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

Southwest Airways is ditching simplicity and rapidly turning into like different airways. The provider simply introduced the introduction of rebranded fare courses to go along with its new most popular seating choices. For many flyers, these adjustments imply that you just’ll quickly must 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 Fast Reward elites, defending its most loyal flyers from among the damaging 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 get rid of free checked baggage 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 adjustments will take impact as soon as assigned seating turns into out there for reserving within the third quarter of 2025.

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

• Normal seats with commonplace legroom situated close to the again of the airplane.

• Most well-liked seats with commonplace legroom situated between the center and entrance of the airplane.

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

Southwest beforehand launched the Fundamental 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 Right here’s a take a look at how they evaluate to the outdated choices, and which kind of seat every fare will get you:

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

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

• Alternative Additional fares will exchange Enterprise Choose and lets passengers guide an additional legroom, most popular or commonplace seat at reserving.

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

For those who’re reserving a Fundamental fare and do not have elite standing or a Southwest card, you will not obtain a seat choice till check-in. Despite the fact that you could be paying about the identical fares as earlier than, you would get caught with a center seat and no overhead bin area. Nonetheless, not like the essential financial system fares from different airways, Southwest Fundamental nonetheless permits free private and carry-on gadgets.

Aside from seat choice, the advantages that include the brand new fare courses stay unchanged. It’s unclear whether or not you’ll be able to pay to improve to a most popular or additional legroom seat once you guide a lower-class fare. NerdWallet requested clarification from Southwest however has not but obtained a response.

For many Southwest passengers, these current adjustments are damaging. However as a result of the airline additionally added some new perks, elites within the Southwest Fast 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 popular seats at reserving. They will additionally improve to an additional legroom seat (if out there) 48 hours previous to departure.

• A-Record Most well-liked elites will obtain two free checked baggage and entry to additional legroom and most popular 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 adjustments, 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 popular 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 Fast Rewards® Precedence Credit score Card now provides frequent Southwest vacationers the perfect worth. Its $149 annual charge is greater than different Southwest client playing cards, but it surely comes with an annual $75 Southwest journey credit score and seven,500 Fast Rewards factors whereas now permitting holders to entry precedence seating, even on the bottom fare courses.

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

However loyalty can nonetheless assist you to keep away from the worst of the adjustments. Much like different airways, having elite standing or holding a Southwest bank card is now the simplest option 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 main cardholder.

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