Southwest to Adopt Assigned Seating, Joins Priceline

Southwest Airlines will transition from its longstanding open-seating policy to assigned seating beginning January 27, 2026, aiming to improve boarding efficiency and customer experience. The airline has expanded distribution by partnering with Priceline and other Booking Holdings platforms, allowing customers to earn Rapid Rewards points on third-party bookings. These changes follow earlier collaborations with Expedia and Google Flights, which have begun to attract new and returning customers. At the same time, Southwest's recent decision to charge for checked bags has not produced the anticipated revenue boost and has coincided with a decline in basic economy ticket sales. Industry experts have warned that the timing of these changes may be risky given current softness in the travel market. Southwest is pursuing these operational and strategic shifts to modernize and stay competitive, though the financial results remain uncertain.