Southwest Airlines passengers soon will buy assigned seat tickets as the carrier ends decades of open seating and other perks in a bid to save revenue.
Customers will for the first time on Jan. 27 fly in assigned seats, Southwest said Monday. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo
July 21 (UPI) — Passengers on Southwest Airlines eventually will purchase assigned seat tickets as the carrier ends decades of open seating and other perks in a bid to save revenue.
Customers traveling on Southwest aircrafts on Jan. 27 will be the first to fly in assigned seats, CNBC reported Monday.
In addition, starting July 29, tickets will be available for assigned seats.
“We wanted to make sure that, as we designed a boarding construct that sort of paired well with assigned seating, that we were optimizing for efficiency, but also the second priority: balancing that with making sure that we’re taking care of our most loyal customers, so tier members, cardholders and customers who buy our most premium products,” Stephanie Shafer Modi, Southwest’s managing director of fares and ancillary products, told CNBC on Monday.
However, airline officials did not disclose the price for a seat assignment as an add-on fee, which varies on other airlines.
Its more than half-century-old open seating policy was a Southwest hallmark that previously separated it from competitors, along with two free checked bags.
Last year the company floated the ida of ending its long-standing open seating after reported losses in 2024’s first quarter.
On Monday, Southwest executive vice president of customer and brand, Tony Roach, called the new seating policy “an important step in our evolution.”
Last July, Southwest first announced it was ditching open seating policy but had yet to set a date.
It comes as part of sweeping corporate changes.
The airline said in March it would begin charging passengers for checked bags in a beak with tradition, and that in May “basic economy” fares will be sold.
Company officials say it planned to add nearly $800 million this year in revenue and around $1.7 billion in 2026.