Airline's major change to seating policy ends 50-year tradition
A major US airline has announced the official start date of a new seating policy that will put an end to a 50-year tradition.
Southwest airline passengers will no longer face a mad dash for seats with the carrier's previous no assigned seats policy ending.
For flights beginning on January 27, 2026, travellers will have options for seat selection at the time of booking, Southwest confirmed this week.
READ MORE: One thing all flight attendants have to wear - that you might not have noticed
Southwest airlines has had an open seat policy for decades. Getty
"Our Customers want more choice and greater control over their travel experience,” Tony Roach, Southwest executive vice president of customer and brand, said in a statement shared by CNN.
“Assigned seating unlocks new opportunities for our Customers – including the ability to select Extra Legroom seats – and removes the uncertainty of not knowing where they will sit in the cabin."
READ MORE: The 'most beautiful' Hawaiian island that's also the 'least visited'
The open-seating policy has been a Southwest hallmark since its first flight back in 1971. Your reservation would confirm a seat on the plane, you just never knew which one
"Southwest open seating is the ultimate expression of its founding ethos: to make air travel affordable and accessible for everyone," the company says on its website.
Flight attendants would often joke: "You can sit anywhere you want – just like at church."
Boarding on flights is usually done by group or row. Jonathan Killick
When the incoming changes were first announced, travellers took to social media to share their thoughts with many revealing they were unhappy with the news.
"I thought it was something that made Southwest unique and better than other airlines," one person posted on a Reddit thread.
"Just moving to assigned seats is a bummer but not the end of the world. The problem is that they are also going to change the cabin configuration, reduce existing legroom, and start charge for extra legroom," another said.
While a third wrote: "I get why they did it, and it'll probably solve real problems for them and their passengers, but I'm definitely sorry to see it go."
Most airlines assign passengers seats already. Getty Images/iStockphoto
Under the changes, various fare bundles will offer some options for seat selection during booking. Different types of seats – Extra Legroom, Preferred Standard – will also appear as part of those bundles.
The assigned-seat era will also bring with it a new group-based boarding process.
Premium fares and loyalty program members and credit cardholders will board earlier in the process, as explained on the airline's website.
Southwest was one of the only airlines in the world that still had an open seating policy. Meanwhile more and more carriers have already moved to group boarding.
Qantas and American Airlines have notably made changes over the last two years to improve the overall boarding process and efficiency for passengers.
Qantas first introduced group boarding in late 2023, the change came in response to customer feedback, with the adjustments aimed at achieving better punctuality, as well as better recognising tiered Frequent Flyers.
Meanwhile, American Airlines started piloting a system to flag when people attempt to board before their group has been called.
The changes are meant to make the boarding process run smoother. Getty
"The new technology is designed to ensure customers receive the benefits of priority boarding with ease and helps improve the boarding experience by providing greater visibility into boarding progress for our team," the airline said in a statement to The Washington Post.
Qantas has since also adopted this technology, which helps prevent the annoying airport trend of "gate lice".
Urban Dictionary provides a relatively in-depth definition of the term 'gate lice'.
They are described as "passengers, often inexperienced flyers in [economy] class, who crowd around or line up at a gate at an airport completely blocking the boarding area and preventing First and Business Class passengers from being able to get on the plane when they're allowed to.
"They can also cause delays and confusion if a passenger in a wheelchair needs to board as the chair has to plough through the mass of gate lice hovering around the gate.
