NEWS: Southwest Airlines Is Changing A Long-Time Seating Policy

Southwest Airlines is changing again.

The new Southwest policy change impacts plus-sized customers, who “encroach upon the neighboring seat.” They will be expected to purchase an additional seat, which might not be refunded.

According to the New York Times, Southwest is changing another seating policy.  Starting on January 27th, 2026, Southwest will require passengers who take up more space than one seat allotment to purchase an additional ticket before the flight.

In the past, passengers could pay the cost of an extra ticket ahead of time and receive a refund after, or request an extra seat at the airport for no extra charge. This is another major change for the airline, which has left many long-time customers frustrated with the company.

This change comes on the back of other updates, like the removal of their “bags fly free” policy as well as their open seating policy. They’ve also announced boarding process changes and new ticket options throughout these changes. Travel is also looking different, no matter the airline you’re flying with, thanks to the changes to TSA.

In July 2025, the Transportation Safety Authority announced that they were changing their longtime policy on shoes, announcing that they would allow passengers traveling through domestic airports to keep their shoes on while passing through security screening at TSA checkpoints. Unlike some of Southwest’s changes, the TSA update was a welcome one! As always, be sure to keep following AllEars for more travel news and updates.

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