Southwest Airlines axes open seating

For the first time in over 50 years, Southwest Airlines is getting rid of the option to choose your seat when you get on the plane.

While Southwest said part of this decision is because of customers’ preferences, the bottom line is they want to generate more money.

Longtime customers of Southwest Airlines were not happy about the changes. There are other customers who would appreciate the option to know where they are sitting.

Michele Trion is a Southwest traveler. She cares less about the price and more about the convenience.

“I was flying with my granddaughter. It was her first time flying, and we were not able to sit together, so that was a little bit concerning to me,” said Trion. “I just think with assigned seating it makes sense. It’s more orderly, and you don’t have people vying for seats, which can be challenging if you have a young child.”

Florida Gulf Coast University professor of management Jase Ramsey said Southwest is underperforming compared to other airlines financially. This has prompted investors to push them to make more changes.

“Normally, I would pay a premium to go on one of those bigger airlines,” said Ramsey. “But if Southwest now becomes as expensive, then I don’t know if the clients stay loyal to Southwest like they have been for at least 20, 30 years. They’ve really had a strong following, so I think we have yet to see how that’s going to pan out from a business strategy perspective.”

Changing the seating takes away what Southwest has always been known for, which is flexibility.

This leaves consumers wondering what is next in terms of price or flight cancellations.