Southwest changing two longtime policies in 2026: What passengers should know

(NEXSTAR) – You are now free to move about the country — as long as you sit in your assigned, pre-purchased seats. Beginning on Jan. 27, 2026, Southwest Airlines is enacting a new assigned seating policy as well as new requirements for plus-size customers. Assigned seating Southwest had first announced plans to ditch its longstanding open-seating policy in July 2024, in part to boost revenue. But the company also claimed its passengers increasingly preferred an assigned seating model with premium seating options. “Our Customers want more choice and greater control over their travel experience,” Southwest executive Tony Roach said in 2025. “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.” Southwest also revealed that the switch wouldn’t take place until Jan. 27. The airline is already booking assigned seats for passengers whose itineraries include flights after the start date. Customers booking flights which depart on or after Jan. 27 can now select from three seating options: “Standard” seats, located near the back of the cabin; “Preferred” seats, located nearer the front; and “Extra Legroom” seats, which are located near the exit rows and offer between 3 and 5 inches of extra legroom. The type of seat a passenger purchases determines when they board, or whether they’re eligible for other perks, Southwest’s website explains. The changes also mean slight tweaks to Southwest’s pre-boarding policies for active-duty military members or families with children. For flights departing before the Jan. 27 start date, however, Southwest will continue to utilize its open-seating policy, which had been a hallmark of the airline for decades. Plus-size customers Also changing in 2026 is Southwest’s longstanding seating policy for “customers of size” who wish to use an extra seat. Currently, plus-size passengers are not required to purchase a second seat in advance, though it is recommended. (Additional seats for larger customers are provided free of charge “if space is available on the flight,” according to Southwest.) Refunds can be obtained after travel. But beginning on Jan. 27, customers must buy an extra seat and “pay any applicable seat fee” before boarding. Refunds can still be obtained after travel, but eligibility will depend on a number of specific conditions — namely, that both seats were in the same fare class; the refund request was made within 90 days of travel; and the plane would have taken off with “at least one” extra open seat, according to Southwest. Plus-size passengers can also be refunded if the plane was full, but the manifest included passengers who boarded with “space available passes” — e.g., passes given to airline employees or other non-paying passengers who are traveling for leisure. After announcing the new policy earlier this year, advocates for plus-size travelers were disappointed by the policy change, with one group — the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance — telling The New York Times that Southwest had been a “beacon of hope for many fat people who otherwise wouldn’t have been flying.” Jeff Jenkins, a travel influencer and the founder of Chubby Diaries, also said in a statement to USA Today that the stipulations of the refund policy (specifically the requirement that the plane must depart with at least one unused seat) would be worrisome for plus-size travelers, as they might not know whether the flight was technically full prior to departure. On the other hand, some social media users said they felt the new policy was fair. “It sucks for the person who has to buy two seats but that’s just not other passengers [sic] problem. It becomes our problem if we have to endure oversized passengers in our space for a full flight,” one Reddit user argued. Despite the upcoming changes to Southwest’s plus-size seating policy, the carrier is still the only major U.S. airline (out of American, Delta and United) that offers any type of refund for eligible plus-size passengers after the flight. Earlier this year, Southwest said its agents were attempting to notify former fliers of the new policy in advance of their next trip with the airline. “To ensure space, we are communicating to Customers who have previously used the extra seat policy they should purchase it at booking,” a spokesperson said.