Southwest Airlines pushes forward with seating changes amid customer backlash

Southwest Airlines remains one of the best options for travelers looking to take to the skies but to save money along the way. One of the reasons it was a beloved provider is that it allowed customers to choose their own seats on a first-come, first-served basis – avoiding the practice of up-selling seats based on location in the plane. Well, that time is over as Southwest Airlines has completely changed its seating policy.

Assigned seating is coming to Southwest Airlines. That means that passengers will be assigned seats during the ticketing process and have the ability to upgrade to better seats for a fee. This comes as investors pushed the company to find ways to increase revenue and profits.

“The research is clear and indicates that 80 percent of Southwest customers, and 86 percent of potential customers, prefer an assigned seat,” Southwest released in a statement. “By moving to an assigned seating model, Southwest expects to broaden its appeal and attract more flying from its current and future customers.”

The changes do not have a set date to launch, but expectations are that more information will come in September.

As more information about the changes comes into the light, customers are not taking the plan lying down. Petitions asking Southwest to not make the change are growing each day. A petition on Change.org has already hit 540 signatures as of July 31. There are several reasons why passengers are pushing back against the idea, from an inability to pay extra to making it harder for families to sit together.

“Southwest’s open seating policy makes them stand out in the industry where passengers often bemoan the lack of freedom and choice in their air travel experiences,” said a poster named Grant G, the individual who organized one of the two petitions on Change.org. “It allows families to sit together without the extra cost and stress of securing seats together, as well as individuals to have a decision on taking an aisle or window and who they sit next to.”

Southwest has not made any comment on the petitions nor on plans to make adjustments to the incoming changes.