Starting Jan. 27, 2026, Southwest Airlines will introduce assigned seating under a new policy that also tightens refund rules for plus-size passengers who purchase an extra seat.
Southwest Airlines has long encouraged passengers who encroach on a neighboring seat—whose boundary they define as the armrest—to purchase an additional seat, with refunds issued after travel. Beginning early next year, those refunds will be restricted.
The refund restrictions, according to a Southwest Airlines statement, are as follows:
- The flight(s) must depart with at least one open seat (or with Passengers traveling on space available passes).
- Both seats should be purchased in the same fare class (i.e., Choice, Choice Preferred, Choice Extra, or Basic).
- The refund request must be made within 90 days of your date of travel.
The airline also states that “If adjacent seats are not available on your flight or in the fare class purchased at the time you contact us, we will attempt to rebook you on an alternate flight to your destination on which adjacent seats are available.”
More Changes
Open passenger seating—a hallmark of Southwest Airlines’ customer experience for more than half a century—will go away in early 2026. Travelers will have the ability to choose their seats when booking flights beginning on Jan. 27, 2026.
Plus, Southwest’s familiar A, B, and C boarding groups will also be going away.
“The boarding process is optimized for assigned seating and will prioritize customers into groups based on seat location, beginning with Extra Legroom seats in boarding Groups 1-2,” according to the airline. “Premium fares and Southwest’s most loyal customers—Tier Members and Credit Cardmembers—will board earlier in the process.”
Travelers will also be able to pay for priority boarding, an option that Southwest already offers.
And earlier this year, the “no fees for a first or second checked bag” policy, which Southwest had in place for decades, went bye-bye, with the airline now charging $35 for a first checked bag and $45 for a second checked bag.
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Southwest Airlines Will Start Assigned Seating
