Whether it be to earn points or simply enjoy a couple more inches of legroom, many Americans are loyal to their favorite airline, many of which prefer Southwest.
As pioneers of flexible policies and friendly service, travelers rave about Southwest over the others.
Americans wanting to get away have let bygones be bygones over some headache-inducing mishaps in years past, and now Southwest will surely be loved even more with the latest major announcements.
Don’t worry; your favorite Southwest perk, free bags, is here to stay!
The Latest Airline To Overhaul Their Business Model
Some consider Southwest Airlines to be a “budget airline”. Not me. That is unless you strike while the iron’s hot with Wanna Get Away fares.
As someone who first fell in love with traveling by purchasing a $20 flight to Chicago, I was dumbfounded that my entire life, I had believed traveling was always expensive.
Sure, jetting off to far-flung destinations and opting to stay at 5-star all-inclusive resorts can turn your money into quicksand, but traveling doesn’t have to be this way.
With Southwest, however, it’s a mixed bag. Earlier this summer, a report revealed the top 5 cheapest U.S. airlines.
Spoiler alert: Southwest didn’t make the cut.
Whether you classify Southwest as a budget airline or not, what matters is they are the latest airline to undergo a huge transformation, becoming even more customer-oriented.
Following the lead of true low-cost carriers, Frontier and Spirit, who both drastically transformed their infamous stringent anti-customer policies in place of much more palatable no-fee flight changes, get ready for a whole new Southwest!
Southwest Fliers No Longer Have To Ask “Is Anyone Sitting Here?”
We’ve all been there, cursed with ‘Zone C’ on your Southwest boarding pass.
Maybe it’s bugging someone with their AirPods in, or even worse, finding the only seats left are next to booger-picking toddlers who you know are going to throw a tantrum at 35,000 feet.
Ah, the joys of travel.
Thankfully, no longer will Southwest fliers need to squeamishly ask if a seat is taken. On the flip side, you don’t have to place your bags in the seat next to you pretending to reserve it for someone.
Southwest’s unique anti-cattle herding boarding style had its perks, but in a day and age where you can simply view a seat map online, it seemed to be outdated, right?
The mega-popular airline has received the message loud and clear. Southwest is embracing assigned seating.
In fact, a study revealed over 80% of airline passengers prefer to board this way instead of Southwest’s typical free-for-all.
In their own words, “Southwest decided it will assign seats and offer premium seating options on all flights”.
Additionally, Southwest will offer a ‘premium’ section offering passengers more legroom than standard seating.
Southwest Is Going Lights Out
Southwest stayed in its lane as long as possible, tooting its own horn with open seating, tight schedules, and flexible policies competitors snark at.
Heck, Southwest has been such a black sheep of the industry, up until May, you couldn’t even view their flights on third party sites (OTAs).
But there’s one more big change. While not always the preferred flight option, Southwest will now offer overnight flights, commonly referred to as “redeyes”, for obvious reasons.
Fliers can now pack a neck pillow and eye drops and prepare for an extra 5 minutes to grab an overpriced coffee upon landing at the next airport.
Southwest did not specify in their press release when assigned seating will overtake their current open seating policy, but the carrier’s new redeye flights will launch February 13, 2025 for the following routes:
- Las Vegas to Baltimore and Orlando
- Los Angeles to Baltimore and Nashville
- Phoenix to Baltimore
Tickets are on sale now.
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