you to board with the member who has the lowest boarding pass.
So for example, let’s say there are three of you and you have the following boarding passes:
A25
A60
B30
Southwest will ask that A25 and A60 board with B30.
This is to preserve the “integrity” of the boarding process since it actually doesn’t affect the boarding waiting time of any of the other passengers.
How to print a Southwest boarding pass?
You can easily print your boarding pass by checking in online.
You can print your boarding pass online at Southwest.com or at the airport using a self-service kiosk on the day of departure.
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.com, the Southwest.com mobile site, or the Southwest mobile app for iPhone or Android.
But note that mobile boarding passes are not currently available to passengers traveling on international flights.
Southwest Tips
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. Upgrading will cost you $30-$50 per segment.
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.
How do I choose my seat before the flight?
Southwest does not allow you to select your seat prior to the flight.
Is it okay to save seats on Southwest?
Opinions are mixed on saving seats with Southwest Airlines. The best advice is to save seats in the back of the plane if you must and try to avoid saving multiple rows at a time when flying with a large group.
When does A-list board?
A-List will board directly after Business Select. First, A-List Preferred will board and then following them A-List will board.
When do families board?
Family boarding (which is offered to families traveling with a kid 6 or under), allows you to board between Group A and Group B.
What boarding group do I need for a window or aisle seat?
Typically, if you have a boarding position under B30 you should be able to find a window or aisle seat. The further back in the plane you decide to sit, the more likely you will find a window or aisle seat.
When do standbys board?
Standby passengers will be the last to board.
How much legroom do you have on Southwest?
You generally will have 31 to 32 inches of legroom.
Does Southwest have a special boarding policy for coronavirus?
No, Southwest stopped doing the special boarding process in March 2021.
Final word
Southwest boarding policies are pretty straight forward.
There are a few ways that you can get priority boarding though they all come with different degrees of assurance.
Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and creator of the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned full-time credit card rewards/travel expert and has earned and redeemed millions of miles to travel the globe. Since 2014, his content has been featured in major publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, Forbes, CNBC, US News, and Business Insider. Find his full bio here.
Southwest Airlines Family Boarding Policy Explained [2023]
Traveling with a family can be stressful not to mention expensive.
Luckily, Southwest Airlines offers a number of special perks to families that can help them to both save money and time.
In this article, I will break down all of the benefits that you can expect to receive as a family traveling on Southwest.
I’ll cover things like family boarding age limits, child fares, and policies for infants. I’ll also talk about how to complete the all important age verifications and what to do if you’re flying while pregnant.
What is the Southwest family boarding policy?
When traveling as a family with kids aged six or under you can get special boarding privileges and you might be able to take advantage of the other perks like special savings depending on the ages of your kids. Keep reading below for more details!
Tip: Use the free app WalletFlo to help you travel the world for free by finding the best travel credit cards and promotions!
Southwest family boarding group
If you are traveling with a child six or under (younger than seven years old) you can choose to board with the family boarding group. This allows you to board the plane between Groups A and B.
First, you will need to check in to your flight beginning at 24 hours prior to departure.
You can do this by going to the Southwest website or by using the Southwest app and just waiting for exactly 24 hours prior to take off.
Once you check in you will be issued a boarding position. This position will consist of a group number and a number within that group.
There are three different boarding groups with Southwest: Group A, Group B, and Group C. Within each group you will be assigned a number that will be between one and 60.
So if you have A50, you’ll line up when you see the “A” sign or monitor and then you’ll locate the section that might have something like “50 to 55” marked.
This means that if you are ever traveling with a child six or under and are assigned Group B or C, you should definitely consider taking advantage of family boarding so that you can board directly after Group A.
At the same time, if you have a Group A boarding pass then you don’t need to use family boarding.
Something interesting about Southwest is that they allow some people that would qualify for pre-boarding to board just before Family Boarding.
They state that if “a Customer with a disability simply needs a little extra time to board, we will permit the Customer to board before Family Boarding, between the “A” and “B” groups.”
So be sure to be aware of these passengers whenever you lined up for boarding.
Note: Sometimes family boarding may not be offered/available.
Also note: Military members (usually in uniform but not always) can board between Group A and Group B. If you’re not traveling in your uniform, consider showing your military ID to a gate agent and inquiring about priority boarding.
The language that Southwest uses to describe their family boarding policy it’s a little bit tricky.
For example, it states the following:
An adult 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.
The reason that this language is tricky is that it specifies “an adult” and “a child” which are singular.
This almost seems to suggest that you can only board as a family with one adult per one child six years for younger.
However, in practice Southwest allows all kids to board with an adult.
If there are two adults, they will often get to board together with the kids too but sometimes there could be exceptions (such as when a lot of families are doing family boarding).
If you have any questions or concerns about this then I would suggest you talk to the agent at the gate to clarify if your entire family can board together.
Other family members such as grandparents can board with family boarding but they have to be the only adults. So for example you could not have both parents and a set of grandparents boarding in the family boarding group. Instead, Southwest would likely limit you to only two parents (along with the kids).
If you’re traveling as a family you might be tempted to go for Southwest EarlyBird.
This will allow you to be checked in beginning 36 hours prior to departure for a fee of $15 to $25.
This means that you will usually get a good boarding position often in Group A but sometimes also in the B boarding group.
Since you can board after Group A with family boarding, then it is really not necessary for you to get EarlyBird. Thus, I would typically not to go for that if I was traveling as a family.
Tip: Use WalletFlo to help you maximize your credit card spend on purchases like Southwest flights!
Saving seats for families
There’s an ongoing debate on whether or not you should be able to save seats on Southwest.
Since there’s an open boarding policy, every seat is open to just about any passenger.
So when it comes to saving seats for the family, you’ll want to head towards the back of the plane to save your seat. People are usually much more open to saved seats in the rear of the cabin.
However, if you try to save seats for your family in the front of the plane or on the seats with extra legroom then the risk of confrontation goes up.
Southwest child fares
Accompanied children ages two through 11 may purchase the applicable Child Fare for the flight.
Child fares are discounted Anytime fares. Anytime fares offer you flexibility so that you can make cancellations and still get a refund.
This means that they probably won’t be as cheap as Wanna Get Away fares, which are the cheapest fares for Southwest that don’t offer as much flexibility.
Contact Southwest via phone at 1-800-I-FLY-SWA (1-800-435-9792) to confirm if a child fare is available for a specific flight. Note that proof of age will be required at the time of travel.
If your child is traveling on an Infant or Child Fare and is age verified, you may request his/her boarding pass on Southwest.com.
If your child is traveling on an Infant or Child Fare and is not age verified, you must provide valid proof of age at the airport when exchanging the confirmation number for a boarding pass.
How to verify age
There are a couple of different ways that you can get your child’s age verified and I will discuss both of these below.
The first thing is that you need to do is to create a Rapid Rewards or Southwest account for your child. You can easily do this online and it will only take a couple of minutes.
After you create an account, you can go to different routes to verify the age.
The first thing you can do is to present a valid Government-issued I.D. providing age (child) or a birth certificate (infant) to the Customer Service Agent at the airport when you check in for your flight.
At that time, the date of birth listed in your child’s account will be updated to indicate that age has been verified.
You can also mail in copies of your documents.
You may mail a copy of the child’s valid Government-issued I.D. proving age (for children) or the birth certificate (infants) to:
Southwest Airlines Customer Relations
PO Box 36662
Dallas, TX 75235.
Be sure to include your child’s Rapid Rewards or Southwest account number with your request and submit it at least two weeks prior to your child’s flight.
The date of birth field in your child’s account will be updated to reflect that he/she is age-verified. Allow two weeks for processing. If you submit your request in writing, you will receive a confirmation letter in the mail once the date of birth has been verified.
Once the date of birth has been verified, you may check in online and request a boarding pass as long as your child’s account number is present in the reservation for which you are checking in.
Southwest Baggage fees
If you have a lot of different people in your tribe then traveling can get really expensive when it comes to baggage fees. You could easily spend a few hundred dollars with a family of five for a simple round-trip ticket.
Luckily, Southwest Airlines allows you to travel with two free checked bags. This is one of the more valuable perks of flying with Southwest and it’s great for families.
One child over 14 days and under two years of age, not occupying a seat, may be carried free of charge when traveling with an adult (12 years of age or older).
Although a boarding pass is not required for the infant, you will need a Boarding Verification Document.
A copy of the child’s birth certificate is required to validate the age of all infants under two.
If you don’t want to bring your infant on as a lap-child, affordable Infant fares are also available allowing a customer to reserve a seat for an infant and use his/her FAA-approved car seat/Child Restraint System.
Southwest Airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) strongly recommend securing infants and small children in a CRS that is government approved for use onboard.
Here are some things to know about using CSRs on a plane:
Once onboard the aircraft, the CRS should be secured in a middle or window seat.
If placed in a middle seat, the CRS may not impede the exit path of a Passenger in the window seat.
CRSs may not be placed in an exit seat or in a row directly forward or aft of an exit row of seats.
The FAA prohibits the use of certain types of restraint devices, such as backless booster seats, safety belt extensions (commonly referred to as “belly belts”), and vests or harness devices that attach to an adult.
Online checkin is available if the infant is traveling on an Infant fare and is age verified.
To book Infant fares for international flights, contact Southwest to book via phone at 1-800-I-FLY-SWA (1-800-435-9792). After booking, you can view or cancel existing international itineraries for any of these fare types online at Southwest.com.
A medical release for travel is required for any infant under 14 days old.
Here’s what Southwest has to say about traveling while pregnant.
While air travel does not usually cause problems during pregnancy unless delivery is expected within 14 days or less, in some cases, traveling by air has been known to cause complications or premature labor. Female Customers at any stage of pregnancy should consult with their physicians prior to air travel. Southwest Airlines recommends against air travel beginning at the 38th week of pregnancy. Depending on their physical condition, strength, and agility, pregnant women may, in some cases, be asked not to sit in the emergency exit row.
Southwest Group travel
If you are traveling as a family in a large group of 10 or more passengers, then you might consider utilizing the southwest Group travel policy.
This allows you the following benefits:
Flexible Payments: No upfront payment required to create a Group reservation.
No Extra Fees: No booking, ticketing, or change fees.
Unlimited Name Changes: Unlimited name changes up to 72 hours prior to departure.
Earn Roundtrip Tickets: Earn one roundtrip ticket to be used on your Group’s itinerary for every 30th passenger booked (taxes and fees will apply).
In some situations it might just be cheaper to book the fares individually but in other cases this can actually be a great way to go.
One of the biggest drawbacks is that it can take a long time to get through to customer service when dealing with the Southwest group travel so you want to keep that in mind. If you want to read more about how to travel as a group then you can click here.
TSA Pre-Check
If you are traveling as a family you might be able to take advantage of TSA Pre-Check. TSA Pre-Check is a program that provides you with access to an expedited security lane.
When you go through this lane you won’t be inconvenienced as much as the standard lane because you can keep your electronics and liquids in your bags, among other things.
If you are traveling with the children 12 and under those children do not need to have their own TSA Pre-Check Membership in order to accompany you through the line.
Southwest has a number of benefits that they offer to those families traveling. These benefits can save you time and money so it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with all of the possible perks.
Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and creator of the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned full-time credit card rewards/travel expert and has earned and redeemed millions of miles to travel the globe. Since 2014, his content has been featured in major publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, Forbes, CNBC, US News, and Business Insider. Find his full bio here.
Extra Seats on Southwest Airlines: What You Need to Know (Booking & Refunds)
Are you thinking about buying an extra seat on Southwest Airlines?
Perhaps you are a customer of size who needs extra space or you have some other type of need that could require an additional seat.
In this article, we will show you exactly how you go about booking an extra seat and explain some key things you need to know about (like how to get a refund).
How to purchase an extra seat on Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines allows you to book an extra seat online. If you choose to do this online, there is a specific way to add the extra seat to your reservation.
Basically, you will go through the normal booking process but you will select the number of passengers based on however many extra seats you need.
So if you were traveling with one other person and you need one extra seat, you would choose three passengers.
Then comes the most important step: inputting your name.
For your actual ticket, you would input your name as you normally do. So if your name is John Smith then for your first name you put “John” and for your last time you put “Smith.” Simple stuff.
But for your extra ticket, you will need to make a slight alteration to your name and the alteration depends on whether or not you have input a middle name.
If you do NOT input a middle name for your main ticket, then for the extra passenger you will input XS for the middle name like this:
“John XS Smith” (first name: John, middle name: XS, and last name: Smith).
If you DO input a middle name for your main ticket, then for the extra passenger you will input XS after the middle name like this:
“John Robert XS Smith” (first name: John, middle name: Robert XS, and last name: Smith).
You can also call reservations and make your booking online. Try to add the extra seat at the same time as your booking so that you can end up paying the lowest price.
And finally, you can also book your extra seat whenever you arrive at the airport. You could do this at the check-in counter or at the gate.
The plus side of doing this is that you don’t have to pay anything. But the problem with doing this is that the flight could be full so there may not be extra seats.
But, here’s the deal….
Even if the flight is full Southwest has a reputation for doing what they can to keep the customer of size on board. For example, if the flight was oversold Southwest will try to get a volunteer to give up their seat so that the customer of size will have a seat.
If no volunteer comes forward then it’s possible that Southwest could involuntarily deny boarding to a passenger (probably the last person to check in).
This will probably be a very rare outcome but something to be aware of
How much will the extra seat cost on Southwest Airlines?
The cost of your extra seat or seats will be whatever the cost of that current ticket is for your specific route.
If you are purchasing the original seat at the time of booking, then you can expect to pay the same price as your actual ticket. You can also use Rapid Rewards for the extra ticket.
Also, if you purchase a Business Select fare, you can purchase an extra seat as a Wanna Get Away fare so you don’t have to pay for the expensive fair twice (you probably want to call in to do this).
The major thing to know with Southwest is that they will refund you for your extra seat purchase.
In an attempt to be extra customer friendly, Southwest Airlines has decided that people that need extra seats should not have to pay extra for those seats, so they offer this refund policy.
How do you get the refund for the extra seat?
To get a refund for your extra seat you can email or call Southwest.
Or, if you would like to call here’s the phone number: 1-800-I-FLY-SWA (1-800-435-9792).
Will you be required to get an extra seat?
So you might be wondering when would you be expected or required to get an extra seat when flying Southwest.
Southwest makes it pretty clear when you will need an extra seat when they state that, “If you’re unable to lower both armrests and/or encroach upon any portion of a seat next to you, you need a second seat.”
For Southwest, the “armrest is the definitive gauge for a Customer of size.”
So the first test is can you sit in a seat with the armrests down?
Unlike other airlines, Southwest does not mention that you have to keep the armrest down the entire flight. So in theory, if you can at least put the armrest all the way down then you should be okay for this.
The other question is whether or not you are encroaching upon “any portion” of the seat next to you. So if any portion of your body is occupying space next to you, you are technically required to purchase another seat.
Usually, this would mean taking up space beyond the armrest.
But just keep in mind that airplane etiquette dictates that the middle seat passenger gets both armrests. So if a middle seat passenger cannot utilize the armrest because your body is taking up that space, that’s going to be an issue for some people.
What if I need a seatbelt extension?
If you need a seatbelt extension in order to properly use the seatbelt, that does not mean that you are required to get an extra seat.
So why would I purchase an extra seat if it’s free and I could do it at the gate?
The biggest reason for purchasing your extra seat in advance is to allow Southwest to get a sense of how many passengers (or seats) will be needed on the plane.
This will help them to avoid overselling the flight and having to ask people to give up their seat and move to another flight.
This can also prevent you from having to work the stuff out at the airport or deal with agents at the gate which can make your life easier. So it is strongly recommended that you purchase an extra seat in advance to make things easier for everybody.
Check-in
You can do the normal check-in process online to secure your boarding position but when purchasing an extra seat Southwest states that “you must see a Customer Service Agent to receive the required documents and be eligible for a refund after the flight.”
In other words, you need to see an agent to get your boarding pass and your “seat reserved” document.
Presumably, an agent would also make sure that you appear to be a customer of size.
While this seems like it could get tricky, I’m assuming an agent could deny you the extra seat if you were a petite person looking to take advantage of an extra seat without a valid reason.
Baggage
Some airlines will offer double the baggage if you purchase an extra seat but Southwest is not one of those airlines.
Typically, preboarding is designed for people who need assistance or extra time to board (those with mobility problems) but in the case of an extra seat, it can make it easier for a customer of size to find a seat with an open seat next to it.
If you need a seatbelt extension then you can request that when you get on the plane (remember, you cannot use your own seatbelt extension) and preboarding can make that a little bit easier.
If you use preboarding, you will be able to select any seats available on the plane except for emergency row exit seats which are typically off-limits to people who use preboarding.
Emergency exit row seats may also be off-limits if you have mobility issues so keep that in mind.
Customers of size sometimes prefer to sit in the very back of the plane because they find it easier to deal with potential passengers trying to poach their seat. If you’re seated in the back near a flight attendant, that crewmember may be more likely to help keep people from taking your extra seat.
Window seats can also be a great option because you can utilize the extra room along the window and the fuselage.
After you check in, you should have a “Seat Reserved” document that you can place on your seat during boarding but these are small documents that look similar to a boarding pass so they don’t stand out.
Flight attendants also have larger “do not occupy” placards that are harder to miss. So feel free to request one of those from a flight attendant to make it easier for passengers to tell that your extra seat is reserved.
Can you purchase an extra seat simply for extra comfort?
Unlike some other airlines, Southwest does not allow you to purchase an additional seat just because you want extra space.
Instead, extra seats are reserved for oversize customers and people who have other special needs such as traveling with certain pets.
Purchase of more than one seat for use by a single Passenger for the sole purpose of seeking additional personal space is prohibited, except in limited circumstances when the Carrier, in its discretion, permits it.
This is kind of a let down because having an extra seat can be beneficial for a lot of people, even if they are not customers of size.
However, I understand how allowing passengers to purchase extra seats could make the Southwest boarding process more difficult to sort out.
Final word
Southwest is very friendly to customers of size.
First, they allow you to book online and to receive a refund for the extra seat or seats that you need. They will even bump people off flights if you failed to you book your extra seat in advance (which is why you always want to book it in advance). And finally, you can also get preboarding which will allow you to select from a wide variety of seats.
Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and creator of the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned full-time credit card rewards/travel expert and has earned and redeemed millions of miles to travel the globe. Since 2014, his content has been featured in major publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, Forbes, CNBC, US News, and Business Insider. Find his full bio here.
Southwest Airlines, like many other airlines, allows you to fly with your pet but there are some rules and restrictions you need to know about before jumping on a plane with your four-legged friend.
This comprehensive article will walk you through all of the rules and policies you need to know for flying in-cabin with your pet, such as fees and size restrictions. I’ll also discuss the rules for emotional support and service animals. For more tips on flying Southwest, click here.
What is the Southwest Airlines pet policy?
Southwest Airlines allows small vaccinated domestic cats and dogs to travel with you in-cabin under the seat in front of you for $95 per one-way.
Southwest Airlines pet policy fees
As stated, pets traveling on Southwest Airlines are subject to a $95 Pet Fare each way per pet carrier. The fare is refundable if you cancel your reservation or if your flight is canceled and you do not rebook.
Note: for Customers traveling between Hawaiian Islands from September 6 through June 30, 2023, the Pet Fare is $35 each way per pet carrier.
Tip: Use the free app WalletFlo to help you travel the world for free by finding the best travel credit cards and promotions!
How to avoid Southwest pet fees
One of the easiest ways to avoid pet fees is to use the right credit card. The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is a good card for general travel expenses and its points can be used to offset airline pet fees since they will often code as travel.
You can also use an incidental credit attached to a travel credit card. For example, the Platinum Card has a $200 incidental credit.
Other cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve have a $300 travel credit that could be used on virtually any type of travel purchase including pet fees.
You can make your reservations for U.S. domestic flights by calling the following Southwest phone number: 1-800-I-FLY-SWA (1-800-435-9792). You cannot currently make them online.
It’s highly recommended that you make a reservation because space for pets is limited to only six per aircraft.
On the day of travel, you must bring the pet to the airport in an approved pet carrier. You will proceed to the airport ticket counter to check the pet in and pay the Pet Fare before going to the departure gate. Credit cards are accepted.
In-cabin pet carriers
You’ll need to make sure that you have a qualified in-cabin pet carrier when taking your pet aboard Southwest Airlines.
Southwest sells an official pet carrier for $58 (tax included) at any Southwest Airport Ticket Counter or online (tax not included) at Southwest: The Store (this is not an affiliate of Southwest Airlines Co.). These purchases are nonrefundable.
If I were planning on purchasing one from the airport, I would try to call ahead and make sure that there are carriers available, especially if I was doing this at a smaller, regional airport. That is because there are some reports of airports not being stocked with pet carriers.
Pet carrier specs
If you’re not going to purchase your carrier directly from Southwest, you just need to make sure that it abides by the following restrictions:
Maximum dimensions of 18.5” long x 8.5” high x 13.5” wide.
Soft-sided and hard-sided carriers specifically designed as pet carriers are acceptable.
The carriers must be leak-proof and well ventilated.
The pet carrier must be small enough to fit under the seat in front of the Customer and be stowed in accordance with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations.
There are also some additional restrictions you need to be aware of:
One pet carrier per ticketed passenger
Southwest Airlines allows only one pet carrier per ticketed Passenger.
If you need to transport multiple pet carriers then you will need to be flying with someone else. Just keep in mind that there is a limit on the total number of carriers allowed on a plane and you can find out more about that below.
Carriers may only contain two cats or dogs
The carrier may contain two (2) cats or dogs and must be of the same species per carrier.
You can carry up to two cats or dogs in one carrier but you cannot mix and match them. So you could not have one dog and one cat, for example.
Must be plenty of room for your pet
The cat or dog must be completely inside the pet carrier and be able to stand up and move around the carrier with ease.
You’ll be putting the well-being of your pet at risk if the carrier is too small. Also, it’s really important to remember that you’re not going to be able to take your pet out of the carrier during the flight, so you need to make sure that your pet will be okay.
If you are carrying multiple cats or dogs in one carrier then you need to pay extra close attention to the amount of room that they will have.
Pets must remain in the pet carrier
Pets must be secured in the pet carrier at all times while in the gate area, during boarding/deplaning, and they must remain in the carrier for the entire duration of the flight. Failure to follow this requirement may result in denial of transportation of the pet onboard Southwest Airlines.
Notice that your pet needs to be in the pet carrier even when you are in the gate area. So as you are getting ready for Southwest boarding, your pet cannot have free reign in the gate area, no matter how cute he or she is.
It is possible that you can purchase an extra seat in some situations where it can make it easier for you to tend to your pet. This doesn’t mean that your pet can occupy that seat, though. If you are interested in getting an extra seat when traveling with your pet, be sure to inquire with Southwest.
Southwest pet restrictions
There are a number of specific restrictions for flying with your pets on Southwest that you should be aware of:
Pets must be attended
Southwest Airlines does not accept pets (cats or dogs) traveling without a customer.
You can’t simply send your pet on a flight without an accompanying customer. This makes a lot of sense because I’m pretty sure 99% of pets will not know how to make their way to boarding.
Pets can’t travel with Unaccompanied Minors.
Pets are not permitted to travel with Unaccompanied Minors.
Unaccompanied Minors are young passengers that are flying without an adult. There are special restrictions for these younger passengers and you can read about them here.
No exit rows
Customers traveling with a pet may not occupy an exit row or a seat with no forward under-seat stowage.
You cannot sit in an exit row seat with your pet or a seat with no under seat storage (this would be like a seat in the front row). The reason is for safety because they do not want pets interfering with access to exit areas.
No checked pets
Southwest Airlines will only carry pets in the cabin; pets are not permitted as checked baggage.
Southwest does not offer you the option to check your pet as checked baggage. There are many more risks involved with flying your pet as checked baggage. For example, they could be subjected to excessive temperatures or a rough landing and you will not be there to comfort them. So I would think long and hard before I ever committed to transporting my pet like that.
Limitation on pet carriers per flight
There will be no more than six (6) scheduled pet carriers per scheduled flight. However, from time to time, circumstances may allow for more (or fewer) than six (6) pet carriers per scheduled flight.
Southwest tries to limit the total number of pet carriers to six per flight. This sounds like somewhat of a soft rule though so at times they might compromise depending on the circumstances.
Age limits
Cats and dogs must be at least eight (8) weeks old for travel.
Cats and dogs are very vulnerable younger than eight weeks, so your pets need to be at least eight weeks old for the trip. And you probably want your pets to be fully vaccinated before potentially exposing them to something that could be very harmful to them.
Good temperaments needed
The animals must be harmless, not disruptive, odorless, and require no attention during flight.
This will be a judgment call by the flight staff. But if your pet is showing signs that it might be problematic then you might not be able to transport them.
For example, if your dog is barking loudly at every passenger walking by that could be an issue or if your pet is in a filthy condition that would also be a problem.
Disruptive behavior can also be an issue and here is what the Southwest considers to be disruptive.
Scratching, excessive whining or barking
Growling, biting, lunging
Urinating or defecating in the cabin or gate area
Must remain in the pet carrier
Cats and dogs must remain in the carrier (including head and tail) and the carrier must be stowed under the seat in front of the Customer (owner) for the entire duration of the flight.
This is one of the most important factors to consider. Your pet must remain in the carrier through the whole flight including its head/tail and the carrier must be stowed under the seat in front of you. The pet must also remain in the carrier during boarding and when in the gate area.
This means that if you have an anxious pet you are going to have trouble consoling them through the flight since their head must remain in the pet carrier and the pet carrier must remain under the seat. I have seen pet owners gently stroke their pet while their pet remains in the carrier but that is about as much contact is permitted.
So you need to really think about how your pet is going to act before flying with them and perhaps try to do some exposure training so that they are used to the carrier as much as possible. It will also help if you can get your pet tired out before the flight by playing with them.
And of course, treats can go really far.
No sharing
A pet may not share a carrier with a trained service animal or an emotional support animal.
This rule is pretty straightforward. The idea is that a service animal or emotional support animal is there to serve a function and the airlines don’t want your pet distracting or interfering with that animal.
Purchasing additional seats
The purchase of an additional seat may be required to accommodate the pet when traveling with a portable oxygen concentrator, trained service animal, or emotional support animal.
In some cases you may need to purchase an additional seat.
Make sure your animal takes care of business
Southwest Airlines will not be responsible if a Customer misses a flight due to the need to take the cat or dog to an outside relief area. Flight departures will not be delayed or held in order for connecting Customers to take a pet to an animal relief area.
It is vital to remember to take your dog to an outside relief area before your flight. But when you do that keep in mind that the flight will take place with or without you so make sure you allocate plenty of time to make it to the relief area, for your pet to do their business, and for you to get back to boarding in time.
No in-flight first aid
If the pet becomes ill during the flight, oxygen or other first aid procedures will not be administered.
If your pet become sick during the flight then you will be responsible for trying to help it out since there are no procedures that will take place in flight.
Emergency masks may not be available for your pet
In the event of an emergency, an oxygen mask may not be available for the cat or dog.
You are always supposed to place an oxygen mask on yourself first before attending to others and this also applies for your pet. The thing is, there may not be an emergency mask for your pet so you may not be able to help them out if there is a sudden change in cabin pressure.
No liability
Southwest Airlines assumes no liability for the health or wellbeing of carryon pets.
Southwest disclaims all liability for your pet when flying on their planes.
No pet remains
Southwest Airlines will not accept pet remains in the cabin of the aircraft.
This one is a little tough for some people but if you are transporting your pet remains they will need to be transported in checked baggage. Read more about traveling with cremated remains here.
Southwest only accepts credit cards and cash
Customers can pay with accepted credit cards. Southwest LUV Vouchers, gift cards, and unused travel fundswill not be accepted for payment of a Pet Fare.
Tip: Use the free app WalletFlo to help you travel the world for free by finding the best travel credit cards and promotions!
Carry-ons
You should note that pet carriers are considered either a personal item or a carryon item.
This means that you could board the aircraft with either a pet carrier and a personal item or a pet carrier and a regular size carryon bag.
A Customer may not board the aircraft with a pet carrier, a regular size carryon bag, and a personal item. This might mean that you will need to check some of your baggage but the good news is that you can get two free checked bags for each Southwest flight.
Pets and international flights
Pets are not allowed to travel in-cabin on Southwest Airlines international flights or any itinerary that includes an international flight. Pets also cannot go on flights between the continental US and Hawaii.
Shipping pets in the Cargo hold
Unlike other airlines, Southwest does not allow pets to be shipped in the cargo hold. I personally don’t think I’d ever ship my pet in the cargo hold due to the risks but Southwest doesn’t give you that option so you don’t have to worry about it.
Emotional support animals
Effective March 1, 2021, Southwest will accept only trained service dogs for travel and will no longer transport emotional support animals.
An emotional support animal provides support for an individual with a mental health-related disability and is not trained to perform a specific task(s) or work.
A Customer seeking to travel with an emotional support animal must satisfy all of the following requirements:
The Customer must have the required documentation
The emotional support animal must be either a dog or a cat.
Each Customer may bring only one emotional support animal on the flight.
The emotional support animal must be in a carrier that can be stowed under the seat in front of the Customer or on a leash at all times while in the airport and onboard the aircraft.
If you want to travel with an emotional support animal, you must provide to a Southwest Airlines Employee current documentation (not more than one year old on the date of travel) on letterhead from a licensed mental health professional or medical doctor who is treating the Customer’s mental health-related disability.
The letter must state all four items below:
The Passenger has a mental or emotional disability recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
The Passenger needs the emotional support dog or cat as an accommodation for air travel and/or for activity at the Passenger’s destination
The individual providing the assessment is a licensed mental health professional or medical doctor, and the Passenger is under his or her professional care AND
The date and type of mental health professional’s or medical doctor’s license and the state or other jurisdiction in which it was issued
An emotional support animal will be allowed to travel on flights to/from all domestic and international destinations, but many international destinations have country-specific regulations.
Southwest Airlines allows trained dogs, cats, and miniature horses as service animals as long as the customer is able to provide credible verbal assurance that the animal is a trained service animal. Southwest Airlines does not accept unusual or exotic species of animals.
NOTE: A service animal vest, harness, ID card, or registration is not accepted as the sole indication an animal is a trained service animal.
Southwest will charge you $95 per one way flight for pets to fly in the cabin.
How can I avoid the Southwest Airlines pet fee?
You can use airline credits to avoid the fee with some credit cards such as the Amex Platinum Card.
How do I make a reservation for my pet on Southwest Airlines?
You can make your reservations for U.S. domestic flights by calling the following Southwest phone number: 1-800-I-FLY-SWA (1-800-435-9792).
Where can I get a pet carrier?
Southwest sells an official pet carrier for $58 at any Southwest Airport Ticket Counter or online at “Southwest: The Store.”
How many pet carriers can I bring?
Southwest Airlines only allows only one pet carrier per ticketed passenger.
How many pets can I put in my carrier?
The carrier may contain two cats or dogs and must be of the same species per carrier.
Can a pet travel with an unaccompanied minor?
Pets are not permitted to travel with Unaccompanied Minors.
Where can I sit with my pet?
You cannot sit in an exit row seat or in a row with no forward under seat storage.
Can I send my pet as a checked pet?
No, Southwest does not allow pets to travel as checked pets.
Can my puppy or kitten travel with me?
Cats and dogs must be at least eight weeks old to travel.
Do I also get a carry-on in addition to my pet?
Your pet carrier will be considered either a personal item or a carry-on item.
Can my pet travel on an international flight on Southwest?
No, pets are not allowed to travel on Southwest international flights.
Can I get preboarding if I’m traveling with a pet on Southwest?
No, preboarding is not available for those simply traveling with a pet.
Final word
Flying with pets can be stressful for both humans and animals alike. But you can help alleviate a lot of that stress by researching into all of the different rules and policies so that you won’t be in violation of any of the restrictions and you can focus solely on getting your pet safely from point A to point B.
Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and creator of the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned full-time credit card rewards/travel expert and has earned and redeemed millions of miles to travel the globe. Since 2014, his content has been featured in major publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, Forbes, CNBC, US News, and Business Insider. Find his full bio here.
Southwest Airlines Unaccompanied Minor Policy Guide: (Fees & Rules) [2023]
The Southwest Airlines unaccompanied minor policy is a bit different from some of the major airlines like Delta, American, etc.
For one, it’s cheaper to fly with children on Southwest than it is with those other big carriers but there are also differences with the age limits required and also with the routing allowed.
In this article, I’ll tell you everything you need to know about the unaccompanied minor policy for Southwest, including things like fees and all the rules. I’ll also walk you through the entire experience so you’ll know what to expect and then finally offer some tips to make your experience as smooth as possible.
What is the Southwest Airlines unaccompanied minor policy?
Southwest Airlines requires children ages five through 11 traveling without an accompanying passenger age 12 or older to travel as unaccompanied minors (UMs).
Children aged 12 or older cannot travel as unaccompanied minors and must travel independently though there is “young traveler” policy for kids aged 12 through 17 (more on that below).
Note: This is different from some other major airlines that set the upper age unaccompanied minor limit at 14, such as Delta and American.
What are the Southwest Airlines unaccompanied minor fees?
Southwest Airlines charges $50 each way (or $100 roundtrip) for the unaccompanied minor fee. This is in addition to the airfare per child. So if the airfare costs $120 and you’re flying an unaccompanied minor roundtrip, the total cost would be $220.
This fee is much lower than what the legacy carriers charge. Both Delta and American, for example, charge $150 each way, so you can save a couple of hundred dollars by going with Southwest on a roundtrip ticket.
Southwest Airlines unaccompanied minor fees.
Tip: Use the free app WalletFlo to help you travel the world for free by finding the best travel credit cards and promotions!
How to book a Southwest unaccompanied minor reservation
There are three different ways you can make a booking for an unaccompanied minor.
Book online at southwest.com
Call Southwest at 1-800-435-9792
Make the reservation at the Southwest ticket counter at the airport
When you enter the child’s birth date online, you will need to indicate whether the child will be traveling with someone over the age of 12. If not, then you will be required to fill out the unaccompanied minor travel document and pay the fee.
If you are using Rapid Rewards (points) to make your booking, you can still book a ticket for an unaccompanied minor.
When you’re ready to make your reservation, you’ll need the following information:
The child’s full name
Your relationship to the child
The child’s address
Telephone number(s), including area code
The child’s date of birth
Information about both the parent/guardian dropping off and the one picking him/her up
Contact information for an alternate designee at the child’s destination
Southwest Airlines has a generous unaccompanied minor policy.
Southwest Airlines unaccompanied minor form (PDF)
Here is the Southwest Airlines unaccompanied minor form. As you can see, you’ll need the information for the parent/guardian dropping off the child as well as the parent/guardian picking up the child. In addition, you’ll need to name an alternate to pick up the child just in case something comes up.
Dropping off at the airport
Give yourself plenty of time
One mistake that many people make when dealing with unaccompanied minors is that they don’t plan properly and allow enough time for them to make it through the airport. When you’re dealing with an unaccompanied minor, you’re going to need to find time to:
Park the car
Obtain your escort pass
Get the child’s UM lanyard
Get through security
Check in at the gate
Arrive in time for pre-boarding
So be sure to arrive earlier than you usually would if it were just a normal flight. Your goal will be to arrive at the gate no less than 45 minutes prior to the flight’s scheduled departure time.
Once you arrive, you’ll need to stop at the Southwest Airlines ticket counter. This is where you’ll receive a UM lanyard for the child and you (the parent or guardian) will obtain an escort pass. You must get the escort pass to take them through security.
At check-in, you will need to show the following documents:
A copy of the child’s itinerary
Proof of the child’s age (birth certificate, etc.)
Your valid, government-issued ID (required to get an escort pass)
Once you have your escort pass and make your way to the gate, you’ll want to check in with a Southwest Airlines Employee at the gate and let them know that you are dropping off a UM. This will help them inform you about pre-boarding but it’s ultimately your responsibility to make sure that you child boards the plane at the right time. Read more about how the Southwest boarding process works here.
Must be accompanied until the plane departs
A parent or guardian must remain in the gate area until the flight is in the air. This is a key thing to remember because many people assume that they don’t need to stick around after escorting the minor to the gate.
The reason you need to stick around is that the plane could come back to the gate even after it has left the gate and the airlines want to make sure that someone will be around to look after the minor in that scenario.
After the plane has departed be sure to call the parent/guardian picking up the child to let them know that the flight has departed.
In the air
Flight attendants aren’t babysitters
A Southwest flight attendant will keep tabs on the child during the flight but will not continuously monitor the child throughout the flight. Make sure your child is aware of this and consider their maturity level before deciding to let them fly alone.
The lanyard
The child is required to wear the UM lanyard around their neck at all times during the flight so make sure that they are aware of this.
It’s important that while the child is flying, there are parents or guardians who can be reached via phone in the event there is a change to the plane’s path due to unexpected circumstances. See below about downloading an app to keep you informed of the flight during the entire process (highly recommended).
Once the flight is over, the child will be escorted to the gate where they can be picked up by the parent or guardian.
Pick-up
The person picking up the child will need to check in at the Southwest Airlines ticket counter to obtain an escort pass that will allow them to go through the security checkpoint and they must show a valid, government-issued ID.
Parents and guardians picking up an Unaccompanied Minor should arrive at the gate 45 minutes prior to scheduled arrival. Many times planes can arrive very early which is why they want you to arrive so early. The parent or guardian will need to present a valid government-issued photo ID at the time of pick up.
It’s important to note that Southwest will not release an Unaccompanied Minor to anyone other than the designated parent or guardian. If something comes up and you need to change who the designated parent or guardian is make sure that you talk to someone at the ticket counter before the child’s arrival.
Tip: Use WalletFlo for all your credit card needs. It’s free and will help you optimize your rewards and savings!
Southwest Airlines unaccompanied minor rules
International destinations
Something that’s very important to note is that Southwest does not provide unaccompanied minor service to and from international destinations. Southwest serves a number of international destinations, so you’ll want to make sure to keep your unaccompanied minor requests to domestic routes.
If traveling to Hawaii you’ll probably need to fill out the Plants and Animals Declaration Form at the departure gate prior to boarding the aircraft.
Routing restrictions
Unaccompanied minors are only allowed to travel on nonstop or same-plane service flights. These are flights that might make a stop or two but they do not require passengers to change planes or flight number.
This is different from other legacy carriers that allow connections (depending on routes and age), so if you need more flexible routing you might want to look into other airlines like American or Delta.
Tips
Pack snacks
Southwest does not offer a meal service though they do provide very light snacks on flights. If you think your minor will have an appetite, consider packing food with them to take through the airport (see what foods are allowed through TSA here) or you might just want to purchase something for them at a store within the airport once you get through security.
Pack entertainment
Southwest doesn’t have the best in-flight entertainment (IFE) and so you’ll want to pack something to keep your child occupied. Tablets are probably the go-to but other things like toys or coloring books could also be handy.
Charge up those devices
Southwest does not have power outlets on board so make sure that your devices are sufficiently charged before you arrive at the airport.
Get an app to monitor the flight
I suggest that you download an app like FlightAware that allows you to monitor the progress of your child’s flight.
Pets
Pets are not allowed to fly with unaccompanied minors.
Refunds
It is possible to get refunded for the unaccompanied minor charges. If you cancel your reservation or if your flight is canceled you can get refunded for the charges. Also, if the child is joined by an accompanying passenger age 12 or older they would no longer be an unaccompanied minor and the charges could be refunded. In all cases, contact Southwest at 1-800-I-FLY-SWA (1-800-435-9792) or visit the airport ticket counter to process your refund.
Liability
Be aware of the liability language that you are agreeing to which states:
THE PURCHASER AGREES TO INDEMNIFY, HOLD HARMLESS, AND FULLY RELEASE SOUTHWEST AIRLINES FOR ANY AND ALL INJURY OR DAMAGES TO PROPERTY OR PERSONS CAUSED BY OR INCURRED AS A RESULT OF AN UNACCOMPANIED MINOR’S ACTIONS, INCLUDING INJURIES TO THE UNACCOMPANIED MINOR CAUSED BY HIS OR HER OWN NEGLIGENCE.
So basically if your child has a penchant to get out of control, you could be held liable for his or her actions. This is just yet another reason you want to make sure you child is mature enough to travel alone.
If you are interested in finding out more tips check out the ultimate guide to unaccompanied minors here.
Young travelers
Southwest Airlines has a “young traveler” policy for kids ages: 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17. This only applies for domestic flights.
Southwest states that a young traveler “must be of sufficient maturity and capability to travel alone—this includes, but is not limited to, checking in, passing through the security checkpoint, boarding, deplaning, and claiming luggage.”
So the child will need to be relatively self-sufficient and not overwhelmed by the prospect of trying to navigate a busy airport. Following the same procedures outlined above, you can obtain an escort pass to accompany the child through the security checkpoint through to the gate and also to pick them up at the gate.
Southwest Airlines unaccompanied minor FAQ
What is the Southwest Airlines unaccompanied minor age limit?
All children ages five through 11 traveling without an accompanying passenger 12 or older must travel as unaccompanied minors.
How much are the Southwest Airlines unaccompanied minor fees?
You will have to pay $50 each way for the unaccompanied minor fees.
How can I avoid the fees?
You can avoid the unaccompanied minor fees by using a credit card with an airline credit such as the Amex Platinum Card.
Can an unaccompanied minor fly on international flights?
No, an unaccompanied minor cannot fly on Southwest international flights.
How can I book an unaccompanied minor reservation?
You can make an unaccompanied minor reservation online, at the ticket counter at the airport, or by calling Southwest at 1-800-435-9792.
What form do I have to fill out?
You will need to fill out the unaccompanied minor information form.
This is a simple form that just requires you to input contact information for the parent or guardian dropping off the child and the parent or guardian picking them up.
Keep in mind that all contact information must match to a government issued ID for the adults involved in picking up and dropping off the child.
Do I need to arrive early at the airport?
If you are dropping off an unaccompanied minor you will want to arrive early to make sure you have enough time to obtain your escort pass, get through security, and arrive in time for pre-boarding.
Do unaccompanied minors get priority boarding?
Yes, unaccompanied minor passengers may be board during pre-boarding. It’s a good idea to notify the agent at the gate that the unaccompanied minor will be pre-boarding.
Can an unaccompanied minor travel on a connecting flight?
Unaccompanied minors can only travel on nonstop or same plane service flights.
If a flight requires a connecting flight (where the passenger hops on board a different plane) that is not allowed for an unaccompanied minor.
Final word
The Southwest Airlines unaccompanied minor policy is a bit different from the major airlines. It’s not as expensive and it’s also not as strict on the age limits. But it’s also not as flexible when it comes to connecting flights and international travel.
Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and creator of the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned full-time credit card rewards/travel expert and has earned and redeemed millions of miles to travel the globe. Since 2014, his content has been featured in major publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, Forbes, CNBC, US News, and Business Insider. Find his full bio here.
The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card is loaded up with some interesting benefits like a travel credit, upgraded boardings, and right now it comes with a very solid limited-time welcome bonus!
Let’s take a look at all of the features of this card to see if it might be worth it for you to jump on this offer while it lasts.
Southwest Priority Credit Card
First, here are some highlights for the Southwest Priority Credit Card.
3X on Southwest purchases
2X on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
2X on internet, cable, phone services, and streaming
25% back on in-flight drinks, WiFi, messaging, and movies
No foreign transaction fees
Earn tier qualifying points towards A-list Status
$149 annual fee
Not your typical premium card
When we think of premium travel rewards credit cards, it’s usually a card with a hefty $400+ annual fee that offers airport lounge access among other valuable travel perks.
But this card is different.
Southwest doesn’t have an airport lounge network so there’s no surprise that lounge access is not a perk here.
Instead, the additional value justifying the “semi-premium” price is going to come from the travel credit, upgrades, discounts, and the anniversary points.
These are benefits that could be very worthwhile to Southwest flyers but may not be as attractive to people who don’t normally fly Southwest.
I’ll discuss all of those in detail below.
Tip: Use WalletFlo for all your credit card needs. It’s free and will help you optimize your rewards and savings!
Southwest Priority Credit Card Features
Welcome bonus
75,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months.
Offer no longer available.
The 75,000 Rapid Rewards after spending $3,000 in the first three months is a great offer.
That puts you only 50,000 Rapid Rewards short of the Companion Pass requirements which you could easily meet by also going for a business card like the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card which is currently offering 60,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months.
Just make sure that you hit your spend requirements after your December statement closes so that you can take advantage of this perk for as close to two years as you can get. (If you don’t want to risk anything, just wait until January of 2023 to meet your bonus.)
Bonus spending
3X on Southwest purchases
2X on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
2X on internet, cable, phone services, and streaming
Earning 3X on Southwest is solid but you might want to consider using a different Chase card for some of these categories.
That way, you can earn more points and have the added benefit of flexibility for transferring your points.
For example, I use the following Chase cards to rack up more rewards:
Chase Sapphire Reserve (3x on dining and travel)
Chase Freedom Unlimited (1.5X on every single purchase)
Chase Freedom Flex (5X on quarterly purchases)
Chase Ink Cash (5X on office supply stores, telecommunications)
$75 Southwest annual travel credit
The $75 Southwest annual travel credit can be used on airfare which essentially gives you a $75 discount every year if you fly Southwest.
Many people have also used this credit on gift cards although you probably always want to check on the latest data points before you do that.
The credit will automatically be applied to your account when your Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Priority Card is used for purchases (excluding Upgraded Boardings and inflight purchases).
Ultimately, this credit helps tooffset the $159 annual fee down to $84, which makes this card much more attractive.
7,500 anniversary points each year
The Southwest Priority Card earns 7,500 anniversary points each year on your account’s anniversary.
All of the Southwest cards offer anniversary points each year and this bonus is 1,500 more Rapid Rewards than what the Premier offers and 4,500 more than what the Plus offers.
If you value Southwest Rapid Rewards at 1.5 cents per point, then 7,500 anniversary points amounts to $112.50 in value received each year.
So with the $75 travel credit and the $112.50 in annual Rapid Rewards, that’s value at $187.50 received each year from the perks which already offsets the annual fee.
Four Upgraded Boardings per year when available
The Priority Card will offer you four upgraded boarding positions which are upgrades to Business Select boarding (A1-A15).
If you’re not aware, Southwest doesn’t offer a traditional business class or first class experience. They offer something called Business Select, which allows you to receive priority boarding.
This means you can grab the seats at the front of the airplane or within the emergency exit rows where the seats have a little more leg room or where you can grab a row with only two seats.
The amount of seats with more legroom/privacy depends on whether you’re flying on a 737-700 or 737-800. You can find out more information about the different types of seats in my Tips for Flying Southwest.
The amount of money it costs to upgrade depends on the length of the journey but you usually pay $30 to $50. So getting four upgraded boardings per year when available could be worth anywhere from $120 to $200. That’s quite a bit of value.
I know a lot of people don’t care for Southwest since there’s no true business class but I’ve always enjoyed upgrading and then grabbing one of the couple seats in the emergency exit row so Brad and I have our own row.
So I wouldn’t sleep on this benefit if you fly Southwest, but if you don’t usually fly with them, this isn’t exactly a very enticing upgrade benefit.
It’s worth noting that when you upgrade you’re usually not given the other Business Select perks like a free drink.
Also, unlike the cheaper Southwest cards you do NOT get the two free Early Bird passes.
25% back on in-flight drinks, WiFi, messaging, and movies
Even though your Southwest $75 credit is not good for in-flight purchases, they do offer you a 25% discount on many of these purchases which is nice.
No foreign transaction fees
Both the Southwest Premier and the Priority Credit Card do not come with foreign transaction fees.
Earn tier qualifying points towards A-list Status
You’ll earn 1,500 tier qualifying points (TQPs) for each $10,000 in purchases annually. There is no longer a limit on this earning potential!
TQPs can be used to count toward qualification for A-List or A-List Preferred status.
You need 35,000 tier qualifying points or 25 qualifying one-way flights per calendar year to qualify for A-List Status. A-List Members enjoy:
Priority boarding
Priority check-in and security lane access
25% more Rapid Rewards points earned on each flight (A-List Preferred receives a 100% bonus)
Free same-day standby
Dedicated A-List Member phone line
$149 annual fee
The Southwest Priority Credit Card comes with a $149 annual fee. Compare that to the Premier which has a $99 annual fee and Southwest Plus which comes with a $69 annual fee.
As you can see, it’s very easy to offset the $149 annual fee with the perks offered by this card.
Photo by Tomás Del Coro.
Not available to all
It’s important to remember the rules for Southwest credit cards that state:
This product is available to you if you do not have a current Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Card and have not received a new Cardmember bonus within the last 24 months. This does not apply to Business Card and Employee Credit Card products.
That last sentence is very important since the Business Southwest credit cards are excluded.
That means that if you’re striving for the Companion Pass then one of the best things that you can do is go for the business card and one of the personal cards.
Subject to 5/24
It’s also worth noting that the new Southwest Priority Credit Card is subject to Chase’s 5/24 rule, so if you’ve opened 5 or more credit cards in the past 24 months you won’t be eligible for the card.
Is it worth it?
The Priority Card’s benefits will clearly offset the annual fee for a lot of people, so I think it’s a great travel rewards card for Southwest flyers.
Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and creator of the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned full-time credit card rewards/travel expert and has earned and redeemed millions of miles to travel the globe. Since 2014, his content has been featured in major publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, Forbes, CNBC, US News, and Business Insider. Find his full bio here.
Southwest Business Select Worth it? (Wanna Get Away vs Anytime) [2022]
Southwest Business Select is confusing to many outsiders because it sounds like you’re purchasing a traditional business class/first class ticket with more spacious seating, better class of service, etc.
However, Business Select on Southwest is more like an Economy Plus flying experience with special additional perks.
While it’s not a true business class experience, it can still be worth it and better than Wanna Get Away and Anytime fares (depending on your situation).
Here’s everything you need to know about Southwest Business Select to determine if it’s worth it.
What is Southwest Business Select?
Southwest Business Select fares are the most expensive type of Southwest Airlines ticket sold and they offer the most amount of benefits including:
Guaranteed A1-A15 boarding
Fly By lane access
Free premium drink
12 Rapid Rewards per dollar spent
Fully refundable fare
Free same day changes and standby
Tip: Use the free app WalletFlo to help you travel the world for free by finding the best travel credit cards and promotions!
Best Southwest credit cards
Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Premier Card
The Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Premier Card comes with the following benefits:
Having a high boarding pass could result in you getting stuck in a middle seat or even with no overhead storage for your carry-on.
But having a Business Select A1-A15 low boarding position could mean snagging emergency exit row seats with extra leg room (more on those below).
I should mention that for non-Business Select passengers, if you check-in right at the 24 hour mark, you should be able to get a window or aisle seat and find overhead bin space.
So if you just want a window or aisle seat, you don’t need to purchase Business Select to secure that.
If you’re really worried about not getting a good seat then consider signing up for Southwest EarlyBird, which will automatically check you in before your flight and increase your odds of getting an A boarding pass.
This will get you through the expedited check-in and security lines. This is also a benefit given to A-List and A-List Preferred Members. You can read more about it and find airports with these express lanes here.
I’ve seen some long lines to check in/check bags for Southwest before so having this perk can be pretty valuable especially if you’re traveling on business and in a time crunch.
As far as expedited security goes, I’m more interested in using TSA Pre-Check and CLEAR to get through quickly.
Free premium drink
Whenever you check in you should be given your free Southwest Business Select drink coupon.
Make sure that they give it to you since some times they don’t even mention to you that you have the drink coupon along with your boarding pass.
Keep in mind flights traveling 175 miles or less only serve water. If you are traveling over 175 miles you may be able to choose from the following drinks:
If you are really nice to a flight attendant they may hook you up with a second free drink for free. Otherwise, alcoholic beverages will cost you about $6 to $7 each.
With Business Select, you’ll be earning 12 Rapid Rewards per dollar spent.
For sake of comparison, here are the earn rates for the different Southwest fares:
Business Select: 12
Anytime: 10
Wanna Get Away Plus: 8
Wanna Get Away: 6
The extra value received in the form of Rapid Rewards is a major consideration that should be factored in when deciding between Business Select and Anytime fares (discussed more below).
The price difference between Business Select and Wanna Get Away fares is usually so drastic that this perk usually isn’t relevant when choosing between those.
The higher price of Business Select is often a turn off to many people looking for budget flights but business travelers are big on these fares. Since their companies are typically covering their travel, they’re able to quickly accumulate Rapid Rewards by booking these fares.
If you have status with Southwest (A-List or A-List Preferred) you can earn additional bonus Rapid Rewards.
Here are the elite status requirements and bonus rates:
Level
Flights
Tier Qualifying Points
Bonus
A-List
25
35,000
25%
A-List Preferred
50
70,000
100%
This means that if you’re A-List Preferred you’ll earn a 100% bonus on each flight meaning you’d be earning 24 Rapid Rewards per dollar spent with Business Select!
Business Select fares are fully refundable so you can get a monetary refund to your original form of payment or a flight credit.
The key thing to remember is that in order to get a full refund you will need to act at least 10 minutes prior to scheduled departure.
If you wait longer than that your Business Select fare will be converted to a travel credit that you can use for yourself or transfer to someone else.
This refund flexibility is the biggest reason you’d want to pay extra for Business Select.
The other benefits can make Business Select a better pick than Anytime fares but Wanna Get Away fares are going to make sense most of the time if you don’t need a fully refundable ticket.
Note that if you modify a Business Select booking you’ll lose the ability to get a refund.
As the terms state:
“Modifying a fully refundable fare will result in the fare becoming NON-refundable. Non-refundable fares may be applied toward future travel on Southwest Airlines for the originally ticketed passenger only.”
Same day changes and standby travel
If your plans change on the day of travel, you can change to a different flight on your day of travel without additional charges. The good thing about being a Business Select passenger is that you can do this online.
If you can’t find a seat, you can always get put on the same-day standby list for a different flight by talking with a Southwest Gate Agent (in person).
Standby travel between the same city pairs and on the original date of travel is permitted with no charge for a change in fare price. But If the fare on your new flight is lower than your original purchase, Southwest will refund the difference.
Note: You may lose the privilege of boarding in the first portion of the “A” group if you choose to standby on a different flight.
No free luggage?
Southwest gives everybody two free bags so that’s why free checked bags are not a Business Select perk. To read more about Southwest luggage policies click here.
Is there a Southwest first class?
There is no Southwest first class. Southwest Business Select is essentially Southwest “first class” but I wouldn’t refer to Business Select as first class because that is even more misleading than the term Business Select.
If you are interested in true first class experiences you’ll need to go with other legacy carriers like United, American, Delta, etc. which have a separate cabin and larger seats for first class.
Are Southwest Business Select seats bigger?
Southwest Business Select is not a traditional business class ticket that’s going to get you spacious first class or business class seating.
Unlike other domestic carriers like United, American, Delta, Alaska, etc., there is not a separate Southwest business class cabin.
On Southwest, you’re all in it together and the entire plane is economy. With that said, you can still get extra comfort with Business Select tickets by finding seats with extra leg room.
Seats with extra leg room
Southwest primarily operates 737-700s and 737-800s. It’s a good idea to get familiar with the seat maps of these two planes.
That’s because several seats have extra legroom and others come in rows of only two seats, which can be great for couples. You can find out more information about the different types of seats in my tips for flying Southwest.
If you purchase Business Select tickets you’ll be among the first to board the plane and you’ll have a lot of options for your seat.
Some Business Select passengers like to snag a seat up front but others seek out more legroom.
Preboarding can’t take the emergency exit row seats with extra legroom, so it’s often pretty easy to get a seat in those rows Business Select passengers (though not guaranteed).
Extra room in the emergency exit rows. Photo by Kevin Dooley.
How much does it cost to upgrade to Southwest Business Select?
The cost to upgrade to Business Select varies from $30 to $50 per segment, depending on the route.
Keep in mind that upgrade availability is limited.
So if you’re flying on a heavy business route you might not be able to upgrade.
But if you’re flying on a leisure route to somewhere like the Caribbean you can almost always count on an upgrade being possible (you might even get the top spot).
On a couple of occasions, I’ve been told there are no upgrades available only to find out at boarding that there’s nobody (or just one or two people) in Business Select!
I still don’t know why this happens but it’s something to be on the lookout for.
Tip: Use the free app WalletFlo to help you travel the world for free by finding the best travel credit cards and promotions!
How to upgrade to Business Select
To upgrade, simply choose your upgrade at the time of online check-in or 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.
Southwest should be able to tell you exactly what boarding number you’d receive before you upgrade so you can see if it’s worth it.
Note: On at least one occasion I was upgraded to a position like A9 and yet there were no passengers who boarded before me so it’s possible that sometimes your boarding position might actually be better than what the agent told you it is at the time of your upgrade.
If you upgrade, you will not receive the additional Rapid Rewards or a free drink coupon.
Upgrades with the new Southwest Priority Credit Card
The new Southwest Priority Credit Card now offers up to four upgrades to priority boarding (A1 to A15) based on availability per year.
Among other benefits, it also offers a $75 annual credit, 20% back on in-flight drinks, WiFi, messaging, and movies, and 20% back on in-flight drinks, WiFi, messaging, and movies.
It’s not a bad way to cover those upgrades to Business Select if you only need to cover a few of those a year.
Southwest Business Select vs Anytime
Southwest Anytime fares are the mid-tier fares which just like Business Select, are fully refundable.
The difference between these fares is that Business Select comes with extra perks.
With Business Select you get the priority boarding, the free premium drink, and get to earn 12 Rapid Rewards per dollar spent versus the 10 Rapid Rewards per dollar spent that you get with Anytime fares.
So if you’re debating between Business Select and Anytime fares you need to think about how much you value priority boarding, a free drink, and those extra points.
Often the price difference between Business Select and Anytime fares is quite small. In the example below, the pricedifference is only $22.
So in that case you’d break your Rapid Rewards earnings down as follows:
Business Select: $615 X 12 = 7,380 ($111 worth of Rapid Rewards)
Anytime: $593 X 10 = 5,930 ($89 worth of Rapid Rewards)
You could then subtract the cash value of those point earnings from the original price to see what your effective cost would be with point earnings considered.
The math would look like this:
Business Select: $615 – $111= $504
Anytime: $593 – $89 = $504
Notice how the effective prices are equal but with Business Selectyou’d also get the priority boarding and the free drink.
So in some cases, you’ll definitely get more value by paying for Business Select over Anytime awards but you always should do the math to see which is a better bargain.
When it comes to Wanna Get Away fares, the two major differences are 1) the refund policy and 2) price.
The refund policy
Wanna Get Away fares are not refundable.
You can get a flight credit if you cancel 10 minutes prior to departure but you just can’t transfer the flight credit like you could with a Business Select fare.
Meanwhile, as already stated, Business Select fares are truly refundable since you can get your cash back in your pocket. Even if you never show up, you will still get a credit.
Price
Unlike Anytime fares, Wanna Get Away fares are usually much cheaper than Business Select fares.
So while Business Select fares will earn you more points, it’s often not worth chasing those points because you’re simply not going to net enough extra value to justify the higher cost.
I’ll use the above flight from HOU to LAX to illustrate. Here’s how many Rapid Rewards you would earn.
Business Select: $615 X 12 = 7,380
Wanna Get Away: $150 X 6 = 900
So you’d be spending $465 more for an extra 6,480 Rapid Rewards worth about $97. That would not even be close to worth it (unless of course you really need the refund flexibility).
If you’re interested in locking down a better seat, you could always go with EarlyBird or even upgrade to Business Select for a fraction of the cost.
And if you wanted a premium drink, remember those only cost around $6 to $7 so you’d be much better off paying for the drink out of pocket.
Companion Pass considerations
The Companion Pass allows someone to fly with you for free (besides fees) every time you purchase or redeem points for a flight. You can do this for up to two calendar years.
To qualify, you need to fly 100 qualifying one-way flights or earn 125,000 qualifying points in a calendar year.
If you do a lot of flying on Southwest, you might want to factor in how your 12X Business Select earnings will help you obtain the Companion Pass.
In some situations, it could make sense to go for a Business Select fare just to earn the extra points for the Companion Pass, especially if you are close to earning the needed points.
Just remember, only your 12X Business Select earnings will count towards the pass since you don’t get credit for elite bonus points.
Southwest Business Select FAQ
What are the Southwest Business Select benefits?
Guaranteed A1-A15 boarding Fly By lane access Free premium drink 12 Rapid Rewards per dollar spent Fully refundable fare Free same day changes and standby
What type of boarding position do you get with Southwest Business Select?
Business Select tickets offer guaranteed A1-A15 boarding.
Do you get a free drink with Southwest Business Select?
Yes, you will be offered a free premium (alcoholic) beverage via a drink coupon.
How many points do I earn when I fly with Southwest Business Select?
With Business Select, you’ll be earning 12 Rapid Rewards per dollar spent.
Are Southwest Business Select tickets refundable?
Business Select fares are fully refundable but you must cancel 10 minutes prior to departure to receive a refund back to your original form of payment.
Can you upgrade to Business Select?
The cost to upgrade to Business Select varies from $30 to $50 per segment, depending on the route. Keep in mind that the Southwest Priority Credit Card now offers up to four upgrades to priority boarding (A1 to A15) per year.
What is the difference between Southwest Business Select and Anytime fares?
The difference between these fares is that Business Select comes with extra perks. With Business Select you get the priority boarding, the free premium drink, and get to earn 12 Rapid Rewards per dollar spent versus the 10 Rapid Rewards per dollar spent that you get with Anytime fares.
How much more expensive is Southwest Business Select than Wanna Get Away?
Wanna Get Away fares can be significantly cheaper than Business Select. Many times you can save hundreds of dollars by booking a Wanna Get Away.
Final word
Ultimately, I think Business Select is only needed if you need to buy a truly refundable ticket, your company is footing the bill, or if pursuing the extra points makes economic sense.
Otherwise, I’d rather save the money and go with a Wanna Get Away and maybe upgrade to Business Select if I really wanted to board first or consider EarlyBird to guarantee better seating.
Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and creator of the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned full-time credit card rewards/travel expert and has earned and redeemed millions of miles to travel the globe. Since 2014, his content has been featured in major publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, Forbes, CNBC, US News, and Business Insider. Find his full bio here.
Ultimate Preboarding Guide: Who Qualifies & What the Law States
Are you trying to figure out what passengers qualify for preboarding and how the whole process works?
In this article, we rounded up the policies for different US airlines and also clarified the law regarding your rights to preboarding. Below, you’ll see exactly what federal law mandates and what type of passengers will qualify for preboarding.
Passengers who qualify for pre-boarding
There are two different ways to qualify for preboarding.
The first way to qualify is to fall into a category that is recognized by federal law and that requires the airlines to provide you with preboarding.
The second way to qualify is to fall into a category that is specific to the airline you’re flying with (and not mandated by law).
Let’s take a look at these different categories.
Tip: Use the free app WalletFlo to help you travel the world for free by finding the best travel credit cards and promotions!
Those who need additional time or assistance to board
If you are someone who needs additional time or assistance to board the plane, stow your accessibility equipment, or be seated you qualify as someone who can use preboarding.
So this goes well beyond only people who need wheelchairs and includes a very broad spectrum of people.
As I will explain below, this is mandated by law and is not an airline specific policy.
Unaccompanied minors
Unaccompanied minors are those passengers usually under the age of 16 who are flying without an adult.
Not every airline allows unaccompanied minors but for those that do, they should allow the unaccompanied minor to utilize preboarding.
Unfortunately, airlines are kind of bad about clearly including unaccompanied minors in their preboarding policy pages so sometimes you may need to verify this by calling in.
Active military with ID
Active military members are usually granted preboarding.
Some airlines state that you will need to show your military ID but others do not — still it is probably a good idea to have it on you. It does not appear that you will have to be in uniform to use this but again you may want to clarify. Sometimes it comes down to the gate agents.
Families with children under the age of 2
If you are a family with a child under the age of two you should qualify for preboarding with some airlines. You’ll want to clarify with the airline as to how many members of your family can join in with preboarding.
Elite members
Some airlines like United Airlines lump top elite members in with preboarding.
Personally, I’m not a fan of airlines doing this because it makes things a little bit more confusing than they need to be and it just is asking for DOT trouble.
As you’ll see below, when elite members are in preboarding those who need assistance should be called up before the elite members.
Remember — many people who utilize preboarding will not be able to sit in the emergency exit rows since those passengers cannot have mobility issues.
Boarding area for American Airlines.
What the law states
Preboarding is not merely an optional courtesy offered by airlines. Instead, the right to utilize preboarding is required by federal law.
As a carrier, you must offer preboarding to passengers with a disability who self-identify at the gate as needing additional time or assistance to board, stow accessibility equipment, or be seated.
The Department of Transportation has provided additional clarification on who qualifies as preboarding. These include people who:
need a specific seat assignment
need to stow their personal folding wheelchairs
need additional time or assistance to board, stow accessibility equipment, or be seated
The DOT states that these passengers must be boarded before all other individuals that qualify for other types of preboarding or priority boarding.
It is the Enforcement Office’s view that section 382.93 requires carriers to board passengers with disabilities who self-identify at the gate as needing to preboard for one of the listed reasons to board the plane before all other passengers, including first class passengers, elite-level passengers, members of the military, passengers with small children, etc.
It’s worth noting that airlines are not required to make a general announcement for preboarding.
However, if they make an announcement for other types of classes of passengers they are “strongly encouraged” to also make an announcement for persons with disabilities the opportunity to preboard.
This is just all the more reason to be proactive and to arrive early before boarding so that you can arrange for your preboarding.
To account for potential long lines, I would advise arriving around 20 minutes or more prior to boarding to work things out.
You can usually find your boarding time on your boarding pass but the boarding time will vary based on the size of your aircraft and your route. Generally, boarding starts about 30 minutes to 50 minutes prior to takeoff.
Federal law mandates preboarding for some passengers.
Where to request preboarding
You can make your request for preboarding during the booking process sometimes by selecting that you will need additional assistance.
You can also request preboarding at the ticket counter or at the gate. (The ticket counter is where you drop your bags off and the gate is where you lineup for boarding.)
If you think you will need to request preboarding at the airport, you may want to arrive just a little bit early in order to take care of your request. Sometimes the gate areas can get very busy and hectic and if you arrive early you can avoid the madness.
You can simply tell the gate agent that you want to request preboarding “for medical reasons” and that should be enough in the majority of cases.
Keep in mind that the law is clear that your status as a preboarder is a matter of self identification.
In theory, if you identify as someone who needs additional time or assistance to get into your seat, the airline should not have any say on whether or not your claim is valid.
You can request preboarding at the gate. Arrive early to avoid crowds.
Disclosing medical conditions
You do not need to supply a medical letter from your doctor or medical records to qualify for preboarding. You also don’t need to get into specifics regarding your medical condition.
All you need to do is express that you identify as an individual who needs additional time or assistance to board.
Some airlines like Spirit Airlines do a good job of making this clear.
They state:
We do not require information concerning the extent of your disability, but the more facts you can share with us, the better we are able to assist you and meet your individual needs. Should you require assistance to or from the gate, we offer a meet and assist service (see below).
What medical conditions qualify?
The law does not specify specific conditions that qualify for preboarding. In addition, airlines don’t have a published list of conditions that qualify either.
Instead, it comes down to whether or not your condition causes you to need the additional assistance that qualifies for preboarding.
Physical conditions
If you have a debilitating condition that causes you to need a wheelchair that is an obvious case that qualifies for preboarding. Also, if you have a visual impairment it’s pretty obvious you may need assistance.
But there are many other conditions that warrant people needing extra assistance that are not always so obvious.
For example, there are many people who deal with “invisible illnesses.”
Conditions like chronic pain, arthritis, dysautonomia, fibromyalgia, neuropathy, etc., are often not detectable by your physical appearance but they can still cause you great discomfort and slow you down when trying to board in a narrow cabin with narrow seats.
One bad pull on your luggage or arch in your back could trigger a bad flareup that could mess you up for weeks or even months. So for people dealing with that type of reality, they absolutely do qualify as needing extra time or assistance to board.
Mental health conditions
A big point of debate is whether or not mental health conditions should qualify someone for preboarding.
The law states that you qualify for preboarding if you need “additional time or assistance to board, stow accessibility equipment, or be seated.”
It’s very feasible to imagine someone with a severe anxiety disorder that needs extra time to board without dealing with the rush of a normal boarding procedure.
If someone like this were triggered into a panic attack, that could absolutely slow down boarding and result in a potentially disastrous outcome.
So from that sense, I believe people with certain (severe) bonafide mental health conditions should be able to qualify for preboarding.
However, airlines don’t really make it easy to get guidance on this issue and so this is probably a very case-by-case type of situation.
Can other passengers preboard with you?
A popular question is whether or not other passengers can preboard with you. Most of the airlines are not explicit about how they handle this so you just need to clarify this with the gate agent.
Most likely, they will handle this similar to Southwest which allows one person from your party to accompany the customer with a disability.
They state:
We will allow one travel companion to act as an “attendant” and preboard with a Customer with a disability. In most cases, the Customer requires assistance from only one other person, and any additional family members or friends are asked to board with their assigned group.
That seems like a pretty reasonable policy for the vast majority of individuals who need preboarding.
Even if an airline is more generous, I would advise you to avoid taking advantage of this and trying to lump all of your family members into preboarding because that will contribute to the stigma that people utilizing preboarding already face.
And that brings me to the next point….
Dealing with the preboarding stigma
The unfortunate reality is that there is sometimes a stigma on those who use preboarding. It’s not usually directed towards those who are in need of obvious assistance such as those in wheelchairs.
Instead, it’s usually directed at people with invisible illnesses or to those who accompany people in need of preboarding.
One reason for this is that some passengers fraudulently take advantage of preboarding.
They don’t actually require true assistance or extra time but they enjoy the privilege of being able to board before others and take advantage of overhead storage bin space.
Unfortunately, due to the nature of some illnesses and conditions and how we value medical privacy in the US, I don’t really see a solution as to how to weed these people out.
So my advice is to simply not utilize preboarding unless you really think it is necessary. And if you are using it, try to keep to yourself and avoid trying to measure how other passengers feel about you.
There is no need for you to explain yourself or to seek validation from others and if they feel a certain type of way about are you using preboarding, just let them be and move on. Some people will always find something to complain about.
Filing a DOT complaint
If you have been denied preboarding or subject to scrutiny that you believe is unjustified or unlawful you may have a basis for filing a DOT complaint. If you would like to file a DOT complaint you can do that here.
Before filing a complaint, you might want to just contact customer service for the airline and try to resolve it with them first. The airline may even offer you compensation.
However, if you don’t get anywhere or you feel like this is a systemic issue, it might be worth filing a complaint so that others don’t have to deal with your same experience.
If you do end up filing a DOT complaint, DOT requires airlines to acknowledge consumer complaints within 30 days of receiving them and to send consumers written responses addressing these complaints within 60 days of receiving them.
US airlines preboarding policies
As you’ll see below, each airline provides a different level of detail and information regarding who qualifies as pre-boarding.
Alaska Airlines
Guests with disabilities who need help or a little more time to board
“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.”
Something interesting about Southwest is that they state that if “a Customer with a disability simply needs a little extra time to board, we will permit the Customer to board before Family Boarding, between the “A” and “B” groups.”
I honestly don’t understand how that is compliant with the DOT since the law clearly states that if you need extra time (not just assistance) you should be able to take advantage of preboarding.
I’m wondering if due to the nontraditional boarding system Southwest utilizes, they have negotiated some sort of DOT middle ground.
Nevertheless, if you need extra time to board on Southwest they will issue you a new boarding pass with an extra time designation. This will allow you to board before family boarding.
Another interesting thing about Southwest is that they state that if you want to request preboarding you should do it at the ticket counter or departure gate where agents “are trained to ask fact-finding questions to determine if the Customer meets the qualifications described above.”
That sounds a bit intrusive given that the law is all about allowing self identifying passengers to use preboarding if they believe they need assistance or extra time. Do you really need a “fact-finding” process for that as if they were on trial?
Note: Customers who are preboarding because of a need for a specific seat onboard the aircraft should speak with the Operations (Boarding) Agent prior to the start of preboarding to alert the Agent to the seating need.
Preboarding is available for Guests who wish to have a little more time on board to settle into their seats. Guests must inform the agent at the gate of their desire to preboard and be present at the gate prior to the boarding process.
As you can see, many people can qualify for preboarding.
Although some people think this is just a policy offered by airlines, preboarding for people who need extra assistance is actually required by federal law. In addition, other passengers may fall into the preboarding category depending on the airline’s policy.
If you need preboarding, the best route to take is to arrive early for boarding and to notify the agent at the gate that you identify as someone who needs extra time or assistance to board.
If you feel the need to reveal the extent of your medical condition you can do so but you are under no obligation to reveal details about your medical diagnosis.
Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and creator of the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned full-time credit card rewards/travel expert and has earned and redeemed millions of miles to travel the globe. Since 2014, his content has been featured in major publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, Forbes, CNBC, US News, and Business Insider. Find his full bio here.
What Happens if You Miss Your Southwest Airlines Flight? [2022]
Missing your flight can leave you with a sinking feeling in your stomach but it is often not the end of the world.
If you can act quickly, you still might be able to catch a flight to your destination and you may not even have to pay anything extra.
This can be done via the flat tire rule and in this article I will tell you everything you need to know about utilizing this on Southwest Airlines.
What happens if you miss your Southwest Airlines flight?
If you miss your Southwest Airlines flight you still may be able to get put on the next available flight or take advantage of the standby list. Keep reading below to find out just how you might be able to take advantage of a lesser known exception called the “flat tire rule.”
Tip: Use the free app WalletFlo to help you travel the world for free by finding the best travel credit cards and promotions!
Southwest flat-tire rule explained
The “flat tire rule” is something that airlines came up with to help people who experienced unexpected situations that caused them to miss their flight.
For example, getting a flat tire on the way to the airport could slow you down and cause you to show up after your flight has departed. In those cases, an airline would work with you to put you on the next available flight free of charge.
Today, it’s not required for you to have a flat tire or even for you to miss your flight due to situations outside of your control.
Instead, just about any reason can be used to take advantage of the flat tire rule as long as you show up within a specified time period.
So for example even if you slept late, forgot to set your alarm, had the wrong departure time, etc. you would still be able to take advantage of this flat tire rule.
Just be aware that this is usually an unpublished rule. Check-in agents and gate agents should be well aware of the rule but it’s not usually advertised to the public.
So sometimes it is something that you have to proactively bring up and request.
How does the flat tire rule work?
If you show up within two hours of the scheduled flight departure time you should be able to take advantage of the Southwest flat tire rule.
Also, if you show up after check-in closes for your flight you can probably also take advantage of the flat tire rule. This would typically be about 30 minutes prior to departure, which means that you might want to consider same day changes (but more than that below).
In cases where you show up after departure or you missed check in, you can show up to the check-in desk or to a gate agent and simply let them know that you missed your flight and would like to utilize the flat tire rule.
You might be able to call and get things moving but typically this is something that you work out on the ground at the airport.
If there is an opening to your destination on a different flight, even if that flight has different connections, an agent may be willing to put you on that flight free of charge and sometimes immediately. If there are no openings then you may be put on the standby list, which is a more likely outcome.
If you choose not to be on the standby list or for whatever reason that is not available to you then you will either lose out on your the money spent on your ticket or you will receive some type of refund — it all depends on the fare that you booked.
In some situations, instead of relying on the flat tire rule, you may be able to be proactive and utilize the same day change.
On the same calendar day as your flight, if you see open seats for a later flight to the same destination, you can request to be put on one of those flights as long as you make this request at least 10 minutes before your original scheduled departure time.
Business Select, Anytime, and Wanna Get Away Plus fares are eligible for free same-day change and can complete their free same-day change online.
A-List and A-List Preferred Members with a Wanna Get Away fare are eligible for free same-day change, but they must call Customer Service or visit a Southwest Gate Agent to make the change without paying the fare difference
Wanna Get Away customers (non-A-List or A-List Preferred) can opt into same-day change, but will likely have to pay the fare differences.
If you are changing your flight one hour prior to departure you can probably make the change online but if it is between 10 minutes and one hour before departure you’ll have to speak with an agent to request the change.
Something interesting to think about is that the flat tire rule could allow Wanna Get Away customers to avoid paying the fare difference for their new flight. But it’s a gamble because if you can’t get on a new flight on standby, you risk losing everything.
As a Wanna Get Away passenger if you get put on the standby list you will be above non-revenue passengers but you could be below many A-List or A-List Preferred.
But if you are successful you usually will be notified about 10 to 30 minutes prior to departure, depending on how full the flight is.
Canceling
If you don’t think you will be changing your flight and you just want to completely cancel, the consequences of canceling will depend on the type of fare booked and when you cancel.
If you are booking a Business Select or Anytime fare you need to cancel at least 10 minutes prior to departure to receive a full refund. Otherwise, you will receive travel funds for being a no-show.
Wanna Get Away fares are not refundable and if you do not cancel them at least 10 minutes prior to departure you will lose ALL of your funds.
If you used Rapid Rewards points for your booking, those points should be refunded back to your account.
Walk-up fare
If you are not able to get on the next available flight or to use the standby list then your only option may be to book a walk-up fare. Unfortunately, these are usually some of the most expensive tickets so be prepared to spend more money than you usually would booking in advance.
Does Southwest still honor the flat tire rule?
Some people always question whether or not the flat tire rule is still honored by Southwest Airlines since it is somewhat of an unofficial policy.
As of the summer of 2022, I confirmed with a representative from Southwest that they still honor the flat tire rule.
Connecting flights
If you miss your connecting flight on Southwest and it is on the same ticket and was caused by irregular operations such as a flight delay or cancellation from Southwest, Southwest is responsible for finding you another flight to your destination.
However, if you are missing your connection because you booked a separate ticket on a different airline then the situation is on you and you will have to rely on the flat tire rule if you can.
Be sure to get clarification on how the standby options will work on connecting flights. You may not be guaranteed a spot on your connecting flight and may have to rely on standby for multiple segments which can be tricky.
Missing your flight on Southwest does not have to be the end of the world. If you can get to the airport within two hours of your scheduled departure time you might be able to get on the next available flight free of charge.
If that does not work then the standby list might be your next option. And if all else fails, then you may have to book a walk up fare or simply deal with whatever refund you are entitled to.
Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and creator of the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned full-time credit card rewards/travel expert and has earned and redeemed millions of miles to travel the globe. Since 2014, his content has been featured in major publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, Forbes, CNBC, US News, and Business Insider. Find his full bio here.
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