Southwest Airlines will begin assigned seating and a new boarding process on January 27, 2026. This marks the airline’s continued efforts in drastically changing its business model, as it faces strong pressure from activist investor Elliott Management. We’ve also seen the airline begin charging for checked bags, redo its fare types, and more.
Let’s take a look at the new changes announced today and a summary of what’s to come.
Assigned Seating
Southwest’s Boeing 737s will have three seat types: extra legroom, preferred, and standard. This is essentially the same we see in most other airlines in the US, aside from the fact that Southwest doesn’t have first class. Extra legroom seats will have 34 inches of pitch, while preferred and standard seats will have 31 inches of pitch, albeit with some minor differences on each 737 variant.
A-List Preferred passengers can select all seats, including extra legroom seats, at the time of booking, while A-List passengers can select preferred seats at the time of booking and extra legroom seats within 48 hours of departure, based on availability.
Cardholders will get benefits, too. Rapid Rewards Priority and Performance Business cardholders can select preferred seats during booking and extra legroom seats within 48 hours of departure, based on availability. Rapid Rewards Premier and Premier Business cardholders can select preferred seats within 48 hours of departure.
Passengers can book flights with assigned seating starting on July 29. This will all begin on January 27, 2026.
“Our Customers want more choice and greater control over their travel experience,” said Tony Roach, Executive Vice President Customer & Brand, at Southwest Airlines. “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.”
I unfortunately can’t take any of Southwest’s quotes and advertising seriously; all I can see in them is Elliott’s decision making.
New Boarding Process
Southwest will have a long list of 8 boarding groups.
Choice Extra, A-List Preferred, and Extra Legroom seat passengers will board in groups 1-2. Choice Preferred, A-List, and cardmembers will board in groups 3-5, and the
Passengers will also be able to purchase priority boarding within 24 hours of departure.
Again, all of these changes begin on January 27, 2026.
All of these changes we’ve seen from Southwest over the past year have more or less followed the lines of other airlines in the US. The perks for cardmembers, paying for checked bags, purchasing priority boarding, and the many other changes are no doubt inspired by fellow US airlines. I don’t fly Southwest, and I personally don’t see a reason for me to fly them with these changes aside from a convenient itinerary. They don’t have a differentiated product from other airlines anymore with these changes, and I don’t really see how it all adds up for them performance-wise.
Featured image by the author.
