NCJeff

Flying as a family of 5 in a few months (kids are 9.5, 8 and 4.5) on SWA. Suggest flying 1-2-2 so each kid has a window (their first airline trip), or 2-3 to avoid 1 of them sort of sitting alone? Thanks.

bacchus85

I think I would rather choose 2-3.

But it's really just a personal preference.

SEA-Flyer

2-3 without a doubt. Window is nice, but not worth having a kid sit alone.

Non-NonRev

+1

You can have the two kids in the 3 row trade seats halfway there, so that each gets a turn at the window.

Big4Flyer

Don't know the temperament of your kids, but why don't you ask them. If the 9.5 or 8 year olds are comfortable sitting alone, then you could easily sit behind them and keep an eye on them. Hope you have a good trip!

pseudoswede

1-2-2, and OP sits in the 1 seat (and probably sleep on the couch).

azepine00

This is SWA - you dont get to choose - just grab whats available...

themicah

This would be my answer, with the one caveat being that OP's kids have never flown before and therefore don't truly know what to expect. That said, OP, you probably know your kids, so you can talk with them and decide what they would prefer.

Heck, when I was a kid traveling with my parents and three siblings, my youngest sister usually wanted to sit alone regardless of what kind of seat it was, because even as young as 4 or 5 she enjoyed making friends with strangers.

OP has a kid who is 4.5, so the whole family is eligible for Family Boarding on SWA (after the A's, before the B's). At that point in the boarding process any seating configuration the OP wants should still be available as long as (s)he is willing to sit in the rear half of the plane (I've never had a problem getting 5 seats together for my family on SWA). But it's definitely a good idea to have decided what to grab before you board.

VickiSoCal

Ask the kids. Mine never cared about the windows and hated sitting next to strangers.