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Southwest Airlines is in the process of adapting its business to meet current demands. Travelers want a more premium experience and are expecting more. While Southwest will be the only carrier without First Class seats after Frontier Airlines and JetBlue both announced that they will be adding new cabins (here and here), it is looking to enhance the passenger experience with assigned seats and new perks for A-List members.
Assigned Seating
Southwest is introducing seat assignments with different options for passengers. Its lowest fare will still come with two free checked bags, no change or cancellation fees, travel credits that never expire, and a seat assigned prior to the day of travel. Other seats, including those with extra legroom, will be able to be purchased when booking flights. Southwest’s boarding process will be similar to what it is today with passengers boarding in order of position numbers and lining up by signage displayed on stanchions within the gate area. Flights with seat assignments will be available for purchase in the second half of 2025 for travel in the first half of 2026.
New Benefits For Elite Members
Southwest has three elite levels: A-List, A-List Preferred, and Companion Pass (odd name for a status level, but representative of what it offers). These are achieved with 20 one-way flights or 35,000 tier qualifying points, 40 one-way flights or 70,000 tier qualifying points, or 100 one-way flights or 135,000 tier qualifying points, respectively.
When the new assigned seats are introduced, elite members will see these benefits:
- A-List members can select the up front standard seats at the time of booking.
- A-List members can select extra legroom seats within 48 hours of departure.
- A-List Preferred members can select from all available seats at the time of booking (including extra legroom seats).
- Companion Pass members can select any seat for themselves and their named companion.
Bags Still Fly Free
All passengers will still receive two free checked bags on all fares.
Anthony’s Take: Southwest is going to be like every other carrier when 2026 rolls around. It will not have a First Class cabin and that will make it a non-starter for some, but assigned seating will end a lot of the games that passengers currently play with boarding and holding seats.
(Featured Image Credit: Nick Morales.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
1 comment
What about people in wheelchairs? Do they get assigned seats too