After 55 years of its unique and sometimes controversial open seating policy, Southwest this week will officially switch to assigned seating.
The change will go into effect Tuesday, along with new boarding procedures. The carrier first announced the transition to assigned seating in 2024 and set the Jan. 27 start date last July.
Flight 1791 – departing from Honolulu to Los Angeles Tuesday evening – will be the last to offer open seating, a spokesperson confirmed to AirlineGeeks.
Following a cabin retrofit, Southwest has three categories of seats – Extra Legroom, Preferred, and Standard. Extra Legroom seats are located at the front of the cabin and near the exit rows, with the Preferred seats in between. Standard seats make up the back half of the cabin.
Since the installation of the Extra Legroom seats last year, passengers have been free to grab them as they board. After Monday, however, only customers who have paid in advance will get those seats.
Customers can purchase their seats in several different “fare bundles,” known as Basic, Choice, Choice Preferred, and Choice Extra. These groups dictate not only seating but also boarding order, baggage allowances, and other benefits.
The switch from open seating to assigned seating is one of several policy changes meant to increase Southwest’s profitability. In 2025, it ended the allowance of two free checked bags per passenger. Now, only qualifying A-List members get that perk.
Open seating was loved by some passengers but disliked by others. Detractors pointed to the sometimes rough and tumble scramble for seats during boarding, while others enjoyed that seats at or near the front of the cabin and window seats could be claimed without any upcharge.
Southwest has said that passengers generally prefer assigned seating and were switching to competitors that offered it.
The new boarding process sorts passengers into eight boarding groups. Choice Extra, A-List Preferred members, and passengers who purchase an upgrade to an Extra Legroom seat with any fare bundle will board in groups one and two. Choice Preferred and A-List members in a Preferred or Basic seat will be included in groups three to five, while Basic and Choice customers will board last in groups six to eight.
