Best seats on Southwest Airlines

4 configs

Editorial shortlists for every Southwest Airlines schematic we publish. Open a config, read the heuristic ranking, then confirm the live map with the airline. Southwest Airlines appears factually. We are not affiliated with Southwest Airlines. Layouts are illustrative and vary by registration.

U.S. low cost carrier with an all Boeing 737 fleet and primarily single cabin layouts. Configurations vary by subfleet.

Scores are editorial opinions for planning only. Configurations vary by aircraft registration and retrofit. Always confirm seats with your airline. See Methodology for how scores work. Pick Your Row is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Southwest Airlines.

Best seats FAQ

What is this Southwest Airlines best seats page for?

This page collects the editorial best seats shortlists for Southwest Airlines. One card covers each of the 4 illustrative cabins we publish for this airline. Open a card for a ranked opinion of seats on that drawing. The ranking is a planning aid. It is not a seat Southwest Airlines is holding for you. If you want the cabin sketch before the ranking, start from the Southwest Airlines airline page. Then confirm the aircraft and the live map with Southwest Airlines before you pay for a row.

Are these Southwest Airlines shortlists official recommendations?

No. Every shortlist on this page is an editorial opinion from Pick Your Row. These are not official Southwest Airlines seat recommendations, and Pick Your Row is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Southwest Airlines. If the airline map and a shortlist disagree, trust Southwest Airlines. The methodology page separates opinion scores from facts a carrier publishes.

How many Southwest Airlines shortlists are on this page?

This page shows 4 illustrative configs for Southwest Airlines: Boeing 737-700, Boeing 737-800, Boeing 737-8, and Boeing 737 MAX 7. Open a card and choose Best seats to read that ranked shortlist. One example is the Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700 best seats page. The same card also links to the seat map.

How do the scores on these Southwest Airlines shortlists work?

Scores are editorial opinions on a 1 to 10 scale. They start near the middle, then move with a simple heuristic on our schematic. Exit rows and bulkheads usually gain points for space. Window and aisle seats gain a small preference over middle seats. Seats next to a lavatory or a galley lose points for traffic and noise, and many rear rows lose a little as well. On the Boeing 737-700 shortlist, the editorial ranking starts with 11A, 11F, 12A. The full rules are in the methodology. A plain language walkthrough is in How Pick Your Row scores work.

Can the real Southwest Airlines cabin differ from these shortlists?

Yes. Each shortlist follows one typical drawing, not every aircraft Southwest Airlines flies. The economy block pattern behind every shortlist here is blocks of 3 and 3. Drawn seat counts on these configs run about 138 to 175 seats. Another registration can move galleys, lavatories, exit rows, or the number of rows. Confirm the aircraft on your ticket, and the live seat map, with Southwest Airlines before you pay.

How do I open the seat map from a Southwest Airlines shortlist card?

Each card on this page has a Best seats link and a Seat map link for the same config. Best seats opens the ranked shortlist. Seat map opens the cabin sketch so you can see where those seats sit. For Boeing 737-700, open the Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700 best seats page, then the Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700 seat map. Use the shortlist for the opinion and the seat map for the layout. Book only after Southwest Airlines confirms the row.