Rapid Rewards accounts will remain active and points won’t expire as long as you earn Rapid Rewards Points from flights or Partners every 24 months.
If you are checking luggage, there will be no change. Customers checking luggage may do so up to four hours before scheduled departure at a Southwest Airlines Ticket Counter or curbside Skycap Podium. At that time, a Boarding Pass will be issued that will also get you through the Security Checkpoint. The only other thing you need is your government-issued ID.
If you have an eligible reservation you may check in for your flight online at southwest.com beginning 24 hours prior to your flight's scheduled departure time. You may also check in and/or get a boarding pass at a self-service kiosk (where available), the Skycap Podium (in select locations), Ticket Counter, departure gate, or on your mobile device.
When checking in 20 minutes or less before your flight's scheduled departure, you must get your boarding pass at the gate. You will be issued a security document to get through the TSA checkpoint; however, you must request your boarding pass from the Customer Service Agent at the departure gate.
If you purchased a Business Select Fare, EarlyBird Check-in, or are a Rapid Rewards A-List Member, we'll automatically reserve your boarding position, freeing you to print your boarding pass at your leisure.
Note: Customer must retrieve boarding pass and be present in the gate area ten minutes prior to departure. For Rapid Rewards A-List Member to receive reserved boarding privileges, the Member must include his/her Member number in the reservation at least 36 hours prior to flight time.
Documentation required to travel to foreign countries and/or re-enter the United States varies by country. Visit our portal and enter your origin/destination for documentation requirements specific to your itinerary. A valid passport is always required for international travel, in addition to other documentation based on your destination.
If any portion of your itinerary contains an international flight, you will be required to check your luggage at the Southwest Airlines Ticket Counter upon arrival at the airport as well as after clearing Customs at a gateway city upon your return to the United States prior to your connecting flight to your final destination. Connecting passengers must claim all luggage, regardless of final destination, upon arrival in the U.S. After clearing Customs, passengers with connecting flights will then be required to re-check all checked luggage with a Southwest Airlines Customer Service Agent before proceeding to connecting flight(s).
Also, please note that you cannot check luggage at the curbside with a SkyCap if any portion of your itinerary includes an international flight. You must visit the Southwest Airlines Ticket Counter.
Additional Information
For frequently asked questions, see our Security Document FAQ.
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) procedures require all airlines to correctly identify all Customers. As part of this ongoing effort, the TSA has implemented the Secure Flight program, which requires airlines to ask Customers for their full name (as it appears on their government issued ID), date of birth, and gender at the time of reservation.
The Secure Flight program was developed by the government to meet 9/11 Commission recommendations that the TSA take over watch list name matching functions from airlines. The benefit is that Secure Flight offers a standardized method for the TSA to compare passenger name information to the TSA watch lists. Please visit the Secure Flight Program section of the TSA's web site for additional information.
Secure Flight is being phased in across the industry, so different airlines will begin requesting additional passenger data at different times. Southwest Airlines has incorporated the new Secure Flight data requirements into our systems.
In order to help minimize instances of passenger misidentification, we recommend including your Rapid Rewards frequent flyer number in every Southwest Airlines reservation. This number is unique to each Customer, and it is helpful in our efforts to identify our Customers electronically and enable online and/or kiosk check in. We suggest using your first, middle, and last name in your reservation. The name entered in your reservation must match the government-issued identification carried by the Customer during their travel.
Please note that including your Rapid Rewards number may not always prevent cases of mistaken identity. Customers who encounter repeated difficulty with check in relating to TSA security procedures may contact the TSA for relief via their web site www.dhs.gov/trip.