lockers

SOUTHWEST Airlines has revealed its new cabin interior and the seats have been made to be extra comfy.

The budget airline says it has listened to travellers and improved facilities in its updated cabin like USB chargers and entertainment holders.

Southwest Airlines is the world’s biggest budget airline as it serves the largest number of routes around the world.

Now, it has revealed the new design onboard its Boeing 737 MAX 8 – the airline even took passenger feedback into account when creating the new cabin.

It has covered “employee perceptions of color, comfort, and aspirations for the overall onboard experience, and it’s meant to create a cabin environment that feels modern, welcoming, and uniquely Southwest.”

The airline added that its seats “are intuitively designed for ultimate comfort, while maximizing seat width and overall support”.

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The design should make for better lumbar support than the current seats on Southwest’s planes.

Along with a new seat design the cabin has bigger overhead lockers with space for 60 per cent more bags, USB-A and USB-C chargers at every seat and carpeting and lighting updates.

It even has a holder for electronic devices on the back of seats, and tray tables have inset drink holders on left and right.

On the plane are extra legroom rows which have been fitted ahead of the official launch of assigned seating from January 2026.

More than half of the carrier’s planes have now been fitted with extra legroom as of mid-October 2025.

So while economy seats have been fitted with extras, they aren’t any bigger. The pitch is 31″, while extra legroom seats have five inches more legroom.

Extra legroom seats also come with two free checked bags, early boarding, premium drinks and snacks, and free Wi-Fi.

Earlier this year, Chris Perry, a Southwest spokesperson, told USA TODAY: “We didn’t want to remove any seats from the planes so we pulled down an inch of pitch to accommodate the ELR [extra legroom] seating and stay at 175 seats” referring to the Boeing 737-800 and Max 8 planes

He added the airline’s 737-700s will each have six fewer seats after retrofits.  

Meanwhile, another airline has revealed its new cabin configuration which stops passengers in basic economy from fully reclining its seats.

WestJet announced it has had a “full cabin refresh” and introduced economy seating with a “fixed recline” to its Boeing 737-8 MAX and 737-800 aircraft.

WestJet explained that the reason for this is to “help preserve personal space”.

For passengers who do want to put their seats back, you can do so in premium – a new seating option which has been added to the aircraft.

The airline went on to add that the new seating options are good news for passengers as it will result in cheaper tickets.

It’s not uncommon for airlines to reduce the size of an economy pitch altogether.

This is because filling economy seats means that airlines can cover basic costs, whereas selling premium or first class tickets is where they make their money.

By reducing the size of economy seats, or even taking some out altogether, airlines have room to create more space for high-profit cabins.

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Airlines across the globe are cracking down on a popular device following safety concerns and are banning it from being stored in overhead lockers – here’s everything you need to know

A growing list of major airlines has banned a popular item from being stored in the overhead lockers during flights amid safety fears.

Japan is among the latest countries to join the global clampdown on carrying portable chargers on flights. On Monday, Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism unveiled a series of new regulations for passengers with these devices.

Set to kick in from 8 July, travellers will need to keep power banks – even if not in use – within sight at all times and not stashed away in overhead compartments.

In addition, passengers flying domestically within Japan or internationally on Japanese carriers such as All Nippon Airways or Japan Airlines will also face limitations on the type of chargers they can bring onboard. To mitigate the risk of explosions and fires, batteries exceeding a capacity of 160 watt-hours will be prohibited.

The ministry’s rules stipulate that passengers can only carry two such devices when flying. Portable electronic gadgets, like mobile phones or laptops, must be placed somewhere they can be constantly monitored for overheating while charging, reports the Express.

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These modifications are in addition to existing restrictions that prevent power banks from being stored in checked luggage in aircraft holds.

Japan is following in the footsteps of China’s Civil Aviation Administration in tightening regulations on portable chargers. Just last Saturday, the Chinese regulator decreed that anyone travelling by air within China can only carry devices that have been safety-certified in the country.

The push for tighter regulations follows an incident in which a fire engulfed an Air Busan aircraft in South Korea this January, injuring seven. Portable chargers were cited as a potential culprit.

This led South Korea to issue reminders to passengers to keep their chargers close and visible during flights. Taiwanese airlines EVA Air and China Airlines have also clamped down, prohibiting the use of power banks on board.

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Ryanair has also been cautioning its customers against stowing portable chargers in overhead compartments.

The Air Transport Association, representing 350 carriers and over 80% of worldwide air traffic, advised: “We recommend that you keep all your electronic devices in carry-on baggage.”

In the United States alone, 84 recorded incidents last year involved malfunctions of lithium-ion batteries, commonly used in these portable chargers, up from 32 in 2016. With these gadgets becoming increasingly popular, sales are soaring in the UK, where the market was valued at $62m in 2023, as reported by Next Move Strategy Consulting.

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