Positive, Southwest Airways is not planning to “arduous launch” extra-legroom seats till January 2026. However the tender launch is nicely underway.
A few quarter of Southwest’s airplanes have now been configured with the brand new extra-space rows, executives shared Thursday.
Which means, should you’re flying with the service, you’ve roughly a one in 4 probability of being on a jet that has the brand new rows with extra legroom. And, as a result of open seating hasn’t ended but, you do not (technically) must pay additional to attain a type of seats.
Why extra-legroom seats can be found early
Southwest will formally begin promoting extra-legroom seats on July 29, when assigned seating goes dwell in its reserving channels. That’ll apply for flights taking off about six months from now, beginning Jan. 27, 2026.
To organize, although, the Dallas-based service began retrofitting its fleet of round 800 Boeing 737s in early Could, organising cabins with the brand new, extra premium rows.
Clearly, Southwest cannot simply hold its planes out of service till January. So, as soon as crews end reconfiguring a cabin, the plane returns to service.
As of Thursday, roughly 200 of these planes had been flying with the brand new extra-legroom rows, chief working officer Andrew Watterson mentioned — even because the airline continues with its remaining six months of open seating.
Scoring a Southwest extra-legroom seat
How are you aware should you’ll be on a type of newly up to date jets whenever you ebook a flight?
For now, the quick reply is: You will not.
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Airways (particularly Southwest, with its all-737 fleet) often swap plane slated for a selected flight, so it is arduous for the airline to foretell months prematurely what jet it will use on a selected flight from, say, Nashville to Orlando.
Upgraded Boarding turns into extra tempting
Nonetheless, Southwest has began giving passengers a heads up in regards to the pseudo-premium seats as soon as it confirms the aircraft they’re going to be on, nearer to departure — partially hoping they’re going to buy its Upgraded Boarding possibility, which ensures a passenger a precedence boarding place and an early crack at its (for now) first-come, first-served seats.
“We have already began to monetize these retrofitted plane by notifying clients who might be on a flight with additional legroom seats, and welcoming them to reap the benefits of our present Upgraded Boarding product,” Watterson advised analysts on Thursday, talking on the corporate’s second-quarter earnings name.
What to find out about Upgraded Boarding
Upgraded Boarding on Southwest, an non-compulsory add-on clients can buy, ensures an A1 via A15 boarding place below the airline’s distinctive, single-file boarding course of.
Clients who aren’t pleased with their boarding place can buy Upgraded Boarding inside 24 hours of departure. Costs begin at $30 however can vary fairly a bit larger on a selected flight.
I bought it in February after I wasn’t pleased with the boarding place I might secured for the airline’s inaugural red-eye flight from Las Vegas’ Harry Reid Worldwide Airport (LAS) to Baltimore/Washington Worldwide Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), not desirous to get caught in a center seat for the cross-country flight.
I did this proper via the cell app. You could possibly additionally use Southwest’s web site to buy this add-on, or click on on a hyperlink the airline sends you should you get notified that your flight could have the extra-legroom seats.
Upgraded boarding on the outs
Upgraded Boarding is not lengthy for Southwest, although. It’s going to disappear in January when the airline launches assigned seating and shifts to a extra conventional eight-group boarding course of.
However for now?
It might be your ticket to scoring an extra-legroom seat earlier than these rows technically launch because the airline’s first premium product in January.
Bank card perk reminder
It is also value noting: Present clients with the Southwest Speedy Rewards® Precedence Credit score Card (see charges and charges) or the Southwest® Speedy Rewards® Efficiency Enterprise Credit score Card (see charges and charges) get 4 Upgraded Boardings per 12 months as a card perk.
Whereas a card refresh (simply introduced Thursday) will spell the tip of that perk, these boarding upgrades are nonetheless usable between now and the tip of this 12 months.
Backside line
Your probabilities of scoring a Southwest extra-legroom seat in 2025 will continue to grow because the 12 months goes on, because the airline hopes to reconfigure all of its planes earlier than its assigned seating period kicks off early subsequent 12 months.
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