Print Boarding Pass Southwest Air Flight B39Nct…: Everything You Need to Know

Last Updated on July 24, 2026 by Daniel Globe

You can print a Southwest Airlines boarding pass after check-in opens, normally 24 hours before the flight’s original scheduled departure. Use Southwest.com, the Southwest app, an airport kiosk, a Skycap podium where available, or the ticket counter. Keep your six-character confirmation number and the passenger’s first and last name ready.

How to Print Your Southwest Boarding Pass

The simplest way to print your pass is to check in through the official Southwest check-in page on a computer connected to a printer.

1. Open Southwest check-in. Check-in normally becomes available 24 hours before the flight’s original scheduled departure.
2. Enter the booking details. Provide the six-character confirmation number and the passenger’s first and last name exactly as shown on the reservation.
3. Complete check-in. Review the passenger information, assigned seat, and boarding group shown by Southwest.
4. Open the boarding pass. Select the option to view or print the pass.
5. Use your browser’s print command. Choose the correct printer, paper size, and page orientation, then print one clear copy.
6. Check the result. Make sure the passenger name, flight information, barcode, seat, and boarding group are readable.

Online check-in normally opens 24 hours before departure, but the final cutoff is 30 minutes before a domestic flight and 60 minutes before most international flights.

You can also print a boarding pass at a Southwest self-service kiosk, Skycap podium where available, ticket counter, or departure gate podium. Southwest may limit some passes to airport or gate issuance when extra verification is required.

Find Your Southwest Confirmation Number

Your Southwest confirmation number is a six-character alphanumeric booking code. It is different from the flight number, which normally identifies the scheduled flight itself.

You can find the confirmation number in the following places:

1. Your confirmation email: Search for an email from Southwest with a subject that begins with “You’re going to.”
2. Your Rapid Rewards account: Sign in and open the Trips area on Southwest.com.
3. The Southwest app: Open the Trips tab or review the upcoming trip shown near the top of the app.
4. The mobile website: Sign in and review Upcoming Trips.
5. Your booking provider: If a travel agency or another company issued the ticket, check its confirmation email or contact it directly.

Southwest provides more detail in its official guide to finding a confirmation number.

Check In With Your Southwest Confirmation Number

Once you have the confirmation number, open Southwest.com or the Southwest app and select Check In. Enter the confirmation number and the first and last name of any passenger on the itinerary.

According to Southwest’s current online check-in instructions, check-in normally opens 24 hours before the flight’s original scheduled departure. On the desktop site, select “Check in.” In the app or mobile website, use “Retrieve reservation.”

Current Southwest flights use assigned seats. Depending on the fare, status, credit-card benefits, and earlier seat selections, you may see a previously selected seat or receive a seat at check-in. Basic-fare passengers usually receive a Standard seat at check-in. If Southwest cannot assign a seat immediately, it may provide a security document and assign the seat at the gate.

If the trip includes a partner airline, check in with the carrier operating the first flight:

• If Southwest operates the first flight, start with Southwest.
• If a partner airline operates the first flight, check in through that airline’s website, app, or airport counter.

Retrieve Your Mobile or Printed Boarding Pass

After checking in, open the boarding-pass button in the Southwest app or mobile website. If your itinerary has connecting flights, Southwest normally provides a separate pass for each flight segment.

1. Open the Southwest app or mobile website.
2. Retrieve the trip with the confirmation number and passenger’s first and last name.
3. Tap the boarding-pass button.
4. Save the pass to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet when the option is available.
5. Increase your screen brightness before reaching the TSA checkpoint or boarding scanner.

A mobile boarding pass is accepted for security and boarding when the traveler and itinerary are eligible. Southwest lists the current rules on its mobile boarding-pass information page.

To print instead, retrieve the pass on Southwest.com from a computer and use the print option. You can also use a kiosk or ask a Southwest representative at the airport.

If you change a seat, add a Known Traveler Number, or make another reservation update, refresh the mobile pass or print a new copy so the latest information appears.

Know Southwest Boarding Pass Deadlines

Check-in opening time, passenger check-in cutoffs, bag-drop cutoffs, and gate deadlines are separate. Meeting only one deadline does not guarantee enough time to park, check bags, pass security, and reach the gate.

Southwest may rebook you on the next available flight if you try to check in after the applicable cutoff. It may also cancel your reserved space if you do not have the required boarding document and are not available in the gate area at least 10 minutes before departure.

Airport arrival recommendations vary by location. Check the airport page and allow extra time for parking, baggage, document checks, and security.

When You’ll Need a Security Document

A Southwest security document is not the same as a boarding pass. It confirms that you have a reservation and may allow you to pass through the TSA checkpoint, but you must obtain a boarding pass before entering the aircraft.

Southwest may issue a security document to:

• A customer who does not receive a seat assignment before or during check-in
• A standby customer
• A nonrevenue or space-available traveler
• A customer who arrives 20 minutes or less before the scheduled departure

If you receive one, pass through security and speak with a Southwest Customer Service Agent at the departure gate. The agent will handle the seat assignment and boarding pass when you are cleared to board.

Southwest explains these cases on its official security-document page.

Who Can’t Use a Mobile Boarding Pass

Southwest says the following travelers are not eligible for a mobile boarding pass:

• Lap children
• Unaccompanied Minors
• Travelers on certain international itineraries
• Travelers on partner reservations
• Travelers using military fares
• Travelers using government fares

These passengers may need to visit the ticket counter, another airport service point, or the operating airline to complete document verification and receive a boarding pass.

International travelers should also note that online check-in is not available for trips to or from Aruba, Havana, and Punta Cana. Other international passengers may need to scan a passport or U.S. Permanent Resident Card or have the document verified at the airport before a boarding pass becomes available.

For domestic travel, adults age 18 and older should carry a REAL ID-compliant license, an Enhanced Driver’s License, or another TSA-accepted form of identification. The name on the reservation should match the identification used for travel.

Manage Your Southwest Boarding Pass in the App

The Southwest app can display each boarding pass, send flight-status alerts, show the assigned seat and boarding group, and provide access to reservation-management options.

1. Add an eligible boarding pass to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet.
2. Enable notifications for delays, gate changes, and boarding updates.
3. Review your assigned seat after check-in.
4. Change an eligible seat through Manage Reservation, subject to fare rules and availability.
5. Purchase Priority Boarding starting 24 hours before departure when it is offered.

Seat access depends on the fare, Rapid Rewards tier, eligible credit-card benefits, and availability:

• Choice Extra: May select an available Extra Legroom, Preferred, or Standard seat at booking.
• Choice Preferred: May select an available Preferred or Standard seat at booking.
• Choice: May select an available Standard seat at booking.
• Basic: Normally receives a Standard seat at check-in or at the gate.

You can review current seat rules on Southwest’s assigned-seat selection page.

What to Do If Check-In Won’t Work?

If check-in fails, do not keep submitting the same information without checking the likely cause. Confirm the time, booking details, operating airline, passenger eligibility, and international-document requirements first.

Check-In Deadlines

Make sure the check-in window has opened and the final cutoff has not passed. Southwest check-in normally opens 24 hours before the original scheduled departure.

• Domestic cutoff: 30 minutes before departure
• International cutoff: 60 minutes before departure
• Aruba cutoff: 75 minutes before departure

If the cutoff has passed, contact Southwest or go to the ticket counter. You may need to be rebooked.

Use Another Channel

Try these options in order:

1. Confirm that the six-character confirmation number is correct.
2. Enter the passenger’s first and last name exactly as shown on the reservation.
3. Try a private browser window or another supported browser.
4. Close and reopen the Southwest app.
5. Switch between Southwest.com and the app.
6. Use an airport self-service kiosk where available.
7. Visit a Skycap podium or ticket counter.

If a partner airline operates the first flight, stop trying to check in through Southwest and use the operating airline’s website or app.

If the trip is international, make sure required passport or residency documents have been added or verified. Travelers to or from Aruba, Havana, and Punta Cana must complete check-in at the airport rather than online.

Contact Support

Contact Southwest when:

• The name on the reservation is incorrect
• The confirmation number is not recognized
• The reservation does not appear in the account
• A schedule change or cancellation blocks check-in
• You need disability-related seating or boarding assistance
• The website, app, and airport kiosk all fail

Keep the confirmation number, passenger name, departure airport, destination, and departure time ready. You can use the Southwest Help Center, app support options, ticket counter, or a Customer Service Agent at the airport.

Get a Boarding Pass at the Airport

You can get a paper Southwest boarding pass at a self-service kiosk, Skycap podium where available, ticket counter, or departure gate podium. Arrive with enough time to complete any identity, passport, baggage, or seat-assignment checks.

Airport Check-In Options

1. Self-service kiosk: Enter the confirmation number, use a Rapid Rewards number, scan a passport or mobile pass, or use another retrieval method offered by the kiosk.
2. Ticket counter: Use this option when you need document verification, assistance, or a service the kiosk cannot provide.
3. Skycap podium: Available at select airports for curbside service.
4. Departure gate: A gate agent may issue the final boarding pass for standby travelers, customers awaiting seat assignment, or other restricted cases.

Unaccompanied Minors and customers on large Group reservations may need to use the ticket counter instead of a kiosk.

Boarding Pass Issuance

Keep your confirmation number and identification ready, even though a kiosk may offer several ways to retrieve the reservation. Adults traveling domestically must carry acceptable identification for the TSA checkpoint. International passengers need the required passport and entry documents.

If the airport issues only a security document, take it through the checkpoint and speak with a Southwest agent at the departure gate. Do not assume that a security document allows you to board.

Deadline and Eligibility

Arriving at the airport does not extend the check-in deadline. You still need to meet the applicable domestic or international cutoff.

• Customers arriving 20 minutes or less before departure may receive only a security document.
• Lap children, Unaccompanied Minors, military-fare passengers, government-fare passengers, partner-reservation travelers, and some international travelers may not receive mobile passes.
• All passengers must obtain the required boarding document and be available at the gate at least 10 minutes before departure.

Current Southwest Seating and Boarding

Southwest no longer uses open seating on current flights. Seats are assigned before departure, and passengers board in Groups 1 through 8.

Your boarding group can depend on your fare, assigned seat type and location, Rapid Rewards tier, and eligible Southwest credit-card benefits. Current boarding order includes:

• Preboarding for eligible passengers with disabilities and Unaccompanied Minors
• Priority Boarding, when purchased and available
• Active-duty U.S. military with valid identification
• A-List Preferred members
• Group 1 for A-List members and Choice Extra fares
• Later groups based on fare, seat, status, and card benefits
• Group 8 for Basic fares unless another benefit provides an earlier group

Priority Boarding may be purchased beginning 24 hours before departure and, when available, until 30 minutes before departure. It provides earlier boarding and earlier access to overhead-bin space, but it does not replace your assigned seat.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is Southwest’s Senior Discount Policy?

Southwest does not currently offer senior fares. Travelers of any age can compare the available Basic, Choice, Choice Preferred, and Choice Extra fares and use eligible Rapid Rewards points, promotions, or account benefits.

How Do You Print Your Boarding Pass for Southwest Airlines?

Check in on Southwest.com beginning 24 hours before departure. Enter the confirmation number plus the passenger’s first and last name, complete check-in, open the boarding pass, and use the browser’s print command. You can also print at an airport kiosk, Skycap podium, ticket counter, or gate podium when available.

Do Seniors Get to Board Early on Southwest?

Age alone does not provide automatic early boarding. A passenger with a disability may qualify for preboarding when additional time or assistance is needed to board, stow accessibility equipment, or be seated. Other travelers may receive an earlier group through their fare, seat, Rapid Rewards status, eligible card benefits, military status, or purchased Priority Boarding.

What Information Do I Need to Print My Boarding Pass at the Airport?

Bring your six-character confirmation number, the passenger’s full name, and acceptable identification. A kiosk may also let you retrieve the reservation with a Rapid Rewards number, passport, mobile boarding pass, or a major credit card with your name on it.

Is a Six-Character Southwest Code a Flight Number?

It is usually the confirmation number for the reservation. A flight number identifies a scheduled flight, while the confirmation number is the private booking code used with the passenger’s name to retrieve the trip.

Can I Reprint a Southwest Boarding Pass?

Yes. Retrieve the reservation again through Southwest.com, the app, or an airport kiosk and open the current boarding pass. Reprint or refresh it after a seat change, Known Traveler Number update, flight change, or other reservation update.

Can I Use a Screenshot of My Mobile Boarding Pass?

A clear screenshot may work when the barcode and current flight details remain readable, but Apple Wallet or Google Wallet is safer because it can provide easier access. Refresh the official pass after any reservation change, and do not share screenshots publicly.

Where Do I Check In for a Southwest Partner Itinerary?

Check in with the airline operating the first flight. If Southwest operates the first segment, begin with Southwest. If the partner carrier operates the first segment, use that airline’s website, app, or airport counter.

Sources

1. Southwest Airlines Online Check-In — check-in methods, required booking details, partner itineraries, and deadlines
2. Southwest Mobile Boarding Pass Information — mobile-pass use, wallet options, and ineligible traveler categories
3. How to Find a Southwest Confirmation Number — official locations for retrieving the booking code
4. Southwest Security Documents — when a security document may replace a boarding pass temporarily
5. Southwest Boarding Process — assigned seating, current boarding groups, and boarding order
6. Southwest Identification Requirements — current domestic and international identification guidance

Conclusion

Printing a Southwest boarding pass is usually a quick process. Check in when the 24-hour window opens, enter the confirmation number and passenger name correctly, and print from Southwest.com or use an airport kiosk or counter. Keep current deadlines in mind, protect your confirmation number and barcode, and refresh the pass after any reservation change.

Southwest now uses assigned seats and boarding Groups 1–8, so older advice about open seating, A/B/C positions, and EarlyBird Check-In should not guide a current trip. When online check-in fails or a mobile pass is unavailable, go to the correct airline or airport service point early enough to complete verification before the cutoff.