Southwest Airlines is abandoning its traditional business model and introducing redeye flights, assigned seating, and premum options including extra-legroom seats as it seeks to adjust to an ongoing structural change in air travel demand.
Southwest Airlines Ends Open Seating
For years, seats have been first-come, first-served on Southwest Airlines. With such open seating have come shenanigans like the request of exponentially more wheelchairs to board than to disembark as well as some shady seat-saving practices that flight attendants turned a blind eye to.
After listening carefully to Customers and conducting extensive research, Southwest decided it will assign seats and offer premium seating options on all flights.
Southwest cites an internal study that 80% of Southwest customers, and 86% of potential customers, prefer an assigned seat. When a customer stops flying with Southwest and chooses a competitor, open seating is cited as the number one reason for the change.
New Premium Seating Options
While Southwest will not introduce a premium cabin, it will introduce extra legroom seating in the front of the plane:
While specific cabin layout details are still in design, Southwest expects roughly one-third of seats across the fleet to offer extended legroom, in line with that offered by industry peers on narrowbody aircraft.
We do not have further details at this time, though these extra legroom seats will roll out fleetwide over the next year.
Redeye Flights Coming
Thorugh 2017, Southwest used a system that had to be reset each night, forcing all flights to land by 11:00 PM PT. Southwest now uses Amadeus and its recently-signed contracts with both pilots and flight attendants now allow for redeyes.
As of February 13, 2025, Southwest will launch the following redeye flights:
- Las Vegas (LAS) to Baltimore (BWI)
- Las Vegas (LAS) to Orlando (MCO)
- Los Angeles (LAX) to Baltimore (BWI)
- Los Angeles (LAX) to Nashville (BNA)
- Phoenix (PHX) to Baltimore (BWI)
Southwest says, “Redeye flying, coupled with continued reductions in turn-time through new technologies and procedures, is expected to provide incremental revenue and cost savings, enabling Southwest to fund nearly all new capacity over the next three years without incremental aircraft capital deployment.”
I would expect many redeyes from Hawaii to be added, making travel on Southwest from the Hawaiian Islands to the East Coast finally available without an overnight on the ground.
Will This Turn Southwest Airlines Around?
It’s fair to ask whether Southwest has flourished over the years because of its unique business model or despite it.
Speaking personally, the open-seating policy was a huge turnoff for me and since I do not generally check bags, the two free bags made no difference to me.
Southwest CEO and President Bob Jordan hints this is the first of many changes:
“We have been building purposefully to this change as part of a comprehensive upgrade to the Southwest experience as we focus on Customer expectations – and it will unlock new sources of revenue consistent with our laser focus on delivering improved financial performance.”
I think assigned seating and extra-legroom premium seating is a move in the right direction (I’d still love to see a true premium cabin, but that seems a bit too much for the business model). While Southwest’s lack of longhaul flights is still a drawback, these moves should attract more business flyers.
The addition of redeye flights is essential to maximize aircraft utilization and to offer connectivity. I don’t like redeye flights, but I still take them because they maximize your time (even at hte expense of your sleep). Being able to travel from Hawaii to the West Coast or from the West Coast to East Coast overnight will also be attractive to many customers and open up Southwest Airlines as a viable option to Hawaii for many East Coast residents.
While Southwest’s diehard loyalists will not like this, I am hopeful that assigned seating will end wheelchair abuse that in some cases has become comical.
CONCLUSION
Kudos to Southwest Airlines for recognizing that is business model was no longer competitive and introducing changes that should both increase revenue and increase customer satisfaction. The limited route network will still limit my use of Southwest, but these changes make me much more willing to fly on the Dallas-based carrier.
Will these changes make you more likely to fly on Southwest Airlines?
image: Southwest Airlines
After almost falling into the Pacific Ocean, Tampa Bay, LaGuardia Airport’s tower, buzzing a town over Oklahoma and unleashing racist flight attendants on legendary rapper Pepa (Salt & Pepa), changes are coming.
Southwest becoming the new Spirit/Frontier should be interesting. It’s all down hill from here.
I personally never have gotten the appeal of Southwest. I need an airline with actual premium seating, tv screens, and outlets in most seats. The route network is limited as well.
While I’m happy they’re going to assigned seating, I get the appeal of WN. I could fly to Chicago, avoid ORD, and do it for a great price. I might have to sit in a middle seat for a 40-minute flight, but I might get to choose one between two smaller passengers. I liken it to European trains. On longer trips, I want and can get an assigned seat. On shorter trips, you pick from the open seats. I’m OK with no assigned seats on short flights and train rides. I just rarely have short flights unless I’m connecting at a hub.
In answer to your question, the appeal of southwest was that it was a budget carrier that was reliable and offered free checked and carry on bags. Matt said:
“Speaking personally, the open-seating policy was a huge turnoff for me and since I do not generally check bags, the two free bags made no difference to me.”
What Matt fails to appreciate is that the free checked bag freed up overhead bins so that there wasn’t this overhead bin battle that rages on normal carriers that now charge for checked bags. It also speeds up boarding. Back in the old days of the 90’s, I don’t recall all this craziness happening perhaps because people didn’t fret it they wound up getting a middle seat because they boarded last or the whole family couldn’t sit together. Perhaps also 20 years ago it was a different time where people were a lot more physically social?
As Matt points out, the games with the wheelchairs and paying for advance boarding come to an end and a more direct form of paying for the seats can ensue. Boarding will be more sane.
Amen. People talk about the grand old days of flying. That was when you never saw a carryon going the “wrong way” to be gate checked. You didn’t have to look long, even if you boarded late, to find a nearby overhead bin with space. Strangely, in the 2010s, I’d see people struggling to find space in overhead bins in coach on trans-Pacific flights when passengers were allowed two bags. It seems the culture has shifted and people prefer a maximum sized carryon, a larger than allowed personal item, plus something more so they need not check, even if it’s free.
The route network is amazing if you live in a second-tier city. They’re often the top carrier out of midsize towns with a generous schedule thanks to their point to point configuration. It means not having to connect to go from, say, St Louis to Oklahoma City.
I’m sort of a “die-hard loyalist” and assigned seating and extra legroom is fine by me.
Just don’t mess with the Companion Pass and free bags. You do that and your just like all the rest.
BTW… with the assigned seating, does that spell the end of the “miracle flights”? 😉
@Justsaying – I hear you. I’d love to travel that way but I can get by fine with my own entertainment and regular seats.
What keeps me coming back are the free bags and Companion Pass.
As long as the customer of size policy continues, I am not interested.
I take it the assigned seats will come at a cost. Meh.
I don’t think they’ve addressed this. It’s quite possible you’ll pay less (net cost with fees) in less desirable seats (middle up front, back of the plane) and more in more desirable seats (window/aisle up front, exit rows). It probably will see a reduced pitch after row 4 (except exit rows). And, if they do a basic economy, you might pay less while getting an experience equivalent to having a C23 boarding pass today.
Actually, I always loved WN’s way of doing things and it’s say that this era is about to end. When I didn’t fly as much, getting an early boarding position was a guarantee that I could get a seat that is livable for a guy who’s 6’5″, Flying legacy airlines made this tough to do without paying a lot more money that my employer wouldn’t contribute to. Most won’t, unless it’s an 8+ hour flight. That’s rare for most people. Well, with Southwest, I could book a flight the day before and still get a good enough boarding position to get a decent (if not good) seat. Love it.
These days, I’ve been gold or silver on UA, so I haven’t flown WN that much. Nor are they as convenient to fly from where I live now. Neither thing is their fault, though their reliability issues and added complications to boarding have detracted from the above compliments that I’ve given them. So, I get it. We’ll see how it works out; but I will miss the old Southwest
Economic research shows taller people get paid more on average, so you should be able to afford those extra legroom seats. (Note, the pay thing is true, My response is just meant to be tongue in cheek.)
Are you a little person?
I’m shorter than average, but try not to be little.
Great, now they are on par with Spirit, Frontier and Allegiant. Not exactly something to be proud of.
Their current seating policy is degrading. Having to line up in numerical order like this is fifth grade gym class, or worse yet, a Soviet gulag, is a hassle. Even if you pay for Business Select, you still have to hang out by the gate and line up, and if you miss early boarding you will still end up with a crappy middle seat.
Personally, I only fly SWA on short-haul flights where their schedule/convenience overcomes the burden of their seating process. They rarely compete on price anymore.
This is a move in the right direction.
LMAO…”degrading”. Give me a break. You get in line just like you get in line with a legacy carrier…except with southwest, you knew where to go in line. I am terribly disappointed by this change.
“if you miss early boarding you will still end up with a crappy middle seat.” That’s on you for being late pal.
I would rather have an assigned seat waiting for me, regardless of when I board. It creates unnecessary theater and competition that other airlines have efficiently solved via price discrimination.
The last time I flew Southwest, this complete asswipe was sitting with his leg across a middle seat to block others from sitting there. He was rudely lying to people that it was taken when asked. Of course, he was Texan. As it was a full flight, he eventually did have to give up his “ottoman” but this is the kind of hassle that open seating creates.
Assigned seats are fine but they ruined the cabin with extra legroom seats. They make the cabin more cramped. First class seats are even worse fot eabin.
My small TX city airport is served pretty much only by UA and WN. I seldom fly with WN exactly for the free seat assignment rule. I want to be able to choose my seat so this change is very welcome.
Not doing some sort of premium economy or first-class seat is a huge, huge missed opportunity. Couldn’t they also offer or even SELL meals, even if they were high-quality cold meals like wraps, salads, cheese boards, etc.? If Air Baltic and Czech Airlines can do it, so can Southwest.
It really should be a crime to make fraudulent requests for disability accommodation. (the liars should also face lifetime bans.)
Actual consequences would get rid of Jetbridge Jesus for once and for all.
No need for a felony though – a misdemeanor would suffice for this.
I would definitely resent flying Southwest less if I can get a seat assignment. I mean, I already pay for early boarding. The other major detraction remains that it is not part of any alliance. Since I fly a fair amount internationally, not being able to connect domestically to an international flight in the same alliance and points not being useful for award travel within an alliance are still downsides.
All they had to do with the” Miracle” fliers would be to say, you CAN Board early, but you must stay seated until everyone else de-planes…same with families. People who really NEED wheelchairs have to wait anyway. It’s the
abusers who sprint for the aircraft exit. That way, they could have kept their “People’s Airline” brand in-tact.
They could also have charged a nominal fee for the second bag checked and still be seen as a bargain compared to
other airlines.
However, if the pilots and Flight Attendants are in favor of assigned seating, I vote with them. Southwest employees
below Upper Management are great. Rarely, have I encountered rudeness in the air or on-the ground. When I did,
it was in Baltimore–that Hub needs work and customer service training.
Not going back there
no O/J = No Derek flying
Oh my god. Finally, it’s about time. Maybe, just maybe I’ll fly with them again if their prices are good.
With the seat assignment, I think everyone will be a little more respectful of each other and not selfish and grab one..or two seats.
I think this is going to be a double-edged sword for WN. On one hand they lose revenue from the people they are now trying to go after, but the flyers who are loyal to WN and tout free bags, open seating, ticket changes without penalties, etc. will no longer have those things as selling points. Once you start taking those things away, where does WN really differentiate itself from OALs especially when people finally realize that WN is more often than not offering fares that are matching or higher than the competition?
Those WN loyalists will become free agents and start looking elsewhere. If they are flying say LAX to the east coast pretty much every other carrier is going charge for a seat assignment but if the person has a carry-on they won’t be paying for a bag, there will most likely be actual IFE/PTVs, a snack or the ability to buy meals, a broader network with alliance partners, rebook (if an option outside of wx) onto another interline carrier, the ability to buy lounge access, etc. etc.
Basically I believe that the changes are too little too late to go after the people who don’t fly WN because of their current product or lack thereof, so any incremental/ancillary gain will really take a while before it helps the bottom line; not to mention trying to offset the cost of reconfiguring planes, training employees, updating IT, etc. They also will run the risk of losing a good chunk of change from the WN loyalists to pretty much every other airline because what’s to keep them from going elsewhere?
My original reason for flying SW out of Albany, NY was safety, A 737 aircraft.
Not a prop or regional jet in winter weather with a less experienced pilot as were all the other options at the time.
I discovered that I enjoyed picking a seat next to someone I thought I would be comfortable sitting next to.
I am not tall but every seat having adequate leg room was a big plus.
Expecting good food on an airplane is outdated and no longer necessary on domestic flights.
Southwest will no longer be unique and will be just another airline unless you want to fly into small airports on a 737.
I seriously question the data that 80% of SW customers want assigned seats.
However, I do recognize that many of the SW core customers do, or will, need wheelchairs in the next decade.