Southwest assigned seats begin Jan. 27 with new boarding groups

Southwest Airlines is in the final stage of a major shift away from its long-standing open-seating model, with assigned seating and group-based boarding taking effect for flights departing Jan. 27, 2026.

From Reno-Tahoe International Airport, Southwest serves a mix of West Coast, Mountain West and connecting destinations across the U.S., including markets such as Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area.