Southwest Overhauls Fares: Hello “Choice,” Farewell “Wanna Get Away”

Southwest Airlines is undergoing major changes at the moment, as the airline introduces assigned and extra legroom seating, eliminates free checked bags, and much more. There’s a lot changing, all at once, and it can be hard to keep up.

Along those lines, the airline has today revealed plans to fully rebrand its fare bundles. We already knew the airline would introduce basic economy, but there’s even more that’s changing.

Details of Southwest’s new & rebranded fare bundles

Currently, Southwest’s fare bundles are known as Wanna Get Away, Wanna Get Away Plus, Anytime, and Business Select. Over the coming months, we’ll see the airline replace those fare bundles with Basic, Choice, Choice Preferred, and Choice Extra. This coincides with the airline rolling out assigned and extra legroom seating.

So, what will be included with each of those fare bundles? Let’s go over them, from the most basic, to the most premium (thanks to Sean Cudahy for flagging the details).

Details of new Southwest Basic fares

Basic fares (replacing Wanna Get Away fares) will go on sale as of May 28, 2025, and will be the most affordable fares. These fares:

• Won’t include complimentary seat selection, and a seat will be assigned at check-in
• Won’t include checked bags
• Will earn 2x Rapid Rewards points per dollar spent
• Will offer the lowest boarding priority
• Will allow flights to be canceled for a non-refundable travel credit that’s valid for six months

Details of new Southwest Choice fares

Choice fares (replacing Wanna Get Away Plus fares) will go on sale in the third quarter of 2025, for flights in 2026. These fares:

• Will include complimentary standard seat selection
• Won’t include checked bags
• Will earn 6x Rapid Rewards points per dollar spent
• Will offer standard boarding priority
• Will allow flights to be canceled for a non-refundable travel credit that’s valid for 12 months
• Will allow same day changes and standby

Details of new Southwest Choice Preferred fares

Choice Preferred fares (replacing Anytime fares) will go on sale in the third quarter of 2025, for flights in 2026. These fares:

• Will include complimentary preferred or standard seat selection
• Won’t include checked bags
• Will earn 10x Rapid Rewards points per dollar spent
• Will offer higher boarding priority
• Will allow flights to be be fully refunded, or canceled for a non-refundable travel credit that’s valid for 12 months
• Will allow same day changes and standby
• Will allow priority security access

Details of new Southwest Choice Extra fares

Choice Extra fares (replacing Business Select fares) will go on sale in the third quarter of 2025, for flights in 2026. These fares:

• Will include complimentary extra legroom, preferred, or standard seat selection
• Will include two free checked bags
• Will earn 14x Rapid Rewards points per dollar spent
• Will offer the highest boarding priority
• Will allow flights to be be fully refunded, or canceled for a non-refundable travel credit that’s valid for 12 months
• Will allow same day changes and standby
• Will allow priority security access
• Will include a premium drink and inflight Wi-Fi

My take on Southwest’s updated fare bundles

Ultimately this latest announcement is mostly about rebranding, rather than any major changes to what’s included in fare bundles, beyond what we previously knew. The biggest change is coming with the introduction of Basic fares, though that’s something we learned about several weeks ago.

We know that Southwest is currently changing so many things about its business model. But what stands out to me with this latest announcement is that obviously Southwest is just trying to completely reinvent itself, and the new airline will look nothing like the old airline.

People were familiar with Southwest’s fare bundles more than comparable bundles with other airlines, and those are now being retired. I guess Southwest doesn’t want people to remember any of the legacy inclusions with these fares.

What’s going to be next — will Southwest stop capitalizing “Employees” and “Guests?”

Bottom line

In the coming months, Southwest will overhaul its fare classes, which coincides with the airline introducing assigned and extra legroom seating. As part of this, we’ll see the airline retire its popular “Wanna Get Away” branding, replacing it with “Basic” and “Choice” branding. It’s clear that Southwest wants to ditch its entire history, and be viewed as a totally new airline.

What do you make of Southwest rebranding its fare bundles?