Between charging $35 (or more) for bags that were free for decades, killing off “Wanna Get Away” fares and replacing them with stingy basic economy tickets, and revamping its Rapid Rewards loyalty program for the worse, Southwest Airlines fans have suffered through a lot lately. Two changes that many travelers have been asking for are officially on the timeline for early next year. 

Effective Jan. 27, 2026, Southwest will officially begin assigning seats – ditching the airline's divisive “first come, first served” open seating model. For travelers booking Southwest flights, you'll see the option to select seats starting next Tuesday, July 29 – just not for flights until late January of next year. 

Exactly what seat you can pick (or if you can pick one at all) hinges on what kind of ticket you buy: 

  • Basic fares get automatically assigned a standard seat at the back of the plane – and it's unclear whether you can pay an additional fee to pick another seat
  • Choice fares (or “Wanna Get Away Plus”) can choose any available standard seat toward the back of the plane
  • Choice Preferred fares (currently dubbed “Anytime”) can choose any Preferred seat closer to the front of the plane, or a standard seat
  • Choice Extra fares (or “Business Select”) can also pick from new, extra legroom seats at the front of the plane or in exit rows as those get installed across more of Southwest's fleet. 

Travelers with Southwest A-List or A-List Preferred Status can pick a seat regardless. No matter what ticket they buy, travelers with a *southwest plus* in their wallet can pick any available standard seat within 48 hours of departure while cardholders with the *southwest premier* can also choose a Preferred seat at the same time. With the top-tier *southwest priority*, you can pick a standard or Preferred seat at booking – or opt up to an extra legroom seat within 48 hours of departure, if there's one available.

“Our customers want more choice and greater control over their travel experience,” said Tony Roach, Southwest's executive vice president of customer and brand, said in a statement. “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.”

 

breakdown of southwest fare types with seating options highlighted

 

On that same day in late January, Southwest will also officially do away with its unpopular boarding “cattle call” and the signature silver stanchions at airport gates across the country. After years of having travelers line up ahead of time in groups of 60 based on the numbers on their boarding passes, Southwest will copy the rest of the industry (again) and implement a new, eight-group boarding process. 

Your boarding group will hinge on what kind of ticket you purchase, with the cheapest Choice and Basic tickets boarding in groups 6 through 8. Southwest cardholders and travelers with status can board earlier. 

 

southwest boarding groups

 

 

After taking hit after hit amid the airline's monumental transformation in the last few months, this could be some much-needed positive news for diehard Southwest flyers. 

As of May 28, most new Southwest tickets no longer include two free bags as usual – the airline is now charging $35 per bag each way on all fares except its priciest tickets and $45 for a second bag. The airline has also shifted its popular Rapid Rewards program to dynamic award pricing; replaced “Wanna Get Away” fares with a stingier basic economy offering; ended its “good for life” travel credits, which now expire in as few as six months from booking; and more. 

Our recent survey found that, among frequent Southwest flyers, nearly two-thirds of travelers were searching and booking flights on other carriers that they previously booked with Southwest.

 

Bottom Line

Open-seating and free-for-all-boarding officially have an end date on Southwest Airlines. 

The airline will begin selling seat assignments next week for flights Jan. 27, 2026 and onward. That January date is the same day Southwest will officially ditch its unusual boarding process, swapping to that all-too-familiar eight-group process for getting on the plane.

 

Lead photo courtesy of Southwest Airlines