Southwest Airlines is gearing up for some major changes over the next two years, an overhaul the carrier is betting will win big with passengers.
Along with more red-eye flights and a shift to assigned seating after 50 years of open seating, Southwest is redesigning the interior cabins of its 800 existing aircraft.
“This is a very significant change. It may be one of the most significant changes we’ve ever gone through,” Ryan Green, Southwest’s executive vice president commercial transformation, told CBS News’ Kris Van Cleave, who recently got a sneak peek at the future cabins.
Southwest passengers will notice the difference, said Van Cleave of the redesign. Changes include new seat trays and device trays for all passengers throughout the cabin, as well as charging ports in all of the seats.
For an additional fee, premium seating with 3-4 inches of additional legroom will also be offered on refurbished planes.
“Customers want premium of all kinds, and if you’re flying longer, that extra legroom is worth a lot,” Southwest CEO Bob Jordan told CBS News.
Southwest says it will begin booking flights with assigned seats in the second half of 2025 for travel in the first half of 2026. That’s also when the airline expects the newly designed cabins to be available, pending approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Jordan and other Southwest executives outlined the airline’s remodeling plans this week at an investor meeting in Dallas. The changes come as the company, long known for its loyal customers, looks to meet passengers’ evolving needs and boost its bottom line.
Said Jordan, “Consumer preferences have changed and, the way we fly has changed.”
Kris Van Cleave
contributed to this report.
