The travel sector has had a rough week. Maybe you should buy a Seat Sitter again. Fortunately, Southwest Airlines is still providing good news for road warriors.
Southwest Airlines now assigns boarding numbers simultaneously to all A-List and A-List Preferred companions.
This is good news for families with A-list members who had to fly at separate times or those traveling long journeys to Hawaii.
Rules include exceptions, like anything else. Thankfully, Southwest has explicitly stated when this new boarding restriction does not apply:
1. Booking is less than 36 hours before departure. 2. Reservations do not preserve Rapid Rewards account numbers 36 hours before check-in.
3. An A-List or A-List Preferred Member booked the Group Travel itinerary. Only A-List and A-List Preferred Members board first. 4. Changes to reservations within 36 hours of flights.
5. A passenger flies standby on a different flight than confirmed. 6. The flight occurs once a Member's A-List or Preferred status expires. 7. Unreliable operations may impair A-List or A-List Preferred Membership perks.
8. A boarding card is not produced or the Passenger is not present at the departure gate at least 10 minutes before departure.
9. As long as you are an A-List member, have a reservation booked 36 hours in advance, have your Rapid Rewards number, and are not traveling with a school group, you can board together.
Sign up for any Chase Southwest Airlines Credit Card if you're low on Rapid Rewards points or want to avoid paying cash for tickets. Each new card advances your Southwest Airlines Companion Pass quest.
Southwest companions of A-List members will enjoy preferential seating. This is a good improvement since it will end disputes amongst people seeking to save seats for others.
A-List members and their families will also be allowed to use overhead bins, which are sometimes scarce on packed flights and require gate checking bags for later boarding.