For decades, the only way to get a better spot on a Southwest flight was to check in the moment the 24-hour window opened and hope for an "A" boarding group. That era is over. As of January 27, 2026, Southwest Airlines moved to assigned seating, introduced three tiers of seat types, and replaced its old Upgraded Boarding product with a new Priority Boarding option. Whether you want extra legroom, a seat near the front of the cabin, or simply want to board before the overhead bins fill up, there are now more paths to a Southwest seat upgrade than ever before — and this guide walks through every one of them.
You Just Booked a Basic Fare and Realized You Should Upgrade Better Seat
This is the most common upgrade scenario: you booked the cheapest ticket, the flight is tomorrow, and now you're wondering what your options actually are. Here is the honest picture.
On a Basic fare, Southwest assigns your Standard seat at check-in — you have no choice over location at the time of booking. However, you can still purchase a Southwest seat selection upgrade before departure if availability exists. Log into your reservation at southwest.com or in the app and check whether Extra Legroom or Preferred seats are listed as purchasable add-ons for your flight. If they are, you can pay to move up.
Extra Legroom seats sit at the front of the cabin and in the exit rows, offering up to five additional inches of pitch compared to Standard and Preferred seats (on 737-700 aircraft). Preferred seats carry the same 31 inches of legroom as Standard seats but are positioned closer to the front of the plane, which means faster deplaning and overhead bin space that has not been picked over.
The key limitation for Basic fare holders: even if you purchase an Extra Legroom upgrade, your boarding group does not automatically jump to Group 1 or 2. Southwest's boarding groups are tied to both seat type and fare type. Upgrading your seat is still worthwhile for the comfort and exit speed — just manage expectations about boarding position separately.
You Want to Board First — Understanding Southwest Priority Boarding
Southwest priority boarding is the paid upgrade that lets any passenger board before their assigned group, regardless of fare type. Beginning January 27, 2026, this replaced the old EarlyBird Check-In and Upgraded Boarding (A1–A15) products.
Here is how it works: starting exactly 24 hours before your scheduled departure, Priority Boarding becomes available for purchase through southwest.com or the Southwest app. The window to buy closes approximately 60 minutes before takeoff. Once purchased, you board before Group 1 — ahead of every other passenger on the plane, including those on premium fares.
Southwest boarding upgrade cost varies by route and flight demand rather than following a fixed price. Shorter, less busy routes tend to be cheaper. Based on available pricing data, Priority Boarding typically ranges from $20 to $40 per person per flight segment, though some popular routes can run higher. Payment must be made by credit card, and the purchase is non-refundable if you cancel your Southwest flight (Southwest will refund you if the airline cancels the flight, but you must contact customer service to request it).
One practical note: Priority Boarding is sold in limited quantities per flight, so availability is not guaranteed. On busy travel days — Friday afternoons, Sunday evenings, holiday weekends — this option may sell out quickly after the 24-hour window opens.
| Priority Boarding: Key Facts | Details |
|---|---|
| When can you purchase? | Starting 24 hours before departure |
| Purchase deadline | Approximately 60 minutes before takeoff |
| Where to buy | Southwest app or southwest.com |
| Typical cost range | $20–$40 per person, per segment |
| Boarding position | Before Group 1 |
| Refundable? | No (refundable only if Southwest cancels the flight) |
| Payment method | Credit card only |
| Availability | Limited — sells out on busy routes |
You're Booking a New Flight and Want to Know Which Fare Gets You the Best Seat
The cleanest way to secure a Southwest seat upgrade is to choose the right fare from the beginning. Southwest now offers four fare bundles, and the seat and boarding benefits scale up significantly from one tier to the next.
Basic — Southwest's lowest-priced fare. A Standard seat is assigned at check-in, meaning you have no control over location until the 24-hour mark. Extra Legroom and Preferred seats are available for purchase if inventory exists, but boarding is "last to board" unless you separately buy Priority Boarding or hold a Southwest credit card (cardholders receive Group 5).
Choice — The most popular mid-tier fare. You can select a Standard seat at the time of booking, putting you in control of your location from day one. Extra Legroom and Preferred seats are available for purchase on top of the base fare. Boarding falls in general groups, and you get same-day change and standby flexibility.
Choice Preferred — A step up that includes a Preferred seat (or any Standard seat) as part of the fare with no additional seat purchase required. Boarding is Groups 3–4, meaning you board ahead of most passengers. Priority Lane and Express Lane access at check-in and security is included. A southwest seat upgrade from Choice to Choice Preferred makes sense for frequent travelers who value a front-of-cabin seat and faster airport processing.
Choice Extra (formerly Business Select) — Southwest's most premium fare. An Extra Legroom seat is included at no additional charge, and you can alternatively choose any other seat type in the cabin. Boarding is Group 1, two checked bags are free, premium beverages are complimentary on flights over 251 miles, and the fare earns the highest Rapid Rewards points ratio (14X). This fare is the built-in Southwest Business Select upgrade equivalent for the new assigned-seating era.
| Fare | Included Seat Type | Seat Selection | Boarding Group | Extra Legroom Upgrade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | Standard | Assigned at check-in | Last | Purchase if available |
| Choice | Standard | At booking | General | Purchase if available |
| Choice Preferred | Preferred (or Standard) | At booking | Groups 3–4 | Purchase if available |
| Choice Extra | Extra Legroom (or any seat) | At booking | Group 1 | Included |
You Already Booked but Want to Upgrade Your Seat After Booking
Changing your seat after booking is possible on all fares except Basic. Here is how to approach a Southwest seat upgrade after booking:
Log into your reservation through southwest.com or the app, navigate to "Manage Reservations," and look for seat selection or upgrade options tied to your itinerary. If Extra Legroom or Preferred seats are still available for your flight, you can purchase them as an add-on to your existing reservation at any point before departure.
The earlier you check for upgrade availability, the better. Exit row seats and front-of-cabin Extra Legroom positions tend to fill quickly on popular routes, particularly on flights to leisure destinations like Las Vegas, Orlando, or any beach city on a Friday or Sunday. Checking two to three weeks before departure gives you a realistic shot at available premium inventory. Waiting until the night before often means limited or no upgrade options remain.
If your goal is to upgrade the fare level itself — for example, moving from Choice to Choice Extra to get an included Extra Legroom seat — Southwest does allow fare upgrades, though a fare difference will apply. This is worth calculating: if the Extra Legroom seat purchase price as a standalone add-on is close to the fare difference for upgrading to Choice Extra, the full fare upgrade may deliver more value since it also adds perks like free bags and a higher points earning rate.
You Have A-List or A-List Preferred Status and Want to Know Your Seat Perks
Southwest elite status delivers some of the most significant seat and boarding benefits available without paying separately for premium fares.
A-List members can select a Preferred or Standard seat at the time of booking regardless of which fare they purchase. They also receive complimentary access to Extra Legroom seats starting 48 hours before departure, when available — making it worth checking back as the flight approaches. A-List members board in Group 1 automatically, removing any need to purchase a Southwest boarding position upgrade.
A-List Preferred members receive the full suite: any seat including Extra Legroom can be selected at the time of booking at no additional charge. They board in a dedicated group before Group 1, meaning they are first in the cabin ahead of even other premium passengers. Two checked bags are free, and up to two premium beverages per flight are complimentary.
Both tiers extend their boarding benefit to up to eight additional passengers on the same reservation — so one A-List traveler can bring a family of five or a group of coworkers under the same early boarding umbrella.
| Status | Extra Legroom Access | Seat Selection | Boarding |
|---|---|---|---|
| A-List | Free, 48 hrs before departure (if available) | Preferred/Standard at booking | Group 1 |
| A-List Preferred | Free, at time of booking | Any seat including Extra Legroom | Dedicated before Group 1 |
You can earn A-List status by flying 20 qualifying one-way segments or earning 35,000 tier qualifying points within a calendar year.
You Hold a Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Card and Want to Know What's Included
Southwest credit cards provide seat and boarding benefits that vary by card tier — and for some passengers they represent the lowest-cost path to an improved experience.
Plus and Plus Business cards — Cardholders can select a Standard seat within 48 hours of departure at no additional charge, when available. Boarding benefit places them in Group 5, which is a meaningful step up from the Basic fare's "last to board" default.
Premier and Premier Business cards — Cardholders can select a Standard or Preferred seat within 48 hours of departure at no additional charge, when available. Boarding benefit also included.
Priority and Performance Business cards — These are the most travel-forward cards. Cardholders can select a Preferred or Standard seat at the time of booking. They are also eligible to upgrade Southwest flight access to an Extra Legroom seat within 48 hours of departure at no additional cost when available. This is a significant benefit for regular Southwest travelers who want extra legroom without purchasing Choice Extra every time.
All Southwest cardholders extend their boarding benefit to up to eight passengers on the same reservation.
You Want Extra Legroom — Here Is Exactly Where Those Seats Are
Southwest extra legroom seats are located at two points in the aircraft: the front rows of the cabin and the exit rows in the middle of the plane. The precise number of Extra Legroom rows varies slightly by aircraft type.
On Boeing 737-700 aircraft, Extra Legroom seats offer up to five additional inches of seat pitch compared to Standard and Preferred seats. On other aircraft types, the pitch difference may vary. Extra Legroom seats also come with two additional perks beyond the legroom itself: extra snack service and complimentary premium beverages, if available on your specific flight.
Exit row seats carry an additional responsibility: passengers seated there must be willing and able to assist in an emergency evacuation if called upon. Southwest gate agents may confirm your willingness to fulfill this role when you board. Passengers who prefer Extra Legroom without the exit row responsibility should target the front-of-cabin Extra Legroom rows instead. Passengers who need mobility support should request wheelchair assistance with Southwest Airlines at the time of booking — this also ensures they're not assigned to exit rows, which require physical ability to assist in evacuations.
The cost to add an Extra Legroom upgrade as a standalone purchase (for fares below Choice Extra) starts around $30 per seat per segment and can go higher depending on the route, specific seat location, and how far in advance you book. Front-row Extra Legroom seats tend to be priced at a premium compared to exit rows.
You're Traveling with a Group and Need Everyone in Better Seats Together
Group seat coordination is one of the clearest wins of Southwest's new assigned-seating model. Under the old open-seating system, keeping a group together required either everyone checking in at the same second or someone reserving the seat by placing a bag — which was always awkward. Now, if you book a fare that allows seat selection at the time of booking (Choice and above), you can choose adjacent seats for your entire party during checkout.
This is especially relevant for families. If a child is traveling without an adult, make sure you've reviewed Southwest's unaccompanied minor rules, as seat assignments and boarding procedures differ for young solo travelers.
A few strategies that work well for group travel:
If budget is the priority, book Choice fares for everyone and select adjacent Standard seats immediately at booking before inventory gets picked over. Middle seats in Standard rows tend to remain available longer than aisle and window seats in the same section.
If comfort matters more than cost, booking Choice Extra for the whole group guarantees Extra Legroom seats and Group 1 boarding together — your group walks down the aisle first with no scramble. If you're traveling with a lap infant, it's worth knowing how to add infant to your Southwest flight ticket before selecting seats, as it affects how your reservation is structured
If the group includes one A-List or A-List Preferred member, that person's boarding benefit extends to up to eight passengers on the same reservation, moving the whole group into an earlier boarding position without each individual paying for a Southwest upgrade boarding product separately.
Same-Day Upgrade: What's Possible at the Airport on Travel Day
Southwest same day upgrade options exist but are more limited than pre-departure changes. Here is what the day-of picture looks like:
Priority Boarding can still be purchased at the airport if it is still available — check the app or ask at the gate. Once you check in at the 24-hour mark, the app will show whether Priority Boarding is purchasable for your specific flight. If the option appears, act on it quickly; availability on busy departure days can disappear within the first hour after the check-in window opens.
Seat upgrades (moving from Standard to Preferred or Extra Legroom) can similarly be purchased on travel day if inventory remains. Open the app, pull up your reservation, and look for the seat map and any available upgrade options. Some passengers find that Extra Legroom seats in exit rows free up on travel day as passengers without the proper mobility requirements request re-seating, but this is not reliable enough to plan around.
What is no longer possible on travel day: the old Upgraded Boarding product (A1–A15 boarding positions) ended on January 26, 2026. There is no equivalent same-day purchase that gets you a specific numbered position within Group 1 — Priority Boarding places you before Group 1 as a group, not at a specific slot within it. If delays in securing upgrades at the gate cause you to miss your departure window, it's helpful to already know Southwest's missed connecting flight policy so you can rebook without paying unnecessary fees
Tips That Save You Money on Southwest Seat Upgrades
Knowing the system helps you avoid paying for upgrades you do not need and avoid missing upgrades that would have been worth it.
Check for Extra Legroom availability 48 hours out. A-List members get complimentary Extra Legroom at the 48-hour mark if seats are open. Even non-elite passengers sometimes find that Extra Legroom pricing drops slightly close to departure as the airline tries to fill remaining premium inventory — though this is not guaranteed.
Compare the upgrade add-on price against the fare difference. Before paying $60 for an Extra Legroom seat on a Choice fare, calculate how much more a Choice Extra fare costs on the same flight. If the difference is $80 but also includes two free checked bags ($70 in bag fees), the full fare upgrade can be the smarter financial choice. Similarly, if there's a typo in the passenger name on your ticket, check the Southwest name change policy early — resolving it before purchasing upgrades avoids complications at the gate
Use a Southwest credit card if you fly Southwest even occasionally. The Priority and Performance Business cards provide complimentary Extra Legroom access 48 hours before departure and a boarding benefit — both of which would otherwise cost money on individual flights. Over a year of moderate Southwest travel, these benefits can pay for the card's annual fee several times over.
Book seat upgrades in both directions when trip-planning. It is easy to focus on the outbound flight and forget to upgrade the return. If Extra Legroom or Priority Boarding matters to you, check both legs during booking rather than waiting and finding the return flight's upgrade inventory gone.
Priority Boarding does not apply to connecting segments unless purchased separately. If your itinerary includes a connection, Priority Boarding must be purchased for each flight segment individually. The app makes this straightforward — once your first flight's check-in window opens, you can add Priority Boarding for all segments at once.
