Southwest Airlines Check-in: Types & General Queries

November 22, 2017March 18, 2019

Currently, booking air tickets online is a much convenient option as compared to any other mode. Well, there are still some cases in which you can’t have authority to do so like when you are traveling with pets or unaccompanied minors or any other such special case.

Different airlines offer a number of check-in option to the travelers for their convenience. Here we are discussing the procedure of Southwest airline check-in and the rules and regulations on that.

Southwest Airlines’ Web Check-in Options:

Automatic Check-in:

Southwest Airlines offer the passenger the automatic check-in option, for which the travelers need to assign early boarding positions 12 hours before general boarding positions. Coming to the timings, the airline begins Automatic Check-in 36 hours before scheduled departure.

This option also let the passengers print their boarding passes starting 24 hours before scheduled departure. The can also use the self-service kiosks in the airport lobby for printing purpose.

Online check-in:

Through this option, you can easily book your tickets 24 hours prior to scheduled departure of the flight. You can receive the boarding passes at the Skycap Podiums, self-service kiosks, and ticket counters.

According to the rules, the passengers need to be at the gates at least 30 minutes before departure time along with their boarding passes. Passengers also need to aware if they don’t present at the gate area for boarding, 10 minutes before departure time; their reserve space will be canceled.

Kiosk check-in:

Kiosk Check-in is another Southwest check-in option. Through this, you can easily use the kiosk machines for check-in purposes at the airport. These machines are available at almost all the locations of the carrier. Everyone can use this mode for their check-in purpose except the one traveling with unaccompanied minors or fly with their pets or is military personnel.

Self-service check-in kiosks can be used for all other types of reservations. You can access your reservation either by entering your confirmation or Rapid Rewards number.

EarlyBird check-in:

Early Bird Check-in is one of the other ways of Southwest check-in. Through this mode, you can easily check-in by paying a sum of USD 12.5 for one way trip using a credit card. Passengers can automatically check in even before 24 hours of scheduled departure. You can easily pick up your favorite seats and get access to overhead bin for keeping the baggage.

It is very simple to use this mode as you can purchase Early Bird Check-in online and over a phone, can do reservations. One fact to know is that these Early Bird Check-In purchases are nonrefundable.

Airport check-in:

The most basic way to purchase tickets is through southwest airlines airport check-in. in this, the reservations require the passenger to check in at the airport ticket counter. In the following cases, there is no other option rather than to do airport check-in:

In case, you are traveling with Unaccompanied Minors.
When customers are traveling with pets.
One who is traveling on Infant, Child, and Senior Fares and are not already Age Verified.
Customers traveling on a Military Fare.
And, passengers traveling with paper tickets.

One more thing to keep in mind is that the customers traveling on age-qualifying fares need to present valid proof of age at the airport at the time they are exchanging the confirmation number for a boarding pass.

Curbside check-in:

Yes, Curbside check-in option is also available through the Southwest airlines. This lets you check-in for your airline from 60 minutes to 3 hours before the scheduled departure time at most of the airports. All you need to have is your photo ID along with your flight reservation code, flight number destination or electronic ticket number to check-in.

Ticket counter check-in:

Ticket counter check-in is another type of check-in option available for the passengers. This lets you check-in for your Southwest Airlines flight at the airport ticket counter from 30 minutes to 3 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Mobile check-in:

While using your mobile device to check in, you will need the confirmation number along with the first and the last name of yours. This feature is available for all who are traveling on a multi-passenger reservation. Those who are flying on nonrevenue or paper tickets can also use this feature but they need to get a security document that can be printed online or collected from an agent at the ticket counter at the airport.

The confirmation screen indicating your boarding group will be there at the end of this process. You can easily print the boarding pass at any of the self-service check-in kiosks or you can also pick the option of getting it at the ticket counter.

GENERAL QUERIES:

How early one needs to check in for the flight?

Passengers need to check-in 24 hours prior to scheduled departure in case they have the printed boarding pass. You can also avail the boarding passes at a Southwest Airlines Skycap Podium or at the Ticket Counter. The e-ticket Check-In kiosk is also there for the passengers.

Can I check in with my web-enabled device?

Yes, this option is available. And you can check-in, do changes in your flights and even rent a car through that device. After you check-in for your flight via your mobile device, you need to go through the nearest E-Ticket Check-In kiosk to print your boarding pass.

Who is eligible to use online check-in option?

To use online check-in and print your boarding pass, you must have to satisfy the following points:

While traveling on Senior, Child, or Infant fares, you need to verify your age.
The next point is that you need to check in 24 hours prior to your scheduled departure time.
You must have purchased an eligible fare type.
Customers who are traveling with their children under the age of two years and are flying as lap children must have to present a valid birth certificate for the child. They need to check in with a Customer Service Agent at the airport.

Do I need to check in online if I purchased EarlyBird Check-In?

NO, you don’t need to do so. Using the EarlyBird Check-In option, customers can checked in automatically. They will receive a reserved boarding position 36 hours prior to their flight’s scheduled local departure time.

Talking about the boarding passes, these can be printed 24 hours prior to the flight’s scheduled departure time. You can also obtain a boarding pass at the Ticket Counter or online at the airline’s website.

How do I check in for Southwest Airlines?

In order to check in for the Southwest Airlines, you need to follow the following steps:

Firstly, log on the official website of Southwest Airlines (www.southwest.com) and generally, it must be 24 hours before your flight.
Then, click on the link to check-in.
After that, type your confirmation number along with your first and last name in the required boxes.
After that, you need to confirm the information that appears on the boarding pass on your screen.

How do I check on multiple people for Southwest flight?

If you want to do check in for multiple people for a Southwest flight, the following are the steps:

Go to the official website of the airline and click check-in.
Then enter the confirmation number along with your first and last name of anyone traveler in the required boxes.
Then you need to checkin either for the entire Group or select specific Passengers.

How do I get my boarding pass online?

The option of check-in is available from 1 to 30 hours prior to scheduled departure of domestic flights.

You can easily print your boarding pass after checking in online. Or do obtain a voucher to be exchanged for your boarding pass at the airport.

You can also use the Southwest airline mobile website or new mobile app to do check-in and obtain your e-boarding pass.

How early can you check your bags at the airport?

For US based flights and most of the international flights, baggage will generally not be accepted for check-in more than four hours before a scheduled flight departure. This rule may vary from airport to airport.

Is it better to check in online or at the airport?

Nowadays, checking in online is a more convenient option than purchasing tickets at the airport. Most of the commercial airlines have the facility of online check-in which you can avail 24/7 in advance of the departure time. There are a number of benefits of checking in online and getting free from standing in the huge queue is one of them.

How does online check-in work at the airport?

Online check-in let you book your flight tickets from the comfort of your home or office or anywhere else. It also lets you print your own boarding pass. At the airport, all you need to do is to display your boarding pass barcode on the screen of your device at the security checkpoint.

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