A famous Southwest Airlines policy has officially changed.
Over the last 50 years, Southwest Airlines has become one of the best-known and most successful airline carriers in the U.S. It’s also become known for some comparatively quirky policies. Some are very popular, such as the fact that they’re the only major airline that doesn’t charge to check one to two bags. However, others are a bit more controversial, and one of those has officially gone away.
UPDATE: Southwest Airlines has announced it will END its controversial open seating policy. Southwest has decided to assign seats and offer premium seating options on all flights. Previously, the airline had been known for its open seating model, but recent polls show that 80% of Southwest customers, and 86% of potential customers, prefer an assigned seat.
In addition to the seat assignments, Southwest plans to offer a “premium, extended legroom portion of the cabin that research shows many Customers strongly prefer.”
READ MORE ABOUT THE SOUTHWEST AIRLINES SEATING POLICY CHANGE HERE
For the entirety of its existence, Southwest has maintained a seating policy that every other major airline has abandoned over the years. Instead of allowing – – and charging for – – customers to pick seats beforehand, Southwest passengers pick their seats once they board on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Southwest has found ways to monetize the process over the years. For example, they offer an EarlyBird fee that allows those who purchase it to move closer to the front of the line to board the plane, in turn giving them a better shot at the seat they desire. However, they do not offer assigned seats nor do they have a first-class cabin. That is all changing, however.
Earlier this year, Southwest CEO Robert Jordan said that the company was “looking into new initiatives, things like the way we seat and board our aircraft” to improve finances following a disappointing first quarter report.
Now that it has been confirmed, it seems like only a matter of time until Southwest changes to a policy more in line with other airlines. According to the Washington Post, the changes will come sometime in 2025. However, the question is: Will customers mind? The answer is probably a bit complicated.
While there will sure be some Southwest passengers upset at the change, there may be even more people who see the change as a positive. Savanthi Syth, an airlines analyst with Raymond James Financial, told the AP that Southwest’s lack of assigned seating is “a huge pain point for passengers,” and that she thinks it would offer the airline a “greater pool of passengers that would not consider (Southwest) because of the stress of the current process,” she said. Savanthi further stressed that “This is particularly important now that Southwest has lost the differentiation of no change or cancellations fees”, in reference to the fact that other airlines have followed Southwest’s lead in those regards.
Stay tuned to AllEars for further coverage of Southwest and the airline industry.
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Does Southwest changing their seating policy make you more or less likely to fly the airline? Let us know in the comments below.
I like it the way it is. We choose SW because of the current model, the room with the seats, and the bags fly free. I really hope they keep the same A, B, C boarding model at the stanchions at least as its FAR more efficient than the other airlines 9 group system with everyone stampeding the line. I am bummed though because the ticket prices are obviously going to go up with this, they’ll end up squeezing the regular seats space to make room for these first class seats they are adding, and I 100% won’t be surprised if people will be paying for bags. I hope everyone clamoring for this change are ready for the increased prices (already in the announcement), and bag fees (inevitable, I think) – so sad people demanding it be like every other airline didn’t just fly the airlines they wished it would emulate and allow Southwest to reamain the amazing value it was.
The problem with open seating is that one person pays for early bird boarding and saves multiple seats for family and friends. After paying for early bird boarding, I don’t appreciate being told I can’t have a seat because it is “saved”. Southwest, you’re not operating a school bus for children. Your Flight Attendants are indifferent and it leads to confrontations.The solution – during boarding – if a butt isn’t in a seat, it’s available. PERIOD! Threaten to throw the person saving a seat off the flight instead of the passenger seeking the rights they paid for.
Love assigned seating. You don’t have to worry about your seat.
Love assigned seating. I’m older and need an isle seat for frequent trips to the bathroom. Hate to bother other passengers every time I need to go.
I would LOVE an assigned seat! Their current boarding process is just too stressful.
Leave things alone. I don’t have a problem with the boarding process. Please don’t charge for baggage. That’s a highlight for me.
No. Please don’t do it. I like the open seating. I don’t use any other airline domestically for that reason.
Assigned seats would be welcome. We fly Southwest several times a year and have seen the seat saving “hacks” get out of control. Since flight attendants (understandably) don’t enforce the stated policy of choosing ANY unoccupied seat, I would just prefer an assigned seat, self- selected when booking.
I love the no seating plan I don’t want an assigned seat
Would love to see Southwest have assigned seats
Literally flew SW this week and was thinking, as I was squeezed by two people who literally did not fit in the ever-growing-smaller seats that it’s time to take other airlines seriously. When I was a consultant I took flights mid-day and was a A-Lister and had lots of room and finding a seat was not problem. I’m no longer an A-List and even then I am finding that they have people already on the plane as it’s continuation flight, people scam the hell out of “family” and “pre-board” and the planes are crammed, they hold them at the gate to get every last person on. As a stockholder, the debacle of Christmas 2022, which I was actually a part of, and other issues makes me want to sell my stock as well.
Leave the current process for boarding in place with the exception of boarding wheelchair and family before A listers. The last flight I had was this month and there were at least 10 wheelchair folks boarding that walked off the plane when it landed. The family boarding should be for kids under 5 yrs old. I saw kids that were as tall as me (5’2″). They do not need pre-boarding. I fly SW exclusively and often buy the upgrade for A 1 through 15. Saving seats has become a huge problem.
The no-assigned seats and no baggage fees are the reasons I fly SW. I have flown SW since they began flying into and out of Indy. I have never heard anyone complain about the seating process. They have 2 different ways you can up grade if that is so important to you.
Would love to have an assigned seat. Hate the seating system Southwest currently uses. So many people abuse the system by buying one early bird boarding pass and then save one or two seats for other members they are flying with. I purchased my tickets with early bird seating the first day the schedule was posted 6 months prior to flying and got B seating.
Since living in Dallas in the ’80s we have flown Southwest 100,000 ++ miles
– now live in midwest and still loyal BUT, they start charging for bags and seats we’ll etc etc and They’ll lose their differentiation, And us as customers
Be careful SW – you’re messin with the Holy Grail of air travel – and it Will cost you
I love SW so either way no biggie. It would be nice if they added a first class section though! ☮️❤️🤙🏼
Pre-Boarding is out of control. So many dishonest people…hence the term ‘miracle flight’
I am all for assigned seating.
+1000 !!!!!
I would welcome the change.
I fly southwest but get highly annoyed when there are 30 pre boarders and then their families who take forever to board the plane. Make it where it is ONLY the pre boarder and not everyone else. Why pay way more for that early boarding when other people get to cut ahead.
Exactly!!!!
I fly Southwest almost exclusively, mainly for the prices, the free checked bags AND the seating policy. If any of those changed, I might be tempted to take whatever is less expensive on Expedia. It would make me very sad!
Less likely. SW has the ONLY sane and orderly boarding process. If they abandon their model, they won’t be any different. All the other airlines creat total chaos when they announce boarding Zone 1 pr A. 100 people rush the gate and cut in line. Please SW, don’t give up the A, B,C. 1, 2, 3 model.
They have GOT to do something about pre-boarding abuses though; it’s gotten out of control.
If or when Southwest charges fees for checked baggage, I’m gone! I will try other airlines for my frequent travel. What have I got to lose?
As a frequent flyer for Southwest, the pre-board situation is a problem. Especially with people paying more to be in the a group and then having huge amounts of pre-boards which are not real. The wheelchair situation has gotten out of control especially as people are suddenly cured when the plane lands and they don’t need the eight wheelchairs that are lined up waiting for them. Why am I priority customers of theirs if 20 people are going to preboard in take up every single possible decency in the front? Also recently a family changed a diaper in the second row instead of in the bathroom and their grandparents snagged all the seats when they went in with their wheelchairs first so they basically hijacked the first rows. Flight attendance said nothing. That’s irritating because that kind of stuff doesn’t happen on other airlines
I flew Southwest almost exclusively for the last 10 years before I retired. I loved their boarding and seating. Sometimes I would have boarding pass 1 and sit in row 22C. It us ashame that people have become so easily offended that SWA feels they have to change something that built their very business. I
Less likely
Go with reserved seating and I will return and fly with them.
Less likely it’s the only reason I fly them now
Just leave it the way it is
I am a loyal SW frequent flyer and love the boarding system. Please don’t change it!
I have had to fly other airlines lately because I was traveling to international destinations SW does not fly to and the boarding process is painfully slow.
Like no assigned seating. Don’t like saving seats. All members of the family should board at the same time. Like having g to pay extra for preferential boarding should be per person in the family
The boarding system is the main reason I fly Southwest.
I travel alone and when I fly, I’m flying to Texas. I do use a wheel chair,because I having issues. I try to sit up front.
I checked in exactially 24 hours ahead and I ended up being in c group and last ones to board the plane. I was not happy since there was 3 of us and we of course couldn’t sit together
Keep it the way it is
Too many people in wheel chairs are taking advantage of early boarding. I see people perfectly capable without needing a wheelchair in wheelchairs. I’m a disabled veteran with major back issues and have considered doing this but can’t bring myself to do it. It’s ashamed and almost laughable when I see this happening.
We always fly Southwest. I wouldn’t change anything except being more diligent about people taking advantage of using disability as an excuse to get on board sooner. Claiming you need a wheelchair when you really don’t is just wrong and offensive to people who truly are disabled. It doesn’t bother me that people save seats. Sitting together as a family or couple is important and should be respected.
As a family that pays for Early Bird only to watch cheapskates have one person board to save seats for the whole row countless times, we’re happy to see the end of open seating.
DEFINITELY MORE !!!!
Having confirmed seats will make the decision to fly on Southwest so much easier and would almost be a no brainer. Having just retired we look forward to traveling and visiting many locations where Southwest flies.
I’m an A-lister who flies exclusively on Southwest. If they become like all the other airlines, then why would I favor Southwest? They need to solve the abusive use of wheelchairs and pre-boarding without abandoning their frequent flyers.
I like the fact of no charge for bags. I am handicap ♿️ and I wish they had direct flights to Florida I end up missing my connections most of the time. I would like it if they flew out of Portsmouth, NH or something closer in the North Shore of Massachusetts.
Assigned seating would stop the fakers and those that think they are entitled. Also, since two bags are checked for free, seal the overhead spaces and make anything brought on board go under the seat in front of you. Solves the problem of people in the back placing their carry-on in the front.
I love the open seating policy and I would be disappointed if it ended. I always buy the Early Bird seating option.
We always fly Southwest. Love the no bag fee. It has always been kind of a game with us to see how good of a line position we get at 24hrs. We have used Early Bird check in a few times but at $25 each one way that kind of defeats the purpose of lower fares. The worst part of Southwest’s boarding policies has emerged over the last few years with people saving seats ( not allowed per policy) , sitting in the aisle or middle hoping no one will ask to climb over, and families buying Early Bird for only 1 member – sometimes even a teenager- and having that person save seats for the rest of the family who are further down the queue. The flight crew- in our experiences- have done nothing to stop these practices
Agreed. They have done nothing to stop these practices I completely agree. Also the abuse of pre-boarding with wheelchairs who then suddenly are cured when they land. That really needs to stop. I had a family who did what you described in your comment and then the mother changed the diaper on the second row right in front of the flight attendants who did nothing instead of asking the mother to go to the bathroom with the child. Can you imagine this stench? That’s the kind of stuff that irritates their customer because these things don’t really happen so much on let’s say United.
Right now SW is the only full service carrier for me. Who among you would be fine if they eliminate 2 bags free, sit in any unassigned seat at will, and offer fair ticket pricing? It’s a no-brainer, SW offers all that!
Give me a fair price, a comfy seat, a bit of room. Anything else is not a deal breaker for me.
I fly Southwest because of the seating policy. It’s simple, easy and affordable. I have NEVER had trouble getting seats together with traveling companions or family.
I’m a A-list Southwest customer. I would like to see some changes. I think assigning a seat would maybe be a great idea. It seems we have a pre-board problem. If 16 people preboard. Then what’s the A-list good for away. What about the people like me who often pay to A1 To A15. There are days there are 25 preboards. That’s an expense no bang for your buck. What do they do? Maybe change the policy so that we get a better seat. What does everyone else think?
I agree! As an A list customer myself, I always choose the Business Select option. If you are wheelchair boarded or pre boarding, you can pay the wanna get away fare and board before A-listers. Now how is that fair? It’s extremely frustrating especially when the people who boarded with wheelchairs, exit the plane without needing one.
I absolutely agree with you and many others who say the same about the pre boarders. SW needs to do something about them and maybe it would fix the boarding situation.
Southwest ending its open seating policy & also, its bags fly free policy, would clearly make so many loyal Southwest fans including myself a lot less likely to ever fly with them. Even Herb Kelleher and Colleen Barrett, who founded Southwest, would clearly be extremely heartbroken as well, if Southwest went the way the other carriers went.
Agreed
Less likely….I don’t mind the early bird fare.
I like it the way it is!!
I like it the way it is. I don’t fly orhet airlines because they nickel and dime you to death. Leave the low fares and no bag fees alone!
I’ve never had a late flight and I never sit past the middle of the plane.
Just have customers show medical proof that may slow down some getting on before other customers. Also, have flight Attendance be more observant of customers who seem to be holding seats. I love Southwest the way it is. Once you start changing what’s next…charging for bags. If that happens then I know it wouldn’t matter which Airline I fly on
I’ll fly southwest for the reasonable tickets. The seating doesn’t bother me, except the staff should hunker down on those family seat savers. Personalty,I would like seat assignments.
I believe SW would be making a Hugh mistake if they change their boarding process! Just enforce the rules that apply already. No saving seats, no line cheating etc