I completely agree! Southwest Airlines (SWA) has long been a pioneer in affordable, no-frills air travel, especially for frequent business travelers. They’ve done an excellent job expanding their offerings while keeping things simple, like their flexible programs that cater to people on the move. There are already plenty of airlines offering assigned seating for those booking family vacations months in advance. But for those of us who frequently make last-minute changes, knowing I wouldn’t be stuck in a middle seat just because the flight was almost full was a huge relief.
When you’re flying multiple times a week, it’s exhausting, no matter what. We used to joke that having “status” with an airline or hotel wasn’t really something to brag about. Perks only help lessen the burden of travel – it’s rarely a pleasure.
The only way I can see SWA recovering from this potential misstep is by keeping the flexibility of their current system while introducing assigned seating. It may not fully fix the issue of last-minute seat changes, which often allow business passengers to snag a great seat even just an hour before the flight. But SWA could adjust by allowing seat selection at the 24-hour check-in mark, while still giving A-List members 48-hour check-in access and Business Select passengers maybe 96-hour check-in.
For general passengers, seat options could be broader – like selecting “window,” “middle,” or “aisle” – with flexibility for groups to choose arrangements like “window and middle” or “middle and aisle.” These passengers would need to understand they might be moved to accommodate A-List preferences.
I really hope SWA isn’t just going to follow the herd and adopt the standard seat assignment model of other airlines. If they do, it’ll be hard to justify my loyalty to them anymore. I’ve already been considering a switch to JSX, and this change might be the last straw. Hopefully, it’s not the end of what was once a great airline.
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