A Southwest Airways Boeing 737 airplane departs from Harry Reid Worldwide Airport as one other airplane taxis in Las Vegas, Nevada, on March 15, 2025.
Kevin Carter | Getty Photographs Information | Getty Photographs
Southwest Airways passengers will fly in assigned seats for the primary time on Jan. 27, the service informed CNBC. Prospects can begin shopping for tickets with assigned seats on July 29.
The transfer ends greater than half a century of open seating on the airline, a coverage that has set it other than rivals for many years — together with two free checked baggage. Each issues are altering as Southwest’s leaders search new income streams to maintain up with extra worthwhile rivals.
Southwest mentioned in March that its host of initiatives would add $800 million to earnings earlier than curiosity and taxes this yr and $1.7 billion in 2026.
The airline first introduced it will finish its open seating a yr in the past, but it surely had but to set a date.
The adjustments are a part of Southwest’s large overhaul of its enterprise mannequin. The service in March additionally mentioned it will begin charging many shoppers to verify baggage and introduced new fare sorts this spring. High-tier prospects are exempt from most of the new restrictions and costs.
Southwest used pc fashions and reside exams to make sure the brand new insurance policies would not decelerate boarding and would get planes again within the the money-making air shortly.
“We wished to make it possible for, as we designed a boarding assemble that type of paired properly with assigned seating, that we have been optimizing for effectivity, but in addition the second precedence: balancing that with ensuring that we’re taking good care of our most loyal prospects, so tier members, cardholders and prospects who purchase our most premium merchandise,” Stephanie Shafer Modi, managing director of fares and ancillary merchandise at Southwest, informed CNBC.
Come Jan. 27, the hallmarks of Southwest’s open-seating coverage — setting an alarm to safe a spot within the boarding line, the A-B-C teams, the large stanchions marking off boarding order and the on-board scramble for a favourite seat — will probably be gone.
That every one will probably be changed by eight boarding teams, based mostly on seat choice, standing and different elements. Essentially the most loyal and largest spenders will get on first, however seat location will decide boarding place. Here is the order:
- The primary two teams will embrace the highest tiers of elite frequent flyers, and people with prime courses of tickets.
- Teams three via eight will probably be for “Selection” and “Primary” ticketholders relying on their seat location.
- Bank card holders and Fast Rewards bank card members will board no later than Group 5.
There will probably be two queues.
The airline did not disclose costs for seat assignments as an add-on charge, which on rival airways, can range relying on route and demand. Entry to some seats will depend upon the kind of fare, and Southwest will promote commonplace seats, most popular seats and extra-legroom seats.
Southwest has been busy reconfiguring its Boeing planes to incorporate extra-legroom seating. About 200 plane are full, or about 25% of the fleet, a spokesman mentioned. Whereas these seats aren’t on sale but, the airline has been promoting earlier boarding to prospects earlier than their flight, which might improve their possibilities of getting extra-legroom seats.
Southwest prospects have proven that sitting collectively is a precedence, Shafer Modi informed CNBC, whereas acknowledging that it’ll look totally different with the brand new boarding course of.
“I feel that if households need that sense of management, they’ve the optionality to choose their seats via … our present merchandise that we’re promoting,” she mentioned. “We’ll attempt to do our greatest to make it possible for households are seated collectively irrespective of how they purchase a ticket.”
