Southwest Discloses when Major Boarding Change Will Take Effect

Southwest discloses when major boarding change will take effect

The company has rolled out another pivotal step in its transformation, which executives argue will help improve performance. Here's what to expect.

Southwest Airlines' 8 new boarding groups: What to know - The Points Guy

Southwest Airlines is gearing up for assigned seating. Starting early next year, all Southwest passengers will get an assigned seat — and they'll have the option to fly in the airline's all-new extra legroom rows.Flights with the new seating setup go on sale July 29 for flights departing on or after Jan. 27, 2026.As part of that shift, Southwest will also make a major change to its boarding process, ending the unique, single-file setup it's used…

Southwest confirms start date for assigned seating

Southwest Airlines has announced a definitive start date of Jan. 27, 2026, for the implementation of assigned seating, marking a significant shift away from its traditional open-seat boarding policy. The big picture: Passengers will now have the opportunity to select their seats at the time of booking, enabling them to choose from different seat types including Extra Legroom, Preferred and Standard, with the aim of providing more options and con…

Southwest Airlines Sets Date For Shift To Assigned Seating - Travel Noire

Southwest Airlines officially announced Monday that its open seating policy will end on January 27, 2026. Passengers can begin selecting specific seats starting July 29, 2025, for flights departing on or after the January implementation date. This shift comes as Southwest seeks to align with industry standards and respond to customer feedback indicating a preference for assigned seating. The Dallas-based airline will introduce three distinct sea…

Southwest assigned seating is coming soon; how it & boarding groups will work

We’ve known for about a year that Southwest will be moving to an assigned seating model, but up until now we didn’t know exactly when that would be starting, nor what kind of seating benefits Southwest credit cardholders would receive. Southwest finally made an announcement yesterday sharing more details about when this will all come into play, how it will all work, how many boarding groups there’ll be and more. When will Southwest assigned seat…