For the first time in its 53-year history, Southwest is drastically changing the way it operates. We're not talking about watering down their ultra-popular Rapid Rewards program, or slimmer seats, or anything like that. We're working on terms that affect the ENTIRE airline going forward, from operations to the passenger experience, even completely gutting it's beloved boarding protocol.
Premium and Assigned Seating
The airline is claiming 80% of existing customers and 86% of potential customers prefer assigned seats. Not so sure on the existing passenger's part, but I definitely believe the potential customers numbers, heck this might even be a very conservative percentage. As a Travel Agent, whenever I had a Southwest option for my clients, and they weren't frequent flyers with them, they almost always chose ANY other airline over Southwest for this reason alone. This massive change will no doubt appeal to a much broader traveling public.
The carrier claims it has conducted tests and trials (both live and simulated) on how to board with assigned seats, but almost every high-level A-List and A-List Preferred flyer I've spoken with hasn't been asked their opinion, or even asked to trial the new procedures out. Those are the people you need in your corner on something as earth-shattering and public-facing company culture as this. Granted, other airlines didnt really take into account what any of their passengers were asking for when they would make changes like these, and usually listened to some Ivy League credentialed bean counter, but this is Southwest....the LUV airline!
But I digress. Airlines need to stay relevant, evolve, and change with the times to find that sweet spot in the balance between keeping customers happy, retaining high-frequency repeat business, attracting new clientele, and since it IS a publicly traded company, appeasing the investors and Wall Street every quarter. So far, Southwest has managed to keep that harmonious balance profitable for 47 consecutive years, right up to the COVID-19 pandemic that almost obliterated not just the airline industry, but national economies the world over.
Southwest Leadership also mentioned in its pressers a premium offering, with extended legroom for the passengers that choose the option. No details have been set in stone yet, but this is a big trend in the industry right now, and with carriers such as Allegiant and Spirit offering a premium seating option, Southwest has no choice but to compete as well, as that is something passengers want, and are willing to pay for. The only thing that is known about this offering right now is that around a third of all the seats fleetwide will have this option, but as I said, no other details are known. I imagine it to be something comparable to Alaska Airlines' Premium Class, as both airlines fly the Boeing 737 exclusively.
Redeye Flights
Several months ago, Southwest announced it would begin operating redeye flights from the West Coast, and now several options have gone on sale for flights starting on February 14, 2025. Now, Southwest has experimented very briefly with a handful of redeyes before but found it did not work well with their operation at the time. Now, whether these were full-on scheduled flights or trial runs, I don't remember, but now the airline is ready to give it a go. City pairs include Phoenix to Baltimore (two of its biggest bases), Los Angeles to Baltimore and Nashville, and from Las Vegas to Baltimore and Orlando. These routes definitely make sense, as these are some of Southwest's biggest stations and bases. This is also a fantastic way to increase revenue and options for travelers without adding extra aircraft to the fleet. Maybe I'll book myself on one just to try it out and see how this "new" Southwest runs.
The Travel Genius Opinion:
Now that I've had ample time to process and think through what this means for Southwest and the traveling public at large, I find it as a logical next step in Southwest's evolution. Southwest had to adapt, and badly. While definitely better late than never, this kind of metamorphosis should have been done ages ago, right around the time the merger with Airtran was consummated.
There are a lot of questions left unanswered at this juncture, mainly involving A-List and A-List Preferred Tier Level passengers and their entitlements after the implementation. Another question that immediately popped into my mind was if Early Bird Check-In will still be an ongoing option, or will that go the way of the plastic boarding passes? What sort of turnaround times are we looking at from here on out? Will pre-boarding change, and how? But probably the most important question of all is: What will happen with the 2 free checked bags policy? So many questions...I sincerely hope the best for Southwest, something had to be done, and it's finally happening.
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