- Mar 13, 2024
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The world of flying with Southwest is about to change for good on January 27th, 2026, because the airline will now have assigned seating for all of its flights.
©Southwest
Many people are still reeling over this change, and we know it’s going to take some time for us to get used to it as well. To help make the switch, we’ve broken down everything you need to know about the new seating options. While there still isn’t first class or business class, there are now three different types of seats on your flight, and it’s important you know the difference between them so you can choose the best one for you!
Starting on January 27th, when you fly with Southwest, you need to pick your seat, or it will be assigned for you. If you don’t want to pay anything extra, you’ll find yourself sitting in a Standard Seat. These are standard legroom seats located in the back of the cabin, mostly all behind the emergency exit rows.
©Southwest
If you’ve flown with Southwest before, these are going to be most similar to the seats you remember sitting in. Now, depending on what fare level you choose, it will affect what seat is chosen for you/what seat you choose. Don’t worry — we’ll go over it in full later!
If you don’t need any extra legroom but you don’t want to be at the back of the aircraft, you’ll want to book a Preferred Seat.
©Southwest
These will be located in front of the emergency exit rows (but not IN them), minus the first few rows of seats at the very front of the plane. These are great for people who don’t mind paying a little extra to get off their plane faster when they land.
Finally, we’ve got the most expensive option, which is the Extra Legroom Seat. These seats offer “A roomier experience with more legroom to stretch out, at the front of the cabin and near the exit rows, with up to five additional inches of extra legroom compared to Standard and Preferred seats,” according to Southwest. You’ll also get earlier access to bin space, enhanced snacks, and complimentary premium beverages.
©Southwest
While Southwest isn’t calling this first class or business class, considering it’s the most expensive option and it comes with extra special offerings, it’s basically Southwest’s equivalent of those tiers. If you choose one of these seats, you’ll be seated in the exit rows, or in the first few rows of the aircraft.
©Southwest
Southwest has also introduced new fare bundles: Basic, Choice, Choice Preferred, and Choice Extra. There’s a lot to go through here, but we’ll walk you through it tier by tier, starting with the cheapest and going to the most expensive.
With Basic, you will get the following:
With Choice, you will get the following:
©Southwest
With Choice Preferred, you will get the following:
With Choice Extra, you will get the following:
With these new tiers, the boarding process has also changed for everyone on the airplane. It’ll depend on a few different factors, but this diagram below really breaks things down.
©Southwest
Basically, if you want to be one of the first to board, you’ll need to spend extra money — if you don’t care when you board AND don’t care where you sit, a Basic fare in a standard seat is a good choice.
Southwest at MCO
Looking for more recent travel news? Check out our posts below!
We’ll be sure to keep you updated on all these changes, and others that hit the aviation industry this year, so stay tuned to Magical Guides!
How do you feel about these changes? Tell us in the comments!
©Southwest
Many people are still reeling over this change, and we know it’s going to take some time for us to get used to it as well. To help make the switch, we’ve broken down everything you need to know about the new seating options. While there still isn’t first class or business class, there are now three different types of seats on your flight, and it’s important you know the difference between them so you can choose the best one for you!
Standard Seat
Starting on January 27th, when you fly with Southwest, you need to pick your seat, or it will be assigned for you. If you don’t want to pay anything extra, you’ll find yourself sitting in a Standard Seat. These are standard legroom seats located in the back of the cabin, mostly all behind the emergency exit rows.
©Southwest
If you’ve flown with Southwest before, these are going to be most similar to the seats you remember sitting in. Now, depending on what fare level you choose, it will affect what seat is chosen for you/what seat you choose. Don’t worry — we’ll go over it in full later!
Preferred Seats
If you don’t need any extra legroom but you don’t want to be at the back of the aircraft, you’ll want to book a Preferred Seat.
©Southwest
These will be located in front of the emergency exit rows (but not IN them), minus the first few rows of seats at the very front of the plane. These are great for people who don’t mind paying a little extra to get off their plane faster when they land.
Extra Legroom Seat
Finally, we’ve got the most expensive option, which is the Extra Legroom Seat. These seats offer “A roomier experience with more legroom to stretch out, at the front of the cabin and near the exit rows, with up to five additional inches of extra legroom compared to Standard and Preferred seats,” according to Southwest. You’ll also get earlier access to bin space, enhanced snacks, and complimentary premium beverages.
©Southwest
While Southwest isn’t calling this first class or business class, considering it’s the most expensive option and it comes with extra special offerings, it’s basically Southwest’s equivalent of those tiers. If you choose one of these seats, you’ll be seated in the exit rows, or in the first few rows of the aircraft.
©Southwest
New Fare Bundles
Southwest has also introduced new fare bundles: Basic, Choice, Choice Preferred, and Choice Extra. There’s a lot to go through here, but we’ll walk you through it tier by tier, starting with the cheapest and going to the most expensive.
Basic
With Basic, you will get the following:
- A Standard seat (all other seat types cost extra)
- You will board last, unless you’d like to pay extra for Priority Boarding
- A Checked bag will cost extra
- You will get 2X fare on Rapid Rewards points
- Your flight credits will expire after 6 months (they are non-tranferrable)
- If you need a refund, you will get a Non-transferable Flight Credit
- You can change your flight if you pay extra for a fare upgrade
- There are no fees to cancel
- Free in-flight entertainment
- A premium drink and wifi will cost extra
Choice
With Choice, you will get the following:
- A Standard seat you select at booking (all other seat types cost extra)
- General boarding, unless you’d like to pay extra for Priority Boarding
- A Checked bag will cost extra
- You will get 6X fare on Rapid Rewards points
- Your flight credits will expire after 12 months that is transferable
- Changes to your flight are available, but a fee may apply
- There are no fees to cancel
- Free Same-day standby
- Free Same-day change
- Free in-flight entertainment
- A premium drink and wifi will cost extra
©Southwest
Choice Preferred
With Choice Preferred, you will get the following:
- A Preferred or Standard seat you select at booking (an Extra Legroom seat will cost extra)
- Early General boarding, unless you’d like to pay extra for Priority Boarding
- A Checked bag will cost extra
- You will get 10X fare on Rapid Rewards points
- Your flight credits will expire after 12 months that is transferable
- Your flight is refundable
- Changes to your flight are available, but a fee may apply
- There are no fees to cancel
- Free Same-day standby
- Free Same-day change
- EarlyBird Check-in is available
- Free in-flight entertainment
- Priority Lane and Express Lane
- A premium drink and wifi will cost extra
Choice Extra
With Choice Extra, you will get the following:
- Any seat you’d like on board, booked ahead of your flight
- Early boarding, but Priority Boarding will cost extra
- 2 free checked bags
- You will get 14X fare on Rapid Rewards points
- Your flight credits will expire after 12 months that is transferable
- Your flight is refundable
- Changes to your flight are available, but a fee may apply
- There are no fees to cancel
- Free Same-day standby
- Free Same-day change
- Priority Boarding, A1-A15
- Free in-flight entertainment
- Priority Lane and Express Lane
- Premium Drink
- Wifi will cost extra
Boarding Process
With these new tiers, the boarding process has also changed for everyone on the airplane. It’ll depend on a few different factors, but this diagram below really breaks things down.
- Groups 1 and 2 (Earliest Boarding): must be in a Choice Extra seat, an Extra Legroom seat, an A-List Preferred member who selected their seat at the time of booking, and A-List Members who booked an Extra Legroom seat
- Groups 3-5: Choice Preferred customers, A-List members in a Preferred or Standard seat, and Rapid Rewards Credit Cardmembers
- Groups 6-8: Passengers in Choice or Basic seats
©Southwest
Basically, if you want to be one of the first to board, you’ll need to spend extra money — if you don’t care when you board AND don’t care where you sit, a Basic fare in a standard seat is a good choice.
Southwest at MCO
Looking for more recent travel news? Check out our posts below!
More Recent Travel News!
- Southwest Airlines’ New Seating Options Change Everything — Here’s What You Need to Know
- HURRY! You Have Less Than 48 Hours To Score 30% Off on Southwest Flights
- American Airlines Starts HUGE Perk Today!
- A NEW TSA Rule Goes Into Effect Next Month — And If You Break It, It’ll Cost You
- When Do the NEW Southwest Airlines Seating Rules Start?
We’ll be sure to keep you updated on all these changes, and others that hit the aviation industry this year, so stay tuned to Magical Guides!
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