3 Important Rules to Know Before Flying on Southwest Airlines in 2025

Believe it or not, after this year, TONS of things are changing over at Southwest Airlines.

We keep an eye on all the latest flight news to help you prepare for your upcoming trips, which means we watch for new flights, price drops, and more. If you often fly with Southwest Airlines, you need to know that there are some major changes happening soon, and we’re not exaggerating when we say that it feels like everything is changing.

The Last Year Before Assigned Seating

It was recently confirmed last year that in 2026, Southwest Airlines will be switching over to an assigned seating plan beginning in 2026, with assigned seating tickets going on sale for 2026 flights in late 2025.

This means that 2025 will be your LAST year to fly with the airline when they have their current “first-come-first-serve” seating. This is a massive part of why Southwest has been different from other airlines for so many decades, and many frequent fliers are feeling conflicted by this change. Some have even said once assigned seating becomes required on board, they won’t fly with the airline anymore. If you fall into that same boat, be sure you use those frequent flier points while you can!

The New Southwest Airlines Boarding Process Changes Are Happening Sooner Than You Think

Flying With Southwest Could Get More Expensive

As we move later into the year and assigned seating flights become available for 2026, it’s possible we’ll see costs raise on other tickets as well. Thankfully, we know that Southwest will still be keeping their “2 free checked bags” policy for fliers, which is another massive reason many people fly with them, but we’re expecting to see prices rise.

If you’re someone who needs to make sure you sit in a specific seat when you fly, when assigned seating becomes available, you may have to purchase a more expensive seat to ensure you’ll be comfortable on your flight (for example, some people must be in the aisle because they have a medical condition, or some people with anxiety have to sit in a window seat so they can see outside and know what’s going on, etc.). With the “first-come-first-serve” policy, you could make sure you check in for your flight the second you can to get an earlier boarding group, giving you a much higher chance of getting that seat without needing to purchase anything extra. That extra cost will be obnoxious and unfortunate, but it’ll be a necessity for many people.

Extra Legroom Seating is On The Way!

One of the changes we’re excited about is hearing that extra legroom seats will become available in late 2025/2026 as well! However, these seats will be part of the new assigned seating, so they will cost extra.

For many people though, this cost is well worth the benefit you get. Southwest Airlines doesn’t have first class seating — they have Business Select, but that’s the highest tier at this time. The new extra legroom seats will allow for another tier of seats to be available, which will be great for some, and not so great for others.

Now, it’s important to remember that it’s very likely that there will be assigned seats available that don’t cost anything extra, but it’ll be up to you if it’s a seat you’re willing to sit in for your flight. We’ll be sure to keep you updated on all the latest Southwest news, so stay tuned to AllEars!