On the last leg of their return from the Caribbean, Kevin Priger and his wife landed in a self-inflicted travel snafu.
The Atlanta couple had forgotten to do the check-in for their Southwest Airlines LUV flight home after celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary.
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Priger explained his mistake to the gate agent, bracing to wait until all other passengers had boarded the plane.
But thanks to the airline’s open-seating policy, the gate agent was able to work some magic and allow early boarding for the couple trying to avoid a rough end to a great trip.
Pulling off the feat would have been “much more difficult with pre-assigned seating” said Priger, a hospitality sector sales professional. It sealed his allegiance to the carrier — even after the airline’s 2023 Christmas holiday meltdown upended his daughter’s flight plans.
But now Priger, 56, is scratching his head on the news Southwest will move to assigned seats next year and introduce premium seating. “I don’t really know what to think. I like the situation as it stands,” he said.
So do others, who say they like the carrier’s sit-wherever flexibility. They like the idea that a ticket’s price is the same for anywhere on the plane. Passengers can however get a leg up on prime seats by paying to be in the first boarding group, and just by showing up early, they note.
“It’s been a very egalitarian view of travel that Southwest has touted all these years. We want travel to be accessible for everyone, so sit where you like,” said Katy Nastro, spokesperson for Going, a website tracking flight deals. “I think for the true loyalists out there for Southwest, this is a true blow.”
Put Drew Ayling in that crowd. Open seating lets people efficiently spread out or lets families easily travel together, he said. It also allowed passengers to sit next to perfect strangers if they wanted to.
Striking up a good connection with a fellow passenger while waiting to board could “enable you both to sit next to each other if you’re getting along well and both flying alone,” Ayling said.
Southwest hinted months ago that changes were coming. On Thursday, the carrier said it didn’t make the decision lightly. Its research showed that 80% of customers wanted assigned seating and 86% of potential Southwest passengers wanted it too. When these would-be fliers skipped Southwest, the current open-seating model was the top reason, according to the airline.
“It’s clear the open seat model that served us well for so many years is no longer optimal for today’s customer,” Chief Executive Bob Jordan told analysts Thursday. Jordan said on the earnings call he was surprised by the depth of the customer support for assigned seats.
More details are coming on Southwest’s new cabin configurations and premium seats, he said. But Southwest is sticking with its popular policy of allowing two free checked bags, Jordan emphasized. “Just to be real clear on ‘bags fly free’ as a policy, we’re not looking at this point to change that policy,” Jordan said.
Now what for Southwest passengers?
Southwest Airlines shares finished the day 5.5% higher Thursday, though they are down 2.7% for the year. The new seating model is “clearly the right thing to do for our customers, for our employees and our shareholders,” Jordan said on the earnings call.
Others have questions. “I think it will impact some of the repeat customers’ opinions on the airline and they could lose some of their loyal customers,” said Zachary Warring, equity analyst at CFRA Research.
Nashville International Airport is one hub for Southwest Airlines, so Nashville resident Buck Patton uses the carrier most of the time he travels. As a Southwest regular, he’s got the hang of showing up at the gate early and sitting where he likes, or making a quick decision to take the middle seat if the passengers in the row and aisle seem friendly.
He knows some people who call Southwest’s current arrangement “stupid” and are “ecstatic” with the news. But he also has friends who think the seating policy change is a “terrible idea,” said Patton, 31, who works in financial services.
Patton is somewhere in the middle. “I’m skeptical. I’m hopeful they know what they are doing, but I am slightly disappointed,” Patton told MarketWatch. “It’s what set Southwest apart. You are paying one price for a seat anywhere on the plane.”
If Patton doesn’t like how the airline carries out the changes, he said he may have to be more choosy in picking who he flies with.
Back in Atlanta, Priger is wondering what the assigned-seating change means for the Southwest brand. For him, it’s a big change — and maybe not in a great way.
“It’s almost like New Coke,” he said, alluding to the ill-fated 1985 overhaul of Coca-Cola’s KO classic soft drink, before the company quickly returned to its original formula.
For now, Priger’s flying on Southwest in a couple of weeks. “I’m looking forward to still-open seating.”
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