“Look to your left, look to your right, if you see an open seat that seat is yours.” You may have heard this while boarding a Southwest Airlines flight. Since their inception, Southwest Airlines has done things a little differently including two free bags and open seating. While the seats are free for the taking, not every seat is the same with some being better than others. Furthermore, some seats are a bit worse than others, leaving the question, what are the best seats aboard Southwest Airlines aircraft? We will break down the best and worst seats on the entire Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 fleet.
Boeing 737-700
The Boeing 737-700 is the backbone of the Southwest Airlines fleet flying both short haul and transcontinental flights. According to Airfleets.net there are 396 active 737-700s flying for Southwest. The best seats on the 737-700s are subjective but offer some benefits compared to other seats on the aircraft. If you are looking for almost unlimited legroom row 12A is the best seat to select. There are some stipulations however. Being an exit row, you must be 15 years or older and can not sit here if you are a “preboard.”
Row 7A is one of the worst seats on the 737-700s as these seats do not have a window. Row 1 may be less desirable as there is no storage in front and there is no tray table. In row 10 the seats will not recline as the exit row is located behind. Row 24 may be undesirable as this is the very last row and is located right near the lavatory.
Boeing 737-800 / 737MAX8
The Boeing 737-800 joined the Southwest Airlines fleet in 2012. As with the 700 series aircraft the 737-800s fly a mix of short and longer routes. The 737-800s feature slightly different seats than the 737-700s. The best seats to snag on Southwest Airlines 737-800s are rows 2 A-C and 16. Row 2 A-C are bulkhead seats offering extra legroom and no seat in front. Another added perk, you are one of the first passengers off the aircraft. There are some downsides to the seat including the trey table which is in the armrest making the seat slightly narrower. Being a bulkhead seat, items will have to go up in the bins. The factory fresh 737MAX 8 has an almost identical configuration with the same favorable seats. Those traveling as a couple may appreciate the 2-2 configuration in exit row seats 15 B/C/D/E as opposed to the standard 3-3 configuration in all of the other rows.
The 737-800s and MAX8s do have some less desirable seats. If you are looking to enjoy views out of the windows avoid seats 9A and 10F as these seats do not have a window. Row 13 seats on the 737-800/MAX8 do not recline as they are in front of the exit rows. Lastly, the very last rows may want to be avoided as these are in close proximity to the lavatories.
Early Boarding
If you want to snag these seats early there are a few ways to do this. Business Select tickets award early boarding. EarlyBird Check-In can be purchased ahead of time. The prices for EarlyBird Check-In start as low as $15 but can vary in cost depending on the flight. Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card holders can use four upgraded boardings per year, upgrading to groups A1-A15. Now the next time you board a Southwest flight you’ll know the seats to grab and the ones to avoid.