We are flying Southwest for a trip this month and this is the first time we have flown Southwest with our daughter. I typically fly SW for work and upgrade to get an A seat.
Am I remembering correctly that SW allows families to board after the A group has boarded the flight? Also, are you ever able to find 3 seats together if you end up in the C group?
honeydew / 7488 posts
I think the kids have to be 4 or under, so we always try go get A group by checking in exactly 24 hour in advance.
pear / 1648 posts
Agree - you can board after the A group with kids up to age 6. Be ready to go though - in my experience they don't pause for very long and I've had to advocate for myself.
I also usually set a phone alarm for 5-10 min before check-in time starts in order to get A boarding numbers for us. The only time I haven't been able to accomplish and A or a high B is when we bought our flights with less than 24 hours before the flight.
pomelo / 5220 posts
We had a great experience with Southwest the few times we flew with our LO. We either had group A or we boarded just after, easily grabbed three seats towards the back - we only had purchased seats for us because LO was under 2 and we were able to keep the third seat. The flight attendants were super nice about directing people away from our third seat so we could have a little more breathing room!
hostess / wonderful persimmon / 25556 posts
@lawbee11: @T-Mom: @peachykeen: @psw27: thanks! I guess I could have looked at their site, too. 
nectarine / 2115 posts
Definitely ask if the flight is full, and if not they'll usually let you claim the extra seat for your lap-child. We have had really positive experiences with SW.
hostess / wonderful persimmon / 25556 posts
@mrsrain: we don't have a lap child, sorry for that confusion. We have a 4 year old that we are paying for! 
I just want to make sure we all sit together.
nectarine / 2115 posts
@mediagirl: you can always ask someone if they're willing to switch so you can sit together. Another option is to have one of you sit across the aisle. Most people are happy to accomodate though, in our experience.
GOLD / watermelon / 14076 posts
@mediagirl: Also, not sure if you're bringing a stroller, but if you are and are planning to gate check it, you have to go to the desk and have them tag it. With United they just tag it as you're boarding the plane, but I'm glad I asked with Southwest otherwise I would've lost my place in line to board because I would've had to go stand in line at the desk to have the stroller tagged.
grapefruit / 4361 posts
Yes there is family boarding after the a group, but I'm also pretty sure that there was recently a law passed stating that family has had to be seated together regardless.
grapefruit / 4361 posts
I'm pretty sure that there was a law passed recently stating that families had to be seated together regardless.
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