NO NO NO TO ASSIGNED SEATING.
I fly Southwest almost weekly and the majority of the time, I do not hear anyone complain about the open seating policy. Don't change what works. To prove my point, I ended up having to fly American Airlines this past Monday as I was in downtown DC and had a tight schedule. Monday weather was horrible with planes delayed and canceled. I was fortunate enough to get on the last and only flight to Chicago. At 9:00, the station agent states the plane is being cleaned; and due to the noise ordanance in Reagan National, this plane must back away from the gate at 9:52 or we do not leave. At 9:25, the station agent reminded us of the time constraint, and then bellowed, "Everyone get on the plane" I am not sure how many seats there are on a MD 80, but we all ran for the door and were in our seats in less than 10 minutes. Now I know this is an extreme circumstance, but it worked, just like open seating on Southwest.
If you feel compelled to change, the comment from K. Johnson makes a lot of sense. Charge a little more and have them go to
the back of the plane, but don't make those of us who appreciate what you have suffer
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