Southwest has set Jan. 27 as the date in which it will begin operating flights with assigned seats.
Flyers can begin reserving seat assignments for those flights, and also booking Southwest's new extra-legroom seats, on July 29.
The long-planned changes will also come with a new Southwest boarding process. Gone will be the carrier's current procedure, in which flyers are asked to line up based on boarding groups of A through C and positions within those groups of 1 through 60.
Instead, boarding will be divided into eight groups, more closely resembling other carriers. Groups 1 and 2 will be for flyers who the carrier's new top fare bundle, called Choice Extra, and for holders of its top loyalty status, called A-list Preferred. Flyers with the lower A-List status who purchase an extra-legroom seat as an upgrade to a lower fare category will also board in groups 1 or 2.
Groups 3 through 5 will be for flyers who book the second-level fare bundle, called Choice Extra, as well as for flyers with A-List status and for holders of Southwest co-branded credit cards.
Flyers who buy the bottom two fare products, Choice and Basic, and who aren't Southwest card holders, will board in Group 6 through 8.
Flyers also will have the option of purchasing priority boarding within 24 hours of departure.
Southwest's new fare products
Under Southwest's new fare products, which were announced in April, flyers who purchase the Basic fare aren't able to select a seat at booking. However, A-List members will be able to reserve a standard or preferred seat, even when purchasing a basic fare. A-List Preferred members will be able to reserve an extra-legroom seat for free, even when purchasing a Basic fare. Other flyers with Rapid Rewards credit cards will be able to choose a standard seat when buying Basic fares, either at booking or within 48 hours of their flight, depending on which card product they hold.
A-List Preferred members will also get two free bags for themselves and up to eight additional passengers on their reservations -- regardless of fare product. A-List members will get one free bag for themselves and up to eight other flyers.
With Southwest's new commercial model and aircraft configurations, extra-legroom seats will be split between the front of the plane and three rows in the middle of the plane, two of which are exit rows. Preferred seats will occupy the area between the two extra-legroom sections. Standard seats will take up the back half of aircraft.