It’s the end of an era for Southwest Airlines. For the first time in 53 years, passengers will have assigned seating for their flights.
The change takes effect January 27 and will officially end the old boarding system that required travelers to line up in assigned groups and claim any available seat on the plane.
The Dallas-based airline updated its boarding policy to keep up with competitors, including American Airlines and Delta Airlines. The new assigned seating offers three types of seats: Standard, Preferred, and Extra Legroom.
The Extra Legroom seats provide passengers with three to five additional inches of legroom compared to the standard seats and are available at the front of the cabin and near the exit rows. These seats will board with Group 1 and 2, securing early bin access, extra snacks, and an extra complimentary premium beverage, per Southwest.
The Preferred seats are located near the front of the plane, while Standard seats are located in the back.
For Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Members, the boarding process will depend on their membership tier, with eight total boarding groups. A-List Preferred Members will board no later than Group 2. A-List Members will board no later than Group 5. A-List Preferred Members can also select any available seats, including Extra Legroom seats, when booking at no extra cost.
A-List Members can select any available Preferred and Standard seats when booking and have the opportunity to choose an Extra Legroom seat within 48 hours of their flight at no additional cost. Customers with a Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Card can also select a seat within 48 hours of takeoff, regardless of what fare is purchased.
Southwest will continue with its same fare tiers: Choice Extra, Choice Preferred, Choice, and Basic. For passengers traveling on the airline’s Basic fare, a standard seat will be assigned at the gate.
The new era of assigned seating is described as an “orderly boarding approach” on the Southwest Airlines website.
“The goal of this shift is to maintain an efficient and orderly boarding approach that is optimized to assigned seating, prioritizing Customers into boarding groups based on seat location, beginning with Extra Legroom seats in boarding groups 1 and 2,” the website states. “Our premium fares and our most loyal Customers will have access to better seat types and will board earlier in the process. Take a look at our new boarding groups below.”
The new changes were announced back in July of 2024. At the time of the announcement, Executive Vice President of Customer and Brand at Southwest, Tony Roach, said the new process takes the uncertainty out of travel.
“Our customers want more choice and greater control over their travel experience,” Tony Roach said in a statement last July. “Assigned seating unlocks new opportunities for our customers including the ability to select Extra Legroom seats and removes the uncertainty of not knowing where they will sit in the cabin. This is an important step in our evolution, and we’re excited to pair these enhancements with our legendary customer service.”
At airports across the nation, the familiar silver towers where passengers lined up by groups will be phased out. The screens at check-in will now show which group is boarding, similar to other airlines.
This is the latest change for Southwest, which has rolled out several new policies recently. In May, Southwest got rid of its “bags fly free” policy that allowed two free checked bags with every ticket.
It’s now $35 for the first checked bag and $45 for the second.
.png)
.png)
