Southwest moves boarding start five minutes earlier on most domestic flights

Southwest Airlines has instituted a new boarding timetable aimed at reducing delays. Starting now, passengers on most domestic routes will be expected to be at the gate five minutes earlier than under the previous guideline. To support this, flight crews on Boeing 737-800 NG and Boeing 737 MAX-8 jets must report to their gates no later than 35 minutes before scheduled departure, an increase from the former 30-minute requirement and covering roughly 65 % of the carrier’s fleet.

Flights operated with Boeing 737-700 aircraft will retain the 30-minute boarding window, while international and Hawaii services will commence boarding 45 minutes ahead of take-off. The adjustment comes after Southwest discontinued its “Two Bags Fly Free” policy in May 2025 and introduced assigned seating earlier this year, both of which have led to passengers spending more time searching overhead bin space. Compared with rivals, Southwest’s revised 35-minute boarding window remains shorter than the typical 40-minute start used by American, Delta and United. The airline hopes the tweak will restore its historically rapid turnaround times.