Hi Gary,
I recently enjoyed a presentation you gave to students at St. Edward's University and something has been on my mind ever since about the prospect of assigned seating.
I believe one of the benefits SWA has experienced with its Customers is their expectations of seating prior to arrival at the airport. When Customers know their seat assignment prior to arrival their expectations of the flight are pre-set. On the other hand, with SWA's open seating, Customers arrive at the airport without clear expectations for their seating. In my opinion, this unknown is actually positive for both the Customers and SWA. The Customers benefit from their expectation, or hope, of finding the seat they desire once they're walking aboard the plane. They may not find their perfect seat and even if they don't, they accept it as part of the open seating game.
In this way, SWA benefits because fliers like to have that hope and partial control over their own destinies. If SWA were to assign seats at the point of booking, expectations of Customers would be pre-set and some may choose to research other airlines for a better seat. I believe the hope and unbounded expectations held by Customers is part of the magic which makes them loyal to SWA; it's not about the actual process, but the art in which SWA manages expectations and partners with Customers as opposed to dictate to them.
Let Customers decide their options instead of giving them finite choicesÃ
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