Southwest Airlines, once famous for its open seating policy, is rolling out a new fare options for travelers before its assigned seating model takes effect next year.
The new fare bundles, which include seating, checked bag and boarding options, will be available for booking starting sometime in the third quarter for flights scheduled to depart in 2026, the discount carrier said.
“With new choices like seat selection and Extra Legroom, our enhanced fare bundles let Customers customize their trip while still enjoying our industry-leading reliability and hospitality,” Tony Roach, executive vice president customer & brand, said in a statement.
The airline kicked off the news Tuesday with a promotion offering up to 30% off on all base fares.
The announcement comes after Southwest announced last year that it was ending its decades-old open-seating policy, long a hallmark of the carrier’s unconventional business model. The company also said earlier this year that it will end its “bags fly free” policy beginning May 28.
What are Southwest’s new seating options?
Southwest said its planes will offer three new seating options:
- The first set of seats with have up to five additional inches of extra legroom and preferred boarding, meaning customers will get earlier access to overhead bin space. These seats will be grouped into two areas on the plane — one at the front, and one around the exit rows in the middle of the plane.
- The second set of seats will not offer extra legroom, but will be closer to the front of the plane.
- Standing seating will be located toward the back of the plane and does not include extra legroom.
Southwest has not yet announced how much the new seating will cost, but did say cardmembers will have have the opportunity to select seats and receive a “boarding benefit.” They will receive their first checked bag for free.
What are the new fare options?
Southwest will also offer four “fare bundles” allowing customers to select seating, checked bag and boarding options all in one go. The categories they can choose from include Choice Extra, Choice Preferred Choice and Basic.
- Choice Extra provides extra legroom seating, free checked bags and pre-boarding.
- Choice Preferred lets you book in the preferred seating section and board at the start of general boarding.
- Choice gives you a standard seat.
- Basic assigns your seat at check-in and is the most restricted fare.
Mary Cunningham is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch. Before joining the business and finance vertical, she worked at “60 Minutes”, CBSNews.com, and CBS News 24/7 as part of the CBS News Associate Program.
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