Southwest Airways passengers made their ultimate boarding-time scrambles for seats on Monday because the provider ready to finish the open-seating system that distinguished it from different airways for greater than a half‑century.
Beginning Tuesday, prospects on Southwest flights could have assigned seats and the choice of paying extra to get their most popular seat nearer to the entrance of a airplane or seats with additional legroom. The airline started promoting tickets formed by the brand new coverage in July.
Right here’s what vacationers can count on as Southwest does away with one other of its signature options and turns into extra like different airways:
Goodbye, A/B/C teams
Below the open-seat system, Southwest prospects might verify in beginning precisely 24 hours earlier than departure to safe locations in boarding traces at departure gates.
Early check-ins had been positioned within the coveted “A” boarding group, basically guaranteeing they might discover an open window or aisle seat. Others landed in “B” or “C,” the chance of solely center seats being obtainable rising the longer they waited to verify in.
The Dallas-based airline’s uncommon seating course of started as a method to get passengers on planes shortly and thereby scale back the time that plane and crews spent on the bottom not earning money. It helped Southwest function extra effectively and to squeeze a couple of extra flights into the day by day schedule; the system additionally was a key motive Southwest remained worthwhile yearly till the coronavirus pandemic.
The open-seating association turned much less democratic over time, nevertheless, as Southwest additionally had beginning permitting passengers to pay additional for spots close to the entrance of the road.
Good day, assigned seating
An eight‑group boarding construction is changing the find-your-own-seat scrum. As an alternative of numbered metallic columns at departure gates, passengers will file by way of two alternating lanes as soon as it’s time for his or her group to board.
The airline mentioned its gate areas shall be transformed in phases beginning Monday night time, a course of that would take about two months to finish. Columns that stay standing previous Tuesday could have their numbers eliminated or lined within the meantime.
Southwest is promoting tickets at fares with totally different seating selections, together with customary seats assigned at verify‑in or paid most popular and additional‑legroom seats chosen at reserving. For sure flights, passengers additionally could have the choice of paying for precedence boarding starting 24 hours earlier than departure.
The way it will work
Newly designed boarding passes will present seat assignments and boarding teams, in line with Southwest. A reservation made for 9 or fewer individuals, together with households, will assign these passengers to the identical boarding group.
Southwest says the boarding teams are based mostly on seat location, fare class, loyalty tier standing and the airline’s bank card rewards advantages. Passengers who buy seats with additional legroom shall be positioned in teams 1-2. Clients with premium fares and the airline’s “most loyal travelers” can even have entry to preferential seats and earlier boarding, the provider mentioned, whereas these with primary fares will possible be positioned in teams 6-8.
Different adjustments
With the change to assigned seating additionally comes a revision of the airline’s coverage for purchasers who want additional room. Below the brand new rule — additionally efficient Tuesday — vacationers who don’t match inside a single seat’s armrests shall be required to buy an extra seat upfront.
That represents a change from the airline’s earlier coverage that allowed passengers the selection to buy a completely refundable additional seat earlier than arriving on the airport, or request a free one on the gate. Below the up to date coverage, refunds are nonetheless doable however not assured and depend upon seat availability and fare class.
In Might 2025, Southwest additionally ended its many years‑previous “bags fly free” coverage, changing it with baggage charges for many vacationers.
The adjustments mark one of many largest transformations within the airline’s historical past, because it alters its longstanding buyer perks to deliver it extra in keeping with the practices of different bigger U.S. carriers.
Why all of the change?
The shift comes amid strain from buyers to extend profitability.
“We have tremendous opportunity to meet current and future customer needs, attract new customer segments we don’t compete for today, and return to the levels of profitability that both we and our shareholders expect,” Southwest CEO Robert Jordan mentioned final yr.
When the Texas-based airline first introduced plans in 2024 to modify to assigned seating, it mentioned research on seating choices confirmed that buyer preferences had modified over time, with the overwhelming majority of vacationers saying they now need to know the place they’re sitting earlier than they get to the airport.
Jordan mentioned on the time that open seating was the highest motive surveyed vacationers cited for selecting one other airline over Southwest.
