Southwest will now assign seats, breaking long-standing tradition — here’s why
It’s a plane shock.
Southwest is getting rid of its iconic pick-any-seat flying policy, relegating travelers to assigned spots on airplanes.
The announced move comes as the airline prepares to sell special, extra legroom seats next year and plans to start launching overnight flights in February.
Both of those upcoming changes influenced nixing open seating, where some could pay more to board earlier before the passenger free-for-all to claim empty space would begin.
CEO Bob Jordan noted the longstanding tradition was “part of Southwest Airlines since our inception.”
“Moving to assigned seating and offering premium legroom options will be a transformational change that cuts across almost all aspects of the company,” said Jordan.
They justify the move from survey data that showed 80% of customers and 86% prefer having assigned seats. The new, extra legroom seats will be made available on about a third of Southwest’s fleet and will be “in line with that offered by industry peers on narrowbody aircraft.”
That rework, which came after the airline’s February seat redesign crashed and burned with customers for appearing uncomfortable, still needs to be approved by the FAA.
Southwest’s first overnight flights will launch on Valentine’s Day for five routes: Las Vegas to Baltimore and Orlando; Los Angeles to Baltimore and Nashville; and Phoenix to Baltimore.
The changes come after investors put pressure on the airline to turn a profit in June, CNBC reported.
“Together, these strategic initiatives play an integral role in the airline’s comprehensive strategy to meet Customer needs and enhance Shareholder value,” Chief Commercial Officer Ryan Green said.
