
The easiest ways to check in are checking in online on the Southwest website or on the Southwest app. It does call for a little bit of technical knowledge (it deals with scripts), so not everyone will probably feel comfortable using it. I have never used this Chrome extension before so I cannot comment on how reliable it is but it certainly is something interesting to think about. I’ve also heard about a Google Chrome extension that you can use to automatically check in. You can read more about Southwest Airlines EarlyBird here. The price for EarlyBird ranges from $15-$25 per one way and the price just depends on your route. These spots are generally good enough for you to get a window or aisle seat so in a lot of cases it can be worth it to purchase EarlyBird. However a lot of times you will get an “A” boarding position or a lower “B” spot. Note: You will not be guaranteed an “A” boarding position with EarlyBird. But because we purchased Southwest Early Bird, we still secured good boarding positions. This allows you to avoid counting down the seconds to check in and is extremely convenient if you are not going to have access to your computer or the internet 24 hours prior to checkout.įor example, there have been times when we were out and about doing something like scuba diving and there just was no practical way for us to check-in. Southwest EarlyBird is a special perk that allows you to automatically check in 36 hours prior to departure.

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Tip: Use WalletFlo to help you maximize your credit card spend on purchases like Southwest flights! Check-in as close to 24 hours from departure as possible for the best seats. This can make your flight much less enjoyable and that is why it is a good idea to check in as close to 24 hours prior to departure as possible. You might be stuck in the middle seat and you might not even have enough room to store your carry-on. This means that if you wait a long time to check in you will be assigned a boarding position in the back and you will not be able to choose some of the best seats. ( Read more about the Southwest boarding policy here.) You will be called to line up with your boarding group in the order of your boarding position and then you can choose any open seats you would like once you board the plane. There are three groups (Group A, Group B, and Group C) and there are 60 positions within each group. Instead, you are assigned a boarding group and position within that group in the order you checked-in. The reason is that Southwest Airlines does not have assigned seating. Once you know what time check-in opens you need to try to check in at exactly 24 hours. Your check in time will open up at 3:05 PM central time the day before.

So let’s say you are flying out of Houston at 3:05 PM. Note that you will be going by the local time zone. Once you find that out you need to be aware that the check in process will begin exactly 24 hours prior to that time. So the first thing that you need to do is to find out exactly what time your departure time is. The check in process will begin exactly 24 hours prior to your departure time. Southwest Airlines group travel check-in.Printing the boarding pass out at the airport.Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Premier Card.
