As it switched to assigned seating, Southwest Airlines also changed its policy for passengers who can’t fit in a single seat: They’ll be required to pay for a second seat.
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California airport could be site of a mid-air crash, airlines warn feds What travelers can expect as Southwest Airlines introduces assigned seats The cheapest flights (and cheapest days) to book in 2026 San Jose, Oakland airports see further decline in passengers Joby alleges corporate espionage in lawsuit against San Jose-based Archer AviationUnder the changes instituted Tuesday, Jan. 27, “customers who encroach upon the neighboring seat” are told they should buy more than one seat at the time of booking. If Southwest’s staffers determine that a passenger who has bought a single seat requires extra space, the passenger will have to pay the day-of-travel fare for another seat — or, if the flight is fully booked, will be bumped to another flight.
If the flight is not fully booked, a passenger who bought an extra seat can apply for a refund.
In determining if a passenger fits in a seat, Southwest’s policy says, “the armrest is considered to be the definitive boundary.”
The new rule is a big shift from Southwest’s previous “customer of size” policy, which was considered one of the industry’s most friendly toward large passengers. Previously, the purchase of an extra seat was at the passenger’s discretion — and they could get a refund for it even if the flight was completely full.
That generous policy was put in place after Hollywood film director Kevin Smith (“Clerks,” “Chasing Amy”) publicly blasted the airline in 2010 for removing him from an Oakland-to-Burbank flight because, employees said, he didn’t fit in a single seat.
When Southwest announced last summer that it would be changing the extra-seat protocol, the executive director of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance told the New York Times that the decision would be “devastating” for some large passengers because of the cost and potential embarrassment. “Southwest was the only beacon of hope for many fat people who otherwise wouldn’t have been flying,” Tigress Osborn told the paper. “And now that beacon has gone out.”
Southwest’s Jan. 27 changes included replacing its open-seat policy with assigned seating. Last year, it ended another unusual policy, which allowed each passenger to check two bags at no charge. Both decisions were made as the airline was under pressure from investors to increase revenue.
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