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Southwest Airways has introduced a significant change coming to its present seating system.
The Texas-based airline beforehand had a “decide any seat” coverage, permitting clients to buy tickets in numerous boarding teams by choosing the place they wished to sit down upon boarding the airplane.
On July 29, Southwest can be assigning seats to clients reserving flights starting on Jan. 27, 2026 — making it the final airline to drop open seating.
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Tony Roach, Southwest government vp of buyer and model, stated in a press launch that clients need “better management over their journey expertise.”
“Assigned seating unlocks new alternatives for our clients — together with the power to pick out Additional Legroom seats — and removes the uncertainty of not understanding the place they’ll sit within the cabin,” stated Roach.
Southwest Airways has introduced a shift from open seating to assigned seats beginning on July 29 for flights booked from 2026. (Scott Eisen/Bloomberg by way of Getty Pictures / Getty Pictures)
He added, “This is a vital step in our evolution, and we’re excited to pair these enhancements with our legendary customer support.”
A Senate investigation report final yr reviewed information from 5 airways: American Airways, Delta Air Traces, United Airways, Frontier Airways and Spirit Airways.
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It discovered they collectively earned $12.4 billion in income from seat charges between 2018 and 2023.
The airways not too long ago carried out a considerable change by ending their well-known “baggage fly free coverage” in Could.

“Assigned seating unlocks new alternatives for our clients — together with the power to pick out Additional Legroom seats — and removes the uncertainty of not understanding the place they’ll sit within the cabin.” (Paul Hennessy/SOPA Pictures/LightRocket by way of Getty Pictures / Getty Pictures)
The Senate Everlasting Subcommittee on Investigations’ majority-staff report, “The Sky’s the Restrict: The Rise of Junk Charges in American Journey,” additionally discovered the airways made $1.2 billion from checked bag charges.
Flight passengers had blended reactions to Spirit’s information on social media, sharing their ideas on the coverage change.
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“Excellent. That mad scramble for seats was at all times aggravating,” stated one man on X.
One other consumer wrote, “No extra free checked [bags], no extra free modifications. Instantly it is no completely different from another airline.”

Southwest ended its coverage of “baggage fly free” in Could. (DANIEL SLIM/AFP by way of Getty Pictures / Getty Pictures)
“The power to keep away from infants and pets was the one cause I flew them. No extra,” stated one consumer.
An individual posted on X, “This can be a good transfer for quicker boarding on the airline and extra truthful for A-listers.”
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FOX Enterprise reached out to Southwest Airways for remark.