{"id":163534,"date":"2025-04-21T19:00:10","date_gmt":"2025-04-21T19:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/21\/southwest-airlines-set-to-debut-extra-legroom-seats-on-may-1-the-points-guy\/"},"modified":"2025-04-21T19:00:10","modified_gmt":"2025-04-21T19:00:10","slug":"southwest-airlines-set-to-debut-extra-legroom-seats-on-may-1-the-points-guy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/21\/southwest-airlines-set-to-debut-extra-legroom-seats-on-may-1-the-points-guy\/","title":{"rendered":"Southwest Airlines set to debut extra-legroom seats on May 1 &#8211; The Points Guy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The first Southwest Airlines planes with extra-legroom seats are set to make their debut in service next month. And \u2014 for now \u2014 they&#8217;ll be free of charge for those few customers lucky enough to snag one.<\/p>\n<p>Southwest expects to deploy its first newly retrofitted aircraft sporting the more spacious rows May 1, the Dallas-based carrier <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swamedia.com\/southwest-stories\/southwest-technical-operations-employees-to-begin-retrofit-process-on-boeing-737-MCQ5TBXXY4PNFXRKO22D5XP3USME\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">announced<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s a key milestone in the airline&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/news\/southwest-assigned-seating\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">shift to assigned and extra-legroom seating,<\/a> a bold move announced last year that, executives said, was driven by exhaustive customer research.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"jsx-1853040249 tpg-figure\">\n<div style=\"padding-top:0\" class=\"jsx-36530878 full-width-auto-height-image\"><span style=\"box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:relative\"><span style=\"box-sizing:border-box;display:block;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;padding-top:66.6875%\"\/><noscript><img alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"responsive\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%\" sizes=\"100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/09\/20240927_Southwest-New-Seats-Boarding_SCudahy-33.jpg?width=640 640w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/09\/20240927_Southwest-New-Seats-Boarding_SCudahy-33.jpg?width=750 750w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/09\/20240927_Southwest-New-Seats-Boarding_SCudahy-33.jpg?width=828 828w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/09\/20240927_Southwest-New-Seats-Boarding_SCudahy-33.jpg?width=1080 1080w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/09\/20240927_Southwest-New-Seats-Boarding_SCudahy-33.jpg?width=1200 1200w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/09\/20240927_Southwest-New-Seats-Boarding_SCudahy-33.jpg?width=1920 1920w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/09\/20240927_Southwest-New-Seats-Boarding_SCudahy-33.jpg?width=2048 2048w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/09\/20240927_Southwest-New-Seats-Boarding_SCudahy-33.jpg?width=3840 3840w\" src=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/09\/20240927_Southwest-New-Seats-Boarding_SCudahy-33.jpg?width=3840\"\/><\/noscript><\/span><\/div><figcaption class=\"jsx-1853040249 figcaption\">SEAN CUDAHY\/THE POINTS GUY<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"jsx-2362441780\">Southwest&#8217;s new extra-legroom layout<\/h2>\n<p>As seen in a seat map revealed in recent days, Southwest customers will find extra-legroom seats in the first five rows of its newly updated Boeing 737-800 and 737 MAX 8 jets \u2014 due to be retrofitted first, keeping with plans the airline <a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/news\/southwest-airlines-assigned-seats-investor-day\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">laid out last year<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Three additional rows surrounding the exit doors in the middle of the aircraft will be configured with the extra space, too.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"jsx-1853040249 tpg-figure\">\n<div style=\"padding-top:0\" class=\"jsx-36530878 full-width-auto-height-image\"><span style=\"box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:relative\"><span style=\"box-sizing:border-box;display:block;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;padding-top:58.62500000000001%\"\/><img alt=\"\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"responsive\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%\"\/><noscript><img alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"responsive\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%\" sizes=\"100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2025\/04\/southwest-new-seat-map.png?width=640 640w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2025\/04\/southwest-new-seat-map.png?width=750 750w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2025\/04\/southwest-new-seat-map.png?width=828 828w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2025\/04\/southwest-new-seat-map.png?width=1080 1080w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2025\/04\/southwest-new-seat-map.png?width=1200 1200w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2025\/04\/southwest-new-seat-map.png?width=1920 1920w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2025\/04\/southwest-new-seat-map.png?width=2048 2048w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2025\/04\/southwest-new-seat-map.png?width=3840 3840w\" src=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2025\/04\/southwest-new-seat-map.png?width=3840\"\/><\/noscript><\/span><\/div><figcaption class=\"jsx-1853040249 figcaption\">SOUTHWEST AIRLINES<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In all, Southwest hopes to wrap up all of its cabin reconfigurations between April 30 and the end of this year, in order to meet its goal of launching the sale of assigned and extra-legroom seats during the early part of 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Technically, the airline doesn&#8217;t plan to start selling tickets under its assigned seating model until the third quarter of 2025, which runs from July through September, for flights departing early next year.<\/p>\n<p>But, as TPG first reported last fall, Southwest customers won&#8217;t have to wait until then to start seeing the more spacious rows on certain Southwest flights. Rather, they&#8217;ll start appearing on planes months before the airline&#8217;s open-seating setup ends \u2014 and that will begin May 1.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"jsx-2362441780\">A &#8216;soft launch&#8217; of extra-legroom seats<\/h2>\n<p>Over the coming months, crews at the airline&#8217;s maintenance bases in Denver, Phoenix, Houston and Atlanta will quietly return Southwest&#8217;s planes to service after installing the more spacious rows.<\/p>\n<div class=\"EmailSignUp_container__qYzYT tw-border tw-border-gray-2\"><picture class=\"EmailSignUp_graphic__zgpFm tw-opacity-0\"><source media=\"screen and (max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"\/images\/EmailSignUp\/daily-mob.svg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/images\/EmailSignUp\/daily-dt.svg\"\/><\/picture>\n<div class=\"EmailSignUp_form__C8FWb\">\n<p>Daily Newsletter<\/p>\n<p>Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter<\/p>\n<p>Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG\u2019s experts<\/p>\n<form class=\"jsx-1071010234 newsletter-form\">\n<div class=\"jsx-1071010234 EmailCapture_confirmation__xasB3 EmailCapture_noCheckbox__n4fsN   \">\n<p class=\"tw-text-xs-regular !tw-text-gray-4 hover:!tw-text-gray-4 tw-max-w-lg\">By signing up, you will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our<!-- --> <a class=\"!tw-text-gray-4 hover:!tw-text-gray-4\" href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/terms-of-use\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Terms of Use<\/a> <!-- -->and acknowledge the data practices in our<!-- --> <a class=\"!tw-text-gray-4 hover:!tw-text-gray-4\" href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/privacy-policy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Privacy Policy<\/a>. You may unsubscribe at any time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/form>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"jsx-1853040249 tpg-figure\">\n<div style=\"padding-top:0\" class=\"jsx-36530878 full-width-auto-height-image\"><span style=\"box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:relative\"><span style=\"box-sizing:border-box;display:block;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;padding-top:66.6875%\"\/><img alt=\"\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"responsive\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%\"\/><noscript><img alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"responsive\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%\" sizes=\"100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/09\/20240927_Southwest-New-Seats-Boarding_SCudahy-30.jpg?width=640 640w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/09\/20240927_Southwest-New-Seats-Boarding_SCudahy-30.jpg?width=750 750w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/09\/20240927_Southwest-New-Seats-Boarding_SCudahy-30.jpg?width=828 828w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/09\/20240927_Southwest-New-Seats-Boarding_SCudahy-30.jpg?width=1080 1080w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/09\/20240927_Southwest-New-Seats-Boarding_SCudahy-30.jpg?width=1200 1200w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/09\/20240927_Southwest-New-Seats-Boarding_SCudahy-30.jpg?width=1920 1920w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/09\/20240927_Southwest-New-Seats-Boarding_SCudahy-30.jpg?width=2048 2048w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/09\/20240927_Southwest-New-Seats-Boarding_SCudahy-30.jpg?width=3840 3840w\" src=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/09\/20240927_Southwest-New-Seats-Boarding_SCudahy-30.jpg?width=3840\"\/><\/noscript><\/span><\/div><figcaption class=\"jsx-1853040249 figcaption\">SEAN CUDAHY\/THE POINTS GUY<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Exacty how will customers know if their plane has the extra-legroom rows?<\/p>\n<p>They probably won&#8217;t, executives told TPG earlier this year. Think of it as a &#8220;soft launch,&#8221; of sorts.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I think it&#8217;ll be a nice surprise when customers walk on,&#8221; now-departed Executive Vice President Ryan Green told me in January.<\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8216;The Day Southwest Died&#8217;: <a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/news\/is-this-still-the-same-southwest-airlines\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"> Reactions pour in about the carrier&#8217;s big changes<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>How to get an extra-legroom seat on Southwest<\/h3>\n<p>Until the airline officially makes the shift to open seating, customers with A-group boarding will certainly have the best shot at scoring an extra-legroom seat on flights offering the new layout.<\/p>\n<p>Customers who have A-List elite status, or who purchase its EarlyBird or Upgraded Boarding products, will also have a better chance at scoring one of those seats.<\/p>\n<p>But with hundreds of jets due to get refitted between now and the end of the year, your chances of being on a plane with the new layout will steadily increase over the coming months.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;An increasing percentage as you go throughout the year,&#8221; Southwest Chief Operating Officer Andrew Watterson told me in January. &#8220;That&#8217;ll be part of the experience. You just can&#8217;t count on it [until next year] so we don&#8217;t want to sell it until you can count on it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"jsx-1853040249 tpg-figure\">\n<div style=\"padding-top:0\" class=\"jsx-36530878 full-width-auto-height-image\"><span style=\"box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:relative\"><span style=\"box-sizing:border-box;display:block;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;padding-top:66.6875%\"\/><img alt=\"\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"responsive\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%\"\/><noscript><img alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"responsive\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%\" sizes=\"100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/09\/20240927_Southwest-New-Seats-Boarding_SCudahy-13.jpg?width=640 640w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/09\/20240927_Southwest-New-Seats-Boarding_SCudahy-13.jpg?width=750 750w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/09\/20240927_Southwest-New-Seats-Boarding_SCudahy-13.jpg?width=828 828w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/09\/20240927_Southwest-New-Seats-Boarding_SCudahy-13.jpg?width=1080 1080w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/09\/20240927_Southwest-New-Seats-Boarding_SCudahy-13.jpg?width=1200 1200w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/09\/20240927_Southwest-New-Seats-Boarding_SCudahy-13.jpg?width=1920 1920w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/09\/20240927_Southwest-New-Seats-Boarding_SCudahy-13.jpg?width=2048 2048w, https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/09\/20240927_Southwest-New-Seats-Boarding_SCudahy-13.jpg?width=3840 3840w\" src=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2024\/09\/20240927_Southwest-New-Seats-Boarding_SCudahy-13.jpg?width=3840\"\/><\/noscript><\/span><\/div><figcaption class=\"jsx-1853040249 figcaption\">SEAN CUDAHY\/THE POINTS GUY<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a id=\"other-changes-planned\" class=\"jsx-2362441780 anchor\"\/><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"jsx-2362441780\">Other changes planned<\/h2>\n<p>As part of the retrofit, maintenance teams will also install in-seat power outlets and larger overhead bins on aircraft that don&#8217;t already sport those cabin features.<\/p>\n<p>Standard seats in Southwest&#8217;s 737-800 and MAX 8 cabins will lose legroom to make way for the extra-legroom seats. The seat pitch on those planes (the measurement from a fixed point on one seat to the same point on the seat in front) will drop from 32 inches to 31.<\/p>\n<p>After the peak summer travel season ends, the carrier will proceed with retrofits to its smaller 737-700 aircraft. Standard seats on those planes will not lose legroom.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"bottom-line\" class=\"jsx-2362441780 anchor\"\/><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"jsx-2362441780\">Bottom line<\/h2>\n<p>Southwest&#8217;s shift away from open seating is set to bring other changes to the airline, too, <a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/news\/southwest-airlines-a-list-perks-assigned-seating\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">including tweaks to the benefits offered<\/a> to A-List elite status members and cobranded Rapid Rewards credit card holders.<\/p>\n<p>Plus, the airline is preparing to pivot on its <a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/news\/southwest-airlines-changes-boarding-process\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">longstanding, unique boarding process<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The month of May will also bring the <a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/news\/southwest-airlines-ends-free-bags\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">start of checked baggage fees<\/a> at an airline long known for its generous &#8220;bags fly free&#8221; policy.<\/p>\n<p><b>Related reading:<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/news\/southwest-airlines-extra-legroom-seats\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The first Southwest Airlines planes with extra-legroom seats are set to make their debut in service next month. And \u2014 for now \u2014 they&#8217;ll be free of charge for those few customers lucky enough to snag one. Southwest expects to deploy its first newly retrofitted aircraft sporting the more spacious rows May 1, the Dallas-based [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":163535,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-163534","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-travel"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163534","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=163534"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163534\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/163535"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=163534"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=163534"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=163534"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}