Southwest Airlines plans to start assigning seats, breaking with a 50-year tradition

DALLAS (AP) — Southwest Airlines plans to drop the open-boarding system it has used for more than 50 years and will start assigning passengers to seats, just like all the other big airlines. The airline said on Thursday (July 25, 2024) that preferences have changed over the years and the vast majority of travelers now want to know where they are sitting before they get to the airport. Southwest’s unusual boarding process started as a fast way to load passengers and limit the time that planes and crews spend sitting idly on the ground, not making money. It helped the airline squeeze a few more flights into the daily schedule. Southwest also plans to offer redeye flights for the first time.