Southwest Airlines Is Getting Rid Of Their Open Seating Policy & People Have Mixed Reactions

After over 50 years, Southwest passengers will no longer select any seat they want when boarding a flight. Instead, the airline will offer assigned and “premium” seats with a revamped boarding model, the airline announced in a press release.

Southwest is calling the change “part of an ongoing and comprehensive upgrade” for customers. The company’s president and CEO, Bob Jordan, added that research shows passengers “overwhelmingly prefer” an assigned-seat system like that used by other carriers.

The company said customers have been asking for such changes, noting that people often cite the airline’s open seating as top reason they switch carriers.

“The research is clear and indicates that 80% of Southwest customers, and 86% of potential customers, prefer an assigned seat,” said the airline in a statement. “By moving to an assigned seating model, Southwest expects to broaden its appeal and attract more flying from its current and future customers.”

People had mixed reactions to the change. But let’s be real, when you’re traveling with family, that sh*t is stressful — especially if you’re in a later boarding group. Southwest does offer Family Boarding between Group A and Group B, however, kids must be 6 years of age or younger to qualify.

Several X (formerly Twitter) users agree with this sentiment, noting that Southwest’s out-of-the-box boarding practices are anxiety-inducing, especially when trying to grab a seat with your loved ones.

“Southwest Airlines used to be what we flew as a family. We stopped flying them because they tried separating my brother and I from our parents on multiple occasions,” one user wrote after the announcement.

“American is significantly better than Southwest if you have a family. If you’re flying alone it’s fine, if you have a child or a wife it’s pretty much unusable,” another said.

Another user wrote in April 2024, “I am flying Southwest today because it was the cheapest when I booked. This boarding process is ridiculous. As a solo traveler it kind of makes sense, but why would you ever do this with a partner or family? Is it really that worthwhile with the priority boarding I don’t have?”

Others were excited for the change, noting that since Southwest introduced the “Early Bird” special — which allowed passengers to pay extra for a higher boarding number — people had been abusing the system.

“The strategy I saw is that one person in a family would buy early boarding and save seats for their whole group. I used to enjoy southwest, but once everyone started doing things like this, you either had to pay for early boarding or get stuck with a bad seat,” they wrote.

Some people were peeved about the change, remarking the end of the Family Boarding process.

“Unfortunately, I think our family will be flying on something other than @SouthwestAir soon. We loved that the open seating meant that we could guarantee sitting together without paying extra. With that open seating coming to an end, how long until bags don’t fly free?” they asked.

Another user noted that without open seating, a guaranteed spot next to a friend might not be so easy to obtain.

“I’m actually disappointed in Southwest decision on assigned seating. I love picking my own seat. Can guarantee I sit with the person I’m traveling with,” they wrote.

Southwest did not give details about when the changes will go into effect, but it said it would be discussed further in September.