Southwest revises its overweight passenger rules. Here’s what’s changing.

Southwest Airlines rolls back part of split Policy requiring overweight passengers buying two tickets on flights when they need a second seat due to their size.

Under the budget carrier’s revised rules, Southwest gate agents will arrange a complimentary second seat for passengers who need extra space on flights where two adjacent seats are available.

After an earlier rule change in January, Dallas-based Southwest required people who needed a second seat to reserve and pay for it in advance. The National Association for the Advancement of Fat Acceptance (NAAFA), an advocacy group, criticized the policy as “more restrictive.”

New update In a statement to CBS News, Southwest said it aims to provide “a more consistent and seamless experience for customers who need additional seating.”

When two adjacent seats are not available on a flight, larger passengers will rebook on a later flight, the airline said.

Southwest continues to encourage passengers who need more space to reserve additional seats in advance to avoid airport hassles.

After travel, eligible passengers can request a refund for the extra seat by submitting a request to Southwest within 90 days of travel. To qualify, the flight must have departed with at least one open seat and both seats must be booked in the same fare class.

Katy Nastro, a travel expert at the flight deals website Going, thinks Southwest’s loosening of its policy is a good move for the airline.

“Over the past two years, we have seen Southwest dive into a sea of ​​sameness, shedding its pro-traveller policies. bags fly for freeAnd outdoor seating“This return marks the first time in a long time that Southwest is bringing some of the LUV back to its passengers,” he told CBS News.

Southwest is publicly traded and its shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “LUV.”

NAAFA also praised the reversal of the policy.

“We appreciate fat travelers, influencers, and activists for calling attention to recent cruel behavior by Southwest Airlines. Southwest felt the pressure and responded by reinstating an aspect of its previous policies, allowing staff to assign an extra seat if available at the gate,” NAAFA executive director Tigress Osborn said in a statement to CBS News. he said.

Who needs a second seat?

Southwest explains in its “oversized customers” policy that passengers who “encroach on adjacent seat(s)” must purchase “the number of seats needed.”

The carrier notes that the seat’s armrest marks the dividing line between the seats. Southwest reserves the right to decide whether a passenger requires a second seat “for safety purposes.”

The policy went into effect in January, disappointing some customers who were previously able to reserve two seats for the price of one.

A TikTok user He welcomed Southwest’s latest seating policy, saying, “You will no longer need to pre-purchase a seat as your only option for flying as a large customer with extra space.”

“This is the best news ever,” he added. “If you know someone who is fat, spread the word.”

Plus-size passenger policies vary by airline industry.

For example, Delta Airlines It asks passengers who need additional space to purchase additional seats before the flight. This requirement applies to anyone who, according to the airline’s policy, cannot fit into a single seat without encroaching on a neighboring passenger or who prevents the armrests from remaining down when seated.

United Airlines and American Airlines have similar policies.

NAAFA’s Osborn said even Southwest’s revised policy falls short of allowing plus-size passengers to travel with dignity, saying that if they can’t pay in advance for a second seat, they “risk being kicked off their flights and reassigned to the next flight with an empty seat.”

“There is no guarantee of a time frame for this reassignment, and it will still be very disruptive and stressful for fat passengers,” Osborn said.