Southwest Airlines has sent mixed signals concerning its long-term strategy of open seating as it prepares to introduce a new generation of economy class seats. Will Southwest Airlines finally eliminate open seating? My gut still says no…
Will Southwest Airlines Finally Choose Assigned Seating Over Open Seating?
View From The Wing believes that Southwest Airlines will add extra-legroom seats and thereby eliminate open seating, at least in the way we currently know it. He reasons:
- New cabin renderings reveal thinner seats
- But, Southwest says it will not add seats to planes
- Therefore, Southwest will use that extra space to introduce extra legroom seating in the front of the aircraft
- To make such a business model work, Southwest would have to assign seats rather than maintain open seating
It’s a logical deduction and may well be the plan (and as I will discuss below, I HOPE it is the plan). But I still don’t think that will happen.
First, Southwest downplays any change:
The pitch isn’t changing. The new seats maintain the 32” pitch we currently have on our 175-seat aircraft. In the images you’ve seen, those are renderings, so it isn’t accurate to say we are using thinner, less padded seats. We partnered with RECARO to redesign the armrest on their original seat to preserve the width offered on seats onboard Southwest. We collaborated with RECARO to custom-develop a more ergonomic cushion by using different foam technologies and densities, and adding more padding to certain areas of the headrest, backrest, and bottom cushion. The seat material selected for these new seats is not only softer to the touch, but better showcases the foam technology.
Southwest conducted multiple rounds of comfort testing with hundreds of participants, and we’re confident in the comfort and reliability these seats provide. There is nothing in the works around premium seating.
Second, the Southwest business model prides itself on being unique and offering that “egalitarian” experience of open seating, free checked baggage, and no change fees to all passengers. Assigned seating may in fact speed up boarding once the incentives for shenanigans are removed, but it just seems counter to the way Southwest wants to brand itself.
Third, couldn’t it be that these new slimline seats without adding to the cabin density are here simply to save on fuel? After all, we heard from Frontier and Spirt that they saved “boatloads” of fuel by installing slimline seats. Why couldn’t Southwest Airlines just be doing the same?
We Should All Want An End To Open Seating On Southwest Airlines
All that said, I would love to see an end to open seating and such a move would make me more likely to fly on Southwest Airlines. The open-seating plan encourages bad behavior like:
- feigning disability in order to board early and grab a preferred seat
- The number of “Jetway Jesus” healings on Southwest in which a “disabled” passenger somehow can walk off the flight unassisted after boarding in a wheelchair is nothing short of a miracle
- saving seats
- Flight attendants do not get involved, leading to fights between passengers
- unruly behavior
- If a passenger misbehaves, you don’t know who it is without ID being produced
And as Southwest struggles to increase profitability, it does make sense to offer a premium product with extra legroom that some will be quite happy to pay extra for. With redeye flights also on the horizon for the first time, the extra legroom becomes all the more important on overnight flights.
And so while I hope Gary is right and I am wrong and while there are so many valid reasons to introduce assigned seating, I still think the open seating policy will remain. And perhaps if if it does not, instead of assigned seating throughout the plane there will be 1-3 rows, like the bulkhead and emergency exit rows, blocked off on each flight, with the other seats remaining open.
We will soon see, but perhaps not until autumn…
Would assigned seating make you more likely to fly Southwest Airlines?
image: Southwest
Technically speaking, you can still have open seating yet have extra legroom seating in the front of the aircraft for passengers who paid for the extra legroom. That section would just be a restricted seating area for those who paid for the upgrade.
That said, as a frequent flyer of Southwest, I agree it is time to end the open seating concept. The number of people who use abuse early boarding to scam everyone else out of a preferred seat has spiraled out of control.
It’s time. As you said, preboard abuse is RAMPANT. So sick of these dishonorable scumbags boarding in wheelchairs then being miraculously healed in-flight and suddenly being able to walk without assistance upon landing.
You have to wonder if we’re seeing the first steps of Southwest unbundling fares. First it starts with seat assignments, then comes luggage…you know the drill.
I know the strategy behind SWA’s policies was the ability to quickly turn around aircraft. I don’t fly SWA that much, but the times I have flown them, the aircraft has been on the ground for way more than 20-25 minutes. IMO, the size of SWA and that they operate some cities as de-facto hubs has largely eliminated the turn-around time advantage. Without that time advantage, they need to find revenue somewhere else.
I sincerely hope not. Southwest’s policy of not charging for the first two bags (not exceeding 50lbs and certain dimension limits) is a distinctive that sets Southwest apart from all other airlines in North America. If this happens, if Southwest ends two bags fly free that means all airlines in the USA and Canada would be charging for checked bags. I think that would be bad and I would support at least some re-regulation if not a total repeal of Deregulation.
Easy as 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 :
– add 1 inch extra leg room on first 2 or 3 rows
– those in extra leg room rows (including exit rows) board 1st
– seat assignments & complementary beverage based on you boarding pass (no pass, then get out of the seat)
– balance of boarding as per the current SW boarding procedures
The preferred seat will be distinguished by a different color and/or headrest. Announcements via FA reminding extra row seats will be challenged for boarding pass. The premium revenue will fall into the top and bottom line which airline executives just love!!!
They can offer ‘better’ seats without changing their open seating model. Have the seats there, and people with the highest A boarding number can self-select to sit there (or not). Don’t sell the seat, sell the A1-15 boarding number. This would also give frequent fliers (A List Preferred, for example) a chance at those seats if they were otherwise unsold. No need to block things off or any other silliness.
Exactly, and prevent pre-boarders from sitting in the first ten rows unless they have an A1-A15 boarding pass.
Except… traditionally WN has had a decent number of itineraries that involve stops rather than changes– meaning that sometimes the plane doesn’t empty out completely at the gate, and thus you can have an A1 boarding number and walk on to a plane with 30 (or more) passengers already on it, even with no pre-boarding.
I don’t know how many of these flights they currently run, but it used to be a meaningful part of their strategy, and they certainly still run these types of flights.
The vast majority of my flights on WN these days involve a boarding number that is A15 or better, and I have been A1 at least half a dozen times– I have never actually walked into an empty airplane. I think the airlines are actually required to offer pre-boarding for those who need it– and I get that some people need it, while some others “need” it.
Yes, there are some multi-stop flights (milk runs) and direct flights (same plane) with one or more stops. I had an itinerary on Southwest DAL-SAT-LAX. The plane was full to SAT. Only about half the passengers deplaned at SAT. So there were 70 or so thru passengers which meant that some passengers who thought they had a “good” boarding position didn’t. While thru passengers are normal I imagine that it is uncommon for half the plane to be thru passengers.
Totally, I agree with you Matt. I can’t imagine seeing Southwest being like the other carriers.
Seats should be assigned. No open seating.
I love the open seating! Hope it doesn’t change…
Totally agree, I wish for Southwest Airlines to keep the open-seating policy in place. I can’t imagine them being like the other carriers that charge so much extra for baggage, carry-on, etc.
I might prefer assigned seating, but it wouldn’t make me any more likely to fly Southwest. I only fly them when schedules and routes demand that I must and never for a flight of more than ~1 hour. That’s not going to change even with assigned seating.
Assigned seats PLEASE. This will hopefully reduce the selfish behavior of someone hogging the whole row.
I haven’t flown southwest in decades. From what I read, the number of games passengers can play to try to get into a better boarding group include status, paying for the earlier boarding group, credit card perks, and checking in as early as possible.
So all of this sounds very similar to the games people played to fight to board early to get baggage space. It all adds to stress and gate lice.
In my family’s case, we always travel with a checked bag so we have minimal hand baggage and board at a leisurely pace after enjoying coffee and donuts at the cafe. Spirit/Frontier/Southwest aren’t worth the stress to us.
The lack of a premium cabin, no real food on longer sectors for purchase, and open seating will continue to drive my business elsewhere. People praise the free checked bags as if WN has a heart of gold yet part of it is because their IT systems won’t allow for the ancillary fees….To that extent, I get free bags through credit card/elite status/premium cabin/military, fares are comparable to OAL if not more, and schedules/network are inferior. So there is no incentive for me to fly WN save for maybe having nonstop service in a shorthaul market that I really have no other option….but even then I’d take a connection.
Let’s not forget that the irony of WN bringing low fares to the masses (*rolls eyes*), has actually led to lower in-flight service standards across the industry and that was even before CoVid, 9/11, etc. Sure airlines were looking at ways to cut costs and turn profits where they could but going into the mid 90’s a lot of cuts came really as a result of matching fares as WN expanded. People showed they weren’t willing to pay more for extra legroom, meals, etc……why should airlines spend more if people won’t pay more for it (even if unbundling somehow shows otherwise). They were focused just on the lowest fare so if WN was cheaper they’d book with them. People still book WN thinking they are getting this great bargain since bags are free, but more often than not they aren’t cheaper.
I hope Southwest keeps open seating the way it is. Perhaps those who say they need preboarding (apart from those who actually have wheelchairs or infants/toddlers) should be subject to stricter scrutiny. Southwest ought to make an effort to curb the abuse of preboarding while keeping open seating the way it is.