Southwest Airlines has announced it will end its decades-old “pick any seat” policy, assigning seats to customers starting January 27, 2026. The Texas-based carrier joins Delta Air Lines as the last major airline to drop open seating, following recent changes to its bag fees policy.
According to Tony Roach, Southwest executive vice president of customer and brand, the decision aims to provide customers with “greater control over their travel experience.” Assigned seating will allow passengers to select Extra Legroom seats and remove uncertainty about where they’ll sit on the plane.
The move comes as airlines have generated billions in revenue from seat fees. A Senate investigation report found that five major airlines earned $12.4 billion in revenue from seat fees between 2018 and 2023, while generating an additional $1.2 billion from checked bag fees. The change also follows Southwest’s recent shift to no longer offering free checked bags.
Passengers have mixed reactions to the policy change on social media, with some appreciating the reduced uncertainty and others lamenting the loss of flexibility.
Source: https://www.foxbusiness.com/fox-news-travel/southwest-airlines-ditches-decades-old-open-seating-years-holdout