When Southwest Airlines switches to assigned seating on January 27, 2026, it will not only mark the end of its 50-year open-seating policy.
It will also officially introduce seats with extra legroom — something Southwest is marketing as its new, more premium product.
Going forward, these seats will be available to Southwest’s highest-paying customers. They’ll be an upgrade option of sorts for top-tier Elites and certain Quick Rewards credit card holders.
Southwest hopes these roomier seats will generate additional revenue from consumers who have become more willing to pay more for premium experiences in recent years.
“They want us to change and evolve and provide more of the amenities they’re used to on other aircraft,” Tony Roach, Southeast’s chief customer and brand officer, said in a speech in Phoenix earlier this month.
Now the question is: Are extra legroom seats worth the extra splurge?
Read more: Southwest Airlines’ ‘big milestone’: First aircraft with new, modern cabin debuts
What’s it like to fly in Southwest’s extra legroom seats?
I had the opportunity to try out Southwest’s new Extra Legroom experience on a recent ceremonial flight from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) to Southwest’s Dallas Love Field (DAL) headquarters.
what happens? It’s certainly not top-notch; don’t expect fancy reclining seats, hot meals, or curtains to separate those seats from the rest of the cabin.
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Southwest designed it to be a step up from its standard coach offerings.
Soft product upgrade
That said, the airline has made some “soft product” upgrades in its extra legroom department.
On board, these passengers will receive free premium beverages, including alcohol.
Southwest will also offer delicious pistachios to its passengers with more legroom, a snack option not available in other cabins.
In addition, these passengers will receive priority boarding as part of the airline’s improved boarding process, which will launch with assigned seating in January. Passengers with extra legroom will board no later than Group 2.
Improve coaching experience
All in all, the entire experience is probably most similar to what you’d find in American Airlines’ Main Cabin Extras or Alaska Airlines’ Premium Cabin section—a more premium cabin offering that Southwest hasn’t offered to date.
Personally, when it comes to comfort on long-haul flights, the extra space means a lot to me, especially when I’m trying to get work done – which I can do easily, like in a premium economy seat on United.
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Sean Cudahy/Scoring Expert
Find a seat
By Jan. 27, all Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 737-800 aircraft will have extra legroom seats in the first five rows and in the three rows surrounding the mid-cabin emergency exit.
On the smaller Boeing 737-700, it will provide extra legroom in the first six rows and emergency exit rows.
On many planes, you’ll find airline overhead seats with unique stripes to distinguish them from standard seats. These include light blue highlights on the newest jets in Southwest’s fleet, like the new Boeing 737 MAX 8 I flew on this month.
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Extra legroom seats on Southwest Airlines. Sean Cudahy/Scoring Expert
How to Book Extra Leg Seats on Southwest Airlines
There are several ways you can reserve extra legroom seats on Southwest Airlines.
Buy Select Extra Fare
The “standard” approach is to purchase the new Choice Extra fare product, which offers seat selection with extra legroom, along with a few other perks like priority boarding and free checked bags (the latter, of course, is no longer part of the airline’s blanket perk).
Tickets that include extra legroom seat assignments go on sale in late July for flights departing on or after January 27, so whether you pay cash or redeem Rapid Rewards points, you can book now.
RELATED: Southwest’s ‘variable’ Rapid Award redemption rates go into effect
Elite status and credit card upgrades
These seats will also be available as an upgrade option for A-List elite members and certain credit card holders.
Here’s the full rundown:
Southwest Airlines expects to have extra legroom seats on about 800 of its planes by the end of January.
The airline is now more than halfway through reconfiguring each aircraft with new seats.
Tips for getting extra space Now
However, Southwest Airlines has completed adding seats with extra legroom all The aircraft it uses on its longest routes, such as flights to Hawaii.
This means that during the last few months of first-come, first-served seating between now and January, you may be able to get one of these seats for free.
You just have to get on board as early as possible to grab one. Your best chance may be to purchase the airline’s additional upgrade boarding option, which is on sale within 24 hours of departure.
TPG Tips: Southwest Airlines’ Extra Legroom Seat Trial, and if you get an early boarding spot, you can get one now
bottom line
Southwest executives believe it will immediately better compete with other airlines by offering higher-end seat offerings and other inflight improvements, such as free inflight Wi-Fi it just deployed.
“It’s not like airlines are like, ‘If I don’t upgrade, I’m going to be in trouble,'” Southwest Chief Operating Officer Andrew Watson said this month in Phoenix.
Meanwhile, the airline continues to hint at the possibility of introducing higher-end seat options at some point in the future.
So while Southwest’s new wide seats certainly shouldn’t be confused with true first class, it’s worth staying tuned to see what else is coming soon.
at present? The seats are significantly higher than what the airline has offered customers in the past. They’re an attractive new perk for earning quick rewards elite status or carrying one of the airline’s co-branded credit cards.
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