Southwest Airlines’ open seating is ending: Here’s what the new 8-group boarding process will look like

Around this time last year, Southwest Airlines announced that it would scrap its signature open-seating model in favor of a more traditional assigned seating system, chipping away at its identity as a “quirky” airline in order to better compete with rivals like Delta Air Lines and American Airlines.

A year later, Southwest is finally gearing up to sell its first assigned-seat tickets.

Over the past few months, Southwest has been slowly shedding the features that once made its brand stand out. The airline built its name around its uniquely standardized open-seating boarding system—which meant that every customer flew in the same kind of seat, without any divisions by price tier.

Last July, though, the airline announced that it would implement new premium features (like seats with expanded legroom) and assigned seating.

This March, Southwest killed its “bags fly free” policy, which offered every flier two free checked bags. And, in April, the airline overhauled its fare bundles to include more expensive fares with better amenities.

Southwest expects these new policies, among others, to add $800 million to earnings before interest and taxes this year, and add $1.7 billion in 2026. 

Starting on July 29, Southwest will sell assigned-seat tickets, and planes with the updated seating will take to the skies on January 27 of next year. The airline recently shared more details about how its boarding process is set to change.

Less time pressure, but a more segmented cabin

Southwest’s current open-seating boarding process is simple: Passengers line up behind stanchions based on their boarding group (labeled by letters A to C) and then pick an available seat once they’re on board the plane. In an investor’s call last July, Southwest’s executive vice president Ryan Green noted that this process is “relatively calm” but can create time pressure once customers are inside the cabin.

Some of that pressure will be alleviated under this new system, with the trade-off being that the cabin will now be segmented into standard and premium seating sections. In an interview with CNBC, Southwest executives shared that the new boarding system was designed using computer models and live testing in order to ensure that the assigned seating wouldn’t slow the process down.

“We wanted to make sure that, as we designed a boarding construct that paired well with assigned seating, we were optimizing for efficiency. But also for the second priority: making sure that we’re taking care of our most loyal customers,” Stephanie Shafer Modi, managing director of fares and ancillary products at Southwest, told CNBC. “[That includes] tier members, cardholders, and customers who buy our most premium products.”

An eight-group boarding system

The updated boarding system reflects Southwest’s increasing focus on high-paying passengers. Under the new parameters, customers will be prompted to choose a fare bundle when they first purchase a ticket, and they’ll receive a letter and a seat number when they check in online—similar to the current system. 

However, once they arrive at the airport, passengers will be separated into two lines and eight different boarding groups:

• The first two groups to board will include the top tiers of elite frequent fliers, and those with the top classes of tickets (Choice Extra and Choice Plus).
• Groups 3 through 8 will be for Choice and Basic ticket holders, depending on their seat location. Credit card holders and Rapid Rewards credit card members will board no later than Group 5. 

Despite the changes, Green said last July, “We expect our future boarding process to feel very familiar and uniquely Southwest.”