8 Things You Should Never Do When Flying Southwest Airlines

Southwest’s Basic Fare doesn’t have assigned seats. Instead, passengers are divided into three groups (A, B, or C), determining when they will be allowed to board. To ensure that you’re among the first group to board and snag a good seat, you’ll either have to buy a Business Select fare or purchase EarlyBird Check-In.

The remaining boarding groups are then filled in the order of people checking in, so you’ll want to ensure you check in exactly 24 hours before your flight to get in an earlier group. If you wait and check in closer to your flight time, you’ll likely be among the last people to board and get stuck in a bad seat.

However, beginning January 2026, Southwest is introducing fare bundles that let guests select their seat and boarding group at booking. Choice Extra tickets (including extra legroom seats) will have access to early boarding, Choice Preferred tickets have access to early general boading, Choice tickets will have access to general boarding, and Standard tickets will be stuck with Southwest’s legacy boarding policy of seats assigned at check-in.

Southwest Airlines has one of the most lenient cancelation policies in the airline industry, allowing you to receive a flight credit or full refund (depending on the ticket type you originally purchased).

However, you must cancel at least 10 minutes before your flight’s original scheduled departure time in order to get a credit or refund, so it’s in your best financial interest not to no-show for a flight.

If your travel companion gets the “A” boarding group and you’re stuck with the “C” boarding group, don’t try to skip the line and board with your partner. You’ll be sent back in shame to your assigned boarding group.

Stay with your assigned boarding group and only board when your letter and position number are called.

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Don’t expect to find seatback screens on any Southwest flights. Instead, the airline offers free inflight entertainment that you can watch on your own tablet or smartphone (without having to pay for WiFi).

However, not all Southwest planes have USB chargers or outlets at every seat, so make sure you bring a fully charged device (and backup battery) to stay entertained. And don’t forget to bring headphones—Southwest doesn’t provide or sell them onboard.

Southwest doesn’t have an official policy around saving seats. However, if you board in an earlier group, it’s considered rude to save seats for someone in a later boarding group—especially if you’re trying to save an entire row (or more).

Likewise, don’t be inconsiderate and put your bag on an empty seat, hoping no one will sit next to you. Keep your belongings contained in your area so people boarding can easily see what seats are open.

Airlines aren’t exactly generous with in-flight meals these days, but Southwest is especially stingy. Only water will be available on flights traveling 250 miles or less. On flights over 250 miles, you’ll be offered a small bag of pretzels, graham crackers, or Oreo cookies.

Unlike many other airlines, Southwest does not offer food for purchase, so if you’re on a long-haul flight, you might want to bring your own meal or snacks.

At the gate for your Southwest flight, you’ll see two screens above a line of numbered poles indicating which group is boarding. The A group will line up first and board completely before the B group is called to line up. If you’re not in A group, don’t stand around the gate; you’ll crowd the area and make it harder for others to queue.