Today we’re sharing changes Southwest Airlines announces in its recent quarterly investors call and some things we have always, and will still love about Southwest.

What we love about Southwest Airline that is staying!

• Can cancel flight up to 10 minutes before your flight- you keep the flight credit which never expires 
• Reshop flights- if the price has lowered you can get a flight credit for the fare difference 
• 2 bags fly free every flight 
• Fares are now listed on Google Flights
• Funny flight attendants who makes jokes on the intercom
• App is VERY user friendly, you don’t have to go to the website at all like you do with some other airline apps 

What’s changing with Southwest?

Pros

• It is currently rolling out better internet service, in-seat power outlets and larger overhead bins.
• Will be offering a Vacation package called “Southwest Getaways”
  • Flights, hotel, rental car 
• Pairing up with Icelandair for flights to Europe
  • More partners may be in the future 
• Hints at an enhanced Rapid Rewards program and credit card program 
• Cabin Redesign
  • Southwest’s new seats will have adjustable headrests and personal device holders. 
  • New, more comfortable RECARO seats
  • Seats with extra legroom in ⅓ of the cabin
    •  Con: Legroom in the rest of the cabin will decrease 
• New routes to Tennessee, Albuquerque, Memphis, Providence, & more
  • Con: Reducing flights to Atlanta, For Lauderdale and chicago o’hare 
• Boarding by number vs. when you checked in or your status
• Flight credits do not ever expire
• Check-in time is now up to 20 minutes before your flight, it used to be 60 minutes. Helpful for those people that show up to the airport and forgot to check in.

Neutral

• Adapting to assigned seating –  won’t begin selling fare with seat assignment until the second half of 2025 and not for flights until early 2026.
  • “Wanna Get Away” fares will be assigned, if you want to pick your seat then you’d have to pay
  • But free seat selection and extra legroom benefits will be given to A list preferred, A list status holders in some form and Southwest hinted that co-branded credit cardholder will also get some of these seating benefits 
  • It’s good b/ of convenience and faster board times, bad because we will likely ending up paying more for it.
• Feb 2026 – it will also start offering red eye flights – which makes sense as it starts partnering more internationally and trying to compete with other airlines

Cons

• Cutting short haul flight, reducing capacity on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, pulling flight during shoulder season, 
• Will cut flights to Houston, Syracuse, Bellingham and some others

Southwest Airlines Changes – Episode Transcript

0:35

And get ready to embark on a new adventure with us around the globe.

Hey, Squatty’s Travel Squad podcast.

It’s back with Just the Tip, our Friday mini episode series where we give you quick travel stories, hacks and recommendations to set you off into the weekend.

Right.

Today we’re talking about one of our favorite domestic airlines, Southwest.

0:55

We love SW for so many reasons and we’re going to get into that.

But the main reason why we’re talking about it is so many people in the US fly Southwest and they very recently announced major changes that is on the horizon for the airline.

I love Southwest Airlines.

1:10

I know there’s a lot of haters out there that don’t actually enjoy the airline, but there is actually a lot to love about Southwest.

So we’re going to jump into some of those and then we’re going to transition into what’s changing.

There’s a lot of pros, there’s some cons.

We’re going to dive into it all and then we’re going to talk about some tips and perks that you should know about Southwest in general.

1:31

So what I love about Southwest is you can actually cancel your flight up to 10 minutes before your flight and you get to keep that flight credit that never expires.

I think that is huge I.

Really like that you can reshop your flights.

That’s always the biggest hesitant for me is is like what if I booked this flight and then the price goes down?

1:53

But on Southwest, if that happens, you can rebook it through the app very easily and get that money, that difference back if the price changed.

App or the desktop, right?

So let’s say as a good example, we buy a flight for $200 one way and then all of a sudden they have a sale and it’s $150.00.

2:12

Well, if you rebook it, you’re not going to necessarily get $50.00 back cash, but that $50 fare difference will stay in your SW profile to use and never expire.

So if it ever goes on sale and you bought it for more, if you keep an eye out, you’ll never lose the money.

2:29

You can just stack SW credits to use for.

And I love that because you’re right, Kim, that’s sometimes if we’re not flying Southwest because it doesn’t have the best route or anything like that, or it doesn’t fly to that specific location that we’re going to be going.

I’m always so hesitant on when do I book with another airline because there’s no, if it goes on sale, I’m getting my price difference.

2:50

So you got to really gauge it.

Southwest, you don’t.

You can book, just keep an eye on it and you could always get it at its cheapest at a later time.

They’re also the only airline that I know that allow two bags to fly free for every flight no matter what type of Fair the new book.

I also saw they just are now being featured on Google flights.

3:07

That was like.

The biggest drawback is not being able to see Southwest flight options when you use that tool.

Now you can.

I know this is so trivial, but I do appreciate sometimes how the flight attendants, of course, they take their job seriously, their safety, serving you, but when they’re going over a few things, giving you announcements, they always come on with the light humor.

3:26

I appreciate that a lot of times people don’t really like the travel experience because you’re cramped, you’re doing this and that, and they always try to make it as fun as possible.

And that’s something I really appreciate about Southwest.

I think they are the funniest flight attendants.

They definitely are.

3:42

They always are the ones that have those viral videos going on TikTok or Instagram of them saying something or doing a funny little intro of the safety explanation or whatever.

So I agree with you Kim.

They are some of the funniest, if not the funniest, in the sky.

The southwest app is very user friendly.

3:58

You don’t have to go into the website at all.

You could do everything on your phone.

I don’t know if you guys have noticed, they actually just recently changed their app structure and it’s still very user friendly.

I only know this because I’m in it like every single day, but that’s a whole nother topic.

One of my pet peeves with other airlines is their app.

4:17

A lot of times if you want to go to a certain page or look at your account, it’ll take you to a web page out of the app.

It’s so inconvenient.

SW really has the app down Squatty’s.

Before we go into what’s changing with Southwest now, I do want to remind you that we have all of this information and a ton more on our website at travelsquadpodcast.com.

4:37

You can get all of our itineraries there.

Sign up for our twice monthly newsletter.

See our Amazon shop for all the things we’ve ever mentioned in these episodes.

So head on over and check it out.

So SW is actually changing quite a few things moving forward and we’re really not going to see these changes really until 2026, but they’ve announced them because in 2025 we are going to start to see the planning and the working towards some of them.

5:02

So we just want to roll it all out now.

But one thing that they’re doing that is a Pro is they’re going to be rolling out better Internet service in seat power outlets because they currently don’t have any, and larger overhead bins, which I thought was interesting because I do feel like they’re overhead bins for the most part are actually a pretty good size.

5:20

Getting even more space in there.

I’m actually really excited about the in seat power outlets because of course normally I do bring a portable power bank and charger myself.

But SW, they don’t have back of seat flight entertainment for you to watch the TV or anything like that.

5:37

But they do allow you to connect to their Internet, go to a website or even through the app and you can watch movies, live TV, etcetera.

And on those long flights, if I don’t have some place to plug in, I’m draining my battery.

So I’m really stoked about the addition of the seat plugs.

5:53

That way when I’m utilizing in flight entertainment, I’m not landing with 0 battery left.

So that’s a real major improvement.

One of the announcements they made way before in this year was that they were going to be redesigning their cabins.

So I know in this new cabins, they’re not only just planning to put in those power outlets, but also have something that will hold your personal device because they don’t have the screens behind the scenes.

6:19

Making a smoother experience if they have something to hold it in place, because that’s one of the biggest debacles and hurdles that you’ll have to encounter, is like, where am I putting my tablet?

Where am I putting my phone?

Awesome.

If they’re putting it in the back of the seat.

Speaking of the cabin redesign, the new seats that they’re going to have are going to have adjustable headrests and the device holders that you were talking about, they’re going to have, or at least they’re claiming they’re going to have more comfortable seats.

6:44

So a better ergonomic design to be more comfortable for you.

That’s one of the things too, not necessarily SW, but just airplane seats in general.

If the cushion isn’t very fluffy, my Bony little scrawny butt cheeks after a while start really hurting in those seats.

6:59

So I’m banking on them to hold to the word that the seats are going to be a lot more comfortable because they are really hyping this aspect up in the cabin redesign that their seats are going to be super comfy.

I feel like on the newer SW planes the seats are actually really nice and they do some of them have the adjustable headrests, but the older planes are those kind of seats where they really need an upgrade.

7:22

I also feel like Southwest does give you an adequate amount of leg room usually, but they’re actually going to be designing their new planes with seats with extra leg room and about 1/3 of the cabin.

The only con to that is beyond that third of the cabin that got this extra leg room, the leg room is actually going to decrease a little bit.

7:42

Did you see that?

Because they’re talking about bigger overhead bins, more space.

Where is it coming from?

Are they getting bigger planes?

Well, the newer planes, because SW only uses Boeing 7 three sevens, right?

So when the newer models come out, they’re larger planes.

So they’re probably buying newer planes.

7:59

They’re a lot longer, so that’s probably where they’re getting the extra space.

It’s just in general, the plane is bigger.

But like Brittany said, if they’re giving extra leg room in a third of the cabin, that means 2/3.

They’re probably shaving an inch off in each direction.

And this will get to the con of what we’re really going to be talking about with some of the changes, right?

8:18

SW is no frills in the sense that there’s only one cabin class.

There’s all the same amount of leg room as it stands now, except unless you’re in the front of the plane or an emergency row exit.

But that’s some of the things that they’re going to be changing coming up.

8:34

And this redesigned cabin with more leg space is a part of that too.

But that’s also going to lead to the con because now they’re going to charge probably more for the fares in those seats with more leg room.

Another thing that SW announced recently that we’re really excited about is they’re going to start offering vacation package called SW Getaways, which will group together your flights, hotel and rental car and put it into a bundle package.

9:00

So I’m interested in seeing what that looks like and how much money that could potentially save.

I thought they already did this and you know you can always book bundles on Expedia too.

So I am more curious to find out what is this going to be?

Yeah, because every time we book on Southwest, eventually we’ll get an e-mail from Southwest saying did you book a rental car to said location that you just bought your airline ticket to?

9:23

So I’m sure they act as a third party travel agent, maybe you get a little bit of a discount.

But I’m sure, and we will see what this looks like.

If it’s more of a discount, instead of booking it under a separate reservation, just threw them for a discount.

It’s all tied together.

9:39

So to be determined on that.

But this could be a game changer wherever you’re going if you can get all three hotel, car rental and flights in one spot.

They’ve also been hinting at enhanced Rapid Rewards program and credit card benefits.

They’re being real secret project about this one, but details to come soon and.

9:58

One of the most significant announcements is they are pairing up with Iceland Air for flights to Europe.

As it stands now, Southwest does not code share, basically meaning that, you know, they don’t work with any other airlines.

If you were to buy a ticket through another airline to ride on their plane to get from one place to the next before you get on the other airline, right, that’s called code sharing.

10:19

Apparently they’re going to be doing that with Iceland Air to get people to Europe.

So booking through SW apparently can mean now you’re getting to international destinations other than their select few they have, which is like Mexico and a few other places in South and Central America and the Caribbean.

10:37

There are also adding new routes to Tennessee, Albuquerque, Memphis, Providence and a few other cities.

The only downside is they are reducing flights to Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale and Chicago O’Hare.

So we may see some others that have reduction flights, but their most popular areas that they’re flying into, they’re going to add more flights to which can be a big benefit.

10:58

They need to reduce their flights to Chicago Midway because that airport boom.

I think all the airports in Chicago suck.

Another big change SW is bringing for the first time ever, they’re boarding by number right now.

It’s very unique.

11:14

You have to very quickly check in on the app so that you can get the best boarding position possible.

It goes in order unless you have the A list preferred or you’re traveling with families, then you get bumped up to the front.

I think militaries also, but now it’s changing.

11:30

They’re going to assign you a boarding number just like most other airlines do.

I don’t know how I feel about.

That’s something that I actually liked about Southwest is being able to choose my seat, not having to pay for my seat.

And yeah, it kind of sucked because you had to be really on the dime and do your online check in on the app or a desktop at the 24 hour mark till your flight to get A, if you were lucky.

11:52

And sometimes even if you do it on the dot, you get B, right?

But it’s a one through 60, B, one through 60, C, one through 60, in that order, depending on when you check in.

Or of course your Rapid Rewards membership level can get you a list automatically, right?

12:08

But I’m usually pretty good about getting A and I like being able to just walk on the plane and pick the best seat that’s available in that time.

So I don’t know pro and con.

I don’t know how I feel about it quite yet, but interested to see how they roll this out.

12:23

I did hear that they were keeping the pillars with the assigned numbers so that you can still line up in that order.

So that’s fine with me because right now, like if you board with other airlines, they’ll say Zone 1 and anyone in that board.

So I kind of do like the structure.

12:41

The only thing that bothers me about this new seating system and seating assignment that they’re going to be having is that the cheapest fares, you cannot pick your seat.

They will assign it for you.

You have to pay if you want to pick that seat.

12:57

So I’m like, does that mean I’m going to get a middle seat moving forward?

Right.

I wonder what the amount will be consumer it with other airlines, which is honestly kind of expensive.

It’s kind of ridiculous they’re out here charging like $70.00 to choose your seat.

13:12

Yeah, it can be a little hefty, but I am interested in seeing how our rapid reward status and A list status stack up.

Because I hear that people with those statuses will get some perks.

And some of those perks could be like the extra leg room or being able to select a seat for free because you have status with the airline.

13:32

So we’ll see as it rolls out.

And then lastly in the pros, they are really catering to the last minute people, the chronically late people, the forgetful people and they are now reducing their required time before check in to just 20 minutes before your flight.

13:48

It used to be 60 minutes, and so if you weren’t actually checked in with your board pass an hour before your flight, you were kind of out of luck until the next one.

Now you have that 20 minute period.

I’m just nervous thinking about what person didn’t check in or get to the airport to print their ticket out.

14:04

Until, well, we know.

Before the flight.

We actually know a lot of people that have done that.

I’m sure Robin has.

I know Zana has.

She forgot to check in for the connecting flight in an airport, so it can’t can happen to anyone.

That’s very true.

When you put it in perspective like that, you are correct.

14:21

Depending on how you feel about red eye flights, this could be a pro, con or neutral, but they are going to start offering some red eye flights and you know, it makes sense, right?

They announced they’re going to be partnering with Iceland Air, potentially more international partners to come.

14:37

That’s just speculation.

So they’re obviously having to compete with other airlines and I personally like a red eye flight, so this is a pro for me.

I personally like a red eye flight to Europe so also a pro for me in the USI could careless.

I like a red eye flight because if you’re trying to maximize the most of your weekend, don’t want to take out time off from work on a Friday, catch that red eye land on Saturday.

15:00

I know we’re not all as young as we used to be, but depending on where we’re going, how long it takes to get there, we can hit the ground running on that red eye.

So I am not opposed to them.

You know what, we’ve listed a lot of perks and benefits so far and we’ve listed a potential neutral, but they really don’t have many cons that they’ve announced.

15:21

They did announce that you may have to pay for your seat.

Another con is that they’re actually going to be cutting some short haul flights and reducing capacity on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and also pulling some flights during shoulder season.

So we’ll see how that affects our travel.

15:36

Hopefully it won’t affect it too much, right?

Because if they’re pulling flights, it’s probably because they’re not profitable, they’re not fully filled flight and we probably weren’t on those flights anyway.

At least that’s what we can hope for and it makes room for the other ones that they’re expanding into.

So let’s look at this half full.

15:52

OK, I can at least go into it half full.

But they are gonna cut flights to Houston, which could pop up Syracuse, Bellingham.

Is that in Washington?

I’m not too sure where Bellingham is, maybe that’s exactly why they’re cutting it from the list.

No disrespect to Bellingham.

16:08

If we have any squaddies out there from Bellingham, I’m sorry but I have not.

Do you think it is from Washington?

There’s Bellevue, WA, I don’t know about Bellingham.

We could be completely off.

As we’re getting ready to close out this episode, guys, we talked about some of the things that we like about Southwest at the start and of course the changes that are upcoming.

16:27

But some things that we didn’t mention at the start of the episode on things that we like.

We’re closing it out here because we want to leave this with you as one of the reasons why we really like Southwest and something that you should take advantage of also.

And that is their same day standby that you were allowed to do to change your flight at no cost.

16:48

So let’s just say you have a 7:30 PM flight and they actually have a flight or multiple flights throughout the day, maybe at 5:00 PM, three PM to the same destination that you are going to.

You can put yourself on the standby list.

17:06

And if there are still any open seats, regardless of if that earlier flight cost more money, they will allow you to change at at no cost should there actually still be seats available.

So that’s something that we really like.

We’ve used several times by buying a cheaper fare in the evening because the earlier one was more expensive and then doing same day standby and getting there early and avoiding having to pay that fare.

17:30

Conversely, if you are actually a list, which of course is part of Southwest Traffic Rewards program, you fly enough with them, earn enough points, you become an A list member.

Well, you can do same day change changes at no charge without having to wait on standby.

17:47

So if there happens to be an open seat on that plane or multiple seats if you’re flying with people, you can do same day change at no charge guaranteed to get on if you are a list.

So those are some of our favorite things that we really appreciate Southwest and not a lot of people know about.

18:04

So if you fly them often, you should be utilizing those benefits and perks too.

And we’ll continue to update you as we learn more and as we experience these new Southwest changes.

Thank you, Squatty, so much for tuning into this week’s Just the Tip.

Make sure to subscribe, leave, review, and follow us on all the socials at Travel Squad Podcast.

18:22

And have fun travelling this weekend.