An era has passed for Southwest Airlines.
The airline will end its open-seat policy, which has been in place for more than 50 years.
The Dallas-based airline acknowledged in a press release Thursday that it is “seeing changing preferences with more long-haul passengers preferring assigned seats.” It hopes that the move to assigned seating and revised boarding process will broaden Southwest’s appeal to both new and existing customers. The airline said four in five customers prefer assigned seats. It did not give an exact date for the changes. More details are expected to be announced in late September.
Seat assignments are just one of several major operational changes coming soon: Southwest will be introducing premium seating options on all flights, including late-night flights.
“While detailed cabin layouts are still being designed, Southwest expects approximately one-third of the seats on its fleet to offer the same extra legroom offered by its narrow-body competitors,” the airline said.
Southwest already announced a cabin refresh earlier this year and is in the process of upgrading its aircraft with changes announced for 2022, including in-seat USB charging and enhanced Wi-Fi.
Bookings for the airline’s new overnight flights opened on Thursday, with the first overnight flights scheduled to arrive on Valentine’s Day next year to its original five non-stop destinations.
- Las Vegas to Baltimore
- Las Vegas to Orlando
- Los Angeles to Baltimore
- Los Angeles to Nashville
- Phoenix to Baltimore
The airline plans to eventually expand overnight flights to other markets, offering 24-hour capability.
This radical change is aimed at adding value to both customers and investors.
“Our goal is to restore industry-leading margins and record shareholder returns through a comprehensive plan that delivers transformational commercial initiatives, improved operating efficiencies and capital allocation discipline,” Bob Jordan, Southwest’s president, CEO and vice chairman of the board, said in a separate press release announcing the company’s second-quarter results. Operating revenues increased 4.5 percent year over year to a record quarterly high of $7.4 billion.
The airline’s earnings have been under pressure in recent quarters as delays in plane deliveries from Boeing have hurt its bottom line and exacerbated cost pressures. Southwest also faces pricing pressures as an industry-wide overcapacity keeps domestic airfares low.
Article contributed by Reuters
