Southwest Airlines reveals new boarding process and seating

For more than 50 years, open seating has been almost synonymous with Southwest Airlines. But all that will change in the coming years.

For several hours Thursday, executives at the Dallas-based carrier guides investors through the finer details Top-to-bottom changes aimed at improving the company’s financial performance.

For customers, those changes will come, most notably in the form of the airline’s first designated seats and rows of seats with more legroom.

That seismic shift from Southwest’s half-century of open seating will also force the carrier to reimagine its boarding process — although the new procedure executives rolled out Thursday still maintains. maintain a familiar atmosphere with the airline’s current unique process. .

Combined with the new seats, the airline has planned its fleet starting in 2025 and a overall makeover to its cabinIt’s safe to say that the next few years will be a time of change for Southwest Airlines.

Below is a list of what you’ll soon see when booking, boarding and boarding the airline – along with changes the airline considered but ultimately decided against.

Check value: Are airline credit cards valid anymore?

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The biggest change customers will notice when booking flights on Southwest in the coming years is the ability to choose their seat — or, if they choose, pay more for a seat with more legroom.

Southwest estimates these changes will take effect across its booking channels in late 2025, for flights departing in the first half of 2026.

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Leaders say details about the exact offerings included in each of the airline’s four current fare categories are still being worked out, but here are some things we know:

There are no seating options on Wanna Get Away

Wanna Get Away ticket prices will Are not Includes free seat selection. Passengers who purchase this fare type without paying to select a seat will be assigned a seat before departure.

While some travelers may be disappointed by the news, Southwest executives say fares will remain a more affordable option than the basic economy offerings offered by other airlines. United States offers, many of which do not allow free cancellation, checked bags or, in the case of United Airlines, large carry-ons.

“It’s by far the best basic fare product in the industry… when it comes to two free bags, no changes and cancellations [fees] on the base product,” argued executive vice president Ryan Green. “Flight credits don’t expire, all of that remains. If you don’t value the ability to choose your seat when booking… then nothing will change for you.”

Wanna Get Away passengers will still receive full admission Quick rewards elite qualifying credit, the executive added.

Want To Escape Plus

Wanna Get Away Plus fare classes (and above) will come with free seat selection, although customers can choose to purchase higher priced seats.

The chair has more legroom

Southwest will charge extra for the all-new extra-legroom seats, which offer 3 to 5 inches more space, depending on the aircraft type.

Members with A-List elite status will be able to select these seats for free within 48 hours of departure. Priority List A holders will be able to select these seats for free when booking their tickets.

It’s possible that Southwest could also offer seat selection perks (including standard “preferred” economy seats located closer to the front of the plane) to members with elite status and reserved privileges. for future credit card holders.

Those decisions are still being made, leaders said.

A new (but familiar) boarding process

The airline said Thursday that even as Southwest revamps its seating procedures, its boarding procedures remain “very familiar,” despite one major exception.

“Gone are the days of having to set an alarm clock 24 hours before a flight to ensure a good boarding position and a good seat,” Green quipped, referring to the lengths Southwest passengers go to today to check in at the first possible moment. with the hope of securing the best boarding position.

However, the overall boarding process in the future will be reminiscent of the carrier’s current procedures.

Passengers will still receive boarding numbers and they will still line up in files next to the numbered columns in the boarding area.

“Because our customers are accustomed to sequential boarding lines, in addition to kiosks, we look forward to the future boarding process,” CEO Bob Jordan said Thursday. Our future will feel very familiar and uniquely Southwest.”

The airline plans to award higher boarding positions to members with elite status and customers who purchase higher fare categories – although in the absence of open seats, the main benefit of Early boarding will give you priority access to the upper baggage compartment.

Additionally, the airline plans to arrange remaining passengers in a way that maximizes boarding efficiency.

Change planes

To make this seating arrangement a reality, Southwest will have to restructure its fleet of about 800 aircraft. During this process, the airline’s aircraft are also undergoing an overall interior upgrade.

Thursday, we took a look at the future design of Southwest’s Boeing 737 MAX 8 with a new cabin design and layout, including 68 of the 175 seats (about 39%) with extra legroom.

Cabin design

As soon as you step aboard the newly retrofitted Southwest aircraft, you’ll notice an updated color palette, including a new palette of navy and lighter blues.

This special aircraft also has brand new seats from the seat manufacturer RECARO, which I first saw in May at an aviation event in Hamburg, Germany.

Seating

Southwest says these seats, selected after extensive customer research, offer improved lumbar support over their current product. The headrest has a foldable neckrest and vertical maneuverability.

Around the back of the seat, there are USB-A and USB-C charging ports, a personal device holder, a tray table with two cupholders, along with a seatback pocket and water bottle holder.

These seats are expected to begin entering the fleet in 2025.

The seats are the same whether you sit in the standard row or the extra legroom row — with one cosmetic exception.

The chair has more legroom

Even without a tape measure, you can immediately spot the extra legroom seats on this Southwest plane thanks to the light blue streaks on the seats.

Southwest’s “premium” seats will have 34 inches of pitch on the airline’s future Boeing 737 MAX 8, 737-800 and 737 MAX 7 aircraft. (Elevation is the measurement from a fixed point on one seat to the same point on the seat in front and is a representative measurement of legroom).

This is compared to 31 inches in standard economy rows – which in itself would be about an inch tighter than what you see today, a move the airline is making to avoid losing seats when expanding legroom in the new premium seats. The carrier argues that its airport will still be among the best economically in the U.S. airline industry.

On Southwest’s 737-700 jets, the extra legroom is a comfortable 36 inches.

On some planes, the extra-legroom seat will take up about a third of the cabin — but on others, like this MAX 8, it will actually take up nearly 40 percent of the cabin.

This is about more legroom seat space than a standard seat for TPG aviation managing editor Ben Mutzabaugh.

Cabin layout

Think of the cabin layout as four “zones”, says commercial director Andrew Watterson.

When you first get in the car, you’ll notice the seats have more legroom in the front. Then there are “priority” seats, which are higher priced economy seats located closer to the front of the plane.

In the middle of the plane, near the emergency exit row, there are several additional rows of seats with more legroom.

Then behind that are the standard economy seats.

retrofit plan

Southwest is implementing ambitious retrofit plans to make these changes a reality.

The airline is currently working with the Federal Aviation Administration to get the new cabin layout certified, and that process is expected to take several months.

The airline hopes to begin retrofitting these cabins in the first quarter of 2025, starting with its largest 737 jets – and plans to retrofit 50 to 100 more planes each year. month with new seating configuration.

Then those jets will return to service – which means you’ll start to see Southwest jets with extra-legroom seats that will perform well before being pointed out. and technically, seats with more legroom will be sold.

Something Southwest has considered but hasn’t done

These boarding and seating changes are just part of a larger commercial overhaul aimed at boosting Southwest’s financial performance as the carrier has outpaced its larger US competitors in terms of revenue. recently entered.

And they come after what executives said was extensive data-driven research and consideration of even more far-reaching changes.

Bag fees are considered

Southwestern leaders admitted they had studied the possibility of reducing it to just one free checked bag (instead of the current two) – or introducing bagless “basic economy” fares.

Ultimately, Green said, the company concluded that eliminating the “two free flight bags” policy would drive customers away.

“That is the leading characteristic that differentiates Southwest from our competitors,” he said. “And that’s one of the top criteria in Why customers choose Southwest Airlines.”

First class? Not suitable

Southwest even studied the possibility of a more premium cabin on its planes before deciding to simply move forward with the simpler idea of ​​more legroom.

“We looked at everything and tested everything, including full first class, European first class with middle seats blocked, and from both revenue potential and customer desires,” Jordan said. ”. “What we’re doing is proving to be best for both of us.”

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