Southwest Airlines will start selling assigned seats on all its planes next year according to an announcement from the company Thursday. The move is a radical change for an airline that has stood out for having an open seating model during its 53 years in business.
“After listening carefully to Customers and conducting extensive research, Southwest decided it will assign seats and offer premium seating options on all flights,” Southwest said in a statement posted online.
The Dallas-based carrier wrote that “preferences have evolved” and that more customers have been wanting to get assigned seats for longer fights. The company says 80% of Southwest customers and 86% of potential customers want assigned seating. Southwest also said that when customers decide not to fly the airline anymore the number one reason cited is that the airline doesn’t have assigned seating.
Southwest also announced Thursday that it was going to offer premium seats which have more legroom, another option that was not available on the airlines previously. The company notes that its research shows passengers really like having the option to upgrade, though that will require changes to the existing fleet of planes.
“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 narrowbody aircraft,” the airline wrote Thursday.
The company seemed excited about the changes, though there were some folks online who were disappointed that Southwest was going to switch to assigned seats.
“As a loyal Southwest customer, I hate this. the whole reason I fly southwest is bc it’s cheap & I can pick my seat!!! If you don’t like it, fly on a different airline,” one X user wrote on Thursday.
Another X user said the change was driven by greed.
“Southwest Airlines has ended the ‘open seating’ policy,” an upset X user tweeted Thursday. “They will now offer seats for a fees. You will have to pay for good seats. This is end of an era. A beautiful airline destroyed by greed.”
But the airline clearly thinks this is all a good idea borne out by research.
“Moving to assigned seating and offering premium legroom options will be a transformational change that cuts across almost all aspects of the Company,” Bob Jordan, the president and CEO of Southwest, said in a statement.
“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 are excited to incorporate Customer and Employee feedback to design a unique experience that only Southwest can deliver.”
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