AVIATION INDUSTRY

Southwest raises fee for last-minute priority boarding

Southwest Airlines has quietly increased the fee to nab a prime boarding position at the last minute on some flights.

The airline, which famously does not assign seats, will now charge up to $50 one way to board in the first group of travelers.

Upgraded boarding was introduced in 2013. Southwest started out charging $40 per person each way and added a $30 option on some flights in 2015.

This month it added a $50 fee to the mix. Spokeswoman Thais Hanson said that fee applies only to a few «high demand» markets but declined to name them.

The updated charges are listed in the airline’s fee chart.

Southwest passengers board in three groups "” A, B and C "” and can take any open seat. Passengers are assigned boarding positions within each group based on factors including their frequent flier status, type of ticket and time of online check-in.

Passengers in the A group get the best seat selection, while those in C usually get stuck in middle seats and have trouble finding seats together.

Paying for better boarding positions
Southwest offers two paid options for better positions: EarlyBird Check In and upgraded boarding.

EarlyBird Check In costs $15 each way and netted Southwest $358 million in revenue last year. It improves your place in line but doesn’t guarantee an A, or even a B in some cases, boarding pass…

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