The New Boarding Policy Changes That Southwest Passengers Should Know About

Southwest Airlines in 2026 is very different from the Southwest Airlines of 2022, or 2010, or the 20th century. For decades, Southwest has changed little, but under the firm hand of Elliott Investment Management, the company has radically changed its business model, operating practices, and customer experience. One of the things that Southwest Airlines was most famous for was its open boarding policy, but this has now gone away, as have many other unique Southwest Airlines quirks.