Southwest Plans to Retrofit All Jets by January

Southwest expects to retrofit the interiors of more than 800 aircraft over eight months. These modifications are expected to begin on May 1.

Ryan Ewing

Wednesday, April 09, 2025 at 09:07 AM ET

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Ryan Ewing

Refreshed interiors on Southwest aircraft (Photo: Southwest Airlines)

Key Takeaways:

Southwest expects to retrofit the interiors of more than 800 aircraft over eight months. These modifications are expected to begin on May 1.

According to an Aviation Week report, Landon Nitschke, senior vice president of technical operations at the carrier, said teams will work on seven to 10 Boeing 737 aircraft each night. These retrofits will take place at Southwest maintenance facilities in Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, Denver, Atlanta, and Orlando, Florida.

In July, the Dallas-based airline announced plans to add extra-legroom seating to its fleet, alongside a pivot to assigned seating. These cabin upgrades include new Recaro-designed seats and larger overhead bins.

The airline plans to complete the retrofits by Dec. 31, Nitschke added.

Ryan Ewing

Ryan founded AirlineGeeks.com back in February 2013 and has amassed considerable experience in the aviation sector. His work has been featured in several publications and news outlets, including CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Business Insider. During his time in the industry, he's worked in roles pertaining to airport/airline operations while holding a B.S. in Air Transportation Management from Arizona State University along with an MBA. Ryan has experience in several facets of the industry from behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 to interviewing airline industry executives. Ryan works for AirlineGeeks' owner FLYING Media, spearheading coverage in the commercial aviation space.