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Southwest completed its Boeing 737-700 seat retrofit in January 2026, before the airline’s January 27 assigned-seating launch. The change removed six seats from each aircraft, reducing the configuration from 143 seats to 137 and making room for Extra Legroom seating.
Did Southwest finish the 737-700 seat retrofit?
Yes. Southwest’s 2025 Form 10-K says the 737-700 retrofit was completed in January 2026. The airline had previously set a target of finishing before January 27, 2026, when assigned seating began, so completion was ahead of that milestone. Southwest has not stated how many days early the work finished.
In July 2025, Southwest said it had the approvals and certifications needed for the work and expected to begin the retrofit in January 2026. The airline also said its Technical Operations team had streamlined the work timeline. Southwest’s third-quarter 2025 Form 10-Q describes the planned schedule and the six-seat reduction.
Southwest began assigned seating and offered its new seat categories for eligible travel on January 27, 2026. The airline’s assigned-seating information explains its current categories and selection rules.
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How many seats does a Southwest 737-700 have?
After the retrofit, Southwest’s 737-700 configuration has 137 seats, down from 143. The six-seat reduction is per aircraft, not a fleetwide total. Southwest’s year-end 2025 fleet table listed 305 Boeing 737-700s; that is a dated snapshot, not a statement of the current operating fleet. These figures are reported in the airline’s 2025 Form 10-K.
Southwest scheduled the work for January rather than removing seats during the holiday travel period. That timing preserved the aircraft’s existing capacity through the holidays while keeping the assigned-seating launch on track.
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How much extra legroom does the 737-700 offer?
Southwest says Extra Legroom seats on the 737-700 provide five additional inches of seat pitch. Seat pitch is the distance between a point on one seat and the same point on the seat in front; it is not seat width. The airline’s published ranges are:
| Southwest 737-700 seat category | Published seat pitch |
|---|---|
| Extra Legroom | 35–36 inches |
| Standard/Preferred | 31–33 inches |
These figures come from Southwest’s airplane specifications. Southwest describes Extra Legroom seats as being at the front of the cabin and near exit rows, and notes that pitch varies by aircraft. The retrofit changed the seating configuration to accommodate the category; the published specifications do not indicate that it made seats wider.
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What the seat reduction means for Southwest’s costs
In its January 2026 financial results release, Southwest forecast that removing six seats from the 737-700 fleet would contribute 1.1 percentage points to the year-over-year increase in first-quarter 2026 CASM-X, with total CASM-X growth forecast at approximately 3.5%. CASM-X is an airline unit-cost measure. This was company guidance, not a measured per-passenger fare increase or a statement that ticket prices would rise by the same amount. See Southwest’s fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results release.
What passengers should check before choosing a seat
Seat categories and selection eligibility depend on Southwest’s current policies and a traveler’s fare or booking. Before purchasing or managing a trip, consult the airline’s live assigned-seating page for the applicable rules, and use the airplane specifications to compare published pitch by aircraft type. Seat pitch alone does not establish seat width or guarantee that a particular seat will be available on a specific flight.
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