Southwest Airlines will end open seating: What you need to know

25.07.2024 - 17:13 / thepointsguy.com / Bob Jordan

Southwest Airlines is ditching open seating, one of the hallmarks of its brand over the last half-century. Southwest is moving forward with plans to add assigned seating, the airline announced Thursday. It's also planning to add extra-legroom seats to its cabin for the first time.

As part of the changes, Southwest is also planning to revamp its unique boarding process, which currently sees customers line up along numbered posts based on a preassigned boarding group and number.

It's a major shift for the Dallas-based carrier — one meant to entice more customers to fly Southwest and boost lagging financial results that have plagued the company of late.

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"Although our unique open-seating model has been a part of Southwest Airlines since our inception, our thoughtful and extensive research makes it clear this is the right choice — at the right time — for our customers, our people and our shareholders," CEO Bob Jordan said in a statement announcing the news.

Here's what you need to know about the sweeping changes unveiled Thursday by Southwest.

More than 50 years after unveiling its open-seating concept, the carrier is doing away with its one-of-a-kind cabin seating setup.

Going forward, the carrier plans to assign seats to all passengers, similar to what you'll find on other airlines.

The move will spell the end of one of Southwest's best-known quirks, one that's long been the subject of strategizing among Southwest loyalists hoping to find the best seat.

For months, Southwest executives have discussed the possibility of shifting to assigned seats.

In a statement Thursday, the carrier claimed 80% of its customers — and 86% of potential Southwest customers — now prefer an assigned seat.

"Preferences have evolved with more customers taking longer flights where a seat assignment is preferred," the carrier said in a statement.

The changes, which include new extra-legroom seats, will introduce new revenue opportunities at a time when the carrier has, like a number of its competitors, experienced lagging profits.

As part of its seating changes, Southwest will add a "premium seating" option, which will cost extra.

These extra-legroom seats will likely represent about a third of the seats on Southwest aircraft.

Specific cabin layouts are still in the works, the airline said, promising new details later this year.

The addition of extra-legroom seats is seen as a way to boost the airline's revenue opportunities. More profitable U.S. airlines — namely Delta Air Lines and United Airlines — have cited a boom in premium demand as a key to recent success.

Southwest has long offered an egalitarian cabin, but that's soon set to change.