Southwest Airlines' first extra-legroom seats to appear on its planes starting next month
The first Southwest Airlines planes with extra-legroom seats are set to make their debut in service next month. And — for now — they’ll be free of charge for those few customers lucky enough to snag one.
Southwest expects to deploy its first newly retrofitted aircraft sporting the more spacious rows May 1, the Dallas-based carrier announced.
It’s a key milestone in the airline's shift to assigned and extra-legroom seating, a bold move announced last year that, executives said, was driven by exhaustive customer research.
Southwest's new extra-legroom layout
As seen in a seat map revealed in recent days, Southwest customers will find extra-legroom seats in the first five rows of its newly updated Boeing 737-800 and 737 MAX 8 jets — due to be retrofitted first, keeping with plans the airline laid out last year.
Three additional rows surrounding the exit doors in the middle of the aircraft will be configured with the extra space, too.
In all, Southwest hopes to wrap up all of its cabin reconfigurations between April 30 and the end of this year, in order to meet its goal of launching the sale of assigned and extra-legroom seats during the early part of 2026.
Technically, the airline doesn't plan to start selling tickets under its assigned seating model until the third quarter of 2025, which runs from July through September, for flights departing early next year.
But, as TPG first reported last fall, Southwest customers won’t have to wait until then to start seeing the more spacious rows on certain Southwest flights. Rather, they’ll start appearing on planes months before the airline’s open-seating setup ends — and that will begin May 1.
A 'soft launch' of extra-legroom seats
Over the coming months, crews at the airline's maintenance bases in Denver, Phoenix, Houston and Atlanta will quietly return Southwest’s planes to service after installing the more spacious rows.
Exacty how will customers know if their plane has the extra-legroom rows?
They probably won’t, executives told TPG earlier this year. Think of it as a "soft launch," of sorts.
“I think it’ll be a nice surprise when customers walk on,” now-departed Executive Vice President Ryan Green told me in January.
'The Day Southwest Died': Reactions pour in about the carrier's big changes
How to get an extra-legroom seat on Southwest
Until the airline officially makes the shift to open seating, customers with A-group boarding will certainly have the best shot at scoring an extra-legroom seat on flights offering the new layout.
Customers who have A-List elite status, or who purchase its EarlyBird or Upgraded Boarding products, will also have a better chance at scoring one of those seats.
But with hundreds of jets due to get refitted between now and the end of the year, your chances of being on a plane with the new layout will steadily increase over the coming months.
“An increasing percentage as you go throughout the year,” Southwest Chief Operating Officer Andrew Watterson told me in January. “That’ll be part of the experience. You just can’t count on it [until next year] so we don’t want to sell it until you can count on it.”
Other changes planned
As part of the retrofit, maintenance teams will also install in-seat power outlets and larger overhead bins on aircraft that don’t already sport those cabin features.
Standard seats in Southwest’s 737-800 and MAX 8 cabins will lose legroom to make way for the extra-legroom seats. The seat pitch on those planes (the measurement from a fixed point on one seat to the same point on the seat in front) will drop from 32 inches to 31.
After the peak summer travel season ends, the carrier will proceed with retrofits to its smaller 737-700 aircraft. Standard seats on those planes will not lose legroom.
Bottom line
Southwest's shift away from open seating is set to bring other changes to the airline, too, including tweaks to the benefits offered to A-List elite status members and cobranded Rapid Rewards credit card holders.
Plus, the airline is preparing to pivot on its longstanding, unique boarding process.
The month of May will also bring the start of checked baggage fees at an airline long known for its generous "bags fly free" policy.
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There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.