For more than 50 years, open seating has been almost synonymous with Southwest Airlines. But that’s all set to change in the coming years.
Over the course of several hours Thursday, executives at the Dallas-based carrier walked investors through the finer details of top-to-bottom changes aimed at boosting the company’s financial performance.
For customers, those changes will come into play, notably, in the form of the airline’s first-ever assigned seats and extra legroom rows.
That seismic shift from Southwest’s half-century of open seats will also force the carrier to reimagine its boarding process — though the new procedures officials set Thursday maintain an air of familiarity with the airline’s current one-of-a-kind process. .
With the airline already planning an overall facelift for its fleet and cabins starting in 2025 with new seats, it’s safe to say the next two years will be a time of change for Southwest fliers.
Here’s what you’ll soon see in booking, boarding and deboarding its flights — plus what changes the airline considered, but ultimately decided against.
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booking
One of the biggest changes customers will see when booking a flight on Southwest in the coming years is the ability to choose a seat — or, if they choose, to pay extra for a seat with extra legroom.
Southwest estimates these changes will go live in its booking channels in late 2025, for flights departing in the first half of 2026.
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Details about the specific services included in each of the carrier’s four current fare classes are still being worked out, leaders said, but here are some things we do know:
There is no seat selection on Wanna Get Away
Wanna Get Away will be rented not Complimentary seat selection included. Passengers on this fare type who do not pay to select a seat will be assigned one prior to departure.
While some travelers may be disappointed by the news, Southwest executives argue that the fare will be a lighter option than basic economy products offered by other US carriers, many of which don’t allow free cancellations, checked bags or, in the case of United Airlines. , full-size carry-ons.
“It is by far the best base fare product in the industry … when it comes to two free bags, no changes and no cancellations [fees] On the base product,” argued executive vice president Ryan Green. “Flight credits don’t expire, they last. If you don’t value the ability to choose your seat at the time of booking… then nothing changes for you.”
Wanna Get Away passengers will still receive full Rapid Rewards Elite qualifying credit, executives added.
Wanna Get Away Plus
Wanna Get Away Plus (and higher) fare classes will come with complimentary seat selection, although customers can choose to purchase higher priced seats.
Extra legroom seats
Southwest will charge extra for all of its new extra legroom seats, which offer three to five inches of extra space, depending on the aircraft.
A-list elite status members can select these seats free of charge within 48 hours of departure. A-List Preferred Elites will be able to select these seats at no cost while booking tickets.
It is possible that Southwest may offer seat selection benefits (including its “preferred” Standard Economy seats near the front of the plane) to elite status members and future credit cardholder benefits.
Those decisions are still in the works, leaders said.
A new (but familiar) boarding process
Even as Southwest overhauls its seating procedures, its boarding procedures will remain “very familiar,” the airline said Thursday — albeit with one big exception.
“Gone are the days of setting an alarm clock 24 hours before a flight to get a good boarding position and a good seat,” quipped Green, adding that Southwest fliers today go to check in at the first possible moment. Hoping to get the best boarding position.
However, the overall boarding process of the future will be reminiscent of the carrier’s unique current processes.
Passengers will still receive a boarding number, and will still stand in a single-file line next to a numbered post in the boarding area.
“Because our customers are accustomed to lining up to board aircraft, next to stanchions, we expect our future boarding process to feel very familiar and uniquely Southwest,” CEO Bob Jordan said Thursday.
The airline plans to offer higher boarding positions to members with higher status and customers purchasing higher fare types — although in the absence of open seating, the main benefit of early boarding will, going forward, be priority access to overhead bin space.
Apart from that, the airline plans to order the remaining passengers in such a way as to increase boarding efficiency.
Aircraft modifications
To make this seating arrangement a reality, Southwest would have to realign its fleet of nearly 800 aircraft. In the process, its planes are also getting an overall interior facelift.
We got a look at the future setup of Southwest’s Boeing 737 MAX 8 on Thursday with a new cabin look and layout, including 68 of its 175 seats (about 39%) sporting extra legroom.
Cabin design
As soon as you walk onto a newly retrofitted Southwest aircraft, you’ll notice an updated color palate, featuring a new color scheme of navy and light-blue.
This particular jet also features all-new airline seats from seatmaker RECARO, Which I first saw in May at an aviation show in Hamburg, Germany.
seats
Southwest says the seats, chosen after thorough customer research, offer improved lumbar support compared to its current product. A fold-out headrest provides neckrest and vertical maneuverability.
Around back, the seatbacks feature USB-A and USB-C power charging ports, a personal device holder, a tray table with two cupholders, plus a seatback poker and water bottle holder.
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Sean Cudahy/The Points Guy
These seats are expected to start hitting the fleet in 2025.
With one cosmetic exception – the seats are the same whether you’re sitting in the standard or extra legroom row.
Extra legroom seats
Even if you don’t have a tape measure, you can immediately recognize the extra legroom row on this Southwest plane by the light blue stripes on the seats.
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Sean Cudahy/The Points Guy
Southwest’s “premium” seats will offer 34 inches of pitch on its Boeing 737 MAX 8, 737-800 and future 737 MAX 7 aircraft. (Pitch is the measurement from a fixed point on one seat to the same point on the next seat, and is a proxy measure for legroom).
That compares to 31 inches in a standard economy row — which would be about an inch tighter than what you’ll find today, a step the airline is taking to avoid losing seats while expanding legroom in the new, premium row. The carrier argues that its pitch to the US airline industry will still be the best in the economy.
On Southwest’s 737-700 jets, the extra legroom pitch will be a more comfortable 36 inches.
In some aircraft, the extra legroom seats will take up a third of the cabin — but on others, like this MAX 8, it will actually be closer to 40% of the cabin.
Here’s how extra legroom seat space compares to a standard seat, for Ben Mutzabaugh, managing editor of TPG Aviation.
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Sean Cudahy/The Points Guy
Cabin layout
Think of the cabin layout as four “zones,” said Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Waterson.
When you first get on board, you’ll notice extra legroom seats in the front. Then there are the “preferred” seats, which are the higher-priced economy seats near the front of the aircraft.
In the middle of the plane, near the exit row, there are several more rows of extra legroom.
Then, behind that, are the standard economy seats.
Retrofit plans
Southwest has ambitious retrofit plans to make these changes a reality.
The carrier is currently working with the Federal Aviation Administration to certify the new cabin layout, and expects that process to take several months.
The airline hopes to begin refitting these cabins in the first quarter of 2025, starting with its largest 737 jet – and plans to retrofit 50 to 100 jets per month with the new seating configuration.
After that, those jets will return to service — which means you’ll start seeing Southwest jets with extra legroom seats appear in service before they’re assigned and the extra legroom seats technically go on sale.
What the Southwest supposed, but didn’t do
The boarding and seating changes are just part of a larger commercial overhaul to boost Southwest’s financial performance as the carrier has outpaced its larger US competitors in earnings of late.
And they came after executives did extensive data-driven research and considered even more sweeping changes.
Bag fee is considered
Southwest leaders acknowledged that they have studied the possibility of introducing just one free checked bag (instead of its current two) — or a bag-less “basic economy” style fare.
Ultimately, Greene said, the company concluded that chipping away at its “two bags fly free” policy would drive away customers.
“It is far and away the top feature that sets Southwest apart from our competitors,” he said. “And that’s one of the top criteria Why Customers prefer Southwest Airlines.”
First class? not fit
Southwest also studied the possibility of more premium cabins on its planes, before deciding to go with the simple extra legroom concept.
“We looked at everything and we tested everything, including full first class, European first class with a blocked middle seat, and both revenue potential and customer desire,” Jordan said. “What we’re doing has proven to be best for both.”
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