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Southwest Airlines Passengers made a final scramble for seats as they boarded planes on Monday as airlines prepared to end the open-seating system that had distinguished other airlines for more than half a century.
Starting Tuesday, passengers on Southwest Airlines flights will have assigned seats and the option to pay more for a preferred seat closer to the front of the plane or a seat with extra legroom. The airline began selling tickets under the new policy in July.
As Southwest Airlines removes another of its signature features to become more like other airlines, here’s what travelers can expect:
Goodbye, Group A/B/C
Under the open-seating system, Southwest passengers can begin checking in 24 hours before departure to ensure a seat in the boarding queue at the gate.
Early check-ins are placed in the coveted “A” boarding group, essentially guaranteeing they’ll find an open window or aisle seat. Others choose “B” or “C” and the longer they wait to check in, the more likely it is that only the middle seat will be available.
The Dallas-based airline’s unusual seating process was originally designed to get passengers on board quickly, thereby reducing unprofitable time for planes and crews on the ground. It helps Southwest become more efficient and squeeze more flights into its daily schedule; the system was also a key reason Southwest remained profitable every year before the coronavirus pandemic.
Over time, however, the open-seat arrangement became less democratic, as Southwest also began allowing passengers to pay extra for seats closer to the front of the line.
Hello, designated seat
An eight-group boarding structure is replacing the chaos of finding your own seat. Once boarding time arrives, passengers will line up via two alternating lanes instead of numbered metal posts at the gates.
The airline said its gate areas will be remodeled in phases starting Monday night, a process that could take about two months to complete. Columns still standing after Tuesday will have their numbers removed or overwritten.
Southwest is selling fares with different seat options, including standard seats assigned at check-in or paid preferred seats and extra legroom seats selected at reservation time. For some flights, passengers can also choose to pay for priority boarding starting 24 hours before departure.
how it will work
According to Southwest, the newly designed boarding passes will display seat assignments and boarding groups. Flights booked for nine or fewer people (including families) will have these passengers assigned to the same boarding group.
Southwest says boarding groups are determined based on seat location, fare class, loyalty level and the airline’s credit card rewards benefits. passenger People who purchase seats with extra legroom will be divided into groups 1-2. Passengers on premium fares and the airline’s “most loyal travelers” will also have access to discounted seats and early boarding, while passengers on basic fares may be placed in groups of six to eight, the airline said.
Other changes
Along with the switch to assigned seating, airlines have also revised their policies for passengers who need extra space. Under the new rules, which also take effect Tuesday, travelers who cannot accommodate armrests on a single seat will need to purchase additional seats in advance.
This represents a change from the airline’s previous policy, which gave passengers the option of purchasing fully refundable additional seats before arriving at the airport, or requesting a free seat at the gate. Under the updated policy, refunds are still possible, but are no longer guaranteed and are subject to seat availability and fare class.
In May 2025, Southwest Airlines also ended its decades-old “baggage-free flight” policy and replaced it with baggage fees for most passengers.
The changes mark one of the biggest in the airline’s history as it changes its long-standing customer benefits to bring it more in line with other large U.S. carriers.
Why all the changes?
The shift comes amid pressure from investors to improve profitability.
“We have tremendous opportunity to meet current and future customer demand, attract new customer segments for which we do not compete today, and return to the profitability levels we and our shareholders expect,” Southwest CEO Robert Jordan said last year.
When the Texas-based airline first announced plans to switch to assigned seating in 2024, it said research on seat selection showed customer preferences had changed over the years, with an overwhelming majority of travelers saying they now wanted to know where they were sitting before arriving at the airport.
Jordan said at the time that open seating was the top reason travelers surveyed chose other airlines over Southwest.