Overview

• Effective Jan. 27, 2026, travelers who cannot be seated within one seat must purchase an additional seat in advance.
• Refunds for the extra seat will be issued only if the flight departs with at least one open seat, both seats are in the same fare class, and the request is filed within 90 days.
• Southwest’s update coincides with its shift to assigned seating on the same date, ending its long-running open-seating approach.
• The airline says customers may be rebooked if no adjacent seats are available and advises proactively buying the second seat to avoid higher airport fares.
• Advocates for plus-size travelers criticize the rollback of Southwest’s previously more flexible policy, warning of higher costs and added stress for affected passengers.