The primary Southwest Airways planes with extra-legroom seats are set to make their debut in service subsequent month. And — for now — they will be freed from cost for these few prospects fortunate sufficient to snag one.
Southwest expects to deploy its first newly retrofitted plane sporting the extra spacious rows Might 1, the Dallas-based service introduced.
It is a key milestone within the airline’s shift to assigned and extra-legroom seating, a daring transfer introduced final 12 months that, executives mentioned, was pushed by exhaustive buyer analysis.
Southwest’s new extra-legroom format
As seen in a seat map revealed in latest days, Southwest prospects will discover extra-legroom seats within the first 5 rows of its newly up to date Boeing 737-800 and 737 MAX 8 jets — as a consequence of be retrofitted first, protecting with plans the airline laid out final 12 months.
Three further rows surrounding the exit doorways in the midst of the plane might be configured with the additional area, too.
In all, Southwest hopes to wrap up all of its cabin reconfigurations between April 30 and the tip of this 12 months, with the intention to meet its purpose of launching the sale of assigned and extra-legroom seats in the course of the early a part of 2026.
Technically, the airline does not plan to begin promoting tickets underneath its assigned seating mannequin till the third quarter of 2025, which runs from July by September, for flights departing early subsequent 12 months.
However, as TPG first reported final fall, Southwest prospects will not have to attend till then to begin seeing the extra spacious rows on sure Southwest flights. Quite, they will begin showing on planes months earlier than the airline’s open-seating setup ends — and that may start Might 1.
A ‘comfortable launch’ of extra-legroom seats
Over the approaching months, crews on the airline’s upkeep bases in Denver, Phoenix, Houston and Atlanta will quietly return Southwest’s planes to service after putting in the extra spacious rows.
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Exacty how will prospects know if their aircraft has the extra-legroom rows?
They in all probability will not, executives instructed TPG earlier this 12 months. Consider it as a “comfortable launch,” of kinds.
“I feel it will be a pleasant shock when prospects stroll on,” now-departed Govt Vice President Ryan Inexperienced instructed me in January.
‘The Day Southwest Died’: Reactions pour in in regards to the service’s massive adjustments
Find out how to get an extra-legroom seat on Southwest
Till the airline formally makes the shift to open seating, prospects with A-group boarding will definitely have one of the best shot at scoring an extra-legroom seat on flights providing the brand new format.
Prospects who’ve A-Checklist elite standing, or who buy its EarlyBird or Upgraded Boarding merchandise, will even have a greater probability at scoring a kind of seats.
However with lots of of jets as a consequence of get refitted between now and the tip of the 12 months, your probabilities of being on a aircraft with the brand new format will steadily improve over the approaching months.
“An growing share as you go all year long,” Southwest Chief Working Officer Andrew Watterson instructed me in January. “That’ll be a part of the expertise. You simply cannot depend on it [until next year] so we do not need to promote it till you may depend on it.”
Different adjustments deliberate
As a part of the retrofit, upkeep groups will even set up in-seat energy shops and bigger overhead bins on plane that do not already sport these cabin options.
Normal seats in Southwest’s 737-800 and MAX 8 cabins will lose legroom to make means for the extra-legroom seats. The seat pitch on these planes (the measurement from a set level on one seat to the identical level on the seat in entrance) will drop from 32 inches to 31.
After the height summer season journey season ends, the service will proceed with retrofits to its smaller 737-700 plane. Normal seats on these planes is not going to lose legroom.
Backside line
Southwest’s shift away from open seating is ready to carry different adjustments to the airline, too, together with tweaks to the advantages provided to A-Checklist elite standing members and cobranded Speedy Rewards bank card holders.
Plus, the airline is getting ready to pivot on its longstanding, distinctive boarding course of.
The month of Might will even carry the begin of checked baggage charges at an airline lengthy identified for its beneficiant “baggage fly free” coverage.
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