Southwest Airlines Just Overhauled Its Fares Classes and Perks for Credit Card Holders—What to Know

Travelers will no longer be asked “Wanna Get Away?” by a popular low-cost airline.

Southwest Airlines announced it is refreshing its fare class offerings, as well as roll out new perks for its credit card members. As part of the updates, it will discontinue the use of the “Wanna Get Away” branding for its low-cost fares. 

Travelers may be familiar with Southwest’s current structure of fares, which include Business Select, Anytime, and Wanna Get Away Plus. In the future, these will be known as Choice Extra, Choice Preferred, and Choice, respectively. The airline’s most affordable fare class, called simply Wanna Get Away, will become Southwest’s Basic fare.

“Wanna Get Away showed some personality, this is just sad,” one traveler shared in a Reddit forum dedicated to Southwest Airlines. 

The new fare classes take account for the recently announced, and somewhat controversial, assigned seating policy. Passengers who book a Basic fare won’t be given an option to choose their seat, as it will be assigned at check-in. The Choice level includes a standard seat, which is a spot with standard legroom toward the back of the plane. Choice Preferred includes a preferred seat—which is a standard-legroom seat toward the front of the plane—or a standard seat, both of which are selected at the time of booking. 

Although the new fare bundles were recently announced, they won’t go on sale until the third quarter of 2025 for flights departing in 2026. Southwest did not provide exact launch dates for the new fares except for Basic, which customers will see as a booking option starting May 28.

“With new choices like seat selection and Extra Legroom, our enhanced fare bundles let Customers customize their trip while still enjoying our industry-leading reliability and hospitality.” Southwest Airlines Executive Vice President Customer & Brand Tony Roach said in a news release obtained by Travel + Leisure.

Travelers with a Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Credit Card will receive extra perks such as the ability to select a seat regardless of which fare was purchased or what level of card they hold. They will also get their first checked bag for free, along with the existing card benefits. 

The airline made headlines earlier this year for ending a 54-year-old policy of offering two free checked bags to passengers. The major change caused loyal Southwest customers to say they would no longer fly with the airline.