Southwest Airlines plans to start assigning seats, breaking a 50-year old tradition

Southwest Airlines plans to drop the open-boarding policy it’s employed for more than 50 years, and will begin assigning passengers seats, similar to other major airlines.

DALLAS (AP) — Goodbye, cattle call.

Southwest Airlines said Thursday that it will eliminate the open-boarding system that it has been using for over fifty decades and will begin assigning passengers seats, similar to major airlines.

Southwest Airlines said that it has been looking into seating alternatives conducting tests and conducting surveys with customers. Southwest found that the preferences of customers have changed over time and that a majority of passengers now are interested in knowing the seating location prior to arriving at the airport.

Southwest’s unique boarding procedure was developed as a quick way to fill passengers and cut down on the amount of time crews and planes sit still on the ground and not earning money. The airline was able to operate more efficiently and add a few flights into their daily schedule.

This was one of the reasons why Southwest is the only airline in U.S. airlines remained profitable each year up to the time of the outbreak of coronavirus.

This is how it is done: Instead of being assigned seats when they purchase tickets, Southwest customers check in at least 24 hours prior to departure to guarantee their spot in the boarding lines. At first the first 30 minutes of check in were placed in the highly sought-after “A” boarding group, giving them a window or aisle seat. Dawdlers were placed at “B,” which was acceptable however, or “C,” which would usually result in a middle-of-the-road seat.

The system grew less democratic with time as Southwest permitted people to pay an extra to ensure a seat near the top of the line. However, a lot of Southwest fans still enjoy the open seating. Southwest believes they’ll change.

“I know there are going to be customers who say, ‘I want to stay with open seating.’ It’s a minority,” Southwest CEO Robert Jordan told CNBC, “but we’ve experienced the exact problem when we moved from plastic tickets for boarding. We experienced the same issue when we got Peanuts from the plane. I’m sure we’ll convince them to join us.”

Surveys conducted by the airline showed that the majority of its customers and 86 percent of “potential” customers — would prefer the option of a designated seat. Jordan said that open seating was the most important reason cited by customers when choosing a different carrier over Southwest.

A few Southwest passengers expressed sadness and dismay upon hearing that seating open is being taken out of the picture.

“Hearing that announcement today, I was like, no, this is my favorite part of Southwest,” said Lindsey Magness, who works as a college athletics coach within Oklahoma City.

Magness stated that when she has an open space, she can opt for a window seat or according to her mood or mood, an aisle. Also, assigned seating may not always work. Magness stated that American Airlines seated her away from her husband during their honeymoon earlier this summer.

Brandon Bowser of Odenton, Maryland He said that he travels with various airlines based on which one offers the most value, however the Southwest open-boarding system to be more efficient and easier in comparison to other airline.

“The convenience that comes with being able to pick your own seat is what sets Southwest apart and makes them sort of a preferred airline,” he stated. “A lot of my friends swear by Southwest, that’s all they will fly, and they are completely irate about this decision.”

The Chicago Midway airport, Kimberly King was thrilled to hear about the changes. She was in a check-in counter with her four children, waiting for their flight back home to California.

“I used to fly United a lot and I liked the assigned seats, especially with kids, kind of expecting and knowing where we were going to be,” King declared. “The only reason really why I continue to fly Southwest is for the free bags.”

Southwest allows passengers to take two bags on board for free. It’s been the focus of Southwest’s marketing campaigns for many years. The CEO Jordan stated that Southwest does not have plans to eliminate the bags-fly-free program “at this point.”

There are some drawbacks with Southwest boarders. It’s difficult to secure an appropriate seat in the line without paying an additional fee. Southwest management said that 60% of travelers check within within the in the first thirty seconds. People who don’t make it to the check-in point are worried that there won’t be enough space within the overhead compartments to fit their bags. Late boarders might find it difficult to find a space, and then begin wandering around the aisle. Southwest refers to them as “spinners.”

There are numerous ways that people can play the system.

Some people take advantage of early board for those who require more time. Others do not pay attention to the age restriction (6 or less) for children of families who are permitted to board in they are in the “A” group. After arriving on the plane, a few passengers have seating options for their mates who are further behind in the line.

Sometimes, photos appear on social media channels of an unusually high number of wheelchair users in wheelchairs at Southwest gates. They arrive early to board.

“It’s certainly one of the things that anger people even if it doesn’t have a material impact on them,” said Brett Snyder, a travel agent and the author of the Cranky Flier blog. “In certain cases, those are people with absolutely legitimate justifications. In other instances it’s the “Jetway Jesus phenomenon.”

It’s a reference to recuperations so remarkable that the impairment which causes the person to require a wheelchair to get to the gate is treated during the flight, and they are able to walk off the plane as normal passengers.

Snyder isn’t sure that those who prefer open seating will quit Southwest.

“Those people will still fly Southwest,” he added. “They may grumble about it, but there’s no one else they can go to that has open seating.”

Alongside the change in boarding, Southwest also plans to convert around one-third of airplane seats into premium seats that offer more legroom, the standard practice for other major U.S. carriers.

The airline’s latest schedule includes some redeye flights – the first time for Southwest.

The flights that will be overnight will begin in mid-February, with nonstop flights which include Las Vegas to Baltimore and Orlando; Los Angeles to Baltimore and Nashville and Nashville; and Phoenix from Baltimore. Additional routes will be added as time goes by according to the airline.

The changes are coming in the context of Southwest is facing scrutiny from Elliott Investment Management. The hedge fund claims that Southwest is behind its rivals on the financials and has not been able to keep up with the current times. The company wants to succeed Jordan and the chairman Gary Kelly.

Southwest also is under more inspection of Southwest is also under increased scrutiny from Federal Aviation Administration after a string of flight incidents that are alarming which included one that flew into the water off Hawaii and two flights that were flying at low altitudes but still a long way away from landing at airports in Oklahoma and Florida as well as another flight which was found to have damaged rudders after an unorthodox “Dutch roll” wiggle during the flight.

Southwest announced the change in seating along with additional changes the day both it as well as American Airlines reported a steep decrease in profits for the second quarter, despite a rise in revenue. Airlines are experiencing higher cost of operations and lower pricing power particularly for domestic flights in of the United States, as the industry is adding flights at a faster rate than the increase in demand for travel.

Southwest located in Dallas Southwest, which is headquartered in Dallas earnings fell by 46% over the previous year, and was $367 million. This was due to the higher cost of fuel, labor, and other costs outweighed the growth in revenue. The results were in line with Wall Street expectations.

American Airlines also saw a decrease of 46% in profits, which was $717 million. Chief Executive Officer Robert Isom said the airline was hindered due to a sales plan which it has now rolled back, as well as an excess of flights within the domestic market.

American reported that it’s earnings per share for the third quarter of this year will be at break-even, which is well less than Wall Street’s forecast that 48 cents per stock. American reduced its estimate of earnings for the full year to between 70 cents between $1.30 and $1.30 per share. This is down from its previous forecast for $2.25 to $3.25 per share.

Shares of the biggest U.S. airlines rose Thursday. Southwest Airlines Co. gained 5.5 percent as did American Airlines Group Inc. is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, increased 4percent. Delta, United, Alaska and JetBlue also increased.

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Associated Press writer Wyatte Grantham-Philips in New York and video journalist Teresa Crawford in Chicago contributed to this report.

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This article has been corrected to show the fact that King has been approached at Chicago Midway airport, not O’Hare.