Southwest Airlines Is Ditching Its Open Seating Plan
Photo courtesy of Southwest
Bad news for anybody who likes Southwest Airlines for its weird quirks: yesterday the carrier announced that it’s ditching one of its most distinct features.
After over 50 years the Dallas-based low-cost airline will be scrapping its open seating model. It’ll be replaced by the industry standard policy of assigned seating, along with the introduction of more expensive premium seats with extended legroom. The change goes into effect in 2025, and the company will be announcing more details this September.
If you’ve ever flown Southwest, you probably know how it goes: you buy a ticket without an assigned seat, and then sit anywhere you want once you board the plane. It’s not a mad rush to get onboard, of course; your ticket has a boarding number on it, with a group of A, B or C and a position between one and 60, which is determined by how early you check in for your flight. Obviously the lower that number the better, as you’re more likely to get window or aisle seats or seats closer to the door, and thus the culture of Southwest customers frantically trying to get online exactly 24 hours before their scheduled flight in order to check in and get the lowest number was born. (Or you could pay for “Early Bird” booking to check in earlier—obviously money will always put its thumb on the scales.)
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