FAQ re: Southwest Airlines Policy Changes
Why should we be concerned about the end of Southwest’s open seating policy?
In an email to customers on July 25, 2024 Silke Koehnecke, Managing Director Specialty Sales Southwest says, “Our data shows that more than 80 percent of our current Customers prefer a seat assignment, and 86 percent of non-Customers also prefer a seat assignment. Additionally, many Customers who elected to stop flying Southwest and fly another airline cite open seating as the reason.” Our concern is that Customers of Size and disabled flyers may be part of the 20% who didn’t want this change, and our communities’ reasons go beyond personal preference. While the decision to change procedures is a done deal, we want to ensure that Southwest hears our needs as they “work through these changes.”
How has the Southwest Customer of Size Policy changed?
Until the spring of 2025, Southwest provided two methods for Customers of Size to arrange a second seat at no (permanent) additional cost: 1) Purchase a second seat in advance online or by phone, and then request a refund at the end of the flight OR 2) arrive at the airport and request a Customer of Size seat. Customers of Size who had not bought a seat in advance for any reason could still request one at the airport. If the flight was sold out or oversold, customer service agents were authorized to offer incentives to any customer(s) on the plane to take another flight in order to accommodate a Customer of Size.
In 2025, Southwest changed this second option without making an announcement about this change. On January 27, 2026 policies changed again, implementing assigned seating and restricting the Customer of Size policy further.
Southwest should have improved inclusion, not backpedaled on it.
Does Southwest now require Customers of Size to purchase an extra seat ahead of time?
Yes! Customers of Size on Southwest now must purchase adjacent seats ahead of time. Unfortunately only the more expensive pricing tiers allow you to select your seats during checkout. If you choose to book online and purchase two seats in a fare class that does not allow you to select seats, you will need to call Southwest immediately after purchase and ask them to manually assign your seats. If adjacent seats aren’t available in your fare class, you will need to pay to upgrade your seats to a more expensive fare class or book a different flight altogether.
Note: You are only entitled to a refund if you cancel within 24 hours of booking, so if you book tickets in a fare class that does not allow you to select seats, it is strongly recommended that you contact Southwest immediately so you’ll be able to eligible to receive a refund if they cannot assign you two adjacent seats.
What happens if I don’t purchase an extra seat ahead of time? Will they give me a free seat at the airport?
Southwest no longer guarantees to accommodate Customers of Size who have not purchased extra seats in advance. If you arrive for your flight without having purchased an extra seat, and Southwest (at their sole discretion) decides you need one, you will either have to:
Purchase a second seat at the current fare plus the cost to upgrade your current seat if needed. This is only an option if two adjacent seats are available on your flight.
Get rebooked on a later flight that does have two adjacent seats available, regardless of how long that would require you to wait.
Keep in mind that Southwest has sole discretion on determining if you need an extra seat, so they can force you to purchase one even if you don’t feel that you need it or are traveling with a companion that doesn’t mind you “encroaching” on part of their seat. Also, Southwest may wait to make this determination after boarding, and they reserve the right to force you to deplane for rebooking.
Does Southwest refund the price of the extra seat after travel?
Possibly, but with no guarantee. In order to receive a refund for an extra seat, all of the following criteria must be met:
Your flight must have departed with at least one open seat. If Southwest determines that your flight was fully booked, they will not issue a refund.
Both of your seats must have been purchased in the same fare class. Southwest now has four tiers: Basic, Choice (Standard), Choice Preferred, and Choice Extra (Legroom), each priced differently with different restrictions. Only the more expensive tiers allow you to select seats when booking.
You must request the refund within 90 days of travel.
Who qualifies as a “Customer of Size”?
Southwest requires all customers who “encroach upon the neighboring seat” to purchase extra seat(s) in advance. They consider the armrest to be the definitive boundary between seats and their policy states that, “Southwest may determine, in its sole discretion, that an additional seat is necessary.”
Don’t most airlines have assigned seating?
Yes, most airlines have assigned seating. But, unfortunately, most airlines are less friendly and accessible to Customers of Size than Southwest used to be. Arranging for a second seat on many airlines, now including Southwest, is incredibly inconvenient, and lack of availability of seats that are next to each other can mean that Customers of Size simply can’t book certain flights because all adjoining seats are already booked. Even when customer service wants to be helpful, airline policies and procedures are often unclear. Plus, Alaska Airlines and Southwest are the only two U.S. airlines with any kind of reimbursable option built into their procedures. This means that passengers who need a second seat but cannot afford to purchase a second seat in advance no longer have any option to fly within the United States.
Southwest should have worked with fat and disabled communities to ensure that assigning seats didn’t result in a loss of what worked better on Southwest than it did on other airlines.
Why should fat passengers get a second seat free of charge?
Accessibility should not come with an upcharge. Plane fare should be for transport to your destination. Every traveler of every size and ability deserves access and reasonable accommodation in air travel. And while many people are uncomfortable on planes, lack of appropriate seating for fat people and for disabled people is not just uncomfortable–it’s unsafe and it’s unfair.
Won’t assigned seating make it easier for bigger people?
Assigned seating has some advantages. One of the challenges of open seating is that those who reserve a Customer of Size seat have to constantly explain to others boarding the plane why their seat is not available. This is especially difficult when flight attendants begin announcing that “every” open seat must be used on a full flight. Customer of Size seats are not open seats; they are reserved for an accommodation need. Flyers may feel relieved that assigned seating will remove this challenge.
NAAFA does not oppose assigned seating itself, but we’re concerned about the ways in which assigned seating has made it difficult to book two seats. We are also concerned that, even with pre-boarding, if assigned adjacent seats cannot be guaranteed in an accessible part of the plane, more larger-bodied or disabled passengers will be forced to deal with the difficulty of being seated in the middle or back of the aircraft - or they won’t be able to fly at all if they cannot navigate the narrow aisle. For able-bodied or slimmer passengers, location may be a matter of comfort or convenience, but for fat people and disabled people, it can make a difference in whether or not moving through the plane is even possible.
Why don’t bigger people just buy a business class or first class ticket?
On airlines with these options available, seats in those areas are cost-prohibitive for many people. In addition, many business class or first class seats have immovable armrests, which can make it difficult or impossible for some larger or disabled passengers to get in and out of the seat or the row. Arranging for two economy seats is the most accessible option for many fat people. Plus, planes that have first and business class in the front of the plane can be challenging for some fat passengers and some disabled passengers because that means they have to move through more of the cabin in order to get to seats that work for them.
I signed the petition! What else can I do?
Want to see more protection against discrimination for fat people? Click here to learn more about the Campaign and to sign the Size Freedom petition encouraging state and local governments to outlaw size discrimination.
FAQs updated 1/29/2026