Southwest ending its open seating policy

For the first time in its history, Southwest Airlines is doing away with open seating.

The Texas-based carrier, which has used a unique open seating model for more than 50 years, announced Thursday that it will assign seats and offer premium seating options on all flights.

Southwest became known for having a single economy-class cabin with open seating assignments. Currently, passengers are assigned a boarding group but once they are onboard, they can choose any available seat. Customers can pay extra to board early to get their preferred seat.

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The recently announced changes will effectively allow the carrier to boost profits by charging a higher rate for its premium seats across all its flights. 

Southwest said it plans to offer a premium, extended legroom portion of the cabin and expects roughly one-third of seats across the fleet to offer extended legroom. That’s in line with what industry peers offer on narrow-body aircraft.

Southwest said the decision came after research indicated that 80% of its customers and nearly 90% of potential customers prefer having an assigned seat. 

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“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,” Southwest said in its Thursday release. “By moving to an assigned seating model, Southwest expects to broaden its appeal and attract more flying from its current and future customers.”

A Southwest Airlines passenger flight takes off from San Diego International Airport in San Diego, California, on Feb. 3, 2023. (REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo / Reuters Photos)

In April, Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan hinted that the carrier was considering changing the boarding and seating processes on its planes in order to improve its financial position.

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His comments came as Jordan warned that the carrier is contending with financial fallout from Boeing delays and announced it’s pulling out of multiple underperforming airports.

Southwest said these changes won’t “compromise the airline’s operational efficiency.” 

While the carrier didn’t disclose when these changes would officially occur, it said it would offer more details during its investor day in September.