Southwest Airlines is doing away with its long-standing open seating system and will now assign seats to passengers — a major shift for the airline that has built its brand on a unique boarding style and free checked bags. The change, which also introduces new baggage fees, is part of a broader overhaul aimed at streamlining operations and generating new revenue.
Starting January 27, 2026, travelers flying Southwest will receive designated seats instead of choosing them upon boarding. However, the airline’s new boarding sequence will differ from what passengers are used to on other carriers.
According to the Wall Street Journal, every boarding pass will now include both a boarding group and a number from 1 to 8, unless the customer has purchased priority boarding.
Following the priority group, Southwest will adopt what’s known as the WILMA boarding strategy — short for window, middle, and aisle — beginning with passengers seated at the back of the aircraft.
Under this setup, those in window seats will be called first, followed by middle-seat passengers, and finally those assigned to the aisles.
“If queuing isn’t good, boarding isn’t good,” said Lisa Hingson, managing director of innovation, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. “So we spent a lot of time studying queuing.”
While the idea may sound new to Southwest loyalists, other airlines have already embraced similar systems. United Airlines, for example, adopted this model several years ago, saying it reduced boarding time and congestion.
Even with this change, passengers who hold certain privileges — such as elite status, upgraded ticket classes, or specific credit cards — will still receive priority placement ahead of most travelers.
These perks ensure that eligible passengers are assigned to group 1 or 2 regardless of where they’re seated. That, however, could create challenges for passengers seated toward the front of the plane who don’t qualify for early boarding, as overhead bin space may already be limited by the time they board.
The Journal reported seeing a boarding pass for a traveler in seat 12C — typically considered a prime economy seat — who had been placed in group 7, indicating they’d be among the last to board.
To address this, Southwest plans to introduce an optional Priority Boarding upgrade that passengers can purchase at the last minute for an additional fee. According to the Wall Street Journal, those who buy this option will board before group 1.
Pricing will fluctuate depending on the route, but the report cited one example showing the cost at $93 for a one-way trip between Phoenix and Dallas.
Passengers with disabilities and active-duty service members will continue to receive first-boarding privileges as they always have.
To minimize confusion during the transition, each boarding pass will explicitly identify whether the traveler’s seat is a window, middle, or aisle. “Since we’re moving away from boarding positions, we wanted to be very clear about the difference between a boarding position and a seat,” Hingson explained.
{Matzav.com}
