Southwest Airlines Flight Booking: Choosing Your Seat Online
Southwest Airlines offers select seats in the cabin. Seats can be selected immediately when purchasing tickets or afterwards, through a personal account on the airline’s website or when checking in for a flight at the airport.
When buying air tickets on the official website of Southwest Airlines, the reservation system offers passengers to choose seats according to the load of the plane for an additional fee. Passengers are allocated free seats in the aircraft cabin when checking in for the flight.
When buying tickets for an adult with a child, the reservation system allocates seats located nearby for free. Seats for a single accompanying adult and child will be automatically assigned side by side by the system. For example, if a mother, father, and 5-year-old daughter are flying, then the mother and daughter will sit next to each other.
Passengers can choose their own seats in the cabin and not use those offered by the system for free. You have to pay extra to choose a place. If you have already purchased tickets and want to change your seat in the cabin, you can do this through your personal account on the airline’s official website or by calling the call center; and for some passengers booking their flight with the Anytime or Business Select fare, the choice of seat is possible until the last moments before departure.
What is the best seat on a Southwest Airlines plane?
Everyone has their own preferences, an expression that can be extended to any area of life and, of course, also to travel. Considering this premise, the answer to a seemingly simple question such as what is the best airplane seat cannot be unique either.
Each traveler has their priorities, so it is important to ask yourself: is the best place the most comfortable, the quietest, the safest, … or the cheapest? Starting from the observation that choosing an armchair is not easy, here are some questions to ask yourself before doing so.
Indeed, to make the best choice, it is essential to know the details of the interior of the aircraft:
– Check how the plane is inside
To make the best choice, it is essential to know the details of the interior of the aircraft, so it is recommended to consult the plane’s seat plan before booking confirmation, a website that allows to enter the data of a flight or a model, and check out the plane’s cabin, seating arrangements and even reading reviews from other travelers.
The portal provides interesting information on the comfort of each seat, the extra legroom if they have any, entertainment or if it has a power outlet or USB charger, among others. Based on these variables, it determines what it considers to be the best and worst places.
The difference between flying in economy class or doing it in business class is obvious. In the latter, the comfort is superior, but that is not why we can speak of ideal seats in all cases. As was indicated at the beginning, in the choice you must take into account your preferences or needs.
– Seats offering more comfort
If what you are looking for is greater comfort, that is to say to enjoy more space for the legs and to be able to recline the backrest a little more, beyond the upper classes, the best seats will be next to emergency exits or in the first row between sections. The first of these options is usually paid, but you can get it at no extra cost if it hasn’t been sold at the last minute. However, you must keep in mind that in the event of an evacuation, you will have to help open the door.
The seats between the sections, those facing the class separation wall also have more space.
However, remember that children’s beds are also usually placed in this row, a circumstance that could reduce your peace of mind. If it is not possible to access one of these places, opt for the corridor, it will allow you to stretch your legs a little more.
On the other hand, the most uncomfortable seats are those in the last row and those located just in front of the emergency door. In both cases, they are fixed; they do not allow the backrest to recline.
You will find the most comfortable seats next to the emergency exits or in the first row between the sections.
– Seats offering more silence
If you opt for silence or at least to enjoy a less noisy journey, the best rows are those at the front, where the noise of the engines is not perceived with such intensity. The only inconvenience is in the nocturnal movements, because the proximity of the kitchen can disturb the rest. On the other hand, the tail is the area with the most noise.
Another detail to take into account, unrecognized by a large majority, is that the seats in the center of the plane, that is to say the aisle seats, are several decibels quieter than those at the window.
– Seats to ensure your peace of mind during the flight
Beyond the silence, if you don’t want to be disturbed by your neighbors on the road, sit by the window, where you can rest without the threat of an incontinent passenger forcing you to get up repeatedly. Also, on night flights, you can rest by leaning your head against the window.
If the comings and goings of travelers to the toilets bother you, the central part of the plane is yours, since the toilets are located at both ends of the cabin.
Seats for more passenger safety
Every air accident is different, so it is not possible to say categorically that some positions are safer than others. The safest seats are those in the middle of the row, that is, between the aisle and the window.
– Seats where there is the least turbulence
The turbulence is for some passengers a real torture. Although they do not involve risk, they do involve some discomfort. On larger planes, they are less visible.
Sitting close to the fenders allows you to get rid of bigger jerks than at the front and, above all, than at the rear.
– Seats that allow quick disembarkation
If you’re short on time and want to avoid missing a link, it’s advisable to sit near the cockpit, as disembarkation is always through the front door (although it can also be through the back) . In this case, it is important to have the luggage in a nearby compartment, to avoid delays.