Certain, Southwest Airways is not planning to “exhausting launch” extra-legroom seats till January 2026. However the mushy launch is nicely underway.
A couple of quarter of Southwest’s airplanes have now been configured with the brand new extra-space rows, executives shared Thursday.
Which means, in the event you’re flying with the provider, you’ve got roughly a one in 4 likelihood 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 further to attain a kind of seats.
Why extra-legroom seats can be found early
Southwest will officially start selling extra-legroom seats on July 29, when assigned seating goes reside in its reserving channels. That’ll apply for flights taking off about six months from now, beginning Jan. 27, 2026.
To arrange, although, the Dallas-based provider started retrofitting its fleet of round 800 Boeing 737s in early Might, establishing cabins with the brand new, extra premium rows.
Clearly, Southwest cannot simply preserve 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 stated — even because the airline continues with its remaining six months of open seating.
Scoring a Southwest extra-legroom seat
How are you aware in the event you’ll be on a kind of newly up to date jets while you e book a flight?
For now, the quick reply is: You will not.
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Airways (particularly Southwest, with its all-737 fleet) regularly swap plane slated for a selected flight, so it is exhausting for the airline to foretell months upfront 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 choice, 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 shall be on a flight with further legroom seats, and welcoming them to make the most of our current Upgraded Boarding product,” Watterson informed analysts on Thursday, talking on the corporate’s second-quarter earnings name.
What to find out about Upgraded Boarding
Upgraded Boarding on Southwest, an non-obligatory add-on prospects should buy, ensures an A1 by A15 boarding place below 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 larger on a selected flight.
I bought it in February once I wasn’t proud of the boarding place I would 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 desirous to get caught in a center seat for the cross-country flight.
I did this proper by the cell 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 the event you get notified that your flight can have the extra-legroom seats.
Upgraded boarding on the outs
Upgraded Boarding is not lengthy for Southwest, although. It will disappear in January when the airline launches assigned seating and shifts to a more traditional eight-group boarding process.
However for now?
It could possibly 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 value noting: Present prospects with the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card (see rates and fees) or the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card (see rates and fees) get 4 Upgraded Boardings per yr as a card perk.
Whereas a card refresh (just announced Thursday) will spell the top of that perk, these boarding upgrades are nonetheless usable between now and the top of this yr.
Backside line
Your possibilities 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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