Do You Fly Southwest?

The most noticeable change to Southwest's fare ladder as of May 28 is the end to its standard Wanna Get Away option.

Recent Changes to Southwest

In its place, Southwest will debut a Basic fare reminiscent of other airlines' no-frills basic economy offerings. And the changes don't stop there.

Sweeping changes

Together, these changes mark a clear effort by Southwest to incentivize customers to buy up to higher-priced tickets — or to carry one of its cobranded credit cards since its cardholders will earn a free checked bag, among other perks.

Assigned seating will bring another shake-up

Recently, Southwest CEO Bob Jordan said the carrier expects to start selling its assigned (and extra-legroom) seats by the final three months of 2025. Southwest has already detailed a handful of policy changes that will take effect once assigned seating begins.

A-List Preferred elite status members will be able to select any seat on the aircraft — including extra-legroom seats — for free at booking. A-List members will be allowed to select extra-legroom seats within 48 hours of booking.

Boarding benefits to see changes, too

Additionally, the carrier's boarding benefits are likely to continue evolving as part of the changes. The airline's future boarding process will resemble its existing one but with tweaks to account for assigned seating; expect the airline to grant early boarding privileges to elite status members and travelers flying on a higher-category fare, for instance. That would presumably include some sort of replacement for Southwest's current priority boarding products — Early Bird and Upgraded Boarding — which are tailored to the current open-seating model.

Plus, Southwest still owes customers a full rundown of its future credit card benefits after the company said it recently reached a revamped deal with Chase for its suite of cards.

Bottom line

With all that said, expect Southwest's changes to its fares, perks and loyalty program to continue at a rapid pace in the coming months.

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