Southwest Airlines is changing a seating policy that accommodates plus-size passengers, making it more difficult for them to obtain a refund for an extra seat. The new policy, which will go into effect Jan. 27, is part of sweeping changes that will more closely align the airline with its competitors.<\/p>\n
Timed to next year\u2019s move from open to assigned seating, the revised policy applies to customers who cannot fit between the two armrests, \u201cthe definitive boundary between seats,\u201d Southwest states on its website. Plus-size passengers and people with disabilities often need to reserve two adjoining seats for safety and comfort.<\/p>\n
Subscribe to The Post Most newsletter for the most important and interesting stories from The Washington Post. <\/a><\/p>\n For years, Southwest has refunded additional seats or provided them free for passengers who require extra space. After the change, which goes into effect early next year, a second seat on a sold-out flight will not be eligible for a refund. This means they could get stuck paying for two fares, a prohibitive expense for many travelers.<\/p>\n Some loyal customers say the new rule could force them to pick a different airline – or prevent them from traveling altogether.<\/p>\n Tigress Osborn, executive director of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, said many people can\u2019t take the risk of Southwest denying them a refund.<\/p>\n \u201cThey can\u2019t afford to take that gamble,\u201d Osborn said. \u201cWe are hearing from a lot of people about how this will literally mean they cannot travel by air anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n Southwest said it is \u201cupdating many policies to prepare for the January changes.\u201d This month, it sent emails to passengers about the extra-seat change and revised its webpage on the topic.<\/p>\n \u201cTo ensure space, we are communicating to customers who require an extra seat they should purchase it at booking,\u201d the company said in a statement. The airline said less than 0.25 percent of customers request extra seats.<\/p>\n The change is part of a larger transformation that will turn the airline away from its most differentiating attributes and closer to its competitors\u2019. Next year, it will ditch open seating for assigned seats. It also repealed its two-free-bags perk and started charging for checked luggage in May.<\/p>\n – – –<\/p>\n The policy<\/p>\n According to Southwest, passengers departing on flights on or after Jan. 27 may reserve an additional seat at the time of booking and must pay for both tickets up front.<\/p>\n If they arrive at the airport with only one seat, they must purchase a second on the next available flight with two adjacent seats; they will pay the walk-up fare, even if it is different from the price of the first seat.<\/p>\n The airline will refund the cost of the second seat if the flight had at least one open seat, if both seats were in the same fare class and if the passenger submitted a refund request within 90 days of the travel date. Before, Southwest issued a refund for these extra seats on all flights, even sold-out trips.<\/p>\n More often than not, passengers will not know whether a flight is fully booked until they are at the boarding gate or on the plane. By then, it might be too late.<\/p>\n – – –<\/p>\n \u2018It\u2019ll make my life a lot harder\u2019<\/p>\n Corinne Fay, who writes a fashion newsletter called Big Undies, said she flies only Southwest because of its plus-size-friendly policy. Reimbursement was quick and seamless, she said, often arriving by the time she had returned from her travels.<\/p>\n Next year, however, she fears that flying could become onerous, expensive and stressful. To visit her sister in Bend, Oregon, she will consider other airlines and may have to pay hundreds more than usual. Or she could drive the roughly 2,400 miles round-trip from Albuquerque.<\/p>\n \u201cI definitely felt like crying because it\u2019ll make my life a lot harder,\u201d Fay said of her reaction to the changes. \u201cWe\u2019re talking about the difference between spending $400 versus $800 or even more.\u201d<\/p>\n This summer, Southwest phased out another key feature that helped plus-size passengers who booked a second seat at the airport on their departure day. Though the airline has always encouraged travelers to reserve both seats in advance, ticket counter agents would accommodate passengers needing more space, even on fully booked flights. The agents would ask for volunteers who could take a later flight, offering an incentive in return for their seat.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of people prefer to do that,\u201d Osborn said. \u201cThe main personal reason being, they can\u2019t afford to pay for a second seat and wait months for a reimbursement.\u201d<\/p>\n Now, passengers must wait for a flight with two open seats.<\/p>\n – – –<\/p>\n A plus-size friend<\/p>\n Southwest has long been the carrier of choice among plus-size passengers. Only one other major U.S. airline, Alaska, offers a refund on an extra seat, as long as at least one seat is available on the flight. The official position of other carriers is that they will charge for the pair, regardless of availability.<\/p>\n Plus-size advocates say the carrier\u2019s inclusivity goes beyond the refund. They give the company props for a booking tool that allows them to easily reserve an empty seat. (Add \u201cXS\u201d as or alongside your middle name for the second seat.)<\/p>\n Unique Gibson, the Atlanta-based founder of the SuperSize Your Life Expo that celebrates plus-size communities, praises the staff for their sensitivity.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been very thankful to Southwest because their training was compassionate as well,\u201d said Gibson, who has been flying Southwest for about 25 years.<\/p>\n Two of the airline\u2019s signature features are especially valuable to plus-size travelers, advocates say. Neither one, however, survived the carrier\u2019s makeover. The open-seating arrangement, which will expire Jan. 27, grants larger passengers greater autonomy to select the seats that best suit their needs. Gibson also praised the two free checked bags, a perk that Southwest terminated on flights that were booked on or after May 28.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t have clothes that we can just put in a carry-on for a week,\u201d Gibson said. \u201cOur clothes are too big, so we\u2019ve got to check a bag if we\u2019re going to have enough for a five-, six- or seven-day trip.\u201d<\/p>\n Gibson said she can adapt to the new luggage fees.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t fret much about that, because they\u2019re right,\u201d she said. \u201cEverybody else is doing it. Paying $35 or $45 isn\u2019t a big deal.\u201d<\/p>\n Assigned seating is more concerning. Osborn said selecting assigned seats during the booking process is no guarantee that they will be together. On a recent flight to Argentina, the seats on three of her four flights were not in the same row or side of the aisle, even though she had reserved them as pairs. Choosing seats also costs more.<\/p>\n \u201cNow that people are choosing seats, you need to buy your tickets as early as possible or there might not be two seats together,\u201d Osborn said. \u201cBut one of the things we are worried about is that you can buy two seats together and then they start moving people around for whatever reason and will separate your two seats.\u201d<\/p>\n Southwest did not directly address a question about whether it would always honor a customer\u2019s assigned seats, instead pointing to the policy on its website. The airline said it would rebook passengers on another flight if an adjacent seat is unavailable.<\/p>\n Of all the changes, the uncertainty of a refund is most upsetting and unsettling, members of the plus-size community say. Gibson said the revised policy felt like a \u201cgut punch.\u201d Because of the rule, she may have to curtail her travels.<\/p>\n \u201cThe little breaks that I thought I could take, I may not be able to, because I can\u2019t afford to buy two tickets,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n To test the new rule, Osborn sampled fares for Jan. 26 and 27. Before the change, Osborn said she would pay $93 for a one-way ticket from Phoenix to Seattle – half the $186 fare for two seats. The same flight booked for the following day would cost her $403, with no guaranteed refund. Osborn searched for a basic fare, the cheapest tier, which means the airline would select her seats. If adjacent seats were not available, she would probably have to wait for another flight.<\/p>\n Gibson is bracing for the impact. In February, she is leading a group trip to Jamaica. Since she can\u2019t depend on a refund for herself or her travel companions, she will research other airlines for the best value.<\/p>\n \u201cThe things that aligned me with Southwest are gone,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n She is also modifying her expo in October.<\/p>\n At the Chicago event, she had planned to honor Southwest for its \u201cheart\u201d and commitment to inclusivity. This month, she decided she will no longer present the award to the carrier.<\/p>\n Related Content<\/p>\n As Trump tightens grip on D.C., officers say their chief is absent<\/a><\/p>\n How does Rick Steves do Europe? We went behind the scenes.<\/a><\/p>\n