Times change. Now, after more than 50 years, Southwest Airlines is changing too. The airline has famously prided itself on not charging baggage fees, not offering first- or business-class seats and an open seating model where nobody has an assigned seat. That’s all changing.
Under pressure from an activist investor and experiencing losses when other carriers are flourishing, the airline is moving forward with plans to assign seats, offer premium seating options, redesign the boarding model, and introduce redeye flying for increased aircraft utilization.
Research found that 80% of Southwest customers and 86% of potential customers prefer an assigned seat. The airline says that 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.
In addition to meeting customer demand, the new amenities are expected to produce additional revenue and strengthen financial performance.
Rendering of Southwest's modern new aircraft interior and seats. (Photo Credit: Southwest Airlines)
With the new initiatives, Southwest will assign seats and offer premium seating options on all flights. The carrier says its unique open seating model worked for more than 50 years, but preferences have evolved with more passengers taking longer flights where a seat assignment is preferred.
In addition to assigning seats, Southwest will offer a premium, extended legroom portion of the cabin that research shows many customers strongly prefer. 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 narrow-body aircraft.
The decision to update the seating and boarding model is part of ongoing modernization efforts. During the past two years, Southwest has enhanced its onboard offerings with improvements such as faster WiFi, in-seat power, and larger overhead bins.
Work is underway on a refreshed cabin design, including new, more comfortable RECARO seats.
"Moving to assigned seating and offering premium legroom options will be a transformational change that cuts across almost all aspects of the company," said Bob Jordan, President, CEO, & Vice Chairman of the Board.
"Although our unique open seating model has been a part of Southwest Airlines since our inception, our thoughtful and extensive research makes it clear this is the right choice -- at the right time -- for our customers, our people, and our shareholders. 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."
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