DALLAS — Southwest Airlines has updated its policy to allow gate agents to provide a free second seat to passengers who need extra room when two adjoining seats are available on a flight. The airline will also rebook passengers who require a second seat on a later flight if adjacent seats are not available.

The change, implemented in 2024, reverses part of a January policy that required passengers needing extra space to book and pay for a second seat in advance. Southwest Airlines stated in a statement to CBS News that the policy update aims to promote "a more consistent and seamless experience for customers who require an additional seat."

Southwest continues to encourage passengers who need more space to book an additional seat ahead of time to avoid disruptions at the airport. Eligible passengers who purchased an extra seat in advance can request a refund within 90 days of travel if the flight departed with at least one open seat and both seats were in the same fare class.

The airline defines passengers who "encroach upon the neighboring seat(s)" as requiring additional seats, and it stipulates that a seat's armrest marks the dividing line between seats. Southwest reserves the right to determine that a passenger needs a second seat for safety reasons.

Katy Nastro, a travel expert at flight deals website Going, said, "We've seen Southwest dive into the sea of sameness in the past two years, getting rid of pro-traveler policies like bags fly free, and open seating, to name a few." She added, "This rollback feels like, for the first time in a while, Southwest is bringing back some of the LUV to its passengers."

Tigress Osborn, executive director of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, said, "We commend fat travelers, influencers and activists for calling out recent cruel behavior by Southwest Airlines. Southwest has felt the pressure and responded, by restoring one aspect of their previous policy, allowing personnel to assign an extra seat at the gate if one is available." She also noted that "there is no guarantee of a time frame for that reassignment, and this will still be very disruptive and stressful for fat passengers." Osborn said that if plus-size passengers can't afford to pay for a second seat in advance, they are "at risk of being bumped off their flight and reassigned to the next flight with a seat available."