Southwest Airlines is leaving their open “general admission” seating plan for the traditional assigned seating, citing it as both better for customers and their bottom line.
Gone will be the days where Southwest Airlines travelers will board in groups based on when they checked in, as the carrier is moving to a model they say is more customer friendly and profitable.
The airline announced they would move to assigned seating with a premium seating option, as well as adding 24-hour operation capabilities with the addition of overnight “redeye” flights.
Southwest Says Customers Would Prefer Assigned Seating
In justifying the move to assigned seating, Southwest says the change is based on customer demand. Although they have offered group boarding for over 50 years, the airline says they decided to make the move after operational testing including 8 million simulation-based boarding trials and live testing.
“The research is clear and indicates that 80% of Southwest customers, and 86% of potential customers, prefer an assigned seat,” the airline said in a press release. “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. By moving to an assigned seating model, Southwest expects to broaden its appeal and attract more flying from its current and future customers.”
As part of the move, the airline will also offer a premium economy offering with additional legroom. While no specifics are available as the carrier says “specific cabin layout details are still in design,” they expect to offer the premium seats across one-third of the fleet.
Finally, the airline will also move to offering overnight flights across a test group of five markets. Starting in February 2025, Southwest will operate redeye flights from Las Vegas to Baltimore and Orlando, Los Angeles to Baltimore and Nashville, and Phoenix to Baltimore.
The moves come as activist investor Elliott Investment Management is calling for the removal of Southwest’s executive leadership due to financial shortcomings. Southwest says the new moves are designed to improve their overall financial performance.
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