Southwest Airlines: Travel App

Southwest App Review: Handles the New Seats and Fees, Fumbles Saved Trips

Assigned Seats and Boarding Groups 1–8: What Each Fare Buys

Open seating ended with flights on January 27, 2026. Basic gets a Standard seat assigned at check-in and boards last, in Group 8. Choice lets you pick a Standard seat when you book; Choice Preferred adds Preferred seats near the front and Groups 3–4; Choice Extra includes an Extra Legroom seat, up to five extra inches on the 737-700, and Group 1. Paid seat upgrades run $4 to $250 per segment and Priority Boarding $10 to $75, sold within 24 hours of takeoff; both are U.S. prices that can change. Rapid Rewards earning follows the same ladder: 2 points per dollar on Basic, 6 on Choice, 10 on Choice Preferred, 14 on Choice Extra.

My Trips, Wallet Passes and Touchless ID, When They Load

Boarding passes save to Google Wallet or Apple Wallet, and TSA PreCheck members at select checkpoints can show a Touchless ID indicator on the mobile pass. Bags are checked and tracked digitally, Lyft rides can be booked up to four hours before a flight, and travelers on Choice fares or higher can join same-day standby until 60 minutes before the new flight on domestic routes. Reliability is the weak point: of the 150 newest English-language Google Play reviews (June 24 to September 30, 2026), 73 give one star, and the app-specific complaints repeat: booked trips missing from My Trips, forced re-logins at the gate, checkout errors and promotional pushes that keep arriving after offers are switched off.

$45 Bags, 6-Month Basic Credits and the 10-Minute Cancel Rule

Two free bags ended for most fares on May 28, 2025, when fees started at $35 and $45. For U.S. mainland trips booked or changed since April 9, 2026, the first checked bag costs $45 and the second $55 on Basic, Choice and Choice Preferred, which matches what Delta charges Main and Comfort passengers on domestic flights. There are still no change or cancel fees, but you must cancel at least 10 minutes before departure or risk forfeiting the money, and Basic can't be changed without upgrading. Basic credits expire 6 months after booking; Choice credits last 12 months and can be transferred once. An unchanged booking made a week or more out is fully refundable within 24 hours.

Free Wi-Fi for Rapid Rewards Members, and What the App Collects

Since October 24, 2025, Rapid Rewards members get free Wi-Fi through a T-Mobile partnership on Wi-Fi-equipped aircraft and on unlimited devices; without an account it costs $8 per device. The Google Play form says name, email and user IDs may be shared for advertising or marketing, and that health information is collected and shared for app functionality. The airline's privacy policy, updated March 30, 2026, links health status to needs like wheelchair assistance and says inflight Wi-Fi use can log the websites you visit plus IP and MAC addresses. Apple's label lists no tracking data, and both a Do Not Sell or Share request and data deletion are available.