Several months ago, Southwest Airlines teased about adding extra legroom seating, allowing passengers to choose their seats before their flight, and more.  It wasn’t until a few days ago that more information was released.

For more than 50 years, Southwest has offered open seating. You would set your alarm for 24 hours before your scheduled flight and check-in to ensure the golden egg of boarding positions, with options to buy into early auto check-in or auto upgrade to the A boarding group. This past Thursday, September 26th, 2024, executives walked investors through the finer details of all the changes aimed at boosting the company’s financial performance.

What does this mean for you, the customer?

      🟣Seating options with Extra Legroom: For an extra cost, you can purchase Southwest’s all-new extra-legroom seats. They will offer between 3-5 inches of extra space depending on the aircraft. A-List status members will be able to select these seats for free starting 48 hours before the scheduled departure. A-List Preferred status members will be able to select these seats at no cost when booking their tickets.

      🟣Seat Selections on a Timeline: The infamous “Wanna Get Away” fares will not include complimentary seat selection. You can opt to pay for your seat selection when booking your ticket, or you will be assigned a seat a day prior to departure. “Wanna Get Away Plus” fare class and higher will come with complimentary seat selection, though you can still opt to purchase higher-priced seats.

       🟣New Boarding Process: While the boarding process will remain “very familiar,” with one big exception – no more forced 24-hour-in-advance check-in. The overall boarding process will be similar to the current one. Passengers will get a boarding number and still stand in line next to the numbered posts in the boarding area. Elite members and customers who have purchased higher fare types will be given higher boarding positions, and all remaining passengers will be boarded in a way that maximizes efficiency.

To make all this a reality, Southwest will have to reconfigure its fleet of about 800 aircraft. This reconfiguration will also include an overall interior facelift – some of the aircrafts could really use it!

The new seats will offer improved lumbar support and headrests with foldout neck rests and vertical maneuverability. The back of the seats will feature USB-A and USB-C power charging ports, a personal device holder, a tray table with two cupholders, a seatback pocket, and a water bottle holder.

These new seat assignments are planned to go into effect in early 2026, with the new booking system starting in the second half of 2025.

I know, I know! You want to know if they will start charging for bags. They seem to be nickel-and-diming for everything else, right? Great news! Your first two checked bags, under the 50lb limit, will still FLY FREE! Plus, your complimentary personal item and carry-on.

More news… Southwest is adding more red-eye flights to its routes with BWI (Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport) being the top red-eye hub on the East Coast. By March 2025, the airline plans to receive overnight arrivals from six destinations.

Personally, I think the most exciting news to come out of Thursday’s meeting was the announcement of a bilateral partnership with Icelandair. The partnership is expected to begin in 2025 and will allow travelers to seamlessly connect between both airlines’ networks in the U.S. and Europe. The initial North American gateway between the airlines will be BWI, with other destinations to follow. Southwest customers will benefit from connections to Icelandair’s extensive network, which covers five airports in Iceland, four in Greenland, and 34 destinations in Europe.

Icelandair is rumored to be the first of several airlines to partner with Southwest, making international travel perhaps a little more accessible.