Here’s when Southwest Airlines will officially end its open seating policy

The open-seating era at Southwest Airlines officially has an end date. The airline announced that its first flights with assigned seating will take off Jan. 27, 2026. 

Southwest said it will begin selling tickets on flights with assigned seats on Tuesday, July 29.

In July 2024, Southwest announced a series of changes to its seating and baggage policies, including an end to free checked bags and free flight changes for all passengers. On a March 2025 investor call, the airline announced it would update its baggage policy, but didn’t say when assigned seating would begin.

What kind of seating will be available?

In a release, Southwest announced there will be three types of seats available on its flights moving forward. Extra-legroom seats will be located in the first several rows and three rows around the overwing exits. Preferred seats would make up the front half of the plane, and standard seats would make up the back half.

“Our Customers want more choice and greater control over their travel experience,” said Tony Roach, Southwest’s executive vice president of customer and brand. “This is an important step in our evolution, and we’re excited to pair these enhancements with our legendary Customer Service.”

Like many other U.S.-based carriers, customers on basic-fare tickets will have to pay extra to select a seat before check-in. A-list and A-list preferred passengers will still be able to select a seat for free at booking, regardless of fare class. Additionally, Southwest credit card holders will be able to select seats for free 48 hours before departure, if their fare class or frequent flyer status does not allow them to select a seat sooner.

According to a Senate committee report, five U.S. airlines — American, Delta, Frontier, Spirit and United — earned $12.4 billion in seat-selection fees between 2018 and 2023.

What other changes are coming?

Also coming on January 27 is a change to how Southwest boards its planes. Instead of its infamous alphanumeric boarding positions assigned at check in, the airline will assign passengers to one of eight boarding groups based on their fare class.

Southwest officially stopped selling tickets that included two free checked bags and free changes on May 28, 2025. In 2024, Southwest Airlines collected $83 million in bag fees. Three major competitors — American, Delta and United — collected over $1 billion each.