Southwest Airlines is in the news after a self-described plus-size travel influencer praised the airline’s “customer size and extra seat policy,” which allows passengers to “proactively purchase the necessary number of seats prior to travel to ensure the extra chair. s) is available,” the airline said.
The aforementioned influencer, Jae’lynn Chaney, originally posted the video to TikTok in October. That video, which went viral, tells viewers about Southwest’s policy, which allows a full row of three seats for tall passengers if necessary.
The policy is not new. The Dallas-based airline has been allowing extra seats for more than 30 years for “size customers” who need more than one seat.
Although customers requesting additional seats can choose to purchase them in advance, they can also be requested for free at the airport. Travelers who do purchase the seats in advance can contact the airline after the flight for a refund.
“We will reimburse all additional seat purchases for a size customer, even if the flight is oversold,” the policy says, which also notes that the “armrest is considered the final boundary between seats.”
“The purchase of additional seats serves as notification of a special seating need and allows us to adequately plan for the number of occupied seats on board,” the policy continues. “It also helps us ensure that we can accommodate all customers on the flight they have purchased a ticket for and avoid having to ask customers to give up their seat for an unscheduled accommodation. Most importantly, it ensures that all customers on board have access to safe and comfortable seats. “
The airline has a unique boarding process, where seats are not assigned to customers, but the order in which passengers can board is assigned numerically, largely based on check-in time. This means that a size traveler, like any other Southwest passenger, will not have a specifically assigned seat (or seats) in advance, although the policy states that those with an Extra Seat Boarding document can choose to pre-board to select seats that best meet their needs.
Passengers requiring additional space can also place a “Seat Reserved Document” on the adjacent seat to indicate that it is not available to other passengers.
Southwest isn’t alone in pursuing an official policy for additional seats. However, it has a more generous policy than some other airlines, which largely require the second seat to be purchased or refunded afterwards if the flight was not full.
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Southwest did not respond to a request for comment at the time of publication.
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