Southwest’s ’major milestone’: First plane with new, modern cabin debuts this week
Southwest Airlines is rapidly becoming a new-look airline. And this week, the carrier will begin flying a new-look plane.
On Thursday, the Dallas-based carrier will launch service on its first jet featuring brand-new seats and an updated cabin design — features that the airline had been teasing for well over a year.
The updated aircraft interior includes new extra legroom rows, larger overhead bins and power outlets, along with an overall more modern onboard aesthetic.
Dubbed a "major milestone" by Southwest, the launch of this newest-generation Boeing 737 MAX 8 cabin is the latest chapter in the airline's wholesale transformation.
This year alone, we've seen the carrier launch checked bag fees and international airline partnerships. And in three months, Southwest will end its longstanding open seating policy.
Plenty of these changes, of course, have drawn the ire of customers — none more than the end to its popular "bags fly free" policy. But a spiffier plane, the first of many to come, should be nothing but welcome news for Southwest flyers.
"If you think about all of the changes we've been making, especially to the cabin experience, this is kind of the culmination of everything together," Tony Roach, Southwest Chief Customer and Brand Officer, said in an interview with TPG.
Southwest's new-look plane
Southwest's new MAX 8, just delivered to the carrier from Boeing, is the first with the new economy seats the airline first revealed in 2024 from seatmaker Recaro.
The seats include a tray table with two cup holders, along with a personal device holder and dual USB-A and USB-C outlets.
And, despite some early critique about initial mock-ups first shared in 2024, the airline and manufacturer have insisted the seat design should offer customers better lumbar support and comfort than the seats currently on Southwest's planes, having been chosen after exhaustive customer tests.
Going forward, all new Southwest aircraft deliveries will sport these new seats and the updated onboard look, which also includes a refreshed color palette with blue tones and mood lighting.
Southwest also plans to update "a few" of its older Boeing 737-800 jets with the new seats later this year, the airline said Tuesday.
New details about extra legroom
The launch of this latest-generation MAX 8 cabin comes as Southwest is furiously retrofitting all of its planes with extra legroom rows ahead of the official launch of assigned seating on Jan. 27, 2026.
As of this week, more than half of the carrier's planes have been updated with extra legroom, which means if you're flying Southwest, your chances of being on a plane that has the extra-space rows are better than 50-50. That's especially true if you're flying on one of the airline's longer routes; all of its flights to Hawaii, in fact, now sport the more spacious sections.
For the time being, if you secure an early boarding position on a Southwest flight, you may be able to score one of the extra legroom seats without paying extra (though you'll likely have a better shot at one of those seats if you purchase Upgraded Boarding before departure).
Come January 2026, however, Southwest will turn its extra legroom seats into its new pseudo-premium seating product. On top of extra space, the higher-class seats will also come with complimentary premium beverages, Southwest shared Tuesday, as well as Wonderful Pistachios as an elevated snack offering.
More retrofits coming
Finally, Southwest on Tuesday announced plans to modernize the cabins — a bit, at least — on more of its older planes. The carrier will outfit more than half of its Boeing 737-700s with in-seat power outlets starting in late 2026.
Those planes are already slated to get updated with extra-legroom rows later this year — so this will be an added upgrade beyond what the carrier had previously announced.
Once these updates are complete, all Southwest planes will have power outlets at each seat.
Bottom line
Southwest has taken delivery of four MAX 8 jets with the all-new cabin look, each set for takeoff in the near future. All future Boeing deliveries, the carrier said, will sport this updated onboard design.
Meanwhile, this new aircraft "reveal" comes as the carrier gets set for another big onboard upgrade this month: the launch of free inflight Wi-Fi for all Rapid Rewards members on Oct. 24.
Related reading:
- Your complete guide to maximizing Southwest Rapid Rewards
- The best Southwest Airlines credit cards
- How to quickly earn the Southwest Companion Pass
- What is Southwest Airlines elite status worth?
- 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