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”.
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.
Here’s one major airline that has launched its first lie-flat beds in premium economy.
Plus, one of the world’s best airlines reveals plans to launch ‘game-changer’ new economy seats.