Southwest Airways Will Get Assigned Seating in 2025

Southwest Airlines will begin promoting assigned seats on all its planes subsequent yr in accordance with an announcement from the corporate Thursday. The transfer is a radical change for an airline that has stood out for having an open seating mannequin throughout its 53 years in enterprise.

“After listening fastidiously to Clients and conducting in depth analysis, Southwest determined it is going to assign seats and provide premium seating choices on all flights,” Southwest stated in a press release posted online.

The Dallas-based provider wrote that “preferences have advanced” and that extra prospects have been eager to get assigned seats for longer fights. The corporate says 80% of Southwest prospects and 86% of potential prospects need assigned seating. Southwest additionally stated that when prospects resolve to not fly the airline anymore the primary purpose cited is that the airline doesn’t have assigned seating.

Southwest additionally introduced Thursday that it was going to supply premium seats which have extra legroom, another choice that was not out there on the airways beforehand. The corporate notes that its analysis reveals passengers actually like having the choice to improve, although that may require modifications to the prevailing fleet of planes.

“Whereas particular cabin format particulars are nonetheless in design, Southwest expects roughly one-third of seats throughout the fleet to supply prolonged legroom, consistent with that supplied by trade friends on narrowbody plane,” the airline wrote Thursday.

The corporate appeared excited concerning the modifications, although there have been some of us on-line who have been disillusioned that Southwest was going to modify to assigned seats.

“As a loyal Southwest buyer, I hate this. the entire purpose I fly southwest is bc it’s low cost & I can choose my seat!!! If you happen to don’t prefer it, fly on a unique airline,” one X consumer wrote on Thursday.

One other X consumer stated the change was pushed by greed.

“Southwest Airways has ended the ‘open seating’ coverage,” an upset X consumer tweeted Thursday. “They are going to now provide seats for a charges. You’ll have to pay for good seats. That is finish of an period. A wonderful airline destroyed by greed.”

However the airline clearly thinks that is all a good suggestion borne out by analysis.

“Shifting to assigned seating and providing premium legroom choices will likely be a transformational change that cuts throughout nearly all features of the Firm,” Bob Jordan, the president and CEO of Southwest, stated in a press release.

“Though our distinctive open seating mannequin has been part of Southwest Airways since our inception, our considerate and in depth analysis makes it clear that is the fitting alternative— on the proper time—for our Clients, our Individuals, and our Shareholders. We’re excited to include Buyer and Worker suggestions to design a novel expertise that solely Southwest can ship.”