I Have The Ultimate Couples Hack For Flying Southwest Airlines (Plus A Bonus Hack Too)

I recently took a trip to California and I found out something that tickled my heart.

What if I told you that you could sit next to your significant other and not have some stranger sitting on either side or in the middle? I think if you're like me, you'd be interested. I discovered something while hitting up four Southwest flights over the weekend and since it'll be a while before my next trip I thought I'd pass it along.

Flights are absolutely packed nowadays. On the four planes I was on (and five stops) there was not a single open seat. They jammed us in there as tight as they could, but fortunately, I took some precautions.

Who hasn't been stuck in line for boarding hoping that a. they get to stick next to the person they came with and b. that you didn't have to share that space with a stranger? I dealt with all of this a year ago and I decided no more.

First, I paid the extra money for "preferred boarding". You may think that's a waste of cash, but If I'm going to be on a plane for four hours I want to be next to someone I can lay my head on. Still, I don't think you have to have the preferred boarding to take advantage of what I'm talking about.

So here's the hack. Southwest airlines currently have planes that on the left side (facing the cockpit) have only two chairs (737-800 models). Now, these are the chairs near the emergency doors so you'll have to verbally acknowledge to the flight attendant that you're willing to rip that door open in case of an emergency, but you have NO worries about someone sitting next to you. Many people just don't want this responsibility and will actually avoid these seats, so you may be good if you board just a little ahead of the pack.

Hack #2 has to do with the same area. The two seats I'm talking about are still next to the center aisle, which means if you sit near the window in the seats behind them, you'll have hella-leg room in that open space!

Safe travels and enjoy your flight!