Tell Southwest to keep the skies friendly for fat and disabled Travelers!

FAQ

(TL;DR edition)

Southwest announced in July 2024 that they are eliminating open seating and making plans to reconfigure aircraft. We are concerned about the unintended consequences of these changes on fat people and disabled people.

Is Southwest changing their Customer of Size Policy? 

As of May 2025, Southwest has already made some changes to their Customer of Size Policy without publicly announcing those changes. Southwest no longer guarantees a free second seat for Customers of Size who request a seat at the airport. Until the spring of 2025, customers could arrive at the airport and request a second seat there, and those customers would be accomodated. Today, customers who request a second seat at the airport will only be given a 2nd seat on flights that are not full; if the flight is full, you will be asked to wait until the next flight with two seats available.

If you have pre-purchased your 2nd seat, you can still request reimbursement at the end of your travel…at least you can today. We don’t know what else they will change, but we are concerned that there will be further changes. 

Don’t most airlines have assigned seating? Why can’t Southwest just do what they do?

Yes, other airlines assign seats. And other airlines can be less accessible for fat and/or disabled passengers. We want to make sure that changes at Southwest do not result in a loss of what works better on Southwest than it does on other airlines.

Why should fat passengers get a second seat free of charge?

Accessibility should not come with an upcharge. 

Won’t assigned seating make it easier for bigger people? 

Knowing your seat ahead of time can relieve anxiety. An assigned second seat means not having to explain to strangers why there’s an open seat next to you. But if changes make it harder to even get a second seat, Customers of Size may have even more difficulty getting the flights they need and space that accommodates them.

NAAFA does not oppose assigned seating, but assigned seating has made it difficult on other airlines to book two seats. We also worry that changes to planes and policies could make it more difficult to get seats near the front of the plane, which is essential to some fat or disabled passengers who find it difficult or impossible to get to the middle or back of the aircraft.

Why don’t bigger people just buy a business class or first class ticket?

Southwest doesn’t have either of those options. But even on airlines that do, arranging for two economy seats is the most accessible option for many fat people, both because of cost and because not all higher costs seats provide enough additional space.

That was still too long, so I didn’t read it. What should I know?

Every traveler of every size and ability deserves access and reasonable accommodation in air travel. Southwest has made travel more possible for many people. Businesses should be increasing accessibility for all people in all bodies, not rolling back inclusion policies.