Southwest’s New Boarding Process With Assigned Seats Starts Today. Here’s What You Should Know.

Flying Southwest Airlines changes forever as of Tuesday, January 27.

Marketing it as seatisfacton for all, passengers flying Southwest will no longer be able to pick whichever seat they like during boarding. In line with most other airlines, all seats will be preassigned before boarding. As a direct consequence, Southwest’s boarding process has also been updated.

Here’s everything you need to know so you can be ready for your next Southwest flight with no surprises.

Southwest Seat Assignments From January 27, 2026

Since July 29, 2025, passengers booking Southwest flights departing on or after January 27 have been able to choose their seats. This was huge news for the airline, which was known for its free-for-all boarding process.

With the new system, all passengers on the same booking will be eligible to board together. And for those passengers who were able to select their seats at booking, there’ll be no more setting a reminder to check-in to get the best boarding group.

The seat selection experience depends on 3 factors: the type of fare, whether you have Southwest elite status, and whether you have a Southwest credit card.

There’ll also be 3 types of seats to choose from:

• Standard: 31 inches of leg room from row 17 to the back of the plane
• Preferred: The same 31 inches of legroom, just closer to the front of the plane
• Extra Legroom: Up to 5 inches extra legroom, enhanced snacks, and complimentary premium beverages in the first 5 rows and 3 exit rows in the middle of the plane (Boeing 737-700 planes only)

Which seats you have access to and when you can book them is linked to each of Southwest’s fare types. The rules below apply to passengers with no Southwest elite status and who don’t hold a Southwest credit card.

• Basic: No choice of seat; a standard seat will be assigned at check-in.
• Choice: Eligible to select a standard seat for free at the time of booking.
• Choice Preferred: Eligible to choose a Standard or Preferred seat at the time of booking.
• Choice Extra: Eligible to choose any seat, including Extra Legroom seats, at the time of booking.

Seat selection is less restrictive for Southwest A-List or A-List Preferred status holders, no matter the fare they have booked.

• Southwest A-List members: Eligible to choose a Preferred seat when booking and access Extra Legroom seats from 48 hours before departure (based on availability)
• Southwest A-List Preferred members: Eligible to choose Extra Legroom seats at the time of booking.

And finally, here are the seat selection benefits that come with each of Southwest’s credit cards:

Southwest Boarding Groups from January 27, 2026

Whether you loved them or hated them, Southwest’s lettered boarding columns will no longer be seen at its departure gates.

Similar to systems used by mainline carriers like American, Delta, and United, Southwest’s boarding groups will now go from 1 through to 8. The group you’re assigned on your boarding pass will be linked to your fare type, Southwest status, and any Southwest credit card you might have in your wallet.

Groups will include the following:

• Groups 1 and 2: Choice Extra fares, passengers who upgraded to Extra Legroom, A-List Preferred status holders, and A-List status holders who upgraded to Extra Legroom
• Groups 3 to 5: Choice Preferred fares, A-List members, and Rapid Rewards credit cardholders
• Groups 6 to 8: Choice and Basic fare passengers

However, there’s a caveat. All passengers will have the option to pay extra to add Priority Boarding from 24 hours before departure. Fares will vary depending on each flight.

Final Thoughts

Southwest leaves a part of its core identity behind with these changes on January 27, 2026.

Flying the low-cost carrier will indeed be very different, becoming much more like flying any other airline. With that, it shouldn’t be too hard to get used to — unless you’ve only ever flown Southwest and only know its now-former boarding process.