Travel

Southwest Airlines To End Its Open Seating Policy After 53 Years

Published

5 months ago

July 26, 2024

Photo credit: Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines announced yesterday that they were doing away with their long-standing open seating policy, where you could choose whatever seat you like when you boarded the plane. This, along with allowing two free checked bags and no-fees for flight changes, helped them stand out from the rest of the carriers who charge for everything imaginable.

But like they say, all good things must come to an end, with the discount carrier stating that they were moving to a more traditional assigned seating model. While the motivation is likely to boost revenue, they’re spinning it as such:

After listening carefully to Customers and conducting extensive research, Southwest decided it will assign seats and offer premium seating options on all flights. The airline has been known for its unique open seating model for more than 50 years, but preferences have evolved with more Customers taking longer flights where a seat assignment is preferred. Southwest conducted robust operational testing that included live and over 8 million simulation-based boarding trials. The airline is confident that these Customer enhancements will meet expectations and not compromise the airline’s operational efficiency.

The research is clear and indicates that 80% of Southwest Customers, and 86% of potential Customers, prefer an assigned seat. When a Customer elects to stop flying with Southwest and chooses a competitor, open seating is cited as the number one reason for the change. By moving to an assigned seating model, Southwest expects to broaden its appeal and attract more flying from its current and future Customers.

In addition to assigning seats, Southwest will offer a premium, extended legroom portion of the cabin that research shows many Customers strongly prefer. While specific cabin layout details are still in design, Southwest expects roughly one-third of seats across the fleet to offer extended legroom, in line with that offered by industry peers on narrowbody aircraft.

Bob Jordan, Southwest Airlines’ President, CEO, & Vice Chairman of the Board, said the carrier expects to roll out the new seating and boarding options sometime in 2025. He said one thing won’t change: The carrier has no immediate plans to implement bag fees. Whew!

News of the open seating change has the Internet buzzing, drawing negative reaction from die-hard Southwest fans who are opposed to this. Personally, I never cared for the game where I had to check in exactly 24 hours before my flight or get stuck with a crappy boarding order. Or paying a fee for priority boarding. Give me a reasonably priced ticket to where I need to go, and I could care less about where I’m seated.

What do you think about Southwest’s decision to get rid of open seating?