You can now book assigned seats on Southwest Airlines: Here’s how it works

You can now officially book Southwest Airlines flights with an assigned seat.

The carrier just started selling flights that will depart on (and after) Jan. 27, 2026 — the day it plans to bid farewell to open seating and welcome in its long-discussed assigned and extra-legroom seating setup.

For those of us who have flown Southwest on countless occasions in the past, it's admittedly a bit of a strange feeling to pull up the carrier's website and see a seat map when booking a trip.

But as of this week, that's now a reality.

These 2026 flights with assigned seating will also mark the start of using fare types that sound a lot different from the ones Southwest has sold for years. "Wanna Get Away" is already a thing of the past, having been replaced by the carrier's new basic economy fare. But the airline is now also phasing out "Wanna Get Away Plus," "Anytime" and "Business Select."

Instead, Southwest's four fare products will include:

What it's like booking a Southwest Airlines flight with assigned seats

What is it like booking a Southwest flight with assigned seating?

It'll be a pretty familiar process if you've booked a flight on, well, just about any other airline — but I'll briefly walk you through some of the unique elements of Southwest's assigned seating process.

Here's an example: a one-way February 2026 booking from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) in Washington, D.C., to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL).

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As you can see, the ticket options on Southwest's website now reflect the airline's new fare classes.

Basic and Choice

For this trip, prices start at $118 for a basic ticket. That's $30 less than Southwest's Choice fare, which is now Southwest's version of a standard, full-fare, non-basic economy ticket you'd see on another airline.

If you're booking a basic ticket, you won't be able to miss the tightest restriction, which appears when you pull up the seat map: no complimentary seat selection, similar to basic economy policies at other airlines.

However, I will point out: On this flight, you still can pay $60 extra to select an extra-legroom seat.

Compare that to the $140 extra you'd pay for Southwest's full, top-level Choice Extra bundle, which includes extra-legroom seats, two free checked bags and a few other perks.

Choice Preferred

If you're booking a Choice Preferred fare, the seat map will open up some seats closer to the front of the plane. Those will be regular seats with standard legroom, but you won't be stuck in the back of the aircraft.

Choice Extra

And then once you select the higher-priced Choice Extra bundle, you'll have your pick of any seat, including one with extra legroom.

Award booking

Here's an example of how the new fare classes are priced out if you're booking a Southwest Rapid Rewards redemption on another February itinerary — this time from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) to Honolulu's Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL).

• Basic: 28,000 points (down 9% from Choice, Southwest's new standard fare class)
• Choice: 30,500 points
• Choice Preferred: 36,000 points (up 18% from Choice)
• Choice Extra: 43,000 (up 41% from Choice)

Bottom line

As a reminder, every Southwest credit card will get you a free checked bag for yourself and up to eight companions flying on the same reservation.

Every card will also get you at least some sort of seat selection — in some cases, within 48 hours of departure. Two of the carrier's higher-priced cards come with complimentary extra-legroom access closer to takeoff.

A-List and A-List Preferred members also get baggage, boarding and seating benefits under the new setup.

Related reading:

• Best Southwest Airlines credit cards
• How to quickly earn the Southwest Companion Pass
• Maximize your airfare: The best credit cards for booking flights
• The best credit cards to reach elite status
• How to change or cancel a Southwest Airlines flight