Passengers on Southwest Airlines eventually will purchase assigned seat tickets as the carrier ends decades of open seating and other perks in a bid to save revenue. Customers traveling on Southwest aircrafts on Jan.

Southwest Airlines passengers will get assigned seats for the first time, marking a major shift in the carrier’s business model.

A ttention frequent flyers: Southwest Airlines announced July 21 that it will be moving to assigned seating starting Jan. 27, 2026.