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Southwest Airlines announced today that they are ditching open seating in favor of assigned seats. In a press release, the airline stated, “After listening carefully to Customers and conducting extensive research, Southwest decided it will assign seats and offer premium seating options on all flights.

https://avgeekery.com/southwest-open-seating-to-end/

I never had an issue with the open seating concept, even on the often full DEN-ABQ-DEN runs I used to do. If I didn't spring for Business Select, I'd always pay for Early Bird Check In. Vary rarely got a spot in anything below the mid A group. That, combined with the fact I wasn't being nickle and dimed for everything, namely bags, was the nice thing about flying WN.

It'll be interesting to see how they evolve their product, but if they join the charge for bags crowd, I don't see the point in ever flying them again. I'll just fly in First on one of the other carriers.

The second they start charging for bags, they are done.

I'm guessing WGA+ and higher, A-List, and A-List Preferred will get free seats assignments

I have kind of been wondering what Southwest offers anymore.

They are seldom cheaper.

I get to see 5 airports on my trip instead of 2-3.

The service isn't any better or worse.

Free bags? ok..

I was never a Southwest fan, but I understood it. Now, I don't even understand it.

Maybe it was the faith healer thing? 10 wheelchairs get on the plane, only 2 get off.

captoveur wrote:Maybe it was the faith healer thing? 10 wheelchairs get on the plane, only 2 get off.

^^^This^^^

What a frigging scam, same demographic, how pathetic.

captoveur wrote:Maybe it was the faith healer thing? 10 wheelchairs get on the plane, only 2 get off.

I've seen the same thing happen at security in LHR. Wheeled to the front of the queue, magically bounces out of the chair, slings a massive backpack over their shoulder, and walks briskly away. Many, many sarcastic calls of "Hallelujah!" and "Praise Jesus!" from the rest of us...

Noel Philips recently posted a Southwest-Video.

He ticked the boxes of every single option available and it turned out to be more expensive than United "Domestic First Class".

The wheelchair "faith healer" is actually daily standard procedure on Turkey bound flights ex Germany, Austria etc.

It was Spirit I think, though the point stands.

I'm surprised open seating lasted so long given almost every other low cost airline, even the ones using Southwest as their model, has ditched it and also realised assigned seating is an income stream in itself. Ryanair notoriously tend to split groups up unless they pay to sit together for example.

As an outsider who has read report on Southwest as well, their system of boarding groups also seemed rather complicated.

If it wasn't for all the wheelchairs, their (WN) is pretty good. I flew them last year from DAL to MIA, and it was a conga line of wheelchairs. The outbound leg already had a row waiting to get on as we were deplaning.

WN is nice for certain flights for me. E.g., going somewhere overseas and don't want to interline the whole thing due to expense. Last time I booked a single segment with WN and it saved me about $250, which was worth the hassle of collecting my bags and checking in again. The flight times also saved me a few hours. I don't fly much, though. Open seating was odd but for my purposes neither here nor there.

DALLAS (AP) — Southwest Airlines executives on Thursday unveiled their vision for Southwest 2.0, an airline that for the first time will give passengers assigned seats, charge them extra for more legroom and offer red-eye flights. And bags still will fly free.

The airline will also repackage its sale of vacation packages. It will seek partnerships with international airlines, starting with Icelandair next year, that executives say will make Southwest credit cards and frequent-flyer program more attractive.

https://apnews.com/article/southwest-ch ... 5d3202fc8a

I'll be curious what the "extra legroom" seats end up being. My expectations are low and that they'll just be exit row seats, which don't really feel all that premium, especially went you're scrunched up against the window.

Going with 2x2 configured rows (a la Spirit) would be what I'd want to see, but that means a long roll out.

When I flew them a couple of years back, I didn't think I was flying a cattle car.

ShyFlyer wrote:

I'll be curious what the "extra legroom" seats end up being. My expectations are low and that they'll just be exit row seats, which don't really feel all that premium, especially went you're scrunched up against the window.

Going with 2x2 configured rows (a la Spirit) would be what I'd want to see, but that means a long roll out.

If they are like everyone else, the extra legroom will be forward of the exit rows but it won't be a whole lot. I look to get the exit row on all my domestic flights. Much better than any "premium economy" seat. The 2x2 seating is only the first 2 rows on Spirit. They could do that now by just blocking the center seat on the first 2 rows.

The days of Southwest being some sort of "Maverick" carrier are long gone. Just like the hot pants and go-go boots.