Southwest Getting Rid Of Assigned Seating
- Konrad Tillman
- Jul 25, 2024
- 2 min read
Intro
A major update in regard to the business model of Southwest Airlines has just been announced. The airline will get rid of assigned seating for the first time in its history. Surprisingly, there seems to be a major change going on at Southwest.
Let's get into it!
Seating
Southwest used to be one of the most profitable airlines in the world a long time ago. However, recently, they have started to face major competition from the likes of American Airlines, Delta Airlines, and United Airlines. Ever since the pandemic, premium seats have been in much higher demand than before. Hence, we see the move not only from Southwest now but also from Jetblue.
The good thing is that these implementations aren't set to come into effect until 2025, probably due to the reconfiguration of jets and the whole system.
What Does This Mean For Customers?
Reddit can be a fun place to hear aviation complaints if you haven't checked it out. I gotta say, from what I've read, it sounds like the customers aren't too happy about it. The whole concept around Southwest is that there are no assigned seats, and based on your fare class and status, you will board in certain groups. That was Southwest's whole business model and what differentiated them. Now, they are just planning on becoming a wannabe big 3...
However, Southwest has to be profitable. In fact, any airline has to be profitable at the end of the day, or it will go out of business. On the realm of profitability, Southwest also plans to launch red-eye flights when their new system takes over later this year. Due to an outdated system in the past, Southwest hasn't been able to operate any "scheduled" red-eyes.
Final Thoughts
It's a bittersweet story for US aviation, as Southwest Airlines decides to do away with their non-assigned seats and head for premium seats and assigned seats. While some might like this, Reddit customers seem to not be in favor.
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