Southwest Airlines is changing its boarding process for many of its flights. From now on, most domestic flights will start boarding 35 minutes before departure, which is five minutes earlier than before. The change was announced by TWU Local 556, the union for Southwest flight attendants. Although five minutes may not seem like much, this adjustment shows the airline is making bigger changes in how it handles boarding and departures.
The new boarding times depend on the type of plane and where it is going. Domestic flights on Boeing 737-800s and 737 MAX 8s will now start boarding 35 minutes before departure. Smaller Boeing 737-700s on domestic routes will still board 30 minutes before leaving. International flights and flights to Hawaii will keep their 45-minute boarding window. Since the 737-800s and MAX 8s make up almost two-thirds of Southwest’s planes, this change affects most of the airline’s flights.
This change in boarding time is mainly because of new baggage policies. For many years, Southwest was different from other U.S. airlines because it let every passenger check two bags for free. This was good for marketing and also helped with boarding, since fewer people brought large bags into the cabin. But after Southwest started charging for checked bags in mid-2025, passengers began bringing more bags on board.
Now that there are fees for checked bags, more people are bringing bigger carry-ons and personal items onto the plane to save money. This increase in carry-on bags makes boarding slower. Overhead bins fill up quickly, aisles get crowded as people search for space, and gate agents have to tag and check extra bags at the last minute. Since the plane cannot leave until all gate-checked bags are loaded and the doors are closed, any delay in boarding can cause the flight to leave late.
Another challenge is the number of passengers. The 737-800 and 737 MAX 8 planes can carry about 30 to 40 more people than the smaller 737-700. With more passengers and more carry-on bags, boarding takes longer, so the extra five minutes helps keep flights on time.
Even with the longer boarding time, Southwest still boards passengers faster than most major U.S. airlines. Most other airlines start boarding narrow-body planes 40 to 45 minutes before departure. Southwest’s open-seating policy and unique boarding groups have always made boarding quick, but the increase in carry-on bags has made it necessary to add a little extra time.
