How Can I See How Many Seats Are Available on a Southwest Flight?

Checking the number of people who are currently flying on a Southwest Airlines flight can be a hard statistic to locate. When booking your flight, options provided usually tend to focus on the price of the flight and how many rewards points can be earned by taking the flight. However, there is an easy way to check this information on the Southwest Airlines website.

1. Book your flight on Southwest Airlines to receive a flight number.
2. On the Southwest Airlines website, look and click on the link that says "Check Flight Status".
3. Enter the information Southwest Airlines requires on the webpage: Departure City, Arrival City, Travel Date, and Flight Number.
4. Scroll down to the bottom of the webpage to find a section titled "Other Flight Information". The number of people on the flight will appear as well as the number of seats available.

The reason why you have to purchase a flight before you can check the number of seats available is because the Southwest Airlines website is programmed to remove flights that cannot seat any more people as you are conducting your search. One way around this is to call Southwest Airlines directly and ask a customer service representative directly.