The primary Southwest Airways planes with extra-legroom seats are set to make their debut in service subsequent month. And — for now — they will be freed from cost for these few prospects fortunate sufficient to snag one.
Southwest expects to deploy its first newly retrofitted plane sporting the extra spacious rows Might 1, the Dallas-based service introduced.
It is a key milestone within the airline’s shift to assigned and extra-legroom seating, a daring transfer introduced final yr that, executives stated, was pushed by exhaustive buyer analysis.
Southwest’s new extra-legroom format
As seen in a seat map revealed in current days, Southwest prospects will discover extra-legroom seats within the first 5 rows of its newly up to date Boeing 737-800 and 737 MAX 8 jets — attributable to be retrofitted first, conserving with plans the airline laid out final yr.
Three extra rows surrounding the exit doorways in the midst of the plane will likely be configured with the additional house, too.
In all, Southwest hopes to wrap up all of its cabin reconfigurations between April 30 and the tip of this yr, to be able to meet its purpose of launching the sale of assigned and extra-legroom seats throughout the early a part of 2026.
Technically, the airline would not plan to begin promoting tickets underneath its assigned seating mannequin till the third quarter of 2025, which runs from July by means of September, for flights departing early subsequent yr.
However, as TPG first reported final fall, Southwest prospects will not have to attend till then to begin seeing the extra spacious rows on sure Southwest flights. Somewhat, they will begin showing on planes months earlier than the airline’s open-seating setup ends — and that may start Might 1.
A ‘delicate launch’ of extra-legroom seats
Over the approaching months, crews on the airline’s upkeep bases in Denver, Phoenix, Houston and Atlanta will quietly return Southwest’s planes to service after putting in the extra spacious rows.
Day by day E-newsletter
Reward your inbox with the TPG Day by day publication
Be part of over 700,000 readers for breaking information, in-depth guides and unique offers from TPG’s specialists
Exacty how will prospects know if their aircraft has the extra-legroom rows?
They most likely will not, executives instructed TPG earlier this yr. Consider it as a “delicate launch,” of kinds.
“I feel it will be a pleasant shock when prospects stroll on,” now-departed Govt Vice President Ryan Inexperienced instructed me in January.
‘The Day Southwest Died’: Reactions pour in in regards to the service’s massive adjustments
Methods to get an extra-legroom seat on Southwest
Till the airline formally makes the shift to open seating, prospects with A-group boarding will definitely have the very best shot at scoring an extra-legroom seat on flights providing the brand new format.
Prospects who’ve A-Record elite standing, or who buy its EarlyBird or Upgraded Boarding merchandise, can even have a greater likelihood at scoring a kind of seats.
However with a whole bunch of jets attributable to get refitted between now and the tip of the yr, your probabilities of being on a aircraft with the brand new format will steadily enhance over the approaching months.
“An growing share as you go all year long,” Southwest Chief Working Officer Andrew Watterson instructed me in January. “That’ll be a part of the expertise. You simply cannot rely on it [until next year] so we do not wish to promote it till you possibly can rely on it.”
Different adjustments deliberate
As a part of the retrofit, upkeep groups can even set up in-seat energy shops and bigger overhead bins on plane that do not already sport these cabin options.
Commonplace seats in Southwest’s 737-800 and MAX 8 cabins will lose legroom to make method for the extra-legroom seats. The seat pitch on these planes (the measurement from a hard and fast level on one seat to the identical level on the seat in entrance) will drop from 32 inches to 31.
After the height summer time journey season ends, the service will proceed with retrofits to its smaller 737-700 plane. Commonplace seats on these planes is not going to lose legroom.
Backside line
Southwest’s shift away from open seating is about to deliver different adjustments to the airline, too, together with tweaks to the advantages supplied to A-Record elite standing members and cobranded Fast Rewards bank card holders.
Plus, the airline is making ready to pivot on its longstanding, distinctive boarding course of.
The month of Might can even deliver the beginning of checked baggage charges at an airline lengthy recognized for its beneficiant “baggage fly free” coverage.
Associated studying:
