One good news and one big news for air travelers using Southwest Airlines. The company's controversial "pick your own" seat perk will soon be on the chopping block.
The big news? The budget carrier announced a new measure that may require plus-size passengers to fork over extra dough starting 27 January 2026. This means that flyers who "encroach upon the neighboring seat" will be required to purchase an extra seat in advance, CBS News reported.
"To ensure space, we are communicating to Customers who have previously used the extra seat policy that they should purchase it at booking," reps for the the low-cost airline said in a statement.
Those who don’t purchase one ahead of time will be required to buy one at the airport.
This marks a major change from the current policy, in which plus-size passengers can proactively purchase an additional seat with the option of being refunded later, or request a free extra seat at the airport.
Under the new mandate, the second seat is nonrefundable unless the flight isn’t fully booked at the time of departure, and if both of the passenger’s tickets are booked in the same fare class. However, the passenger needs to request their money back within 90 days of the flight.
If the flight is fully-booked, the flyer will be rebooked onto a new flight.
Flying commuters were quick to praise Southwest, which has long been seen as a haven for abusive plus-size passengers who want to annoy their seat mates.
In May, the airline also bagged the decades-old "bags fly free" policy, whereby passengers were allowed two complimentary checked pieces of luggage regardless of their ticket fare.
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