Southwest Airlines

MCP server for Southwest Airlines — search flights, manage bookings, check in, and manage your Rapid Rewards account via browser automation.

Features

• Search flights with real-time pricing across all fare classes
• Compare fares: Wanna Get Away, Wanna Get Away+, Anytime, Business Select
• Book flights with dollars or Rapid Rewards points
• Manage reservations: change, cancel, get details
• No change fees — Southwest never charges them
• Check in online (opens exactly 24 hours before departure)
• Get boarding passes with group/position (A/B/C)
• Early Bird Check-In — auto check-in 36 hours before departure
• Rapid Rewards — check points balance, tier status, Companion Pass progress

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• Playwright browsers: npx playwright install chromium

Installation

npm install -g @striderlabs/mcp-southwest
# or
npx @striderlabs/mcp-southwest

Setup

Environment Variables

Create a .env file or set these in your environment:

# Required for account-based tools (check-in, Rapid Rewards, points booking)
SW_USERNAME=your_rapid_rewards_number_or_email
SW_PASSWORD=your_password

# Optional
SW_HEADLESS=true   # Set to "false" to see the browser (useful for debugging)

Claude Desktop Configuration

Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "southwest": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@striderlabs/mcp-southwest"],
      "env": {
        "SW_USERNAME": "your_rapid_rewards_number",
        "SW_PASSWORD": "your_password"
      }
    }
  }
}

Or if installed globally:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "southwest": {
      "command": "mcp-southwest",
      "env": {
        "SW_USERNAME": "your_rapid_rewards_number",
        "SW_PASSWORD": "your_password"
      }
    }
  }
}

Available Tools

search_flights

Search for available Southwest flights.

{
  "originAirport": "DAL",
  "destinationAirport": "LAX",
  "departureDate": "2024-06-15",
  "passengers": 2,
  "tripType": "oneway",
  "fareType": "USD"
}

get_flight_details

Get status and details for a specific flight.

{
  "flightNumber": "WN1234",
  "flightDate": "2024-06-15",
  "originAirport": "DAL",
  "destinationAirport": "LAX"
}

select_flight

Select a flight from search results to proceed with booking.

{
  "flightIndex": 0,
  "fareType": "wanna-get-away"
}

get_fares

Compare fare classes with pricing and benefits.

{
  "originAirport": "HOU",
  "destinationAirport": "MCO",
  "departureDate": "2024-07-04",
  "fareType": "USD"
}

add_early_bird

Add Early Bird Check-In to an existing booking (~$15–25/person/flight).

{
  "confirmationNumber": "ABC123",
  "firstName": "Jane",
  "lastName": "Smith"
}

checkout

Complete a booking with passenger and payment details.

{
  "firstName": "Jane",
  "lastName": "Smith",
  "dateOfBirth": "01/15/1990",
  "gender": "F",
  "email": "[email protected]",
  "phone": "5551234567",
  "cardNumber": "4111111111111111",
  "cardExpiration": "12/26",
  "cardCvv": "123",
  "cardZip": "75201",
  "cardName": "Jane Smith",
  "addEarlyBird": false
}

get_reservation

Look up a booking by confirmation number.

{
  "confirmationNumber": "ABC123",
  "firstName": "Jane",
  "lastName": "Smith"
}

change_flight

Modify an existing booking (no change fees!).

{
  "confirmationNumber": "ABC123",
  "firstName": "Jane",
  "lastName": "Smith",
  "newDepartureDate": "2024-06-20"
}

cancel_flight

Cancel a reservation. Use confirm: true to actually cancel.

{
  "confirmationNumber": "ABC123",
  "firstName": "Jane",
  "lastName": "Smith",
  "confirm": true
}

check_in

Check in online (available 24 hours before departure).

{
  "confirmationNumber": "ABC123",
  "firstName": "Jane",
  "lastName": "Smith"
}

get_boarding_pass

Retrieve boarding pass with group and position number.

{
  "confirmationNumber": "ABC123",
  "firstName": "Jane",
  "lastName": "Smith",
  "savePath": "~/boarding-pass.pdf"
}

get_rapid_rewards

Check Rapid Rewards points, tier status, and Companion Pass progress.

{}

(Uses SW_USERNAME/SW_PASSWORD env vars)

book_with_points

Search for flights and book using Rapid Rewards points.

{
  "originAirport": "DAL",
  "destinationAirport": "DEN",
  "departureDate": "2024-08-10",
  "passengers": 1
}

Southwest Airlines Fare Classes

Fare	Refundable	Points Multiplier	Boarding
Wanna Get Away	Travel funds	6x base	Standard
Wanna Get Away+	Transferable funds	8x base	Standard
Anytime	Full refund	10x base	Priority (A1–A15)
Business Select	Full refund	12x base	Guaranteed A1–A15

Southwest Boarding System

Southwest uses open seating — no assigned seats. Passengers board in groups:

• Group A (A1–A60): Early Bird / Business Select / Anytime priority
• Group B (B1–B60): General boarding
• Group C (C1–C60): Last to board

Check-in order determines boarding position. Check in exactly at the 24-hour mark for the best position.

Session Persistence

Login sessions are saved to ~/.config/mcp-southwest/session.json to avoid re-authenticating on every run.

Development

git clone https://github.com/markswendsen-code/mcp-southwest
cd mcp-southwest
npm install
npx playwright install chromium
npm run build
npm start

For development with hot reload:

npm run dev

To see the browser during automation (useful for debugging):

SW_HEADLESS=false npm run dev

License

MIT © Strider Labs