SOUTHWEST AIRLINES IS ENDING OPEN SEATING POLICY AND WILL ASSIGN SEATS STARTING IN 2025

The airline said customers who stop flying with Southwest cite its longtime open seating policy as the top reason

Southwest Airlines is doing away with its open seating policy that is loved by loyalists and loathed by others.

The airline announced Thursday, July 25, that it will begin assigning seats and offering premium seating, marking a major departure from one of the airline's most famous practices. The company’s updates also include plans to redesign the boarding model and introduce redeye flights.

Southwest says the decision to assign seats came after conducting “extensive research” on customers’ needs.

“The airline has been known for its unique open seating model for more than 50 years, but preferences have evolved with more Customers taking longer flights where a seat assignment is preferred,” the airline said in a press release announcing the changes.

Southwest added that 80% of Southwest customers, and 86% of potential customers prefer an assigned seat, according to its research.

“When a Customer elects to stop flying with Southwest and chooses a competitor, open seating is cited as the number one reason for the change,” the release said. “By moving to an assigned seating model, Southwest expects to broaden its appeal and attract more flying from its current and future Customers.”

Southwest expects about a third of seats on its planes to offer extended legroom, though the airline said the details are still being designed and the new cabin layout requires approvals from the Federal Aviation Administration. The airline expects to make premium bookings available next year.

The airline’s first overnight flights will begin service on Feb. 14, 2025, on nonstop routes including Las Vegas to Baltimore and Orlando, Los Angeles to Baltimore and Nashville, and Phoenix to Baltimore. It plans to add more redeyes in the future.

Earlier this year, Southwest unveiled its new seat design for 2025 — and sparked outrage on social media.

The airline revealed the new layout in a TikTok in February, alongside the caption, “New fit check! Introducing our updated cabin design and new seats! You can catch this interior on new aircraft deliveries beginning next year. Not to mention our ongoing rollout of adding bigger bins and in-seat power ports to our current planes!”

In the clip, the cameraman walked through the aisle of a plane featuring Southwest’s old seats. “The plane interior you see,” they wrote over the video.

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The video then cut to the updated cabin interior with the new, streamlined seats featuring with a small heart detail at the bottom corner of every headrest. A tray to prop iPads and phones against was also shown.

Travelers criticized the new design in the comments section of the video.

“So we get thinner, more uncomfortable seats with a heart on it,” someone wrote, while another user asked, "Why not just put in wooden benches? They'd be just as comfortable!"

"Ozempic seats ✨😭,” someone else joked, referring to the viral weight loss drug. Others compared the seats to “slates of granite” and “plastic pool recliners.”

Others commented, “We are getting lawn chairs!” and “is there an option to just stand?”

While some comments observed that it looks like there are more seats but less space in the new design, a spokesperson for the airline confirmed to PEOPLE that the seats “maintain the Customer-friendly width and legroom we currently offer on all aircraft configurations.

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2024-07-25T16:11:38Z dg43tfdfdgfd