A-List Preferred has the best chance of getting a cozy seat.
By Andrea Guzmán,Texas Brands ReporterDec 17, 2024
Some Southwest Airlines customers are slated to benefit from the carrier’s decision to end open seating.
Houston, TX—The Dallas-based airline revealed a few perks A-List members will receive when Southwest switches to assigned seating in 2026. So-called A-List members—a name that previously indicated boarding with group A and being among the first to choose seats—will still get a boarding perk. Soon, their boarding positions will be automatically reserved 36 hours before their flight, securing their overhead bin space.
But the benefits that are likely the most appealing to customers have to do with seating, as first reported by View from the Wing. A-List members will be able to select standard “up front” seats for free. They will also have the option to choose an extra legroom seat within 48 hours of departure at no additional cost (though only if it is available).
A-List Preferred, however, has the best chance of scooping up the coziest seats. At the time of booking, those passengers can select from any of the seats, including available extra legroom seats, at no additional cost. But no matter which tier of A-List a passenger is in, they can extend seating benefits to someone they travel with through their companion pass.
While having the best boarding and seating options is usually the biggest prize for fliers with memberships, other perks come along with it. Preferred members can use free inflight internet and receive up to two premium drinks. They also continue to reap the same rewards as regular A-List by having same-day standby, priority check-in and security lane access, and a dedicated member phone line.
The rewards perks may soften the blow for some frequent Southwest fliers. After Southwest announced the end of open seating this past summer, a petition circled begging the airline to keep the policy in place. Some of the nearly 18,000 signees even threatened to switch loyalties to another airline once open seating is no longer in place, saying that was one of the only qualities that set the airline apart from its competition.
Southwest Airlines plans to start selling assigned seats in the second half of 2025, and flights with the seating model will take off in the first half 2026. Until then, there’s still another group of loyal Southwest fliers who are waiting to hear about how assigned seating will impact them: cardmembers. Those with Rapid Rewards Credit Cards currently enjoy an early boarding position, an advantage that won’t carry as much weight with assigned seating.
But Southwest appears to be cooking up a remedy to that. The airline said cardmembers can look forward to information in spring 2025 about upcoming card travel benefits.