Fat Butt? It’s Gonna Cost Ya! Southwest Airlines is Changing The Rules…

Are you plus-size? Do you fly often? It might be time to switch up your diet and lose a few pounds, unless you're ready to fork over some serious cash for an already-cruddy flight with Southwest Airlines.

The Deets

Beginning January 27, 2026, Southwest Airlines will force large customers to purchase an additional, non-refundable seat directly through the airline's website. This means that not only will plus-size passengers pay twice as much for their tickets, but they also won't even be able to cash in on cheap flights offered on sites like Kayak or Expedia anymore.

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Southwest Speaks

Southwest Airlines told FOX Business, "We are updating many policies as we prepare our operation, Employees, and Customers for assigned seating on January 27, 2026. To ensure space, we are communicating to Customers who have previously used the extra seat policy that they should purchase it at booking."

More Bad News

Unfortunately, this won't just affect a couple of people. This has the potential to piss off roughly 172 million individuals in the United States, based on the CDC's 2020-2021 study that found 70.4% of the adults in America were overweight and obese.

Of course, not everyone who fits into the category of "overweight" or "obese" will actually need two seats. Some of us are fine with feeling a little cramped for a few hours. But the airline has decided that the definitive seat boundary is the armrest. If you're hanging over those, you've got to get another ticket.

I Want To Hear From YOU, Big Folk

What do you think about these changes? Drop a comment below this article, or email me at Chrissy.Covington@townsquaremedia.com for more privacy.

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