Information on Southwest Flights

From its humble beginnings in 1971, when it launched as an intrastate carrier, operating out of Dallas Love Field, Texas, Southwest Airlines has grown to be one of the largest airlines in the United States in terms of passengers carried. The company perfected the low-cost airline model, offering affordable, convenient service with great flexibility and a pleasant flying experience.

Southwest has improved over the years. Today, it flies to multiple destinations throughout the United States, including Hawaii, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.

I’ve always enjoyed flying with Southwest especially because the cabin crew is friendly and welcoming.

What to expect inside Southwest Airlines planes?

Southwest Airlines operates an all-Boeing fleet of 782 Boeing 737 planes.

The airline’s cabins are comfortable, and many feature the Boeing Sky Interior, which improves the cabin climate and enhances the sense of space.

The seats are 17.6” wide and arranged in a 3-3 configuration. They offer a 4-way adjustable headrest and are “pre-reclined,” sliding forward in the reclined position so the passenger in front won’t encroach on the personal space of the passenger behind. Seats generally have 32” of separation, though exit rows offer more legroom.

Despite pioneering the low-cost model, the airline is pretty generous, offering customers free snacks and a selection of non-alcoholic beverages during the flight. Southwest sells alcoholic drinks and offers a free drink to customers on special occasions: Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Halloween and the airline’s birthday on June 18.

Southwest Airlines has great in-flight entertainment streamed wirelessly to passenger devices. You can watch early-release movies and television series from their catalogue, or live television on various popular channels.

The airline also offers high-speed Wi-Fi for a fee and free messaging. For those who prefer audio entertainment, the airline offers iHeartRadio programming on Wi-Fi-connected planes.

Southwest Airlines new cabins

The airline has announced it will introduce new cabins across its fleet, including comfortable seats equipped with device holders for tablets and phones. These will make enjoying the airline’s in-flight entertainment a more hands-free experience. Southwest has also been equipping its planes with USB-A and USB-C power outlets on the seats. They are installed on the airline’s newer 737 MAX 8 planes and will be rolled out fleet-wide.

Check-in on Southwest Airlines

You will need to check in for your Southwest Airlines flight at the airport and drop off your checked bags. The airline has priority check-in counters for customers with qualifying tickets. You should check in at least an hour before your domestic flight and two hours before an international flight. It’s important to know the airline stops accepting checked luggage for international flights an hour before departure. You can track your bags through a digital portal.

Southwest allows two carry-ons including a small personal item that fits under the seat in front of you and luggage that fits in the overhead bins for free.

Connecting on a Southwest Airlines flight

Southwest Airlines allows you to check luggage through to your end destination. This only applies if your connecting flight is also operated by Southwest Airlines, but it means you can head straight for the gate and your luggage will fly with you. If you are connecting with a different airline, allow enough time between flights for delays in collecting your luggage, and checking in again at the airport for your next flight.

Boarding a Southwest Airlines flight

For most of the company’s history, Southwest has had an open seating policy with no seat assignments. People simply get on the plane in groups, with priority given to those who check in earlier, and pick whatever seat they like among the remaining seats.

Studies have found this free-for-all approach to be a very efficient way to board planes. However, the airline has announced it will introduce assigned seating, in response to changing customer preferences. It will also increase the share of extra legroom seats onboard, introducing a premium seating option.

Southwest has a low-fee approach to low-cost

Many low-cost carriers offer their customers only the right to sit onboard with the ticket price, and everything else is extra. Southwest, on the other hand, has a more generous fee policy than even some of its full-service airline competitors.

On its basic Wanna Get Away fare, the airline allows two free checked bags, one of which can be an oversized bag, like skis or golf clubs.

Southwest also doesn’t charge for flight changes (except for any difference in airfare). So, if you need to take a flight other than the one you had planned, you can do so without losing the value of your ticket. These tickets are non-refundable, but if you need to cancel your flight, you can get a flight credit to apply to a future reservation. The airline’s flight credits don’t expire so you can use them at any time.

You can even cancel or get on the stand-by list for an alternate flight on the day, as long as you do so no later than 10 minutes before your flight is scheduled to depart.

Southwest Airlines’ other fares tiers explained

Southwest offers different types of tickets beyond the basic Wanna Get Away fare, each with extra benefits.

Wanna Get Away Plus lets you transfer any flight credit you got from canceling a flight to someone else. To transfer flight credits both parties must be members of the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards frequent flyer program.

Southwest Anytime fares tickets are fully refundable. These tickets have Early Bird check-in, which means the airline automatically checks you in for your flight 36 hours before your flight’s scheduled departure, giving you priority boarding since other passengers can only check in 24 hours before the flight. It’s important to know that this benefit only applies if you purchase the ticket before the 36-hour check-in window. Anytime passengers can also use priority counters at check-in and express lanes for security at airports where these are available. Additionally, passengers get the full benefits of Wanna Get Away Plus customers.

Business Select fares are also fully refundable and come with other perks including priority group A1-A15 boarding, a complimentary alcoholic drink, and free in-flight Wi-Fi connections as well as all the benefits of other tiers.

As the airline considers introducing assigned seating and premium seats, some or all of these fare tiers will likely be modified to adapt to the new policy.

Traveling with children on a Southwest flight

The airline offers family boarding after all group A passengers are onboard and before group B passengers are called to board. Because of the airline’s open seating policy, some passengers will reserve seats for companions and family members still waiting to board. The airline crew generally allows this, though it can occasionally cause friction when people do it to keep the seats next to them empty. The crew will work with families to ensure minors are always seated by at least one parent or guardian.

A small child up to two years of age can fly as a lap child without requiring a ticket. That said, the airline has the right to determine when a child is too large to qualify as a lap child and may ask you to pay for a separate seat at the airport. I should note that while flying with a child on your lap is permitted, it’s much safer for small children and infants to fly with a certified seat restraint on a separate seat. Southwest Airlines allows parents to use qualifying CRS devices, including the harness-style CARES CRS on its seats. Children traveling with CRS devices must be placed either in the middle or window seat and cannot be seated in exit rows.

The Southwest Airlines App

I recommend downloading the Southwest Airlines app as it will make traveling stress-free, giving everything you need at your fingertips. It’s full-featured so you can book tickets, manage your bookings, and get your mobile boarding pass. If you are a Rapid Rewards member, you can also manage your account with the app.

The Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards program

Southwest offers a loyalty program that makes it easy to earn free flights. Each of the airline’s fare tiers earns progressively higher points towards a free trip, from six points to the dollar on basic Wanna Get Away fares up to twelve points to the dollar on Business Select fares. You can also earn points from everyday purchases with the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards credit card. I like that the airline allows you to apply your points (or points plus cash) towards a ticket at any time. There are no limitations or blackout dates, and like the flight credits, Southwest’s reward points don’t expire.

Joining Rapid Rewards is free, so if you think you’ll fly with Southwest often, I recommend signing up so you can start earning those points. The airline also has a dedicated Rapid Rewards community website where members can share their experiences and post comments and questions. You can often find great tips and insights to get the most out of the program.