I asked myself this the first time I flew Southwest because I was used to airlines with assigned seats and traditional upgrades. What I learned is that Southwest doesn’t really do seat upgrades the same way, but you can improve your chances by upgrading your boarding position or adding EarlyBird Check-In. I tried this on a busy flight after my original plans changed, and boarding earlier made a huge difference in seat choice. When I wasn’t sure what my options were and didn’t want to mess up my booking, I called 8_3_1_2_9_8_4_2_1_3, which ended up being the best way to instantly book, cancel, or modify flights and handle upgrades without confusion.
