Now you can formally ebook Southwest Airways flights with an assigned seat.
The provider simply began promoting flights that can depart on (and after) Jan. 27, 2026 — the day it plans to bid farewell to open seating and welcome in its long-discussed assigned and extra-legroom seating setup.
For these of us who’ve flown Southwest on numerous events up to now, it is admittedly a little bit of an odd feeling to drag up the provider’s web site and see a seat map when reserving a visit.
However as of this week, that is now a actuality.
These 2026 flights with assigned seating may even mark the beginning of utilizing fare varieties that sound lots completely different from those Southwest has offered for years. “Wanna Get Away” is already a factor of the previous, having been changed by the provider’s new primary financial system fare. However the airline is now additionally phasing out “Wanna Get Away Plus,” “Anytime” and “Enterprise Choose.”
As a substitute, Southwest’s 4 fare merchandise will embrace:
| Fare product | What to anticipate |
|---|---|
| Fundamental | No complimentary advance seat choice except you might have a Southwest bank card or A-Listing standing, decrease Fast Rewards earnings and final to board |
| Selection | Commonplace seat choice |
| Selection Most popular | Choose a “most well-liked” seat (an everyday seat located nearer to the entrance of the aircraft) |
| Selection Additional | Choose an extra-legroom seat, plus get pleasure from two free checked luggage and precedence boarding |
What it is like reserving a Southwest Airways flight with assigned seats
What’s it like reserving a Southwest flight with assigned seating?
It will be a reasonably acquainted course of in case you’ve booked a flight on, properly, nearly another airline — however I will briefly stroll you thru among the distinctive parts of Southwest’s assigned seating course of.
This is an instance: a one-way February 2026 reserving from Ronald Reagan Washington Nationwide Airport (DCA) in Washington, D.C., to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Worldwide Airport (FLL).
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As you may see, the ticket choices on Southwest’s web site now replicate the airline’s new fare courses.
Fundamental and Selection
For this journey, costs begin at $118 for a primary ticket. That is $30 lower than Southwest’s Selection fare, which is now Southwest’s model of a regular, full-fare, non-basic financial system ticket you’d see on one other airline.
In the event you’re reserving a primary ticket, you will not have the ability to miss the tightest restriction, which seems whenever you pull up the seat map: no complimentary seat choice, much like primary financial system insurance policies at different airways.
Nonetheless, I’ll level out: On this flight, you continue to can pay $60 additional to pick an extra-legroom seat.
Examine that to the $140 additional you’d pay for Southwest’s full, top-level Selection Additional bundle, which incorporates extra-legroom seats, two free checked luggage and some different perks.
Selection Most popular
In the event you’re reserving a Selection Most popular fare, the seat map will open up some seats nearer to the entrance of the aircraft. These will likely be common seats with normal legroom, however you will not be caught at the back of the plane.
Selection Additional
After which as soon as you choose the higher-priced Selection Additional bundle, you will have your choose of any seat, together with one with additional legroom.
Award reserving
This is an instance of how the brand new fare courses are priced out in case you’re reserving a Southwest Fast Rewards redemption on one other February itinerary — this time from Phoenix Sky Harbor Worldwide Airport (PHX) to Honolulu’s Daniel Ok. Inouye Worldwide Airport (HNL).
- Fundamental: 28,000 factors (down 9% from Selection, Southwest’s new normal fare class)
- Selection: 30,500 factors
- Selection Most popular: 36,000 factors (up 18% from Selection)
- Selection Additional: 43,000 (up 41% from Selection)
Backside line
Each card may even get you not less than some type of seat choice — in some circumstances, inside 48 hours of departure. Two of the provider’s higher-priced playing cards include complimentary extra-legroom entry nearer to takeoff.
A-Listing and A-Listing Most popular members additionally get baggage, boarding and seating advantages underneath the brand new setup.
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