4 Tips for Checking in on Southwest Airlines

Indianapolis offers tons of flights daily on Southwest Airlines to both domestic and international destinations, including Cancun. Whether it's Denver, Los Angeles, San Diego or Las Vegas, Southwest has affordable prices and a great selection of destinations, not to mention no change or cancellation fees, two free bags per person and free onboard entertainment.

But Southwest does not offer advanced seating, which means that you will board the plane -- and thus pick your seat -- based on the order you check in unless you purchase a special "early bird" pass, hold a business or higher fare ticket, or have elite status with the airline.

Here are 4 tips to help with your Southwest check in to ensure you get the best possible seat and the optimum chance to sit with your traveling companions:

1. Check in exactly 24 hours ahead of your departure time

The earliest you can check in on Southwest is 24 hours ahead of your flight's departure, so you'll want to be sure you check in exactly at that moment to give you the highest boarding position. To do so, you'll need to set yourself multiple reminders -- be it alarms on your phone or computer (or both!) to remind you to check in right then. If you have the Southwest smartphone app, you can also allow notifications so it will remind you.

2. Check in online

The quickest and easiest way to check in on Southwest is online or via a smart device, like an iPhone or iPad. To check in online, visit Southwest.com and then click on Check In. To check in on your smart device, download the Southwest app, open and select Check In.

3. Have your confirmation number ready

When you booked your Southwest flight, you received a confirmation number. You will need to have that available in order to check in. If more than one person are included within that confirmation number, you only have to check in once and all members of that party will be checked in.

If, however, one person in your party is flying on the Southwest Companion Pass, a pass that lets one person fly free with you for up to two years, they will have a separate confirmation number and will need to be checked in separately.

Here are 10 FAQs about the awesome Southwest Companion Pass.

4. Should you print your boarding pass or use an electronic boarding pass?

While it never hurts to have an electronic boarding pass, which you can access via email or via the Southwest app, as well as add it to Apple's "Wallet" app on the iPhone, I recommend also printing your boarding pass either at home or at the airport.

While saving it in the Apple Wallet allows you to access them even if you lose WiFi, your phone could still die, leaving your boarding passes inaccessible. I recommend always having a printed version as a back up. One less thing to worry about!

Read this post for more tips on how to check in on Southwest, including how families can sit together, and here are 5 things to know before boarding your next Southwest flight, as well as tips for accessing Southwest WiFi.