Southwest Airlines Will End Its Longstanding Open-Seating Policy
Southwest Airlines is ending its 50-year open-seating policy for assigned seating due to customer preference. This change aims to boost revenue amid financial losses and improve operational efficiency.
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Southwest Airlines has announced the end of its 50-year open-seating policy, transitioning to assigned seating for passengers. This decision, influenced by customer feedback indicating that 80% prefer assigned seats, aims to enhance revenue and align the airline with conventional practices seen in other major airlines like American and United. The change comes as Southwest faces financial challenges, reporting a $231 million loss in the first quarter, which was worse than expected. The airline has been struggling with delayed Boeing 737 deliveries and production issues following a safety incident.
Southwest's open-seating model allowed passengers to choose their seats upon boarding, a practice that has become less favorable as travelers increasingly opt for longer flights where seat assignments are preferred. The airline conducted extensive research, including over eight million boarding simulations, to ensure that the new policy would not hinder operational efficiency. Additionally, Southwest plans to introduce seats with extra legroom and will begin offering overnight flights on select routes starting in February. These changes are part of a broader strategy to improve customer satisfaction and operational performance while addressing the competitive landscape of the airline industry.
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7 comments$50/seat for early boarding position, so it’s not like they weren’t already charging more for an aisle or window near the front.
If being able to pick an acceptable seat ends up costing more than this, I'll be firmly in the territory of just price shopping between the other US airlines and picking whoever has the best price for the route. Admittedly, as someone who flies alone the vast majority of the time, this system worked well for me without much overhead. I can understand how families might be relieved at being able to reserve seats all next to each other as the cost of early bird for say 4 people would really add up. I guess I'll just be enjoying my current setup while I can and then move forward without any sort of loyalty.
the wheelchair hack was demoted to amateur hour, the pros moved on to a simple arm sling they could fold up and put in their pocket
good riddance to a dumb policy
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