Southwest Airlines New Controversial Policy, Will it Disappoint Loyalist?

After 50 years of open seating, America’s 4th largest airline is joining the rest. Are these truly enhancements or is this just another race to the bottom?

Changes after 50 years

Southwest Airlines announced on July 25th 2024 that they will be offering new “Enhancements to Transform Customer Experience And Improve Financial Performance”. Notably the biggest change is the removal of their famous open seating policy. Other changes include the introduction of extra legroom seats and redeye flights.

Open Seating a Thing of the Past

The historic announcement on Thursday marked the end of open seating at Southwest.

Before the change I had my own rituals on how to get my favorite seat. Step one would set alarms for the exact moment I could check in to the flight. This would usually grant me a spot in the “A Group”. To verify my chances I would do a dummy search to see how many seats are available for purchase. With these methods my success rate was fairly high on getting an exit row seat or at the very least an aisle seat.

Now that we have a baby traveling with us, the exit row is no longer an option. Our latest strategy depended on the load factor of the flight. We would head to the rear of the aircraft and pick an open row. My partner would sit in the aisle and I would occupy the window seat. We placed the baby between us in the middle seat even though they were traveling as a lap infant. This stratagem has a 100% success rate (from a sample size of 4).

When I heard the news I was unsure on how I felt. On the positive I welcome the guarantee to have the seats I want. Additionally I am happy that when my child is older we can reserve a whole row to our selves. Ultimately the thing I will miss the most is the rush of the hunt for the best seat.

Evidence for the Change

Southwest states that this enhancement is what their customers and potential customers want.

“The research is clear and indicates that 80% of Southwest Customers, and 86% of potential Customers, prefer an assigned seat. 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.”

I find it hard to believe that 80% of the current customers want assigned seating. However this might be a case of the minority of loyalists being the loudest.

More Legroom

Part of this announcement also states the Texas based airline will add extra legroom seats. Immediately I was excited for this announcement. Being 6′ 4″ legroom is a very important factor when I am deciding on flights. Although I am worried about the pricing and where those extra inches will come. There is no mention of specific layouts as they are still in the design stage.

Red Eye Flights

One of the last points in the press release is the addition of redeye flights in early 2025. This allows the airline to have better connections through out their unconventional network. I for one avoid these types of flights at all costs. However sometimes it is the only option so I welcome the addition to the Southwest Schedule.

What are your thoughts on these changes? Are you happy or frustrated with them?