Southwest Airlines, one of America’s largest budget carriers, confirmed that from January 27, 2026, travellers who can’t fit within a single seat will have to purchase another one when booking. The change comes as the airline scraps its long-running open seating system and moves to assigned seating for the first time…leaving many wondering whether a similar rule could one day make its way to Australian skies.
Until now, Southwest was considered plus-size friendly because passengers could either request an extra seat at the airport free of charge or buy one in advance and apply for a refund later. Under the new policy, pre-purchasing the seat is mandatory and refunds will only be considered if the flight wasn’t full and both tickets were bought in the same fare class.
Refund requests must also be submitted within 90 days.
