Latest news with #boardingprocess
Daily Mail
24-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Southwest Airlines says seating policy will change next year
Advertisement Southwest Airlines has revealed that its new assigned seating can be booked as early as next week. The budget airline outraged its loyal customers when it announced that it was scrapping its open seating policy last summer. Its new assigned seats will be available for flights from January 27th next year, the airline announced on Tuesday. However, these flights and seating preferences can be booked beginning on July 29. '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,' Southwest executive Tony Roach said of the change. The airline has not yet revealed how much more each seating tier will cost under the new system. The policy was introduced the boost the company's bottom line and to meet the rising demand of premium seating. Other recent changes have included the scrapping of its two free bags policy. Flyer must now cough up $35 for the first checked bag and $45 for the second. On Monday the carrier also revealed that it would be overhauling its hated boarding process. The new system will ferry passengers on to the plane in accordance with their seat location. Priority will be given to those who have purchased more expensive seats and to members of the airline's loyalty program. There will also be the option of purchasing a priority boarding add-on for those who wish to jump the queue. In February the airline announced plans to cut 15 percent of its corporate workforce in a bid to cut costs. The layoffs - a first in the airline's 53-year history - will slash around about 1,750 jobs. The airline's cost-cutting spree began last year when activist investors Elliott Investment Management. pressured the board to cut losses and boost profits. Unlike its rivals, Southwest had long avoided mass job cuts, even during economic downturns, 9/11, and the pandemic. But after a hiring spree in recent years, the airline is now under investor pressure to rein in costs. Rising labor expenses from new union agreements and inflation have squeezed profit margins, despite strong travel demand.
Daily Mail
23-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Southwest announces when controversial change will hit customers
Southwest Airlines has revealed that its new assigned seating can be booked as early as next week. The budget airline outraged its loyal customers when it announced that it was scrapping its open seating policy last summer. Its new assigned seats will be available for flights from January 27th next year, the airline announced on Tuesday. However, these flights and seating preferences can be booked beginning on July 29. '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,' Southwest executive Tony Roach said of the change. The airline has not yet revealed how much more each seating tier will cost under the new system. The policy was introduced the boost the company's bottom line and to meet the rising demand of premium seating. Other recent changes have included the scrapping of its two free bags policy. Flyer must now cough up $35 for the first checked bag and $45 for the second. On Monday the carrier also revealed that it would be overhauling its hated boarding process. The new system will ferry passengers on to the plane in accordance with their seat location. Priority will be given to those who have purchased more expensive seats and to members of the airline's loyalty program. There will also be the option of purchasing a priority boarding add-on for those who wish to jump the queue. In February the airline announced plans to cut 15 percent of its corporate workforce in a bid to cut costs. The layoffs - a first in the airline's 53-year history - will slash around about 1,750 jobs. The airline's cost-cutting spree began last year when activist investors Elliott Investment Management. pressured the board to cut losses and boost profits. Bob Jordan, CEO of Southwest Airlines, previously announced staff cuts Unlike its rivals, Southwest had long avoided mass job cuts, even during economic downturns, 9/11, and the pandemic. But after a hiring spree in recent years, the airline is now under investor pressure to rein in costs. Rising labor expenses from new union agreements and inflation have squeezed profit margins, despite strong travel demand. CEO Bob Jordan acknowledged the corporate workforce had grown faster than the rest of the airline and said the decision was made to improve efficiency. 'We must ensure we fund the right work, reduce duplicative efforts, and have a lean organizational structure that drives clarity, pace, and urgency,' Jordan wrote in a message to employees in February.
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Southwest Airlines' open seating is ending: Here's what the new 8-group boarding process will look like
Around this time last year, Southwest Airlines announced that it would scrap its signature open-seating model in favor of a more traditional assigned seating system, chipping away at its identity as a 'quirky' airline in order to better compete with rivals like Delta Air Lines and American Airlines. Southwest Airlines' open seating is ending: Here's what the new 8-group boarding process will look like Here's exactly how much you'll save on your 2026 taxes, by income bracket: Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill benefits Why Third Amendment memes are suddenly taking over social media A year later, Southwest is finally gearing up to sell its first assigned-seat tickets. Over the past few months, Southwest has been slowly shedding the features that once made its brand stand out. The airline built its name around its uniquely standardized open-seating boarding system—which meant that every customer flew in the same kind of seat, without any divisions by price tier. Last July, though, the airline announced that it would implement new premium features (like seats with expanded legroom) and assigned seating. This March, Southwest killed its 'bags fly free' policy, which offered every flier two free checked bags. And in April, the airline overhauled its fare bundles to include more expensive fares with better amenities. Southwest expects these new policies, among others, to add $800 million to earnings before interest and taxes this year, and add $1.7 billion in 2026. Starting on July 29, Southwest will sell assigned-seat tickets, and planes with the updated seating will take to the skies on January 27 of next year. The airline recently shared more details about how its boarding process is set to change. Less time pressure, but a more segmented cabin Southwest's current open-seating boarding process is simple: Passengers line up behind stanchions based on their boarding group (labeled by letters A to C) and then pick an available seat once they're on board the plane. In an investor's call last July, Southwest's executive vice president Ryan Green noted that this process is 'relatively calm' but can create time pressure once customers are inside the cabin. Some of that pressure will be alleviated under this new system, with the trade-off being that the cabin will now be segmented into standard and premium seating sections. In an interview with CNBC, Southwest executives shared that the new boarding system was designed using computer models and live testing in order to ensure that the assigned seating wouldn't slow the process down. 'We wanted to make sure that, as we designed a boarding construct that paired well with assigned seating, we were optimizing for efficiency. But also for the second priority: making sure that we're taking care of our most loyal customers,' Stephanie Shafer Modi, managing director of fares and ancillary products at Southwest, told CNBC. '[That includes] tier members, cardholders, and customers who buy our most premium products.' An eight-group boarding system The updated boarding system reflects Southwest's increasing focus on high-paying passengers. Under the new parameters, customers will be prompted to choose a fare bundle when they first purchase a ticket, and they'll receive a letter and a seat number when they check in online—similar to the current system. However, once they arrive at the airport, passengers will be separated into two lines and eight different boarding groups: The first two groups to board will include the top tiers of elite frequent fliers, and those with the top classes of tickets (Choice Extra and Choice Plus). Groups 3 through 8 will be for Choice and Basic ticket holders, depending on their seat location. Credit card holders and Rapid Rewards credit card members will board no later than Group 5. Despite the changes, Green said last July: 'We expect our future boarding process to feel very familiar and uniquely Southwest.' This post originally appeared at to get the Fast Company newsletter: Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Skift
21-07-2025
- Business
- Skift
Southwest Sets Date for Assigned Seating, Launches New Boarding Process
The moves come as Southwest has been making massive changes to its business model that include baggage fees and premium seats. Southwest Airlines announced Monday assigned seating will go into effect on January 27, 2026. With the new changes, Southwest also plans to use a new boarding process, bringing an end to its decades-long open boarding process, which had widely differentiated the airline from its competitors. Southwest said the new boarding pro
