Southwest has installed extra-legroom seats on 25%...

Certain, Southwest Airways is not planning to “onerous launch” extra-legroom seats till January 2026. However the smooth launch is properly underway.

A couple of quarter of Southwest’s airplanes have now been configured with the brand new extra-space rows, executives shared Thursday.

Which means, should you’re flying with the provider, you’ve roughly a one in 4 likelihood of being on a jet that has the brand new rows with extra legroom. And, as a result of open seating hasn’t ended but, you do not (technically) must pay additional to attain a type of seats.

Why extra-legroom seats can be found early

Southwest will officially start selling extra-legroom seats on July 29, when assigned seating goes stay in its reserving channels. That’ll apply for flights taking off about six months from now, beginning Jan. 27, 2026.

To organize, although, the Dallas-based provider started retrofitting its fleet of round 800 Boeing 737s in early Might, establishing cabins with the brand new, extra premium rows.

Clearly, Southwest cannot simply hold its planes out of service till January. So, as soon as crews end reconfiguring a cabin, the plane returns to service.

As of Thursday, roughly 200 of these planes had been flying with the brand new extra-legroom rows, chief working officer Andrew Watterson mentioned — even because the airline continues with its last six months of open seating.

Scoring a Southwest extra-legroom seat

How have you learnt should you’ll be on a type of newly up to date jets once you e-book a flight?

For now, the brief reply is: You will not.

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Airways (particularly Southwest, with its all-737 fleet) often swap plane slated for a selected flight, so it is onerous for the airline to foretell months upfront what jet it will use on a selected flight from, say, Nashville to Orlando.

Upgraded Boarding turns into extra tempting

Nonetheless, Southwest has began giving passengers a heads up concerning the pseudo-premium seats as soon as it confirms the aircraft they will be on, nearer to departure — partially hoping they will buy its Upgraded Boarding choice, which ensures a passenger a precedence boarding place and an early crack at its (for now) first-come, first-served seats.

“We have already began to monetize these retrofitted plane by notifying clients who shall be on a flight with additional legroom seats, and welcoming them to reap the benefits of our current Upgraded Boarding product,” Watterson advised analysts on Thursday, talking on the corporate’s second-quarter earnings name.

I bought it in February once I wasn’t proud of the boarding place I might secured for the airline’s inaugural red-eye flight from Las Vegas’ Harry Reid Worldwide Airport (LAS) to Baltimore/Washington Worldwide Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), not eager to get caught in a center seat for the cross-country flight.

I did this proper by the cellular app. You might additionally use Southwest’s web site to buy this add-on, or click on on a hyperlink the airline sends you should you get notified that your flight may have the extra-legroom seats.

Upgraded boarding on the outs

Upgraded Boarding is not lengthy for Southwest, although. It’s going to disappear in January when the airline launches assigned seating and shifts to a more traditional eight-group boarding process.

However for now?

It may very well be your ticket to scoring an extra-legroom seat earlier than these rows technically launch because the airline’s first premium product in January.

Bank card perk reminder

It is also value noting: Current clients with the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card (see rates and fees) or the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card (see rates and fees) get 4 Upgraded Boardings per yr as a card perk.

Whereas a card refresh (just announced Thursday) will spell the tip of that perk, these boarding upgrades are nonetheless usable between now and the tip of this yr.