07/25/2024

Southwest Airlines is Eliminating Open Seating

Critics are panning the move

Southwest Airlines is shifting to assigned seats for the first time in its history, a change that will allow the low-fare carrier to charge a premium for some of the seats on its planes.

The airline will also start offering overnight “red-eye” flights for the first time, which it said will improve the efficiency by increasing the use of its aircraft.

Southwest said customers were clamoring for these changes – when people switch to a competitor from Southwest, the company said the No. 1 reason the unhappy passengers cite is open seating. But the change will also help the company charge some passengers more for their tickets.

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