Southwest's first new 737 MAX with updated cabin enters service

The first new-delivery Boeing 737 MAX 8 to feature Southwest Airlines’ new-design cabin is set to enter revenue service today.

Delivered to Southwest earlier this week, and resplendent in a palette of blue tones, the new 737 MAX 8 — bearing tail number N8972S — is fitted with RECARO’s popular R2 seats, each with a multi-adjustable headrest, a device holder, and Astronics‘ USB-A and USB-C power ports in the seatback.

Passengers can also expect larger overhead bins, a refreshed Boeing Sky Interior lighting package, and updated carpet with Southwest’s signature heart logo woven in.

Southwest’s new Extra Legroom seats are also aboard the new MAX; they are positioned at the front of the cabin and near the exit rows.

Extra Legroom seats are billed as offering “up to five” more inches of legroom as compared to both standard-legroom seats which are pitched at 31″ and ‘preferred’ seats that offer standard legroom but are positioned near the front of the plane. (The new standard seat pitch is 1-inch tighter than Southwest’s previous celebrated standard of 32″.)

Extra Legroom seats are distinguishable from the other seats by a sky blue sunray design that is visible from the front and back.

“Each new aircraft Southwest receives from Boeing will include these features, delivering on Southwest’s fleet modernization plans and bringing an elevated onboard experience with premium options to our customers,” Southwest said in a statement.

Customers in Extra Legroom seats will also enjoy other perks, including boarding in Group 1 or 2 based on availability (as such, they’ll generally gain earlier access to the overhead bin space), and complimentary premium beverages.

In addition to Southwest’s usual snack line up, enhanced snack options — including a choice of Wonderful® Pistachios No Shells — will be offered to Extra Legroom customers on select flights of 251 miles or more, excluding Hawaiian inter-island flights.

Earlier this week, RECARO’s Fort Worth team visited the Southwest hangar to view the customized, factory-fit seats aboard the new 737 MAX 8.

“We’re in LUV with this partnership,” the seatmaker said on LinkedIn. They first announced their collaboration at the 2024 Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg.

Passengers may also spot other changes on board the new 737 MAX 8 twinjet including refreshed uniforms for the crew.

Meanwhile, Southwest is in the process of updating other aircraft in its fleet. Boeing 737 MAX and 737-800 retrofits began earlier this year to support the new Extra Legroom product. And new Recaro R2 seats have been earmarked to be fitted to a cluster of 737-800s later this year.

Southwest also intends to modernize more than half of its Boeing 737-700s by adding in-seat power.

Refurbishment work on the -700s is expected to begin in the second half of 2026 and completed by mid-2027. “Aircraft expected to remain in our fleet longest are being prioritized for this upgrade,” Southwest said of the -700 retrofits.

As announced last month, T-Mobile-sponsored free inflight Wi-Fi will also be available to all Rapid Rewards Members from 24 October.

And, in what is perhaps the biggest shift in the company’s history, Southwest will pivot from the ‘cattle call’ open seating model it has used for decades to assigned seating on 27 January 2026.

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All images credited to Southwest Airlines