Best Seats on the Southwest 737-800 (Heart)

The aircraft, at a glance

The Southwest 737-800 Heart configuration seats 175 passengers in a mostly 3-3 layout — three seats on each side of the aisle, no middle cabin, no first class. Row 1 is a half-row (D, E, F only) and exit row 15 has four seats. Rows run from 1 to 29, with additional seats in row 30 at the very back. Every seat is economy, though seating class labels (Standard, Extra Legroom, Preferred) dictate pricing and boarding priority.

Legroom is 31 inches for Standard seats, and 34 inches for exit rows 14 and 15. Width is 17 inches across the board.

The best seats, ranked

1. Row 1 (A, B, C)

The front row on the left side of the aircraft is the premium pick. You board and deplane first, you have no seat in front of you to worry about, and you're away from engine noise. The trade-off: no underseat storage (your bag goes in the overhead only). If you travel carry-on only and value getting out fast, this is the row.

2. Rows 14–15 (Exit rows)

Southwest's exit rows are in the middle of the plane at rows 14 and 15. They come with 3 extra inches of legroom (34" vs 31") and are free to select in Southwest's new assigned seating model if you qualify. The catch: row 14 and rows 12–13 do not recline. Row 14 is blocked by FAA exit rules, and rows 12–13 are fixed because they're immediately in front of the exit. Row 15 — the rear exit row — does recline (3").

If you want extra legroom and you also want recline, row 15 is the best seat in the exit area. Row 14 has extra legroom but no recline.

3. Rows 2–11 (windows)

Seats 2A, 2F, 3A, 3F — and anywhere in the first half of the plane — are your best bets if you want a normal recline, guaranteed window, and reasonable distance from the back galley. These rows have full recline, all seats have windows, and you're close enough to the front to board and deplane without much delay.

Rows that don't recline

On the Southwest 737-800 Heart, the following rows have restricted or no recline:

• Row 12A, B, C, D, E, F — In front of exit row — seatbacks fixed to keep exit aisle clear.
• Row 13A, B, C, D, E, F — In front of exit row — seatbacks fixed to keep exit aisle clear.
• Row 14A, B, C, D, E, F — Exit row — extra legroom, seatbacks fixed by FAA rules.
• Row 30A, B, C, D, E, F — Last row. Seatback fixed against rear bulkhead.

That's 24 out of 175 seats on this aircraft that can't recline. Always check before booking if recline matters to you.

Window seats with no window

3 seats on the Southwest 737-800 Heart are designated window seats that don't actually have a window next to them. This happens because the aircraft's window spacing doesn't match the seat row spacing exactly at certain points, typically near the overwing.

• 10ANear overwing area — no window aligned with this seat.
• 11ANear overwing area — no window aligned with this seat.
• 11FNear overwing area — no window aligned with this seat.

Rows to avoid

Rows 29–30 are the worst seats on the aircraft. They have no recline, they're near the rear lavatory, and they're the last to board and deplane. The middle seats in these rows (29B, 29E, 30B, 30E) are the lowest-rated seats on this entire aircraft.

Seats 10A, 11A, 11F — window seats with no window. You pay for a window view and get a blank wall. If window views matter to you, avoid these.

Rows 12–13 — these feel like the good seats near the exit rows, but they also don't recline. You're not far enough back to get the exit row legroom, but you still give up recline. Not great.

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