Southwest’s New Fares: Cardholders and Elites Win, Others Pay

Southwest Airways is ditching simplicity and shortly turning into like different airways. The service simply introduced the introduction of rebranded fare courses to go along with its new most well-liked seating choices. For many flyers, these modifications imply that you just’ll quickly should pay extra if you wish to select your personal seat, a departure from the airline’s open seating coverage.

However it additionally added new advantages for Southwest cardholders and Speedy Reward elites, defending its most loyal flyers from among the unfavourable impacts of those shifts.

These new fare courses and loyalty advantages, introduced April 28, 2025, are half of a bigger model overhaul. Earlier, the airline shared plans to remove free checked luggage and introduce dynamic award pricing.

Whereas an actual date was not supplied for the launch of the brand new fare courses, the airline mentioned the modifications will take impact as soon as assigned seating turns into obtainable for reserving within the third quarter of 2025.

Southwest is changing its uniform cabin structure and all-economy seating chart with most well-liked seating, which you’ll guide with its rebranded higher-tier fare courses. The brand new seat choices embody:

• Customary seats with customary legroom positioned close to the again of the airplane.

• Most popular seats with customary legroom positioned between the center and entrance of the airplane.

• Additional legroom seats with 5 additional inches of seat pitch positioned close to the entrance of the airplane and in exit rows.

Southwest beforehand launched the Primary fare class, which changed Wanna Get Away fares. Now, the remaining fare courses are being rebranded, too. Right here’s a take a look at how they evaluate to the previous choices, and which kind of seat every fare will get you:

• Alternative fares will substitute Wanna Get Away Plus and lets passengers guide a regular seat at reserving.

• Alternative Most popular fares will substitute Anytime and lets passengers guide a most well-liked or customary seat at reserving.

• Alternative Additional fares will substitute Enterprise Choose and lets passengers guide an additional legroom, most well-liked or customary seat at reserving.

For many flyers, the brand new seating and fare choices aren’t nice information. Customary seats on the service’s bigger plane will now have a seat pitch of simply 31 inches, as a substitute of 32 inches. (Seat pitch refers back to the distance between an airplane seat and the seat in entrance of it.)

In the event you’re reserving a Primary fare and haven’t got elite standing or a Southwest card, you will not obtain a seat choice till check-in. Despite the fact that you is perhaps paying about the identical fares as earlier than, you might get caught with a center seat and no overhead bin house. Nonetheless, in contrast to the fundamental economic system fares from different airways, Southwest Primary nonetheless permits free private and carry-on objects.

Aside from seat choice, the advantages that include the brand new fare courses stay unchanged. It’s unclear whether or not you may pay to improve to a most well-liked or additional legroom seat if you guide a lower-class fare. NerdWallet requested clarification from Southwest however has not but acquired a response.

For many Southwest passengers, these current modifications are unfavourable. However as a result of the airline additionally added some new perks, elites within the Southwest Speedy Rewards program and Southwest cardholders will not be as closely impacted.

Elites will see the next new advantages:

• A-Record members will obtain one free checked bag and entry to most well-liked seats at reserving. They will additionally improve to an additional legroom seat (if obtainable) 48 hours previous to departure.

• A-Record Most popular elites will obtain two free checked luggage and entry to additional legroom and most well-liked seats at reserving, along with free in-flight web.

These perks apply to the elite member and as much as eight further passengers touring on the identical reservation.

With these modifications, Southwest cardholders additionally come out forward. Beginning Might 28, 2025, all Southwest cardholders will get one free checked bag, precedence boarding and a brand new most well-liked seating profit as soon as the airline transitions away from open seating.

These perks apply to the first cardmember and as much as eight further passengers touring on the identical reservation.

Of those playing cards, the Southwest Speedy Rewards® Precedence Credit score Card now presents frequent Southwest vacationers one of the best worth. Its $149 annual payment is increased than different Southwest shopper playing cards, but it surely comes with an annual $75 Southwest journey credit score and seven,500 Speedy Rewards factors whereas now permitting holders to entry precedence seating, even on the bottom fare courses.

Simplicity was the cornerstone of the “previous” Southwest. You booked a ticket, checked in 24 hours earlier than your flight and received to pick no matter seat you needed. However in a push for profitability, Southwest has copied different airways by introducing primary economic system and bundled fares. In doing so, the airline has ditched what made it price flying whereas remodeling into simply one other method to get between two locations.

However loyalty can nonetheless allow you to keep away from the worst of the modifications. Just like different airways, having elite standing or holding a Southwest bank card is now the best method to get free seat assignments and a free checked bag. These advantages apply to as much as eight passengers on a reservation made by the elite member or major cardholder.

The knowledge associated to Southwest Speedy Rewards® Plus Enterprise Credit score Card and Southwest Speedy Rewards® Premier Credit score Card has been collected by NerdWallet and has not been reviewed or supplied by the issuer of this card.