Southwest Airlines Will End Its Longstanding Open-Seating Policy
The airline said it was scrapping its trademark, 50-year tradition of offering open seating, where passengers choose seats once they have boarded the plane.
July 25, 2024, 9:25 a.m. ET
by Jenny Gross
Southwest Airlines will start assigning seats to passengers, ending its longstanding policy of allowing passengers to pick their seats once they have boarded, the airline said on Thursday.
The new procedure will be implemented to increase revenue and in response to feedback from customers, 80 percent of whom report preferring an assigned seat, Southwest said.
“This is the right choice — at the right time — for our customers, our people and our shareholders,” said Bob Jordan, the president and chief executive of Southwest. Even though the airline has been known for its unique seating model for more than 50 years, preferences have evolved, with more customers taking longer flights where they prefer a seat assignment, the statement said. The new policy was reported earlier by The Wall Street Journal.
The changes bring Southwest, which for years has distinguished itself by offering low prices and a simple business approach, more in line with conventional airlines like American Airlines and United Airlines.
Airlines have tinkered with ways to make boarding more efficient since they started charging for checked bags 15 years ago. That change led more people to bring carry-on luggage and increased demand for early boarding to compete for space in overhead bins.
United Airlines last year updated its boarding process so that passengers in economy with window seats and exit rows would board the plane before people in the middle and aisle seats. The change, which affected domestic flights and some international ones, was expected to cut up to two minutes from boarding time on each flight, according to an internal memo shared with The New York Times in October.
Southwest’s new plans came as it faced significant challenges in achieving its growth plans. The airline reported a loss of $231 million for the first quarter, worse than analysts expected, sending its share price down 10 percent in early trading. Southwest, which flies only Boeing 737 planes, said in April that delayed deliveries of Boeing planes had caused it to struggle. In January, a panel of a Boeing 737 blew out during an Alaska Airlines flight, leading to a slowdown in production as Boeing faced increased regulatory scrutiny over its quality control.
Southwest in April said that it was studying the implication of ending its open-seating policy after listening to customers and conducting extensive research. This included more than eight million simulation-based boarding trials, the airline said, adding that it was confident the changes would “not compromise the airline’s operational efficiency.”
While some passengers love Southwest’s open seating policy, especially when flights are empty, Southwest said that open seating was the top reason that customers cited for choosing airlines other than Southwest.
Currently, Southwest has open seating for Groups A through C, each with a boarding position numbered 1 through 60 or higher. Passengers line up by number, assigned by order of check-in, with some exceptions for frequent fliers and people who pay more for boarding upgrades or pricier ticket options.
Southwest said on Thursday that it would also soon start offering seats with extra legroom, a plan that the airline said it would give more details about in late September. About a third of the seats on each flight would offer extended legroom, the statement said.
Starting next February, Southwest will also introduce overnight flights, initially on five routes: Las Vegas to Baltimore and Orlando; Los Angeles to Baltimore and Nashville; and Phoenix to Baltimore. These scheduling changes were expected to provide incremental revenue increases and cost savings, the airline said.
