Texas-based low-cost carrier Southwest Airlines has just announced that it is ditching one of its most well-known policies: open seating. In addition, the airline is adding premium seating options and redeye flights for the first time in its storied history. 

Southwest Removes Open Seating Policy

For over 50 years, passengers on Southwest Airlines flights have not been assigned seats before boarding. Instead, travelers have been given boarding positions during the check-in process and then can choose their seats once boarding the aircraft. 

But now, the airline has decided that its open seating policy no longer suits the current market needs. In a press release, Southwest acknowledged that "preferences have evolved with more customers taking longer flights where a seat assignment is preferred."

According to Southwest customer research, 80% of existing customers and 86% of potential customers say they would prefer assigned seats instead of Southwest's open seating policy. In addition, the airline stated that the number one reason a customer chooses a competitor airline over Southwest is because of its open seating policy. 

While at one point Southwest believed its open seating policy was key to fast turnarounds and quicker boarding times, after conducting 8 million simulation-based boarding trials, Southwest says that it is confident it can maintain its operational efficiency while assigning seats. 
 

New Premium Seating Options

In addition to removing its open seating policy and opting for assigned seats, Southwest is taking its first step into the premium market. 
 

Southwest will offer a section of premium, extended legroom seats in its aircraft cabins. The airline expects that roughly one-third of seats across its fleet will be modified to an extra legroom configuration, "in line with that offered by industry peers on narrowbody aircraft" the airline stated. 
 

Currently, Southwest's seating options have 32 inches of legroom, the second in the United States only to JetBlue. While Southwest has not released all the details of its cabin retrofits and specifications of its extra legroom seats, most competitors offer an additional 5 to 7 inches of legroom in their premium cabins, an amount that Southwest will most likely mimic. 

The airline said it would share details about "product designs, cabin layout, timing, and incremental financial value" at an investor meeting in September. 
 

First Ever Southwest Red-Eye Flights

If removing open seating and adding extra legroom seats wasn't enough for one day, Southwest also announced it would begin operating its first red-eye flights in February 2025. 

For its entire history, Southwest has never once operated a red-eye flight. In fact, before 2017, the airline's old reservation systems could not handle operating overnight flights. 
 

Starting on February 13th, 2025, Southwest will begin serving the following cities overnight:

• Las Vegas to Baltimore
   
• Las Vegas to Orlando
   
• Los Angeles to Baltimore
   
• Los Angeles to Nashville
   
• Phoenix to Baltimore
   

[LAS,BWI],[LAS,MCO],[LAX,BWI],[LAX,BNA],[PHX,BWI]

According to an interview with Chief Operating Officer Andrew Watterson conducted by The Points Guy, Southwest's decision comes as the airline looks to get additional use out of their existing aircraft as the airline waits for delayed Boeing 737 planes. 
 

Why All the Changes?

Southwest's announced changes come on the heels of the airline's announcement of its second-quarter finances. Southwest's profit dropped to $367 million, down 46% when compared to the same time last year. 
 

The airline is looking for new ways to generate revenue and maximize profit while still providing the same onboard and customer experience that travelers are used to. 

"Moving to assigned seating and offering premium legroom options will be a transformational change that cuts across almost all aspects of the Company," said Bob Jordan, President, CEO, & Vice Chairman of the Board. 

"Although our unique open seating model has been a part of Southwest Airlines since our inception, our thoughtful and extensive research makes it clear this is the right choice— at the right time—for our Customers, our People, and our Shareholders."
 

"We are excited to incorporate Customer and Employee feedback to design a unique experience that only Southwest can deliver. We have been building purposefully to this change as part of a comprehensive upgrade to the Southwest experience as we focus on Customer expectations – and it will unlock new sources of revenue consistent with our laser focus on delivering improved financial performance."

Red-eye flights also enable the airline to continue generating revenue at a time when their aircraft would have been previously stationary on the ground. With the current delays in 737 MAX production — an aircraft family in which Southwest has over 450 planes on order — Southwest looks to fly more during the night to maximize its current fleet.