Southwest Airlines ditches open seating

[y_p_w]

I don’t believe they were the only airline that ever used open seating. But it did create an incentive to show up early at the gate when they had plastic, reusable boarding passes. Then it was a mad rush at online checkin time when boarding order was assigned.

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https://www.swamedia.com/releases/s...-experience-and-improve-financial-performance​

After listening carefully to Customers and conducting extensive research, Southwest decided it will assign seats and offer premium seating options on all flights. 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. Additionally, Southwest conducted robust operational testing that included live and over 8 million simulation-based boarding trials. The airline is confident that these Customer enhancements will meet expectations and not compromise the airline's operational efficiency.​

 

[dishdude]

I hate their open seating but I do like their boarding process. At the other airlines there's nothing more annoying than everyone crowding the gate long before their boarding group is called.

 

[PF52]

Bummer. I liked the open seating. I likened it to a game which as a single flyer was very easy to manipulate in my favor.

 

[wavinwayne]

I hate their open seating but I do like their boarding process. At the other airlines there's nothing more annoying than everyone crowding the gate long before their boarding group is called.

I am an oddball when boarding a flight. I don't like being stuck on a plane any longer than necessary so I almost always gate check my carry on and board at last call regardless of where my seat is. If I was flying long distance in first or business class, I'd likely board sooner.

 

[cptbarkey]

I hated their process too and always paid for first boarding to make up for it. Southwest hasnt been competitive for a few years now so they havent gotten my business.

 

[RhondaHonda]

I don’t mind the open seating or the boarding process. At 6’4” and 245 I don’t love sitting on the plane any longer than I have to so an assigned seat will be welcomed by me.

 

[y_p_w]

I don’t mind the open seating or the boarding process. At 6’4” and 245 I don’t love sitting on the plane any longer than I have to so an assigned seat will be welcomed by me.

The incentive was typically to get an exit row. I've sat there a few times, including switching seats on the second leg of a direct (but not nonstop) flight from SJC-LAX-LAS. There were only about five passengers who continued on to Vegas and I snagged the exit row.

I do remember the A&E series Airline. There was one time where the gate crew proactively approached a kid who was about 6'9" and asked him if he's like preferred boarding so that he could get an exit row seat.

 

[Dave Sherman]

I fly Southwest frequently, and the wife and I have gotten used to the open seating. It is a bit of a challenge if we're high in the boarding group numbers, so I usually try to check in as soon as the check in window opens. I would welcome a change to assigned seats, if you have some say in what seats you are getting. At least if you're booking two tickets, hopefully they would logically be close to each other.

 

[y_p_w]

I fly Southwest frequently, and the wife and I have gotten used to the open seating. It is a bit of a challenge if we're high in the boarding group numbers, so I usually try to check in as soon as the check in window opens. I would welcome a change to assigned seats, if you have some say in what seats you are getting. At least if you're booking two tickets, hopefully they would logically be close to each other.

Were you flying on them back when they had plastic boarding passes handed out in numerical order at the gate?

It obviously created an incentive to be one of the first passenger at the gate. There were also some wrinklles since it was technically boarding groups of 30 where 1-30 didn't have to line up in exact order although most passengers did that.

There were some weird things about them too, including when passengers didn't return the boarding passes for one reason or another. I'm sure they had spares, although I'm not sure how they handled it - maybe a blank space to write in a number with a Sharpie, and then they'd order individual replacements? I'd seen a few that were folded. I was also watching the gate employees sort them when they were done.

 

[Dave Hess]

Did unassigned seating cause fights cause someone wanted the window seat ?

I fly American 90% of the time and I prefer the group 1 - 5 boarding process.

 

[y_p_w]

Did unassigned seating cause fights cause someone wanted the window seat ?

I fly American 90% of the time and I prefer the group 1 - 5 boarding process.

I think there might have been some confrontations over passengers saving seats. Then there's the fights over boarding order. I remember one incident caught on that A&E program where they denied boarding for an irate passenger who got ticked off that another passenger "cut in line". But she was apparently in the B boarding group, missed the original call, and then tried to get back in before the C group started boarding.

 

[SaberOne]

I only flew Southwest once and it was a nightmare, never again.

 

[fdcg27]

We always thought the Southwest open seating method made for great possibilities.
You could buy the bottom tier fare and still have a shot at a desirable exit row seat or one close to the front.
You just had to be sure to hit the online check-in as early as possible.
There are some vultures targeting Southwest right now, so the urgency of changes is here and now.
I suspect that free checked bags will be next on the list to eliminate.
I had read that Southwest's IT infrastructure could not support assigned seating or red eye flights, but it seems that it can.
In recent years Southwest hasn't been much of a value when I've looked at booking with them.

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

I don’t believe they were the only airline that ever used open seating. But it did create an incentive to show up early at the gate when they had plastic, reusable boarding passes. Then it was a mad rush at online checkin time when boarding order was assigned.

​

https://www.swamedia.com/releases/s...-experience-and-improve-financial-performance​

After listening carefully to Customers and conducting extensive research, Southwest decided it will assign seats and offer premium seating options on all flights. 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. Additionally, Southwest conducted robust operational testing that included live and over 8 million simulation-based boarding trials. The airline is confident that these Customer enhancements will meet expectations and not compromise the airline's operational efficiency.​

Welp, there goes all reasons to fly SWA instead of the majors, and making sure you’re upgraded to A1-A15. Nothing like fixing something that wasn’t broken!

 

[ripcord]

I would prefer it if the words "airline" and "ditching" weren't used on the same sentence. Thanks.

 

[SC Maintenance]

I am an oddball when boarding a flight. I don't like being stuck on a plane any longer than necessary so I almost always gate check my carry on and board at last call regardless of where my seat is. If I was flying long distance in first or business class, I'd likely board sooner.

Back when I flew all the time I was first class often - back when airlines upgraded you. I was always the last one on. If baggage in first was full I would just hand my little bag to the flight attendant and they would usually find a spot for me. Like you less time on the plane the better.

 

[RhondaHonda]

The incentive was typically to get an exit row. I've sat there a few times, including switching seats on the second leg of a direct (but not nonstop) flight from SJC-LAX-LAS. There were only about five passengers who continued on to Vegas and I snagged the exit row.

I do remember the A&E series Airline. There was one time where the gate crew proactively approached a kid who was about 6'9" and asked him if he's like preferred boarding so that he could get an exit row seat.

You can just pay for an exit row on most airlines. On Southwest I just buy the A1-15 or if I book really early I’ll do early bird checkin. This new method should allow me not to have to board so early and still get an exit row.

 

[Wylie6G72]

One thing I can tell you is that Business Select is a ripoff. You get to be one of the first 10 people in line ( after all the old people and people with kids), there's no extra room in any seat, there's no extra leg room unless you are able to grab a front row or an exit row (there were so many pre-boarders on my return flight, there were zero front row seats left), no special food, one free drink. Shame on me for not researching that before I bought. They probably needed to make a change for people like me who book first class because regular seats are hugely uncomfortable, especially if you get a big girl, or two big girls sitting beside you. I'll be curious to see what passes for "greater comfort" in the new layout, and if they're going to call them "classes".

 

[dkryan]

I would prefer it if the words "airline" and "ditching" weren't used on the same sentence. Thanks.

No worries, Ripcord!

If it’s your flight then Captain Sully will be in the left seat.

Your feet will stay dry…….

 

[dkryan]

On another note, I have spoken with more than a few SWA pilots over the past month and they mentioned that if the open seating went away, so would a lot of wheelchair attendant jobs.

Why?

They said compared to the other legacy carriers, they’ve noticed on the more “passenger dense” routes, the number of wheelchair passengers boarding early was noticeably higher than other carriers.

Even more interesting was the fact that at the destination, several of those wheelchair passengers who boarded as such suddenly became able to walk right down the aisle and right up through the jetway and into the terminal.

They had a phrase for it but as religious reference is verboten on BITOG, I’ll decline to elaborate.