Southwest Airlines To Do Away With Open Seating

After more than 50 years of flying with an open seating model, Southwest Airlines on Thursday said is it shifting course to provide assigned and premium seating options on all flights.

In a press release, the company said that “preferences have evolved with more Customers taking longer flights where a seat assignment is preferred.”

“Moving to assigned seating and offering premium legroom options will be a transformational change that cuts across almost all aspects of the Company,” Southwest’s president, CEO, and vice chairman Bob Jordan said. “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.”

Southwest stated that it anticipates this move will enhance its appeal and encourage more flights from both existing and potential customers.

The company unveiled a cabin update earlier this year and is in the middle of upgrading its fleet, including in-seat USB charging and stronger Wi-Fi, USA Today reported. 

As for this new update, specific cabin layout details are still being designed, but Southwest said that approximately one-third of its seats will feature extended legroom, comparable to what industry peers offer on narrowbody aircraft.

Additionally, Southwest announced it will introduce overnight, redeye flights. Reservations for the initial routes can now be made on Southwest.com, with the first overnight flights arriving on Valentine’s Day 2025 in five initial nonstop markets:

• Las Vegas to Baltimore
• Las Vegas to Orlando
• Los Angeles to Baltimore
• Los Angeles to Nashville
• Phoenix to Baltimore

Per Southwest, the airline intends to gradually introduce more redeye flights in its upcoming schedules “as part of its multi-year transformation to a 24-hour operation.” 

CNBC, calling Southwest’s announcement the “biggest changes to its business model in its 53 years of flying,” also noted that “analysts criticized Southwest for moving too slowly,” as rivals already offer options to upsell customers.