We’ve known for about a year that Southwest will be moving to an assigned seating model, but up until now we didn’t know exactly when that would be starting, nor what kind of seating benefits Southwest credit cardholders would receive.
Southwest finally made an announcement yesterday sharing more details about when this will all come into play, how it will all work, how many boarding groups there’ll be and more.
When will Southwest assigned seating begin?
Assigned seating will be used for all flights booked from July 29, 2025 for travel starting from January 27, 2026. Southwest’s flight schedule is currently only bookable through January 26, 2026, so it’s not possible to book flights beyond that in order to not come under the new assigned seating policies.
What types of seats will Southwest have?
There’ll be three types of seat – Extra Legroom, Preferred and Standard. Extra Legroom seats will have up to 5″ more pitch compared to Standard seats, while Preferred seats will have the same pitch as Standard seats, but will be closer to the front of the cabin.
As you can see in the screenshot above, those booking Extra Legroom seats – or who are eligible for upgrades to it – will benefit from earlier access to bin space, enhanced snacks and complimentary premium drinks.
Will Southwest elite status members get access to better seating?
Yes. If you have A-List Preferred status, you’ll be able to select an Extra Legroom seat at booking. In cases where all Extra Legroom seats are already booked, you’ll be able to select Preferred seating instead. If you’re traveling with any other people, they’ll be able to select Preferred or Standard seating (subject to availability), so do note that they’re not eligible for Extra Legroom seating based solely on your status level.
If you have A-List status, you’ll be eligible for Extra Legroom seating 48 hours before departure provided there are still Extra Legroom seats available. You will be able to select a Preferred seat when booking though.
Will the person listed on a Companion Pass get access to better seating?
Yes. Whereas those traveling with someone who has A-List Preferred status will only be able to select a Preferred or Standard seat even if the A-List Preferred member has an Extra Legroom seat, someone who’s a designated companion on a Companion Pass will be eligible for the same seating as the Companion Pass holder. That means if the Companion Pass holder has an Extra Legroom seat, their designated Companion will also be eligible for an Extra Legroom seat (provided there’s availability).
Will Southwest cardholders get access to better seating?
Yes. If you have a Plus or Plus Business card, you’ll be able to choose a Standard seat within 48 hours of departure (assuming you booked a Basic fare).
Premier and Premier Business cardholders can choose a Preferred or Standard seat within 48 hours of departure on any fare.
Priority and Performance Business cardholders meanwhile can select a Preferred or Standard seat at booking. You’ll then be able to upgrade to an Extra Legroom seat within 48 hours of departure.
Can you pay for Preferred or Extra Legroom seats at booking?
Yes. If you’re not eligible for an enhanced seating option based on status or credit card ownership, one way to get access to one of the better seating options is by booking one of Southwest’s new fare bundles:
- Basic – Standard seat which is assigned at check-in
- Choice – choose a Standard seat at booking
- Choice Preferred – choose a Preferred seat at booking
- Choice Extra – choose an Extra Legroom seat at booking
Alternatively, you can purchase an upgrade to a Preferred or Extra Legroom seat when booking any bundle. That means, for example, that you could book a Basic fare and pay a surcharge for an Extra Legroom seat.
How will the boarding process work?
With the introduction of assigned seating, Southwest is also introducing a new boarding process. There’ll be a total of eight boarding groups, with priority given based on the following factors:
Boarding groups 1-2
- Choice Extra bundle
- Those who purchased an Extra Legroom seat upgrade
- A-List Preferred members
- A-List members who upgraded to an Extra Legroom seat within 48 hours of departure
Boarding groups 3-5
- Choice Preferred bundle
- A-List members in a Standard or Preferred seat
Boarding group 5
- Southwest cardholders who aren’t eligible for an earlier boarding group based on the aforementioned factors
Boarding groups 6-8
- Choice bundle
- Basic bundle (this group will be the last to board)
Customers will also be able to pay extra for Priority Boarding within 24 hours of departure. Southwest hasn’t provided full details of that policy yet, instead stating that more information will be provided leading up to January 27, 2026.
Quick Thoughts
It’s good to finally have more clarity on how Southwest’s assigned seating and boarding groups will work. There’s isn’t anything particularly surprising about how they’ve approached this, but it’ll be interesting to see a) how much Southwest passengers enjoy (or don’t) enjoy these changes in practice and b) how much of an impact it’ll have on whether people choose to book with Southwest or not.
It’ll also be interesting to see how Southwest approaches pricing for the fare bundles. Will Choice, Choice Preferred and Choice Extra bundles be priced reasonably enough that passengers will be more likely to take advantage of these upsell options? Will these packages have some sort of fixed surcharge no matter the route, or will pricing vary depending on the cost of the base fare? I guess we’ll find out in a week’s time.
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The question is, will aircraft be reconfigured with smaller “normal” seat pitch to accommodate the extra legroom seats, wil they remove one row, or will the planes get magically longer?
I believe Standard and Preferred seating will be losing an inch in order to provide more space for the Extra Legroom seats.
Do we know what will happen to a seat chosen at time of booking if you later on “change” your flight to get a lower price on the same flight? Will you keep the same seat or have to choose again?
We don’t know yet I’m afraid
So with the priority credit card, can you get preferred seating for all folks in the traveling party at booking too?
Yes
I really hate the “new” Southwest. I got a taste of bag fees today. Even though I originally booked my flight under the old rules, I had to change my flight and got stuck with the new rules and paid for my 2nd bag. (I am a credit card holder.) so annoying.
From the looks of the assigned seating, I don’t see anything good coming from it.
Can a priority cardholders select seats even on basic fares at time of booking?
The section about Cardmember Benefits for the Priority card and the Performance Business card say: “Select a Standard or Preferred seat at booking, on any fare, when available.” The corresponding note 20 (even though it has note 18 in the text) does not say anything about restrictions based on fare type.
What I am wondering is if today’s 4x/year upgraded boarding reimbursements on the Priority will switch to something else, or will they just disappear? I have two more to use up before this switches, and I have a two-leg trip next week.
Thanks, I’m curious about the upgraded boardings as well. My annual benefits just renewed. Bet we see an annual fee increase in the near future. This has been a no-brainer keeper card ever since it launched but that might not be the case going forward.
Boarding group was the one area where Southwest had the opportunity to differentiate A-List status from Priority card benefits and apparently they opted not to do so. Starting January 27, A-List status will now give you precisely 0 advantage over Priority cardholders (other than, of course, not having to pay the annual fee on the card). Really eliminates any incentive to put any effort into Southwest status unless A-List Preferred is within reach.
Also, you stated that for A-List Preferred members, “If you’re traveling with any companions, they’ll be able to select Preferred or Standard seating (subject to availability), so do note that they’re not eligible for Extra Legroom seating based solely on your status level” but the Southwest page you linked to states “Tier Member seating and checked bag benefits will extend to both you and your Companion for flights taking off January 27, 2026, and beyond.” Where do you see that Companions of A-List Preferred members don’t receive the same seating benefits as the A-List Preferred member?
It’s in section 26 of the small print at the bottom (my bolding):
Extra Legroom Seat Selection at Booking: When available, A-List Preferred Members will be able to select an Extra Legroom, Preferred or a Standard seat at the time of booking, or up to 30 minutes prior to a flight’s scheduled local departure time. If no Extra Legroom, Preferred or Standard seat is available, A-List Preferred Members will be assigned a seat in accordance with the fare rules of the ticket purchased. When available, A-List Preferred Members will be able to select Preferred or Standard seats for up to 8 additional Passengers on the same reservation as the A-List Preferred Member, allowing for a total of 9 Extra Legroom, Preferred or Standard seats. If the A-List Preferred Member is removed from the reservation and there is no tier Rapid Rewards® Member or primary Cardmember with the same or greater seatings benefits, all seating selections for that reservation will be released and seats will be assigned in accordance with the fare rules of the ticket purchased. Benefits may not apply on itineraries booked with partner airlines. A-List Preferred Members should allow up to 14 days for card status to be updated in their Rapid Rewards account to be eligible for this benefit. Rapid Rewards account and A-List Preferred status must be open and in good standing when selecting a Preferred or Standard seat. If your Rapid Rewards account or A-List Preferred status is closed or not in good standing before or at the time of travel, the seat selection will be released.
Right, but that section does not mention Companions specifically, whereas the Companion section (as well as all prior communication from Southwest on this topic) explicitly states that Companions will have the same elite seating benefit as the primary member.
I guess we’ll find out when it’s implemented, but given that Companion reservations are a separate reservation with a unique record locator that is linked to the original reservation rather than additional passengers on the same reservation, I don’t think the fine print in section 26 will apply to Companions. Maybe it’s an oversight, but “Tier Member seating and checked bag benefits will extend to both you and your Companion for flights taking off January 27, 2026, and beyond” to me leaves less ambiguity for Companions than section 26 which may or may not apply to Companions.
Oh, I see what you mean. Yeah, I guess referring to companions wasn’t the best choice of words. I was meaning people traveling with you in a general sense, but when talking about Southwest I can definitely see why you thought I was talking about someone you have listed on the Companion Pass. I’ll update the post to avoid confusion.