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Southwest Airlines Sets Jan. 27, 2026, for Assigned Seating and Eight-Group Boarding

This overhaul aims to boost profits by ending the 50-year free-seating policy, introducing seat fees, bundling fares, revamping boarding.

A Southwest Airlines plane.
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SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 4: A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX8 departs from San Diego International Airport to Chicago on March 4, 2025 in San Diego, California.  (Photo by Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
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Overview

  • Flights beginning Jan. 27, 2026, will feature assigned seats across three classes: standard, preferred and extra-legroom.
  • Ticket reservations with seat assignments open July 29, 2025, aligning with Southwest’s next schedule extension.
  • The carrier will roll out four fare bundles—Basic, Choice, Choice Preferred and Choice Extra—each offering different seat-selection privileges and ticket benefits.
  • Southwest’s longstanding A-C boarding groups will give way to eight groups based on fare tier, seat location and Rapid Rewards or credit-card status.
  • Southwest projects the combined initiatives, which also include checked-bag fees, will add about $800 million to EBIT in 2025 and $1.7 billion in 2026.