Southwest Airlines has spent the last few months getting rid of all the things that used to make it unique.
For about a decade, I flew Southwest because it offered reasonable prices, no checked bag fees, and no assigned seats. Because I flew once or twice a month, I had A-List status in the airline’s Rapid Rewards loyalty program, so I was guaranteed to board the top third of customers using the airline’s old system.
Under this system, the airline used boarding groups A, B, and C with assigned numbers from 1 to 60. You could pay to get an A seat 1-15, and the airline charged for people to be checked in early. In addition, high-level loyalty members were guaranteed to board between A and B, even if they had a lower ticket position.
The problem is that the airline also offered pre-boarding, where people who need assistance can board before any of the assigned groups. In large part, this meant allowing people in wheelchairs to board early.
This created an interesting problem that I witnessed many times.
“On a Southwest Airlines Tampa flight, 30 passengers boarded early and got better seats for free because they said they needed wheelchair assistance. They then got off the plane and walked out of the arrivals terminal themselves. Not all of them needed a wheelchair, but they broke a code,” wrote Gary Leff at View From the Wing.
The airline’s new boarding system will solve this problem.
Realistically, passengers had no way of knowing if people actually needed a wheelchair or boarding assistance. But if you paid for or won an early boarding spot, it was frustrating to see people boarding before you who later didn’t seem to need the perk.
“Southwest allows passengers to choose their seats on a first-come, first-served basis. You board earlier if you buy the most expensive tickets, if you’re a frequent flyer or if you pay for early boarding. Or if you pretend to need a wheelchairLeff wrote.
That’s why Southwest Airlines has more passengers in wheelchairs than any other airline.
It increases airline costs (they pay for wheelchair service!) and cheat other customers from better places. These higher costs also mean higher average airfares.
And it makes an extraordinary show: the The “Jetbridge Jesus” flight.where passengers come in a wheelchair to get the best seats and miraculously walk without any assistance when the flight ends.
When people who don’t need wheelchairs misuse the limited service, it’s terrible for passengers who really need it. Those with a real need have to wait longer.
Airlines are required to provide assistance and cannot question passengers who self-identify as needing assistance.
“When a disabled passenger requests assistance from an airline to move through the airport, the airline must prompt provide the requested assistance. This assistance can be guidance assistance for a blind person or wheelchair assistance for a person with mobility impairments. In order to receive such assistance, the passenger must self-identify to airline personnel at the airport as the person with a disability in need of such service,” according to US Department of Transportation guidelines.
As someone who has flown Southwest once or twice a month for years, I have repeatedly heard gate agents explain that under federal rules they cannot question a passenger’s request for assistance.
However, Southwest will fix its perception and seat-saving issues later this month when it moves to assigned seats. This will also solve a second problem the airline faces, where a member of a group boards early and then holds seats for family or friends.
“It all ends on January 27th when assigned seats start on Southwest. No more scheming. No more strategizing and no more getting extra value from an empty middle seat next to you. It’s all based on the luck of seats that other passengers assign in the cabin in advance,” View From the Wing reported.
Southwest Airlines now charges for seat assignment.Shutterstock” loading=”lazy” height=”540″ width=”960″ class=”yf-lglytj loader”/>
Southwest Airlines now charges for seat assignment.Shutterstock
Southwest Airlines didn’t start selling assigned seats and paying for bags to make things better for customers. The end of people being upset about pre-boarding and people saving seats are byproducts of the airline making changes to increase their bottom line.
“In 2026, we expect to recognize even greater benefits from our portfolio of Southwest-specific initiatives, including a full year of baggage fee revenue. We expect to deliver more than $1 billion in incremental EBIT from assigned seats and additional legroom in 2026 and achieve a full run rate of approximately $1.5 billion in 2027,” said Southwest Airlines CEO Jordan, Robertarnings Third-quarnings.
Southwest’s changes come with some risks.
“What’s remarkable is that basic economy ticket sales were down after they made the changes in May and are just now coming back,” Katy Nastro, travel expert at Going, told Customer Experience Dive. “The next half of the year will give us a better picture of how all these changes have played out, but so far, their timing could not have been worse against a weak market.”
More trips:
She pointed out that early results were not good after the first change, charging for checked bags, was rolled out.
“[After] In one month of selling a ‘basic economy’ product, they’ve seen their revenue per available seat kilometer drop by 0.5 percentage points, and that’s with baggage fees,” Nastro said. “Even though they say baggage fees are healthy, with lower demand, they’ve probably had to lower base fares, which means they’re not making a pure profit from baggage fees.”
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Jordan and other Southwest executives insisted the airline’s changes are working.
“We quickly rolled out many new product attributes and enhancements, and the results are showing – we delivered a profitable quarter, with both unit revenue and unit costs performing better than anticipated, reaffirming our full-year 2025 EBIT guidance and expecting significant margin expansion in the fourth quarter,” he said in the company’s third-quarter statement.
Southwest shared some key revenue numbers.
Net income of $54 million or earnings of $0.10 per diluted share
Net income excluding special items of $58 million or earnings of $0.11 per diluted share
Record operating income in the third quarter of $6.9 billion
Results ahead of the company’s expectations, driven by both better-than-anticipated unit revenues and unit costs
It returned $439 million to shareholders through a combination of share buybacks and dividends
It launched the sale of assigned seats and extra legroom for flights starting on January 27, 2026, with the volume and composition of initial bookings in line with expectations
Restatement of full-year 2025 earnings before interest and taxes, excluding special items, guidance range of $600 million to $800 million
But the airline runs the risk of angering the public. The response from social media influencers was also mixed.
“Some influencers see it as a necessary step to improve the customer experience, increase brand appeal and increase revenue by aligning with the top US airlines. They believe that offering more seating options will attract a broader customer base. However, others criticize the change, arguing that it may undermine the airline’s efficiency and move away from its legacy of innovative boarding practices,” Tur.
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This story was originally published by TheStreet on January 12, 2026, where it first appeared in the Travel section. Add TheStreet as a favorite source by clicking here.
