Southwest Reveals New Details About Its Assigned Seating Launch — Here’s When Travelers Can Expect to See It on Flights

The Dallas-based airline first announced it was ending its open seating policy in July 2024

Southwest Airlines is revealing new details about its assigned seating initiative.

Following its July 2024 announcement that its open seating policy was ending, the Dallas-based airline is sharing an update on its new model as part of its three-year business plan, according to a Sept. 26 press release.

While the airline has always been known for offering seats on a first come, first served basis, it will officially begin selling assigned seats in the second half of 2025. However, travelers won’t see the reserved seating in action on their flights until the beginning of 2026, the airline says.

Southwest is also offering premium seating that features “extra legroom options with up to five additional inches of pitch for approximately a third of its seats," while not sacrificing the legroom in its economy seating.

Related: Southwest Airlines Is Ending Open Seating Policy and Will Assign Seats Starting in 2025

On Thursday, July 25, the airline announced it was doing away with assigned seating after conducting “extensive research” on customers’ needs while flying.

The research concluded that 80% of Southwest customers, and 86% of potential customers prefer an assigned seat.

“The airline has been known for its unique open seating model for more than 50 years, but preferences have evolved with more Customers taking longer flights where a seat assignment is preferred,” the airline said in a press release at the time.

“When a Customer elects to stop flying with Southwest and chooses a competitor, open seating is cited as the number one reason for the change,” the release continued. “By moving to an assigned seating model, Southwest expects to broaden its appeal and attract more flying from its current and future Customers.”

They also announced they are launching their first overnight flights in February 2025, including nonstop routes from Las Vegas to Baltimore and Orlando, Los Angeles to Baltimore and Nashville, and Phoenix to Baltimore. The airline is working on adding additional redeye routes in the future.

Related: Twitter Users Roast Southwest Airlines for Giving Passengers Ukuleles on Flight to Hawaii

In February, Southwest unveiled its new seat design that’s expected to debut in early 2025, however some travelers weren’t very happy about it.

The airline revealed the sleek layout in a TikTok alongside the caption: “New fit check! Introducing our updated cabin design and new seats! You can catch this interior on new aircraft deliveries beginning next year. Not to mention our ongoing rollout of adding bigger bins and in-seat power ports to our current planes!”

In the clip, users got a first look at the updated cabin interior featuring the new, streamlined seats equipped with a small heart detail at the bottom corner of every headrest. An additional tray to prop iPads and phones against is also shown.

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However, flyers were quick to criticize the new design in the comments.

“So we get thinner, more uncomfortable seats with a heart on it,” one user wrote, while another added, "Why not just put in wooden benches? They'd be just as comfortable!"

Despite some comments pointing out that it looks like there’s less space offered in each seat, a spokesperson for the airline confirmed to PEOPLE that the seats “maintain the Customer-friendly width and legroom we currently offer on all aircraft configurations.”

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