Southwest Is Ditching Open Seating – Here's What That Means For Your Travels (And Wallet)

Southwest’s previous open seating model assigns flyers a boarding position at check-in based on three groups: A, B, and C. From there, flyers are given a number (1-60) to determine the order of boarding. The all-new assigned seating model will likely transform that process entirely, assigning a specific seat at check-in.

Southwest said one third of seats in each of their aircrafts will be converted to be the new, roomier ‘premium’ seating, with an expected debut in 2025. But what does this mean for your travel budget?

Though Southwest didn’t detail if reserving ‘premium’ seating would cost extra or not, we anticipate there being an extra charge on top of the plane ticket itself – legroom on a plane is hot real estate these days!

Flyers are having mixed feelings about this major change to the boarding process. While some are elated to have a variety of booking options similar to other airlines, others are massively disappointed, since the open seating model was what set Southwest apart.

Some travelers expressed their feelings about the changes under an Instagram post from New York Times Travel:

“As a die hard southwest traveler, I can say, this policy will make me more open to flying other airlines.”

“This is so lame. This was a huge factor in why I continue to fly Southwest!”

“I can’t believe people enjoyed that cattle call land rush seating. I would never fly southwest because of that exact thing. So much better to know you have a seat waiting for you that you paid for.”

“This is code for… we are going to start charging more for seats and our shareholders are going to love it.”

“As soon as they say “shareholders” you know consumers will get screwed.”

Southwest says the changes are in response to “extensive research” on their current and potential customer bases. According to a news release from the airline, 80% of Southwest customers and 86% of potential Southwest customers prefer an assigned seat. They hope the introduction of assigned seating will not only exceed customer expectations, but “strengthen financial performance.”