Southwest Airlines has reversed a January rule that forced plus-size customers who need an extra seat to buy it before traveling. Beginning last week, airport agents can provide that additional seat at no extra cost when adjacent seats are available.
The shift matters now because it restores a more flexible version of Southwest's Customer of Size policy after customer outrage over the tighter January version. Under the earlier setup, travelers covered by the policy could buy an extra seat in advance and potentially get a refund later if the flight was not full, or ask for a complimentary extra seat after arriving at the airport. Jason Vaughn, who runs Fat Tested Travel, a travel website focused on plus-size travelers, said that gave larger passengers little reason not to reserve the seat ahead of time. He warned that the January change would make flying worse for everybody.
Southwest had said in January that customers who need an additional seat should purchase it before traveling and pay any applicable seat fee. It also told customers who had previously used the extra-seat policy that they should buy the seat at booking, and refund eligibility depended on whether both seats were purchased in the same fare class. The company later decided to reverse course after the backlash grew.
The new approach leaves airport agents with some discretion when a customer arrives and an adjacent seat is open. Southwest says its agents are empowered to provide an extra seat at no cost in that case. If another seat is not available, the airline says it will work to accommodate the Customer on a later flight. That is the point where the policy still has a hard edge: the promise of flexibility depends on space that is not always there.
Southwest says the change follows an extensive review and is meant to create a more consistent and seamless travel experience for customers who require an additional seat. It also continues to encourage customers to book the seat in advance to help avoid last-minute problems. The reversal comes as Southwest has been making high-profile changes in search of stronger profits and a sharper footing against Delta, United and American, but this one cuts closest to the check-in counter. For plus-size travelers, the question now is not whether the policy exists; it is whether there will be room when they need it.
