We may not have Southwest Airlines in Knoxville, but if you fly out of Nashville or Atlanta, then you’ve likely flown on Southwest. The airline is known for their open seating policy, first-come-first-serve. However, after over 50 years, it’s coming to an end.
On Thursday, Southwest made the major announcement saying it’s a part of an initiative to elevate customer experience. After conducting extensive research, they found that the number one complaint from unhappy passengers was not having assigned seating.
80% of Southwest Customers, and 86% of potential Customers, prefer an assigned seat. When a Customer elects to stop flying with Southwest and chooses a competitor, open seating is cited as the number one reason for the change.
This move will be a financial gain for Southwest since they will also offer premium seating, where flyers can pay extra for more legroom. They expect the premium seats to cover 1/3 of the plane’s seats.
An exact start date hasn’t been announced yet, but more details are expected in late September.
The airline will also start offering redeye flights, which are now for sale. The first overnight flight lands on Valentine’s Day 2025 with the first nonstop cities being: Las Vegas to Baltimore and Orlando; Los Angeles to Baltimore and Nashville; and Phoenix to Baltimore.
