Southwest's Customer of Size Policy, Explained: What Changed Twice in Four Months

Southwest Airlines moved to assigned seating on January 27, 2026, and rewrote its long-standing Customer of Size policy at the same time. Where the airline had previously let a passenger who needed extra space request a complimentary second seat at the gate, the new policy required buying that seat in advance, at the time of booking, with no guarantee one would be available at the gate on a full flight.

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Southwest explained the timing in its own words: "We are updating many policies as we prepare our operation, Employees, and Customers for assigned seating on January 27, 2026. To ensure space, we are communicating to Customers who have previously used the extra seat policy they should purchase it at booking." The airline added that "the purchase of additional seats serves as a notification of a special seating request and helps us ensure we can accommodate you on the flight." In practice, a passenger who showed up without a pre-purchased second seat was now dependent on open seats existing at all, and risked being rebooked onto a later flight.

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The January policy generated sustained public backlash, including a widely shared account in late March of a passenger who said a gate agent told her she would not be permitted to board without paying roughly $450 for a second seat. By late May, Southwest had partly reversed course: gate agents were once again authorized to issue a complimentary second seat at the airport when adjacent seats are available, restoring part of what the January change had removed. A Southwest spokesperson described the change as intended to provide "a more consistent and seamless experience for customers who require an additional seat." Southwest continues to strongly recommend buying the second seat in advance — its Contract of Carriage imposes no requirement to do so — and the narrow refund window still applies to those who book ahead.

The airline's current policy, published at support.southwest.com, defines a Customer of Size as someone who "encroaches upon the neighboring seat(s)," with the armrest as "the definitive boundary between seats." Both seats must be purchased in the same fare class, and the policy is explicit that "extra seats may not be purchased solely to keep the adjacent seat empty." Refunds for the extra seat are available within 90 days of travel, but only if the flight departed with at least one open seat and both seats were purchased in matching fare classes — a passenger who flies on a full flight gets no refund regardless of whether the second seat was ever needed.