Southwest Airlines is Moving Forward With Assigned Seating

For decades, Southwest Airlines was known for its iconic open seating policy, allowing customers to choose any seat when they boarded the plane. However, the airline announced earlier this year that it was ending that longstanding policy as it instead moved toward an assigned seating model, and it sounds like that model will be rolled out quite soon.

This week, Southwest Airlines officially announced that it would "soon" be rolling out its new assigned seating model.

"We are planning to begin offering booking for assigned and premium seating in the second half of 2025, and we are expected to begin operating with assigned and premium seating in 2026," Southwest Airlines announced on its website this week.

This announcement came as Southwest Airlines rolled out a television commercial that spread the news of the major change.

A Southwest Airlines spokesperson told Fox News Business that the company "wanted to bring new people to the fold while also reminding current Customers why they chose Southwest in the first place."

"It was important to us to show them we ‘get it,’" the spokesperson added.

The airline has not yet shared exact dates for when it will move to an assigned seating model, but it said to "stay tuned as we approach the third quarter." 

In addition to ending its longstanding open seating policy, Southwest Airlines has made another controversial change, ending its beloved and iconic "bags fly free policy" last month as the company began charging customers for checked baggage.

Obviously, these are some significant changes for the airline as it looks to establish a new identity with its customers and ultimately boost profits.

We'll have to see how this works out for them.