Southwest Airlines has announced that it will be discontinuing its open seating policy in 2025. The airline will implement assigned seating on its flights, along with the introduction of premium seats offering extra legroom.

Although the change had been circulating as a rumour in airline industry news for a few weeks, the confirmation has come as a surprise.

During its Q2 earnings call on Sunday (July 25), Southwest CEO Bob Jordan said that when making changes, the airline would do things the “Southwest way.”

“We are known for common sense, not adding complexity,” he said. 

Their open seating policy had been a constant for 57 years and the choice to discontinue came after customer feedback noted that over 80 per cent of travellers felt inconvenienced by not knowing where to sit once they entered the plane.

The airline’s new executive vice president of transformation, Ryan Green, said assigned seating should reduce stress for customers, who currently worry about not having a seat assignment. He also noted that 60 per cent of Southwest flyers do online check-in within 30 seconds of opening, signaling their anxiety.

Southwest Airlines will still have open seating throughout the rest of 2024.