Southwest Airlines is ending its open seating policy on flights and will soon start to assign seats on all flights.
It also says it will offer premium seating options. That will include n extended legroom portion of the cabin. It expected about one-third of seats across the fleet to have extended legroom.
The airline hops to produce additional revenue from the changes.
Southwest said they are making the change after hearing from customers and conducting "extensive research."
The airline claims 80% of current customers and 86% of potential customers prefer assigned seats. It says the number one reason customers chose another airline over Southwest is the open seating policy.
"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.
Southwest did not announce when the changes will take place. The cabin changes will require FAA approval. It plans to provide more details during its Investor Day in late September.
The airline has been trying to modernize operations for two years. It has improved WiFi speeds, added in-seat power and larger overhead bins.
It is also refreshing cabins including installing was it considers more comfortable seats.
The airline says has started selling tickets for red-eye flights that will begin routes on Valentine's Day 2025. It will start in five markets: Las Vegas to Baltimore and Orlando; Los Angeles to Baltimore and Nashville; and Phoenix to Baltimore.
Southwest says it plans to phase in additional red-eye fights.
