January 27 marks a new chapter for Southwest Airlines®! As daylight swept across the seven time zones Southwest® serves, the Company’s Employees began implementing changes while taking a moment to celebrate the sunset of open seating on a redeye flight from Honolulu to Los Angeles the night before. Check out all the milestones! (Image: Southwest Airlines)
27 January 2026
Press release:
Today marks the beginning of a new chapter for Southwest Airlines® as the airline introduces assigned and premium seating in response to Customer demand for more options, including Extra Legroom seating, Preferred seating, and Standard seating, along with a new group-based boarding process and elevated travel experience.
As daylight swept across the seven time zones Southwest® serves this morning, the Company’s Employees began implementing changes across all flights while taking a moment to celebrate the sunset of open seating on a redeye flight from Honolulu to Los Angeles the night before.
Below highlights the significant moments that marked this occasion:
Monday, Jan. 26: Final Open Seating Flight (Redeye)
- WN1791 from Honolulu to Los Angeles
- Hosted gate celebration and traditional flight blessing, commemorating the end of an era with Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer Whitney Eichinger and Company Historian Richard West
Tuesday, Jan. 27: First Assigned Seating Flight (1 of 2)
- WN3575 from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Orlando, Florida (departed in tandem with flight 2 of 2, from Atlantic Standard Time zone)
- Hosted gate celebration at departure and upon landing to kick off Southwest’s new chapter with Executive Vice President and Chief Customer & Brand Officer Tony Roach
Tuesday, Jan. 27: First Assigned Seating Flight (2 of 2)
- WN4974 from Manchester, New Hampshire to Chicago (Midway) (departed in tandem with flight 1 of 2, from Eastern Standard Time zone)
- Hosted gate celebration at departure and upon landing to kick off Southwest’s new chapter with Executive Vice President Operations Justin Jones
Southwest Airlines President, Chief Executive Officer, & Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors Bob Jordan, Chief Operating Officer Andrew Watterson, and Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer Lauren Woods visited the Command Center at Southwest’s corporate headquarters in Dallas to recognize Employees helping to implement this milestone.
In true Southwest fashion, the Company is marking the occasion throughout the day with Employees and recognizing the culmination of an 18-month transformational journey.
Please reference this prior update for information on the new gate experience and group-based boarding process along with a look at the enhanced Southwest cabin experience.
On behalf of Southwest Airlines, we look forward to welcoming Customers onboard to experience assigned seating and all that the best U.S. airline has to offer.
Source: Southwest Airlines
