Starting January 27, 2026, Southwest Airlines will require passengers who cannot fit within a single seat with armrests down to purchase an additional seat at booking and will no longer guarantee a refund for purchasing an extra seat.
Southwest Airlines Updates “Customer of Size” Policy: Plus-Size Travelers Must Secure Extra Seat In Advance
This policy was announced several weeks ago, but I held off on covering it to see how bad the backlash would be. While there has been some pushback, the public response has been much more muted than I expected. So let’s review what is changing.
Southwest’s longstanding extra-seat accommodation for plus-size travelers will change next year. Under the updated policy, any passenger who encroaches on a neighboring seat must proactively purchase a second adjacent ticket when booking, and while refunds remain possible, they are conditional. The airline says the update aligns with its transition to assigned seating, which also takes effect on January 27, 2026.
Under the current policy, plus-size passengers could either buy a second seat in advance and apply for a refund after travel, or request an adjacent seat at the airport on the day. With the new rule:
- The second seat must be booked at reservation time if the passenger expects to need it.
- Refund eligibility requires that both seats were purchased in the same fare class, the flight has at least one open seat at departure, and the refund request is submitted within 90 days.
- If the flight is full and no adjacent seat is available, the passenger may be rebooked onto another flight.
Southwest says the policy change is part of broader operational updates as it rolls out assigned seating and other upgrades. The company frames the move as “ensuring space and comfort for all customers onboard.”
My Take
At first glance, this looks like just another fee-driven policy shift, but I believe Southwest’s update is fair, reasonable, and long overdue. Let me explain why.
- Equity in seating: Every passenger deserves to occupy only their seat(s). When someone physically needs the adjacent seat, it impacts both comfort and safety for others. This policy moves the decision to the booking stage, making it more transparent and predictable.
- Advance notice helps: Southwest is giving clear guidelines and a firm implementation date, allowing travelers to plan ahead. That level of clarity is commendable.
- Refund eligibility retains goodwill: Though refunds are no longer guaranteed, they remain available under fair conditions. It’s a balanced approach between operational reality and customer fairness.
I recognize the criticism: for some plus-size travelers, this will raise costs or create anxiety around seating. But the prior system (free or discretionary extra seats at the gate) was unsustainable. It meant uncertain outcomes, late gate rebookings, and inconsistent enforcement. By moving the decision earlier in the booking process, Southwest is taking responsibility and bringing transparency to a sensitive issue.
CONCLUSION
Major policy changes almost always come with discomfort. But in this case, Southwest’s new extra-seat requirement is a reasonable step forward. It upholds fairness, encourages early planning, and brings consistency. For travelers of all sizes, predictable seating is worth something. I’m glad to see Southwest update this policy, even if it upsets Jaelynn Chaney.
„ If the flight is full and no adjacent seat is available,“
I don’t get it: if an obese person buys two seats they should get two seats. At some European airlines you can reserve a guaranteed free middle seat: two obese people in a row of three would also be okay in my opinion.
By the way: I am 6′ 7″ and have to reserve the emergency exit (when flying in economy or have to upgrade to PE or C). This also gives me privilege to be the first one to exit the airplane in case of an emergency. How about a full refund of the reservation fee whenever the flight did not crash…
I’m confused a little on this as well. If the extra seat is purchased at ticketing, is it not granted when seats are selected and/or assigned? I’m not sure I understand the new rebooking policy (unless an extra seat is purchased after no adjacent seats remain).
Odd, they actually made the seats narrower in the last decade… so.make seats narrower, then require passenger to buy extra seat… and the writer uses Fair in the title?
I believe they are talking about if you show up at the airport without buying a 2nd ticket in advance and there are no empty seats for you to purchase, then they will rebook you on another flight.
Correct.
100 percent support this.
You need something to fly, you buy it. You use it, you pay for it. The promise of a potential refund seems unnecessary
I also thought the Customer of Size policy was to avoid an ADA challenge. Did something change?
I had to look this up. A the DOT website, they point out disabilities are covered by the
Air Carrier Access Act. I have heard elsewhere the ADA doesn’t apply to airlines. At that site they say:
“Carriers are not required to furnish more than one seat per ticket or to provide a seat in a class of service other than the one the passenger has purchased.”
If individuals are that large, they should be eligible for GLP-1 prescriptions these days, and can slim down within a few months. Being that overweight is not ‘normal,’ I’m sorry. Get help. Save money on seat(s).
I am so glad you have never had to worry about your weight. Taking a GLP-1 does not guarantee losing weight. There are some factors that are out of people’s control that can cause them to gain weight and not be able to lose it, like hypothyroidism, polycystic ovary syndrome or even certain medications. It isn’t all black and white!
Finally! I can’t stand when oversized people want to open the arm rest and wedge their bodies onto my already small space. Who want a strangers stinky body pressed against theirs for several hours. And fat ppl Always smell in tight spaces
that’s an awful thing to say. Not all fat people smell. That would be like me saying everytime you open your mouth, you sound like a b itch.
You opened your mouth here and just proved your point.
I agree. Fat people smell
The updated policy is great and all, but how strictly will it be enforced? I bet a lot people are in denial about their need for a second seat and won’t proactively purchase it
Agreed.
Better suck it in during boarding.
Long overdue! Obesity does not fall under the Disabilities Act , despite them trying to play that card.
See my note above. The ADA doesn’t apply.
Do I understand, then, that other than booking the extra seat upon ticketing (which is a legacy option), the only difference is there needs to be one additional seat empty? E.g. Under the current policy if a WN flight goes out with 174/175, then the person of size could apply for the refund, but that under the new policy there would need to be an additional empty seat 173/175 to be eligible for the refund?
Any guidelines for people to determine if they are “of size”, particularly for infrequent flyers?
Something like if your BMI or your waist size is over some stated threshold. Waist size would technically be easier to measure at the gate but I certainly would not want to be the gate agent charged with that responsibility — it’s invasive, sometimes gross (you can take that as a pun or not), and you can bet on frequently hostile passengers.
FYI, for a Male, 5’10”, 245# is a 35 BMI, 280# is 40 BMI, and 315 is 45 BMI. I would expect seat width will determine the threshold numbers, so an airline needs to be clear about what each aircrafts seat width is by class and therefore what threshold numbers are applicable by seat. Yeah, another pain for the airline and gate agent.
To me the way you fix this is you have to reserve a seat belt extender ahead of time for your flight. No giving a seat belt extender for free. Do NOT carry a seat belt extender on any flight unless it was reserved ahead of time. As an example a person needs a seat belt extender, they have to click on that request when booking. At that time the airlines would alert the passenger that you also need to purchase a 2nd seat to go along with the seat belt extender.
If a passenger of size boards and did not purchase a seat belt extender (and by default a 2nd seat), the airlines would say sorry but we can not accommodate you. They would need to rebook a flight and reserve a seat belt extender ahead of time. No one wants someone encroaching on the space THEY PAID FOR.
If you are needing a seat belt extender, you need a 2nd seat. ONLY seat belt extenders provided by the airlines can be used (I could see a whole secondard market on ebay opening up selling these–airlines can easily say we only allow approved devices that THEY PROVIDE (just like how they stopped passengers from using those devices to prevent people from reclining their chairs.)
So if a person doesn’t declare ahead of time or even at the gate that they should get the extra seat, what are gate agents and flight attendants going to do….?….. start asking embarassing questions, debates or arguments; causing delays and all the other stuff that gets people riled up ?
The problem is that many fat people (I refuse to use the term “plus” – they are just fat) just refuse to admit that they are too fat to fit in an airplane seat. If they are too fat to fit in their own seat and they have not bought 2 seats and they try to ooze their way into my limited space they should be kicked off the plane.
Can you imagine if one of them has the aisle and center seat and there is an accident that requires them to evacuate the plane quickly. They are not going to be able to get out of their seat fast enough and the person who has the window seat is going to die. Perhaps there should also be a requirement that fat people are not allowed to have aisle seats or even center seats.
You sound nice.
How about airlines just have seats that are bigger than the ones they use in coach now. They are barbaric not only in width but in leg room. And they get worse every time the cabins get re-configured. There’s more fights and dis-orderly passengers than ever. Being packed in like animals might be the cause for acting like an animal. And now the airlines are going to charge extra if you want your seat to recline. And if they don’t recline they will put in an extra row of seats! So if you’re sitting in a no recline seat and the guy in front of you has a reclining seat – his or her damn head is in your lap the whole flight? How can all this be allowed by industry standards or even the federal government? The airlines are making money hand over foot and they’re still creating havoc in coach.
You do realize that virtually every flight you’ve been on had a wider seat as an option. Because, of course, they take up more space, they cost more. If you are unwilling/unable to pay for extra width snd legroom, that’s on you. BTW, if you want a bigger pizza, you pay more. Why is this different?
I do not agree with this new policy. I’m not an obese person. I blame the airlines for making the seats smaller. I’m old enough to remember flying in comfort years ago in seats that were wide enough. Seats that were considered coach were the size of what today they call first class. It’s the airlines trying to fit more people in and at prices that are ridiculous for what you get. The service was much better, people were more polite because you could move around instead of being on a cattle boat. Sooner or later the ACLU will get involved because the airlines are targeting a certain class of passengers.
You have a bad memory. The 737 of today has the same exterior width of all 707s, 727s, 737s, and 757s. The interior width is wider than ever, as the non-structural wall width has become less. The 320 series is wider. And the 220 and 717 has wider seats than a 737. So, how did the seats become more narrow? Are the aisles suddenly wider? Has leg room been reduced? Sure, because that’s what people wanted. They didn’t demand less legroom, the opted for lower fares. AA tried to push greater legroom, and the consumers wouldn’t pay for it. So, please, stop spreading this nonsense. Virtually every plane flown by the big 3 offers seats with greater width and/or legroom. Pay for them or stfu.
I dont understand why people get so offended by the previous customer of size policy. A plus size person getting an extra seat also provides the person who sits on that row extra room as well as you don’t have someone sitting in the middle regardless. I have used and loved this policy often and because it was a free seat I never felt entitled to the extra space, so I always encouraged the person next to me to enjoy the extra room as well. All the rude comments about others sizes and are uncalled for a this policy prevented someone from encroaching on your seat, it just seems like fat hate which is old. I feel like now there is more of a chance of that happening because people won’t want to buy an extra seat so now I can see that becoming a problem.
My husband and I once took pity on a plus size young man who was standing bewildered in the aisle as the other passengers on our Southwest flight found a seat. We asked him if he wanted to sit in the window seat in the row where we had middle and aisle seats. We had an interesting conversation with a very sweet young man and the price we paid for that was a bit of crowded discomfort for a few hours.
Now let’s see if they actually enforce it. For the past 3 years Ive flown Monday and Friday nearly every week for work. I can’t count how many times Ive been smashed or forced to lean into the aisle by people who don’t fit into their seat. Some or most of them don’t think its fair to have to buy 2 seats, but the rest of us don’t think its fair to not have full access to the seat we paid for. I don’t judge for being overweight, but your body is your responsibility. I usually pay for more leg room because I’m 6’2″.
What about when you have two flights on the same day and reservation. Do both flights have to have an extra seat to be eligible for a refund?
It is sad to see so many people shaming bigger people. And by the way, are you also going to shame the physically fit football players whose shoulders are wider than the seats? How about the men who seem to think they need to air out their genitals and spread their legs beyond the seat, especially when they sit next to a woman? Perhaps there should be a rule that no man should be allowed to sit next to an unrelated woman. We’ll treat them all like criminals, just like people are talking about fat people.
And if we are talking about fairness, then let’s also be fair with carry on luggage. Centimeter over? Check it and charge the offender baggage fees. Wedding dress? Check it and charge. Garment bag? Check it and charge. Instrument over the carry on size, check it and charge. Oh, it’s your livelihood? Too bad, no empathy or special treatment for you.
I have a friend who is bigger due to medical issues, not laziness. When they travel on airlines with similar policies and buy two seats, as specified, half the time the airline refuses to honor the seat and wants to put another passenger in the seat my friend already paid for because the airline overbooked the flight. Is Southwest planning to do similarly?
It’s about size, not shame. The policy clearly states people buy a ticket have to fit within their seat, with armrests down. If they cannot, then they buy what is required to accommodate them.
We often pay extra for checked baggage because we go just over 50 pound limit because to handle a bag that weighs over 50 pounds requires additional ‘care’ for the people handling our bag.
Any limit, including the size confinement of the arm rest has valid reasons behind it.
Rules are rules. If you, or anyone else doesn’t approve, that’s on you & you can take your business elsewhere.
I agree that people that are larger than a seat in either waste or shoulders should pay for an extra seat. This is unfair to the other passengers that fit in a seat. I just got squeezed by a big guy on a full flight in a middle seat. He has the never to ask me to give him more space. In this case I couldn’t even if I wanted to since I had a broken collar bone. I took a window seat to protect my shoulder with a broken collar bone. I explained this to him and he still insisted on needing more space. Either airlines need to make seats bigger or bigger people need to pay extra for their seat. This is ridiculous. Stop defending large people!
Ohhh this is just a lawsuit waiting to happen. I can’t wait to see how much money the first lawsuit claims for emotional pain and suffering because an airline attendant made them move and embarrassed them in front of other passengers. Just make bigger seats and quit being cheapskates trying to charge people more when over 39% of Americans are obese. I see money going down the toilet with this one. Good luck southwest! Discrimination at its finest.
So, the airlines should remove, say 40% of their seats to get 2-2 narrowbody coach with extra legroom. The resulting higher airfares would preclude millions of pax who can’t afford that new trip cost from flying. Is that what you want? Airlines don’t make a profit with current airfares, so prices must now be, what, nearly doubled? Or, should airlines give away wider seats to those who are extra wide, but I have to pay for those because I’m not?
This policy is in no way fair. Airplane seats are not built for the average person. Over 70% of Americans are overweight and over 40% are obese. Overweight people are the majority. It’s illegal to force anyone to buy two tickets.
If you read other posts here, you’d see it’s not illegal.
I don’t need an extra seat but I generally always purchase it on my flights just so I don’t have to sit next to you judgemental idiots. Some of these comments prove my point.
I had 2 very large people next to me. On getting up for the bathroom, they lifted my arm rest and took over part of my seat never moving back when I returned. They felt they were entitled. I was squished for the whole flight as they ate constantly.
Did you complain to FA?
As a petite woman who always flies business select (Choice Extra now and I fly at least once a month if not more in SWA), I welcome this update in policy. Since I am usually flying by myself, I often find that the seat next to me is often selected by those who push the seat limits (larger men, ladies, athletes, or obese…I have sat by all of them.) It forces me to scoot to the edge of my seat and there isn’t an option of sharing the common armrest because those are usually taken by the larger person. It is especially unpleasant when that passenger is in a cut off shirt and shorts (this has happened often as well, especially when flying to hot wx destinations). I understand the demands for wider seats but that will result in much higher prices. I know many think this policy is unfair but it is also unfair that I pay for a seat too that I shouldn’t have to share with the person next to me. And while I was disappointed with the new seat selection policy, I now welcome it as well so that the preboarding policy won’t be abused the way it currently is (folks who claim they need wheelchair boarding but then miraculously don’t need it at the destination.)
As a smaller sized female, policies like these are very important to me – and as someone who really values their own personal space, I’ve become very uncomfortable by policies like these NOT being enforced. I recently was on a Southwest Flight (on Oct 22) and was seated next to a woman who was extremely plus sized and she was sitting on a portion of my seat the entire flight and utizlizing the entite arm rest for addditional weight support. I preferred to not make the woman uncomfortable and instead spoke to the ticketing ground agents who asked me to submit a complaint on SWs website because this is something theyre focusing on. I’m still waiting to hear back regarding my photos + my now “escalated compliant”, but I am beginning to doubt that Southwest is going to attempt to try and right my very uncomfortable situation.
This was my first flight taken with Southwest, so I came away beind EXTREMELY disappointed.
Makes sense. Easy answer, stop eating. Can’t lose weight? Ridiculous. There were no fat people in concentration camps and none at the end of the Bataan Death March. The body is not a perpetual energy machine.