Southwest Airlines has officially announced the introduction of its comprehensive three-year transformation plan, which builds upon its unique business model for an even customer experience.

According to certain reports, the stated transformation plan is driven by data-driven research of travelers’ changing needs and expectations. More on the same would reveal how it will bring forth more choices for Southwest Customers, while simultaneously keeping intact aspects of the business that make it unique among its competitors.

Talk about what this transformation is likely to include on a deeper level, we begin from the prospect of an assigned seating model, which will help Southwest broaden its consumer appeal. You see, the company’s decision to establish a clear preference for seat assignments comes after it was discovered that more than 80 percent of Southwest Customers, along with 86 percent of passengers who choose other airlines, want assigned seats. Now, with Southwest flying farther than ever before, seat assignments have steadily climbed up the priority list. Hence, the airline will begin selling assigned seats in the second half of 2025, its first flights markedly set to operate with the new model during 2026.

Beyond that, Southwest is looking to introduce premium seating. To give you some context, several market studies have reached a conclusion that an assigned seat with extra legroom offers greater appeal for both business and leisure travelers. Hence, Southwest will offer extra legroom options, packing up to five extra inches of pitch for approximately a third of its seats, and at the same time, it will maintain a standard economy seat pitch.

“We’ve spent the past few years laying a foundation that serves as the base of our transformation,” said Ryan Green, Executive Vice President of Commercial Transformation at Southwest Airlines. “We’ve already started rolling out modernized cabins with improved WiFi, in-seat power, larger overhead bins, enhanced operational efficiencies, and optimized flight schedules. We will continue to build upon our unique competitive advantages, while adapting to consumer priorities in today’s dynamic environment.”

Next up, the transformation plan in question further delivers a take on Southwest’s boarding process. Focused on optimizing operational efficiency and improving the customer experience, it will try and uphold the company’s unique and popular approach towards boarding through position numbers and signage displayed on stanchions within the gate area.

Not just that, Southwest has also decided to keeps things unchanged in regards to its policy of flying bags for free. This is because, going by a study, Southwest’s bags fly free® policy remains the most important feature in setting it apart from other airlines.

Moving on, as a part of its transformation plan, Southwest is formalizing partnerships with international carriers to expand network and connect customers with more global destinations. Such a move is likely to generate higher demand for travel across the Southwest network. For instance, Icelandair is set to become the airline’s initial partner with an expected launch in 2025. The launch will happen through Baltimore-Washington International Airport, which by the way, is going to serve as its first U.S. gateway for the carriers.

Another detail worth a mention here is rooted in Southwest’s decision to launch, in 2025, a new product called Getaways by Southwest. Getaways by Southwest will offer vacation packages that are unique to the industry, packages that are built upon friendly policies customers have come to expect from a Southwest-operated venture. An example relaying the same would be how these customizable vacation bundles will feature Southwest’s friendly cancellation policy, as well as its no change fees.

Southwest is also looking to deliver rapid rewards enhancements moving forward. These enhancements, once implemented, will allow members to earn and redeem points for a well-incentivized travel experience. The airline is even expected to update its Tier Benefits so to give A-List and A-List Preferred Members better benefits. On top of that, Southwest is planning to soon unveil updates to its credit card program. The idea behind doing so is to help assigned seating and premium seating offer greater value at the disposal of card members.