On , Southwest unveiled "Independence One," a Boeing 737 MAX 8 with a special livery celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States.
: Beginning in May 2025 , the airline ended its long-standing "bags fly free" policy for its lowest fare tiers, charging $35 for the first bag and $45 for the second .
: Features a red, white, and blue scheme with "1776" written in quill script and 13 stars representing the original colonies. southwest
As Southwest expands its reach, it has introduced several routes that push the limits of its Boeing 737 fleet:
: Starting in early 2026 , Southwest will permanently retire its open seating policy. A traditional group-based boarding system (Groups 1–8) will replace the A, B, and C positions. On , Southwest unveiled "Independence One," a Boeing
: Southwest is moving away from purely point-to-point flying toward a hub-and-spoke model and is cutting roughly 30 underperforming routes in early 2026. Record-Long Flights
: In May 2026, Southwest will launch its first-ever flights to Anchorage, Alaska from Denver and Las Vegas. Special Edition Fleet: "Independence One" As Southwest expands its reach, it has introduced
: The classic fare types (e.g., "Wanna Get Away") have been rebranded as "Basic," "Choice," "Choice Preferred," and "Choice Extra" .