Transportation
Southwest Air Is Considering Ditching Unassigned Seating
- The move would be the biggest change in the carrier’s history
- Assigned spots and a section of premium seats could be coming
Southwest Airlines planes at Baltimore-Washington Airport in Baltimore, Maryland.
Photographer: Angus Mordant/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Southwest Airlines Co. may ditch open seating, a classic hallmark of its business model, to offer assigned spots and premium seats in a bid to appeal to a younger generation of travelers. The move arguably would be the largest change undertaken by the carrier since it began flying in 1971.
“We are seriously studying customer preference around our seating and our cabin,” Chief Executive Officer Bob Jordan said in an interview Thursday. “We’ve been doing that for awhile — you have to be committed to understanding and meeting customer expectations.”