Southwest Airlines has taken delivery of its first Boeing 737 MAX 8 with the updated cabin that is being rolled out across the fleet. The airline held an event in Phoenix on Tuesday to reveal the new cabin, describing it as “a major milestone in our journey to give customers more choice.” The aircraft has since been ferried to Dallas Love Field and is set to enter service tomorrow as Flight WN1628 on the 6:00 AM departure to Houston Hobby Airport.
Included in the updated cabin are new Recaro R2 seats, larger overhead bins, a refreshed lighting package, and a range of updated design details. All new 737 MAX 8 aircraft delivered to Southwest will now come with the new cabin installed directly from the factory. The airline is also in the midst of retrofitting its 737-800 fleet and will begin retrofitting its smaller 737-700s next year.
An Elevated New Cabin Design
Southwest’s new cabin design is the result of extensive research done with customers to understand their perceptions of color, comfort, and aspirations for the overall onboard experience. It centers around a palette of blue tones, evident in the refreshed LED lighting courtesy of Boeing’s Sky Interior, new multi-tone blue leather seats, new carpeting throughout the cabin, and even new uniforms that will be rolled out in 2027.
Southwest made the decision last year to switch to the Recaro R2 seats, which will be standard on all new MAX 8 deliveries as well as replace the Meridian seats that have been installed on the MAX 8s delivered to date. The new R2 seats will feature a multi-adjustable headrest cushion, an integrated tablet and phone holder on the rear, and in-seat power with integrated USB-A and USB-C ports.
Tony Roach, chief customer officer at Southwest, said during the reveal of the new MAX 8 cabin that the aim is to create an environment that feels modern and welcoming:
“If you think about all the changes we’ve been making, especially to the cabin experience, this is the culmination of everything together. It is the marker of our new product, an elevated experience for our customers, and something that feels uniquely Southwest.”
The cabin layout also includes the new Extra Legroom (ELR) sections that Southwest is adding to its aircraft. The carrier is moving towards assigned seats and three seating choices for passengers, based upon the type of ticket purchased (see table below). These are open for booking on flights from January 27, 2026.
|
Southwest Airlines’ New Seating Choices |
|
|
Standard |
Standard legroom seats with 31″ of pitch, located at the back of the cabin. These are booked via Choice or Basic tickets, with passengers on Choice able to pre-select seats, and Basic tickets having seats assigned at check-in. |
|
Preferred |
The same standard legroom seat, but these are located forward of the wing, offering earlier boarding and deplaning. These are purchased via a Choice Preferred ticket, which is fully refundable. |
|
Extra Legroom |
Seats that offer extra legroom with up to five additional inches of pitch, depending on the aircraft type. These are located in the front five rows of the cabin and at overwing exits. These seats are purchased via a Choice Extra ticket. |
The ELR seats stand out from the rest of the cabin as they feature a sky blue ‘sunray’ design that is visible from the front and back. Unlike Spirit Airlines, which offers a larger premium seat, these are the same Recaro R2 seats, but with an additional five inches of legroom. The passenger experience is also enhanced as ELR seats come with two free checked bags, early boarding, premium drinks and snacks, and free Wi-Fi.
Southwest has also been retrofitting its existing fleet with the ELR seats over the past few months, turning around about eight aircraft each night at its facilities in Denver, Phoenix, Houston, and Atlanta. The retrofits are now complete on over half of its fleet, including all the 737 MAX 8s and the bulk of its -800s.
More Onboard Enhancements To Come
The updated interiors also include a number of other features that most passengers will undoubtedly welcome. These include:
- Larger overhead bins that can reportedly accommodate 60% more bags.
- In-seat power with a USB-A and USB-C port on each seatback.
- Free WiFi for all Rapid Rewards Members, in partnership with T-Mobile.
Southwest reports that retrofits have this far equipped about 40% of its current fleet with in-seat power, and 20% with the larger bins, again with the focus on completing the changes with its MAX 8s and -800s first.
The carrier intends to start retrofits for its smaller 737-700s in the back half of 2026, to be completed by mid-2027. Southwest is retiring its 737NGs in favor of an all-MAX fleet by 2031, so the estimate is that it will modernize about half of them, with the aircraft expected to remain in the fleet longest being prioritized for the upgrade.
