Southwest Airlines’ first plane with extra legroom seats was planned to begin serving customers Thursday, marking an initial step as the low-fare airline prepares for a slew of changes to its fleet and customer experience.
Over the rest of the year, all aircraft in Southwest’s fleet will be retrofitted to accommodate the new seats with up to 5 inches of expanded legroom, the company said in a statement.
Southwest’s fleet of Boeing 737-800 and Max 8 aircraft will be the first to see the upgrades, with changes to Boeing 737-700 aircraft starting after summer.
Other cabin upgrades, including installation of in-seat power and larger overhead storage bins, will take place alongside the retrofitting.
Southwest is also revamping its ticketing options.
Southwest’s lowest-priced tickets, now known as Basic fares, go into effect May 28. Basic ticket holders will get assigned standard seats in the back of the plane, be last to board and must pay for checked bags.
Other new options, Choice Extra, Choice Preferred and Choice, will be bookable starting in the third quarter of this year for 2026 flights.
Choice Extra bookings, previously Business Select, will get two free checked bags, access to early boarding and can select seats with extra legroom.
Those who make Choice Preferred bookings, formerly Anytime fares, can choose seats with standard legroom near the front of the cabin and have access to early general boarding. Fees apply for checked bags.
Both options are refundable.
Choice fares, previously Wanna Get Away Plus tickets, allow passengers to choose standard seats toward the back of the cabin and general boarding. Checked bag fees apply, and if ticket holders have to cancel their flight, they will be eligible for a flight credit valid for 12 months.
Updating the Southwest fleet and ticketing options precedes the sale of assigned and premium seats beginning later this year, with seat assignments starting in 2026.
For flights booked or ticketed on or after, May 28, checked baggage fees will apply to Southwest’s Basic, Wanna Get Away Plus and Anytime fares, meaning the first two checked bags passengers bring will not be free.