Southwest moving to assigned seats

[JONC777]

This is my assumption as well.

I am looking forward to the new 'luv' seating which from what I hear will be in the shape of a heart and can be made to vibrate for an extra charge

 

[jwalk03]

Personally i don't think this will happen until at least 2026. There have still be zero actual details and they would have to have a system in place when the tickets go on sale and as mentioned the first 3+ months of 2025 are already on sale.

Looks like my 2026 guess was spot on based on today's announcement.

That partnership with Iceland Air sounds interesting. Would love to get a Companion fare to Iceland and Europe! (If the partnership works that way remains to be seen!)

 

[x3 skier]

Deleted dupe

 

[JONC777]

$200 Roundtrip from LAX to HNL on multiple airlines (including southwest0 october 2024-feb 2025

 

[pedro47]

I wonder will handdicapped individuals still board frist with one companion ?

 

[Luanne]

I wonder will handdicapped individuals still board frist with one companion ?

I would think they would. All of the other airlines that I fly do boarding this way, even if there are assigned seats.

 

[jwalk03]

I wonder will handdicapped individuals still board frist with one companion ?

Yes. Pre-boarding is a federal regulation

 

[davidvel]

I wonder will handdicapped individuals still board frist with one companion ?

Yes, but like other basic fares (presuming they haven't upgraded), their seats will be chosen at check-in, so no gaming the system anymore by the fakes. Extra time, yes. Upgraded seat, nope.

 

[silentg]

Will we have to pay extra for assigned seats?

 

[jwalk03]

Will we have to pay extra for assigned seats?

Will be free for A-List & A-List Preferred (and I would guess at least to a certain number of times as a Credit Card perk but those details are pending still)

But otherwise if you want an assigned seat there will be a fee. Or you can let SWA assign for free.

 

[Luanne]

Will we have to pay extra for assigned seats?

In the SW announcement it says this:

If you prefer to select your seat when you book your flight, including seats with extra legroom, you will have a few options to purchase these benefits.

Here is the entire announcement:

Customer Enhancements | Southwest Airlines

Learn how Southwest is transforming travel for Customers with updates like assigned seating, international partnerships, Rapid Rewards enhancements, and more.

www.southwest.com

 

[x3 skier]

Love Icelandair. I have no idea what the partnership means. It could be as simple as just a codeshare or a full up alliance like oneworld or Star Alliance with a common points system with Saga Points and Rapid Rewards.

Reading the Iceladair description of partners has various relationships with different airlines.

 

[davidvel]

Will we have to pay extra for assigned seats?

According to the article, it seems that it will be based on the fare type, not necessarily that you can "pay" to select a seat with the lowest fare. But the details have not been announced.

 

[Luanne]

According to the article, it seems that it will be based on the fare type, not necessarily that you can "pay" to select a seat with the lowest fare. But the details have not been announced.

What I took away from the article is that for the lowest fare you get a seat assigned to you. If you want to select the seat, you pay. And they still plan to have boarding numbers. Don't know how those will be assigned.


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For your comfort, we’re introducing seat assignments with different options based on the experience you prefer. Our lowest fare offer will still come with two free checked bags,1 no change2 or cancel fees,3 travel credits that never expire, and a seat assigned to you prior to your day of travel.



If you prefer to select your seat when you book your flight, including seats with extra legroom, you will have a few options to purchase these benefits. Our boarding process will be similar to what it is today. You’ll board in order of position numbers and line up by signage displayed on stanchions within the gate area, so you’ll be on your way as quickly as possible.

 

[dioxide45]

And they still plan to have boarding numbers. Don't know how those will be assigned.

I found it odd that they will still have boarding numbers in the same manner they have today. I guess they don't want to rip out all those signs. I suspect they will assign boarding numbers in a similar manner of how other airlines assign boarding groups. Perhaps lower numbers will be premium economy seats and then they will either do a front to back window to aisle or something similar in assigning those numbers. Time will tell.

 

[silentg]

We are flying in October, when does the seat assignment start?

 

[pedro47]

Quesstion #2, those families with children and all their family members boarding after handdicapped passengers ?
How will they board with this new seating arrangement ? LOL

 

[Luanne]

We are flying in October, when does the seat assignment start?

According to the info from SW they will not start assigning seats until later 2025 for flights in 2026.

"We will begin selling flights with seat assignments in the second half of 2025 for travel in the first half of 2026. "

You can find a link to the entire article in Post #161.

 

[Luanne]

Quesstion #2, those families with children and all their family members boarding after handdicapped passengers ?
How will they board with this new seating arrangement ? LOL

Wasn't in the announcement. Currently families with small children board between boarding groups A & B (unless of course they are assigned to group A). Since SW still plans to have the boarding groups I would "assume" family boarding would remain the same. Currently they do NOT board right after the preboards.

 

[davidvel]

Wasn't in the announcement. Currently families with small children board between boarding groups A & B (unless of course they are assigned to group A). Since SW still plans to have the boarding groups I would "assume" family boarding would remain the same. Currently they do NOT board right after the preboards.

Other airlines board them with all other preboards. It would seem odd to do it otherwise once seats are assigned as it would create 2 bottlenecks.

 

[Luanne]

Other airlines board them with all other preboards. It would seem odd to do it otherwise once seats are assigned as it would create 2 bottlenecks.

But since SW has said they still plan to use the boarding groups, maybe they will keep the family boarding the same as it is today. As I said earlier, that wasn't part of their announcement.

 

[dioxide45]

Why would there be a need to do anything special with families? I thought they boarded between A and B so they could likely sit together. With assigned seats that shouldn't matter as they should be seated together already. I wasn't aware that other airlines boarded families after preboards. I thought they all just boarded per their assigned group? If people in the same party had a different group, they could all board with the earliest group called.

 

[Luanne]

Why would there be a need to do anything special with families? I thought they boarded between A and B so they could likely sit together. With assigned seats that shouldn't matter as they should be seated together already. I wasn't aware that other airlines boarded families after preboards. I thought they all just boarded per their group number. If people in the same party had a different group, they could all board with the earliest group called.

Yes other airlines allow families with children under the age of 2 to board early. At least United does.

"We allow families with children less than two years old to board with our pre-boarding group. A gate agent will announce when it's time for you to get on the plane. Families with children under 12 can book Economy and Basic Economy seats next to each other for free."

 

[dioxide45]

Yes other airlines allow families with children under the age of 2 to board early. At least United does.

"We allow families with children less than two years old to board with our pre-boarding group. A gate agent will announce when it's time for you to get on the plane. Families with children under 12 can book Economy and Basic Economy seats next to each other for free."

But doesn't Southwest family boarding include older children? Six and under? It seems that perhaps this is meant more for lap children, though they may not always need to be lap.

 

[jwalk03]

Why would there be a need to do anything special with families? I thought they boarded between A and B so they could likely sit together. With assigned seats that shouldn't matter as they should be seated together already. I wasn't aware that other airlines boarded families after preboards. I thought they all just boarded per their assigned group? If people in the same party had a different group, they could all board with the earliest group called.

I rarely fly anyone other than Southwest- but last night on our Air France flight out of DTW they did indeed board all of the families with young children (not just lap children) just after the pre-boards before zone 1.