petermichel
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When flying with Southwest Airlines, one of the most important questions travelers ask is: How early should I check in for a Southwest flight? The answer depends on how you want to secure your seat and how smoothly you want your travel day to go. Since Southwest uses an open seating policy—meaning seats aren’t assigned ahead of time—your boarding position depends on when you check in, not when you booked your ticket. You can check in exactly 24 hours before your scheduled departure, and it’s highly recommended that you do it as soon as that window opens. The earlier you check in, the better your boarding group (A, B, or C) and position number will be, which gives you more seat choices when boarding. If you're in the A group, you’re among the first to board and can pick a front-row seat, window seat, or overhead bin space easily. On the other hand, if you wait too long and end up in C group, you may get stuck with a middle seat at the back of the plane. For this reason, many frequent Southwest flyers set an alarm to check in the moment the 24-hour window opens. If you’d rather not worry about timing, you can purchase EarlyBird Check-In, a paid service that automatically checks you in 36 hours before departure, improving your boarding position without any extra effort. However, EarlyBird does not guarantee an A group spot—it only gives you a better chance than those checking in manually at 24 hours. In addition to online and mobile check-in, you can also check in at the airport using a self-service kiosk or at the ticket counter, but these are not ideal unless absolutely necessary. If you wait to check in at the airport, your boarding position will likely be much later. As for arrival time at the airport, Southwest recommends arriving at least 2 hours before your flight for domestic travel and 3 hours early for international flights, especially if you have bags to check, are flying during peak travel periods, or are departing from a busy airport. Keep in mind that Southwest check-in counters usually close 45 minutes before departure for domestic flights and 60 minutes before for international. You must have your boarding pass and checked baggage turned in by then to avoid being denied boarding. TSA also recommends arriving early to allow time for security checks, especially if you're not enrolled in programs like TSA PreCheck. In summary, the best practice is to check in exactly 24 hours before your Southwest flight, arrive at the airport at least 2 hours early, and consider EarlyBird Check-In if you want to avoid the stress. Checking in early not only secures a better boarding spot but also makes your entire airport experience more relaxed and efficient. Planning ahead helps ensure a smooth takeoff with Southwest Airlines.