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Guest
How can I upgrade my boarding position on Southwest?
Upgrading your boarding position on Southwest is one of those things you don’t think about until you really need it. I learned that the hard way last year flying from San Jose to Denver. I booked my ticket in a rush, totally forgot about check-in, and by the time I remembered, I ended up with a C boarding group — basically the Southwest version of “good luck finding a seat together.”
I’m tall and always try to grab an aisle seat, so I wasn’t thrilled. At the airport, I finally asked the gate agent if there was any way to improve my boarding position. That’s when I learned Southwest has a few ways to “upgrade” — even though they don’t sell assigned seats, you can buy your way into earlier groups.
The easiest one is Upgraded Boarding, which gets you into the A1–A15 spots. You can only buy it within 24 hours of departure or at the gate, depending on availability. On that San Jose flight, I lucked out — the agent had a couple of A-group slots left. I paid for one and instantly jumped from C57 to A7. Totally worth it. I boarded early, grabbed an aisle seat in the second row, and even had bin space for my bag.
Another method I’ve used since then is EarlyBird Check-In. It’s not a guaranteed A-group position, but it automatically checks you in 36 hours before your flight. On my recent trip to Austin, I added EarlyBird two weeks before departure and ended up with B11, which still let me pick a decent window seat. Not quite the front row, but definitely not the dreaded middle seat.
If you fly Southwest often, there are even more “quiet” ways to upgrade without paying each time. My coworker has the Southwest Priority credit card, which reimburses up to four Upgraded Boardings per year. She used one on our Vegas trip, and both of us ended up in the A-group — free for her, cheap for me. And if you earn A-List status, you automatically get priority boarding.
One last tip: if all else fails, always ask at the gate. A few times I saw agents selling last-minute A-group spots that hadn’t been taken yet.
So yes, upgrading your boarding position on Southwest is definitely doable — you just have to know the tricks and timing!