© Courtesy of Southwest
Editor's Note: We know COVID-19 is continuing to impact your travel plans. Should you travel now, be sure to familiarize yourself with the CDC's latest guidance on domestic and international travel as well as local requirements, protocols, and restrictions for both your destination upon your arrival and your home city upon your return. Be safe out there. We all know the unfortunate reality of a C boarding group position on Southwest. You'll likely end up wedged between a screaming toddler and an overly chatty middle-aged man. Luckily, the carrier is doing something about it-well, not the toddlers and chatty men, just your ability to upgrade boarding groups.
As part of its $2 billion upgrade project, Southwest is now allowing customers to change their boarding group for an added fee, Travel + Leisure reports. As of Monday, passengers can purchase an upgrade online or via the app within 24 hours of their departure.
"We announced our commitment in May to enhance our entire customer experience, from shopping and booking flights to check-in, traveling onboard, and to the arrival at the destination," a spokesperson for the carrier told T+L. "As part of this transformation, customers now will be able to skip a line and go online to secure an Upgraded Boarding spot."
The upgrade starts at $30 per segment and gets you an assignment position between A1 to A15. While the feature was previously available for business class passengers, "Anytime," "Wanna Get Away," and "Wanna Get Away Plus" fare tiers are now also included.
Southwest is also offering an EarlyBird Check-In option that will automatically check you in 24 hours before departure, so you can snag a good boarding group from the start. The feature costs $15 per one-way flight and is available for purchase 36 hours before departure.
Megan Schaltegger is a Staff Writer on the News team at Thrillist.