One simple change Southwest Airlines is making next year will end the phenomenon of passengers faking disabilities to board early, end the practice of seat saving, and make it easier to identify unruly passengers on board. That change is assigned seats, instead of the current free for all.
- July 29, 2025: Passengers can begin booking flights with assigned seating.
- January 27, 2026: Flights with assigned seating officially begin.
They’re making other unpopular changes, like devaluing Rapid Rewards points, ending free checked bags, and imposing basic economy restrictions on their cheapest fares. But assigned seats is one change that many passengers like.
- Southwest is adding extra legroom seats onto planes. They want to sell these, not give them away. And that prompted assigned seating
- And once they assigned seats, they don’t need everyone to line up in a specific order for boarding. The only benefit, even, to boarding early is not to have to gate check your bag (which will become more common with new checked bag fees, since everyone will want to carry-on instead).
Assigned seats, though, aren’t just a way to restrict premium seats to customers paying more for them. They are also a way to identify who is sitting in each seat. And that turns out to be useful when running a smooth operation, and dealing with problem passengers.
Fun times on my @SouthwestAir flight. Totally full, one ticketed woman didn’t have a seat so now they have to check everyone’s id to verify they’re supposed to be on the flight. pic.twitter.com/fM8qMj7TN4
— Stephanie L. (@Lady_Stephanie) April 29, 2024
On every other airline, a passenger’s name and seat assignment is on the flight’s manifest for easy identification. Only Southwest Airline’s lacks this information.
- If there are more passengers on the plane than there are supposed to be, you don’t know who is supposed to be there and who isn’t.
- If a passenger in a specific seat is causing problems, you don’t immediately know who it is.
- If a problem passenger doesn’t identify themselves, you need to take everyone off and reboard them to know who’s still on the plane.
After David Dao was dragged off a United Airlines flight and bloodied in 2017, airlines frequently began taking everyone off of the plane rather than taking just one passenger off the plane when someone refused to simply get off when asked to do so. That way they wouldn’t have to have police come on and see matters escalate. United, in particular, became sensitive to having law enforcement on their aircraft for obvious reasons.
However it’s Southwest Airlines that can present the biggest challenge for law enforcement. FBI agents complain that Southwest Airlines is frustrating to deal with in unruly passenger situations on aircraft because passengers can’t easily be identified by their seat assignment.
Of course there are two other huge advantages seat assignments will bring,
- The end of seat saving. No more claiming 13 seats for your group or using a bag of donuts to claim a whole row of seats, and the ensuing conflict that comes from taking more space than your ticket allows.
Woman saving an entire row of plane seats behind her with donut bags.
byu/Hog_Fan inmildlyinfuriating - The end of Jetbridge Jesus flights where dozens of passengers board in wheelchairs, to get on first have their first pick of seats, but walk off just fine at the end of the flight themselves. This won’t just promote fairness, but will stop hogging wheelchairs and staff time pushing those chairs to make them more available for those that really need the assistance.
A friend shares a not-uncommon sight from Puerto Rico:
55 "handicapped" during pre-boarding, including 25 wheel chairs
On his return flight, 15 used wheelchairs to board, only 1 to deboard pic.twitter.com/gHgIsnzsq7
— Bachman (@ElonBachman) February 19, 2023
Another flight on @SouthwestAir, and I’m happy to report being witness to more miracles. These poor souls came seeking a flight, and instead were healed. 🙌🏻🙌🏻
Always grateful for witnessing the miraculous healing power of flight. pic.twitter.com/7TCYn2T6BB
— Dave Ruminates (@dave_ruminates) April 5, 2023
With one simple change – assigned seating – you’ll solve many of the problems that turn boarding a Southwest Airlines flight into an exercise in game theory. Not every change the airline is making is bad.
There was one huge benefit of open seating. If you often travel last-minute, on popular routes like EWR to SFO, all desirable seats are already occupied in Economy. So either you spring for First (which on these routes is extremely expensive, like $3,000 one-way expensive) or you slum it in the back row middle seat.
Or fly Southwest and board early enough to take the seat you want.
The wheelchair boarding/fake preboarding eligibility thing is ragebait. It happens in too infrequent quantities for me to care about.
I never preboard or pay for Early Bird. I have always sat in an aisle seat on Southwest flights.
Assigned seating has it’s value to boarding and passengers – BUT charging for seats is nothing but a money grab. If Southworst wanted to ingratiate themselves to ticket buyers, they would let ticket buyers pick their seats at no additional charge.
@David R. Miller — a money grab – you’re aware Southwest is a for-profit enterprise, correct? Breach of fiduciary duty to their shareholders NOT to grab that money.
I have sat on WN flights where the seat count did not match the expected passenger count; it is often because so many of their flights are multi-segment flights and people create their own unticketed routings. Taking 30 or more minutes to get it straightened out needs to go the way of the dinosaurs.
and I still don’t get why people rage against WN’s changes when they are simply doing what other airlines have done for years.
If WN got a premium for its freebies, they would keep them. but they don’t pay for any more than AA’s more room throughout coach.
It’s been a good day at VFTW – Gary is 6 for 6 today with posting legitimate content without clickbait
Also, just saying, when @E. Jack Youlater calls something ‘ragebait,’ that’s when you know a concept has ‘jumped the shark.’ Also, Taiwan is a free, independent country.
We will miss the elite wheelchair VIP boarders said no one ever!
That said SW corporate folks are Greedy IDIOTS!
They cannibalized the airline with one big swoop rather than do it sensibly and gradually implementing the changes.
When you look at adding a seat assignment for $$ and baggage fees Alaska American United even crappy Delta with their antique repainted planes start to look like Gods.
WTF flies Southwest because they want too?
You can buy frequently first class on other airlines for the same or less with new their overcharging rip off scheme in SW coach.
Holy Crap I thought I would never live to say these words unless lightening struck me first but I would actually try flying Spirit now ahead of Southwest with the big front seat
Message to Southwest a salute,farewell and buh bye! Thanks for the memories
Hope you survive in the end over having a hostile takeover
Just another one that will likely bite the dust and its a long list that perished even less foolish.
Assigned seating solves many problems. Thank God no more fake Jesus “miracles”. And also great that after checking in exactly 24 hours in advance and still getting a late B boarding pass I don’t have to watch a dozen families of 4 or 5 with a 12 year old kid and C boarding passes cut the groups and be allowed board between A and B groups.
What of people with legitimate wheelchair need? Will there still be early boarding with SW?
I fell down my stairs and sprained my ankle on the way to the airport for a business trip. I could limp to baggage, but by the time I sat at the gate and swelling took over, it was clear that it wasn’t just a minor strain. It was too late to cancel the trip, so I had to ask for a wheelchair to get on to the plane and to the baggage claim at my destination. I was so self-conscious about it that I took my boot off and deliberately propped my now purple and badly swollen ankle so everyone could see it. The wheelchair was the only way I could make the trip, but so many people abuse it that it is excruciatingly embarrassing. I’m glad that people are going to have to find a new scam to get special treatment.
So stupid. No law enforcement agency is going to rely on a passenger manifest to identify a miscreant based on where they are seated. “Oh Jim Smith is supposed to be in seat 3B, and this guy is in 3B. OK, this guy must be Jim Smith.” Especially when most issues involving law enforcement have multiple people out of their seats, and often times the dispute is about the wrong person in the wrong seat.
Sure, it may be a starting point, but every passenger has ID to get through TSA, remember? As if they won’t use that to ID them. What a stupid claim about the FBI, totally made up.
When I flown there were a bunch of people going for the wheelchair boarding until they found out that also entailed the carryon getting checked. Suddenly 15 people walked onboard.
Southwest *might* be able to survive without membership in a global alliance, but with a probability bordering on certainty, it is not going to survive in the long run without a bona fide domestic first class product given these changes. There’s just too little incentive to fly the airline anymore.
I see people park in the handicap spot at the gym. Yes they have the tag but come on.
The jetway Jesus is airline wide at least in the US. I often see 12 wheelchairs go down to the a/c on an arriving flight and 7-8 come back empty. Airlines need to start to require either a doctor’s note or charge for the service if none given. It’s sad that’s where society has come so that truly deserving paxs have to put up evidence but in our “thugs and lowlifes are victims” world that’s where we are.
@Mike Hunt — But, but… you see… starting late October 2025, you see, if we spend +$75,000/year on our Chase Sapphire Reserves, we get $500 in Southwest credit when booked via Chase Travel… oh, happy day, sure makes me want to spend on that card, especially now with most travel only earning 1x UR points… that, for sure, will ‘save’ SWA… definitely not being sarcastic… at all…
@George Romey — Ah, good ‘ole ‘thugs and lowlifes’… you forgot to include ‘low-IQ’… I know it’s one of your (and some of others’) favs. In all seriousness, I’m with you on the abuse of that assistance. It’s sad, and in-bad-taste; like, don’t mess around in wheelchairs, or you’ll legitimately need one soon enough. Karma.
Last Month I was flying SFOCDG and I walk with a cane – There was a younger child and he was on the spectrum – his family was waiting in the queue for pre-boarding. I do not know what was said by the GA – but they got out of the queue and stood over by boarding group 2. When it came time to Pre-Board, the GA asked them to step back inline for pre-boarding. WHY were they moved?? I should also state, I am hearing impaired – I have no idea what they were saying or why they moved. – I moved to let them get back into the queue as well as another couple next to me – quizzically wondering WTF? As I follow the younger child and his family a very spry older guy – I’m guess a GS customer bounded his way past me and knocked my cane out of my hand – NO apologies! He stopped tho… I boarded before him and when I got around the corner into 9L he was tapping his foot like Elle Woods!
I worked the gates for a major airline for over 30 years – you’d be surprised at the # of people who think – THIS IS MY TIME! I’m getting on this plane 1st!. Assigning a seat does not keep people from charging the gate to be first on.
I have only had one GA in HNL that made announcements loud enough for me to hear and when he called for GS – he also said – there are only 3 of you! Every GA has the ability at UA to look up the # of Disabled, Military, and families with a child under 2 – AND they can count the GS on one screen – unless it’s a Hub2Hub. I would let it go for them to know the # of 1K, but it is an easy keystroke away.
I am wheelchair bound. What advantages do I get now. Do I have to pay for a front row seat. I love southwest, but I can’t walk far
@Anna — I’m not sure this is the place for honest advice in that, but hopefully all airlines still honor and support those with actual needs for assistance, such as yourself.
Mike,
I think what we have seen so far is just the first phase of WN’s revised product offering. Whether they do their own lounges or partner with a credit card company lounge (guess who?) they will have no choice but to go for a domestic first class cabin
I also think they will fly longhaul widebody aircraft and will make a decision regarding a second narrowbody soon.
If you don’t recognize the rampant abuse of the so-called wheelchair disabled, then you must be blind and disabled. LOL, You too must have assigned seating because you are one of few who fake being blind …. some will think of everything to abuse a system.