Southwest Tweaks Schedule And Perks For Holidays

Published on Nov 18, 2025, 2:35 pm CST

8 min read

Key points

Southwest refines its late November schedule to align with FAA holiday capacity caps after the long government shutdown
TSA PreCheck Touchless ID expands from Denver to Atlanta New York LaGuardia Portland Seattle and Salt Lake City with app based enrollment
Digital bag check returns so customers can prepay for up to three standard bags in the Southwest app or online using Apple Pay PayPal or credit cards
Extra legroom retrofits on Southwest Boeing 737 700s shift to January 2026 keeping six additional seats per jet available through the holidays
These changes build on Southwest free inflight WiFi for Rapid Rewards Members and assigned seating that begins for travel on January 27 2026

Impact

Holiday Flights: Expect busy airports but slightly more Southwest seats in the market during Thanksgiving week and consider locking in plans early
Airport Screening: If you have TSA PreCheck and a valid passport enroll in Touchless ID in the Southwest app before flying from any of the six supported airports
Checked Baggage: Use the restored digital bag check feature after you check in to register and pay for up to three standard bags before reaching the counter
Seat Choices: Plan around assigned seating and extra legroom options on Southwest for trips booked for travel on or after January 27 2026
Contingency Planning: Build in extra time and backup options at major hubs that were subject to FAA cuts in case schedules shift again while the system stabilizes

Southwest Airlines is rolling out a cluster of schedule tweaks and digital tools aimed at keeping its network and customers moving during one of the most complicated Thanksgiving travel seasons in years. After weeks of FAA ordered flight reductions at 40 of the busiest U.S. airports during a prolonged government shutdown, the Dallas based carrier says it has redesigned its late November schedule to better match reduced capacity with surging holiday demand, while also expanding TSA PreCheck Touchless ID to more airports, restoring digital bag check, and deferring some cabin retrofits so more seats stay in circulation.

For travelers, the upshot is a mix of near term and longer horizon changes. In the short term, Southwest is trying to add predictability to Thanksgiving week by locking in a schedule that assumes capacity caps, then layering on faster security options at Atlanta, New York LaGuardia, Portland, Seattle, and Salt Lake City, plus a revived ability to check bags and pay fees digitally before reaching the airport. Looking ahead, the airline is also keeping six extra seats on each Boeing 737 700 through the holidays by pushing installation of new extra legroom cabins to January 2026, setting the stage for its move to assigned seating from January 27, 2026.

The net change is simple. Southwest is trying to avoid last minute schedule chaos and long airport queues by smoothing capacity, digitizing security and baggage touchpoints, and preserving as many seats as possible during a compressed peak week.

Southwest Aligns Thanksgiving Schedule With FAA Flight Caps

The government shutdown and the resulting FAA order to cut flights by 4 to 10 percent at 40 major airports forced every U.S. airline to rethink its November schedules, and Southwest was hit especially hard at hubs such as Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Regulators initially pushed carriers to trim four percent of flights in key time bands, with the cap set to rise to 8 percent and then 10 percent if staffing and safety pressures did not ease, and even after the shutdown ended the Department of Transportation froze cuts at about 6 percent to keep the system stable heading into Thanksgiving.

Southwest responded by reworking its late November 2025 schedule rather than trying to bolt on last minute flights if and when caps eased. In practice, that means the airline has focused on protecting core holiday flows such as family and leisure routes and trimming around the edges, instead of gambling on a rapid return to full flying that could collapse again if controller staffing wobbles. The airline told investors that shifting some aircraft retrofits and other timing decisions would add roughly two points of extra fourth quarter capacity compared with earlier plans, specifically to better handle holiday travel while the FAA order remains in place.

For passengers, the practical impact is that most schedule changes should already be visible in booking tools rather than arriving as day of travel surprises. If you are booked on Southwest during the Thanksgiving period, it is still wise to check your reservation frequently and sign up for flight alerts, but the carrier's stated strategy is to stabilize first, then grow back once regulators fully clear the caps.

TSA PreCheck Touchless ID Extends To Five More Southwest Stations

On the airport side, Southwest is leaning hard into TSA PreCheck Touchless ID to cut friction at security. After a pilot launch with the Transportation Security Administration at Denver International Airport in October, the airline is now expanding the facial comparison based program to Atlanta, New York LaGuardia, Portland, Seattle, and Salt Lake City.

TSA PreCheck Touchless ID lets eligible travelers verify their identity at the checkpoint via a live facial scan that is matched against a gallery derived from their passport photo, removing the need to present a physical ID. To use it with Southwest, you must be a Rapid Rewards Member, have an active TSA PreCheck Known Traveler Number, hold a valid passport, and opt in through the Southwest app by scanning that passport and turning on Touchless ID for future trips.

Once enrolled, new bookings that depart from Denver or any of the five additional stations will automatically be flagged for Touchless ID consideration, and an icon in the app will confirm when a given itinerary is eligible. At the airport, you proceed to a TSA PreCheck Touchless ID lane, pause at the camera for identity verification, then continue through standard TSA PreCheck screening.

Background. TSA PreCheck Touchless ID is part of a broader TSA push to use biometrics to streamline checkpoints for pre vetted travelers while maintaining or improving security. Programs like Global Entry already use facial comparison for arrivals, and TSA is now applying similar technology to domestic departures through airlines like Southwest that can embed enrollment in their apps, which can save several minutes per passenger at busy times.

Digital Bag Check Returns With New Payment Options

Another change that matters on busy days is the return of digital bag check for Southwest customers. After checking in, travelers can once again register up to three standard checked bags through the app or website, then pay applicable bag fees using credit cards, Apple Pay, or PayPal before they arrive at the airport.

The feature had been pulled earlier in the year as Southwest overhauled its baggage and payment systems, pushing all checked bag payments to airport counters and kiosks. That meant longer lines and more time at the front of the airport when the airline simultaneously started charging most customers for checked bags, a major culture shift after years of "bags fly free."

By restoring digital bag check, Southwest is trying to move some of that friction back upstream. If you know you will check bags, you can now add them the day before departure when you check in, pay any fees from your phone, and then use self service kiosks or bag drop counters simply to print tags and hand off luggage. That will be especially valuable at big holiday stations where kiosks are short and counter queues are long.

Seat Retrofit Delays Keep More Capacity In The Air

The last major near term change is a behind the scenes fleet decision that regular passengers will mostly feel through seat availability and pricing. Southwest had planned to retrofit its Boeing 737 700 fleet this quarter with new extra legroom cabins, a move that would have removed six seats from each aircraft as part of the redesign.

Instead, the airline told investors it will shift those retrofits into January 2026. That choice delays the seat removals and effectively injects more capacity into the system for the rest of the year, which Southwest estimates will add about two points of extra fourth quarter capacity compared with earlier guidance and help it hit record revenue while still being ready for the January 27, 2026 go live date for assigned seating and extra legroom seats.

For travelers, this means a few things. First, there will be slightly more seats available on many routes through the holidays than previously expected, which can help support more affordable fares on peak days even while demand is very high. Second, the fully reconfigured aircraft with extra legroom rows are already in the market on 737 MAX 8 and some 737 800 jets, and early 2026 will bring a more consistent experience as the 737 700 fleet is finally upgraded.

Finally, the retrofit delay lines up with Southwest's broader transformation, which includes assigned seating on and after January 27, 2026, free inflight WiFi for Rapid Rewards Members, new fare bundles, and refreshed elite benefits that tie seat selection and boarding groups to status and co branded credit card products.

Final thoughts

Southwest's latest moves add up to a pragmatic response to a constrained and politically charged holiday travel season. By baking FAA capacity limits into its Thanksgiving schedule, expanding TSA PreCheck Touchless ID to six stations, reviving digital bag check with modern payment options, and deferring some seat removals until after the holidays, the airline is trying to offer a more predictable experience in a fragile system.

If you are flying Southwest over Thanksgiving or into early 2026, the best strategy is to enroll in Touchless ID if you qualify, use digital bag check to shorten airport time, monitor your flights closely for any lingering schedule adjustments, and keep an eye on how assigned seating and extra legroom options roll out as travel shifts into the new year.