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I haven't flown southwest in a very long time. Do they still use the plastic boarding passes they give you when checking in?



No; those were retired in the wake of 9/11 when boarding passes became required to get through security. After that, the logistics of at-gate checkin didn’t work anymore and Southwest started issuing disposable paper boarding passes outside security like every other airline.

For those that aren’t aware, this is the origin of Southwest’s quirky boarding process. They required you to check in at the gate, and each gate had a set of reusable plastic boarding cards with sequential numbers— You were handed the next card when you checked on and gave it back as you got on the plane, so that it could be reused for the next flight.

Everyone boarded the plane in the order they arrived for the flight without needing to stand in a strict queue while they waited. If the flight you were planning to take was full, you would be first in line for the next one which was often scheduled for less than half an hour later for their core routes.


I think everything can be on your phone. One thing different about southwest is that you don't have a reserved seat.


Unless this is a standby-specific question (in which case I’m not sure), no.




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