After 50+ years, Southwest is ditching open seating

Setting an alarm to check in for a Southwest flight will soon become a thing of the past.

The airline, which for 50+ years has offered open seating on its flights, will be doing away with this boarding free-for-all and switching to assigned seating, it announced yesterday.

Survey says…

Southwest has reportedly been studying this change since last fall. Its research showed:

• When travelers choose a competitor over Southwest, its open seating model was the #1 reason for that choice.
• 80% of Southwest customers actually prefer an assigned seat.

Starting next year, when the changes take effect, fliers will also be able to purchase pricier seats with extra legroom, Southwest’s first swing at establishing a premium-seating revenue stream.

These seats will eventually account for about a third of seats across airline’s fleet, but execs say no plans exist to implement a true first-class cabin – or alter its “bags fly free” policy (the #1 reason fliers choose Southwest over competitors, per the airline).

📸 Big picture: Southwest is like that old Logic album – under pressure. Profits are down 46% year-over-year, per its Q2 earnings report released yesterday. And activist investor Elliott Management, which revealed a $1.9 billion stake in the airline last month, is calling for leadership changes as performance lags behind rivals like Delta and United.