As part of a slew of recent cost-cutting measures, Southwest Airlines nixed a popular longstanding policy earlier this year: offering complimentary adjacent seats (when available) on flights for customers of size.
Now, after months of reportedly inconsistent enforcement and social media backlash, the company is reversing course and will resume offering an additional seat at no extra cost for plus-size passengers when extra seats are available on a flight.
“This subject is something that we have spent a great deal of time reviewing, and it is an area that we continue to refine as we strive to ensure a pleasant travel experience for all of our Customers,” a Southwest spokesperson told Frommer’s in a statement.
“Southwest is working to create a more consistent and seamless experience for Customers who require an additional seat," according to the statement. "On flights where adjacent seats are available, our Agents at the airport are empowered to provide an additional seat at no extra cost to Customers who require one.”
If you ask us, that’s good news for the comfort of all passengers, regardless of whether they’d benefit from additional space. The trouble with Southwest’s now rolled-back policy was twofold: enforcement was unpredictable and customers of size were financially disincentivized from speaking up about needing more room.
Southwest's posted policy describes the armrest as the definitive boundary between seats, and states that customers who encroach upon the neighboring seats may need to occupy two adjacent seats.
But passengers we spoke with—whose experience was backed up by many social media testimonials—reported being able to lower both armrests on the plane and yet they were required by Southwest to buy extra seats.
And since the narrowest seat width on Southwest planes is only 15.5 inches, many passengers technically encroach on their neighbors—but only some are called out by gate agents.
“I can't tell you how many times I've sat next to a man whose shoulder was in my space, whose legs were entirely in my space because of the manspreading issue, or how many times I've been elbowed in the face by a fellow passenger,” said author Meg Elison (who also shared her experience on TikTok), of Southwest's previous controversial policy.
Worse, by making select passengers pay for seats at exorbitant last-minute rates, Southwest effectively discouraged customers of size from speaking up and requesting second seats, leading to more confrontation at departure gates and discomfort among fellow passengers.
Now, customers should have less anxiety about requesting a second seat—meaning a less cramped flight for them and everyone else.
Still, Southwest reminds customers that purchasing a second seat in advance and requesting a refund afterward (so long as the flight departed with at least one open seat) is the best way to guarantee a comfortable experience.
“If another seat is not available, we will work to accommodate the Customer on a later flight," the Southwest spokesperson told us. "We continue to encourage Customers who need an additional seat to book it in advance to help alleviate any last-minute inconvenience at the airport."