You can now officially book Southwest Airlines flights with an assigned seat. The carrier just started selling flights that will depart on (and after) Jan. 27, 2026 — the day it plans to bid farewell to open seating and welcome in its long-discussed assigned and extra-legroom seating setup.

Southwest Airlines has officially begun selling assigned seats, though the open seating policy will remain in place on flights for a few more months.

The only way around the new seat-fee mess, unless you pay up for a pricier ticket, is to have Southwest frequent-flier status or one of its credit cards. I have Southwest status as well as its top credit card and still cringe at the new Southwest.