There is no limit to the number of passengers that can purchase Early Bird check-in. Assignments are based on the timestamp of when you purchased Early Bird check-in compared to other passengers in the same fare class. Then there’s everyone else.įor travelerswho purchased Early Bird check-in, Anytime Fares get priority over the lower cost Wanna Get Away Fares. Early Bird check-in passengers are assigned after that. Business Select passengers receive A1 through A15. Southwest will refund your $15 for Early Bird check-in if they cancel the flight.īoarding numbers are assigned based on several criteria, including fare type. Your Early Bird check-in will follow to your next flight because it is tied to your reservation number. If you need to change your ticket to a different flight, then you’re safe. Someone who purchased theirs a month, day or even minute before you will get a lower number than you will. Just keep in mind that boarding pass assignments are based upon when you bought your ticket and Early Bird check-in. If you cancel your flight, the $15 fee you paid for early check-in lost.Ī better option is to wait until closer to your departure date before you buy it. No, the Southwest Early Bird check-in fee is not refundable.

Is the Southwest Early Bird Check-In Fee Refundable? The message is clear… if you want the best pricing (and best seat assignment) on Southwest Early Bird check-in, buy it early. In the future, the popularity of the route may also play a factor in how Early Bird check-in is priced. The pricing will vary based upon the length of flight and the demand for Early Bird check-in. The good news is that, if you buy before this date, your fee will not increase.Įarly Bird check-in It will now have three price points – $15, $20, and $25 – instead of one. I contacted Southwest Airlines and confirmed Southwest Early Bird prices will increase effective August 29, 2018. In January 2018, Southwest CEO Gary Kelly hinted at the potential for price increases. And then it increased by another 20% to $15 in March 2016. A couple years later, the fee was increased by 25% to $12.50. When Southwest Early Bird was first introduced in 2009, the fee was $10 each way per person. How much does Southwest Early Bird check-in cost? Once boarding numbers are assigned to A-List and other Early Bird passengers at 36 hours before departure, you can no longer buy Southwest Early Bird check-in. You can purchase Southwest Early Bird up to 36 hours before your flight’s departure. Southwest Early Bird check-in can be purchased when buying your flight or you can decide to add it on to your reservation at a later date. It can be purchased for the departure, the return flight, or both. Even if you don’t have elite status with Southwest, you will board before the rest of the passengers and improve your boarding position.Įarly Bird check-in does not have to be purchased for both directions of a round-trip flight. Southwest Early Bird check-in is a way for you to be automatically checked into your flight 36 hours before departure. The first passenger to board has assignment A1, and the last passenger is C60. Southwest separates the passengers into three groups-A, B and C-and there are 60 numbers in each group. Unlike other airlines that board based on seat assignments and loyalty status, Southwest Airlines boards based on numbers that are assigned to each passenger. How Does the Southwest Seating Process Work? We’ll explain the priority boarding options below. However, for priority boarding assignments, whoever bought their ticket first gets their number assigned first. So, whoever has the fastest fingers will win. With Southwest, you can check into your flight up to 24 hours in advance. When Can You Check Into Your Southwest Flight? Especially when you would have gladly paid extra for a coveted window or aisle seat.

But it can be frustrating when you are one of the last to check in and you get stuck in a middle seat. This is great for families because some airlines charge to sit together. Southwest Airlines has an open-seating policy, which means that there are no assigned seats. Long-awaited flights to Hawaii are expected to start in late 2018 or early 2019. Southwest now flies to the Caribbean, Mexico and Costa Rica. And Southwest continues to expand to new destinations. They have an entire fleet of Boeing 737 airplanes designed to quickly get you from Point A to Point B.

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