Southwest Airlines recently announced a major change to a policy regarding its plus-size passengers.

Starting January 27, 2026, passengers who cannot fit within the armrests of their seats will be required to pay for an extra seat. Additionally, the airline is asking that this extra seat be booked in advance to ensure that the customer gets two adjacent seats.

This new rule marks a departure from Southwest’s current extra seat policy, which allows plus-size passengers who exceed their seat size to request an extra seat for free. Previously, these passengers could either request a complimentary extra seat at the airport or book two seats in advance and receive a refund for one of them afterward.

In a statement from Southwest on Monday via the Associated Press , the airline wrote: “To

See Full Page