Chicago-midway To Orlando – Southwest Airlines Now Begins Selling Assigned Seats Starting January 2026

The caller argumentation marks a important displacement for Southwest, which has agelong employed an open-seating boarding process. Passengers successful group 1 tin still bask nan airline’s unrivalled elastic and customer-friendly service; nevertheless this caller work provides a level of certainty and simplicity to make things easier and provides moreover greater spot prime erstwhile booking. The move is portion of Southwest’s broader moves to align itself pinch customer desires for much power complete their recreation experience.

A New Way to Choose Your Seat

Beginning Jan. 27, 2026, passengers who acquisition Southwest’s caller summons bundles will beryllium capable to reserve their spot successful advance, pinch nan expertise to prime Extra Legroom seating. This caller characteristic offers travelers accrued choice, eliminating nan enigma of wherever a rider will beryllium seated connected nan level and elevating nan full formation experience.

While location are galore airlines that person had assigned seating for years, nan manufacture outlier for years was Southwest Airlines. Passengers could committee and prime immoderate disposable spot erstwhile connected nan plane. This move is bringing a level of consistency to Southwest that is little and little chaotic and crazy for its customers, though it still remains comparatively chaotic and crazy pinch nan hose eliminating immoderate type of boarding position types and different variables compared to galore of its competitors. The caller attack will relieve nan accent of uncovering a spot during nan boarding process and supply travelers a chance to take seating preferences successful beforehand alternatively than connected nan time of travel.

No Change successful Ticket Pricing

However, contempt nan preamble of assigned seating, Southwest Airlines insist nan move isn’t successful spot to thrust up nan value of flights. For instance, a formation from Chicago-Midway to Orlando connected Jan. 13, 2026, starts astatine $199 one-way, arsenic it will connected Jan. 27, erstwhile nan argumentation will beryllium put into nan accustomed seating will proceed for customers who salary nan further interest to beryllium successful 1 of nan earlier boarding groups.

The caller seating duty will beryllium a triumph for each passenger, isolated from for those who require nan ultimatum of not being assigned a spot earlier boarding. With nan expertise to pre-select seats, travelers will cognize wherever they’re going to sit, which eliminates travel-related stress.

Changes to Southwest’s Boarding Process

The take of assigned seating is simply a alteration to nan boarding process for Southwest Airlines. Under nan existent system, passengers are assigned a number arsenic a boarding spot erstwhile they cheque successful (factors that find boarding bid see a passenger’s predominant flyer position and nan clip he aliases she checks in, arsenic good arsenic whether nan rider pays for “preferred boarding”). This will beryllium altered arsenic soon arsenic assigned seating is added. Southwest flights will now committee by group, for illustration astir accepted airlines, creating a much predictable and orderly process for each passengers.

Our boarding process has been changed truthful that you will person a much orderly, businesslike acquisition boarding nan craft pinch less over-all calls. The alteration to group boarding besides brings Southwest successful statement pinch boarding procedures astatine different apical U.S. carriers perchance easier for fliers if they pogo among carriers and don’t person to retrieve a different boarding norm for each.

Southwest’s Evolution successful nan Airline Industry

Southwest Airlines’ take of reserved seating is simply a awesome departure from nan open-seating argumentation nan bearer has had successful spot for decades. Yet nan hose has been pursuing rider trends and demands and this is portion of a larger scheme to support up pinch an ever-evolving hose industry.

Impact connected Travelers

The alteration to nonstop delegate seating is expected to thief travellers scheme up and guarantee they person their desired spot successful advance, particularly if you’re travelling pinch family aliases successful a group. The inclusion of Extra Legroom seats wrong caller summons bundles will besides beryllium appreciated by those who for illustration to agelong retired whilst travelling.

Families pinch mini children and those pinch typical seating needs tin book successful beforehand and not consequence not being seated together, arsenic is often nan lawsuit pinch unfastened seating connected flights. Business travelers, who admit bid and a streamlined walking acquisition will besides admit nan caller assigned seating policy.

Conclusion

Southwest Announces Plans to Begin Selling Assigned Seating Well, folks, times are a-changin’ astatine Southwest Airlines starting January 27, 2026. By providing this caller flexibility, customer tin person much assurance successful choosing to alert pinch nan airline. With this swtich up, Southwest Airlines is erstwhile again morphing to fresh your changing needs arsenic a passenger, offering you a much accordant and little unpredictable experience, while still giving you nan elasticity and options to support those prices arsenic debased arsenic possible, which is what made Southwest Airlines nan prime for truthful galore of you.

As nan hose manufacture changes complete time, Southwest Airlines… Southwest Airlines is responding to rider expectations successful nan marketplace for flights pinch nan motorboat of an assigned spot critics person said was agelong overdue. The summation of this elite statement up of recreation options serves arsenic unsocial instrumentality for those who want much power complete their Southwest experience.

(Source: Southwest Airlines)