Southwest Airlines Changes Its Skin: Assigned Seats and Paid Baggage, What Changes in 2026

History and positioning

Unlike the big hub-based legacy carriers, Southwest has always favored direct point-to-point links, often from secondary airports such as Dallas Love Field, Chicago Midway and Baltimore-Washington rather than from its competitors' major main airports. The "Even Better" transformation plan, presented by management after pressure from activist investor Elliott Management, is redesigning the brand's historic pillars, in one of the deepest strategic overhauls ever carried out by an American carrier of this size in peacetime.

The change also carries symbolic weight: for an airline that had built decades of advertising around "bags fly free" and open seating, abandoning both pillars amounts to an almost complete redefinition of the identity perceived by the public.

The fleet

The fleet is made up entirely of Boeing 737s, among the 737-700, 737-800 and the more recent 737 MAX 8: one of the largest single-type fleets in the world, a choice that has historically contained training and maintenance costs compared with carriers with heterogeneous fleets.

Routes and network

The point-to-point network remains dense across the United States, with an international presence limited mainly to Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America, in contrast to the hub-and-spoke model of the larger competitors. This structure allows direct links between mid-sized cities that other carriers would serve only with a connection.

Fares and baggage

The most visible change concerns baggage: from May 28, 2025, on tickets purchased from that date, the first checked bag costs 35 dollars and the second 45, ending the era of the "bags fly free" slogan that had defined the brand for decades. Business Select passengers, A-List Preferred and A-List members, and holders of the airline's co-branded credit card remain exempt. At the same time came the first truly basic fare in Southwest's history, a fare segment that simply did not exist before in its lineup.

On board

The open-seating boarding system, another historic hallmark, is also on its way out: the sale of assigned seats began in the second half of 2025, with the first flights under the new model operating from the early months of 2026. About a third of the seats are offered for a fee with extra legroom, a choice that aligns Southwest with competitors that had offered that product tier for years.

What passengers say

• Point-to-point network still competitive on short- and medium-haul domestic routes.
• Crew and informal onboard culture historically appreciated by regular passengers.
• The historic absence of hidden costs perceived as a value, now partly eroded by the new baggage fees.

The most critical reactions to the change

• Loyal customers disappointed by the abandonment of open seating and free bags, considered part of the very identity of the brand.
• Widespread confusion during the 2026 transition phase, with different rules depending on fare and loyalty level.
• No premium cabin despite the introduction of paid seats with more legroom.

Southwest remains a sensible choice for those looking for direct point-to-point links at competitive fares across the United States, even though it is now less distinctive on baggage than in the past. It is less suitable for those who chose the airline precisely for the free bags and open seating, because neither benefit applies by default anymore. Before flying in 2026, it is worth checking your fare and loyalty level carefully, because the baggage exemptions depend on both and are no longer the same for everyone as they once were.