Positive, Southwest Airways is not planning to “exhausting launch” extra-legroom seats till January 2026. However the smooth launch is effectively underway.
A few quarter of Southwest’s airplanes have now been configured with the brand new extra-space rows, executives shared Thursday.
Meaning, in case you’re flying with the provider, you will have 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) should 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 stay 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 provider 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 maintain 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 have been flying with the brand new extra-legroom rows, chief working officer Andrew Watterson mentioned — even because the airline continues with its last six months of open seating.
Scoring a Southwest extra-legroom seat
How are you aware in case you’ll be on a type of newly up to date jets if you ebook a flight?
For now, the brief reply is: You will not.
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Airways (particularly Southwest, with its all-737 fleet) incessantly swap plane slated for a selected flight, so it is exhausting 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
Nevertheless, Southwest has began giving passengers a heads up concerning the pseudo-premium seats as soon as it confirms the airplane 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 prospects who will probably be on a flight with additional legroom seats, and welcoming them to reap the benefits of our current Upgraded Boarding product,” Watterson informed analysts on Thursday, talking on the corporate’s second-quarter earnings name.
What to learn about Upgraded Boarding
Upgraded Boarding on Southwest, an non-obligatory add-on prospects should buy, ensures an A1 by A15 boarding place underneath the airline’s distinctive, single-file boarding course of.
Clients who aren’t proud of their boarding place should buy Upgraded Boarding inside 24 hours of departure. Costs begin at $30 however can vary fairly a bit increased on a selected flight.
I bought it in February once I wasn’t proud of 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 eager to get caught in a center seat for the cross-country flight.
I did this proper by the cellular app. You might additionally use Southwest’s web site to buy this add-on, or click on on a hyperlink the airline sends you in case you get notified that your flight may 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 price noting: Present prospects 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 yr 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 yr.
Backside line
Your probabilities of scoring a Southwest extra-legroom seat in 2025 will continue to grow because the yr goes on, because the airline hopes to reconfigure all of its planes earlier than its assigned seating period kicks off early subsequent yr.
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