Southwest to require extra seat for travelers needing two seats

Southwest Airlines will require passengers who cannot sit within a single seat to buy an extra adjacent ticket when it begins assigned seating on January 27, 2026, the carrier said, a change that could raise costs and complicate travel for plussize passengers. The new rule replaces a long-standing, more flexible practice that allowed travelers to request a second seat at the gate or purchase one up front and seek a refund afterward.

Under the updated policy, Southwest says customers who encroach on a neighboring seat should purchase the needed number of seats before travel to ensure availability. The airline’s website identifies the armrest as the definitive boundary between seats and lists seat widths on its Boeing 737 fleet ranging from about 15.5 to 17.8 inches. Refunds for a purchased second seat will be possible only under narrow conditions: the flight must have departed with at least one open seat, both seats must have been bought in the same fare class, and the refund request must be submitted within 90 days of the flight. Passengers on itineraries involving Southwest partner carriers are instructed to buy additional seats directly from those partners, and those...