Big changes are coming for Dallas-based Southwest Airlines and its passengers.

The company announced several initiatives including moving forward with plans to end open seating by assigning seats, offering premium seating options, and redesigning the carrier’s boarding model. Southwest said it will also introduce redeye flights.

The moves are part of the company’s transformation and are intended to elevate the customer experience, improve financial performance, and drive shareholder value, Southwest said.

Bob Jordan, Southwest’s president, CEO, and vice chairman of the board, called the move to offer assigned seating and additional legroom “a transformational change” that impacts almost every aspect of the airline.

Bob Jordan, CEO and vice board chairman of Southwest Airlines.. [Video still: Southwest Airlines]

“Although our unique open seating model has been a part of Southwest Airlines since our inception, our thoughtful and extensive research makes it clear this is the right choice—at the right time—for our customers, our people, and our shareholders,” Jordan said in a statement.

He said that the Southwest team is excited to incorporate customer and employee feedback “to design a unique experience that only Southwest can deliver.”

Southwest said it continually reviews customer expectations and that during its quarterly financial results in April, it shared that it was studying product preferences and expectations, including onboard seating.

Along with meeting customer demand, Southwest said the new amenities are expected to produce additional revenue and strengthen financial performance.

Jordan added, “We have been building purposefully to this change as part of a comprehensive upgrade to the Southwest experience as we focus on customer expectations—and it will unlock new sources of revenue consistent with our laser focus on delivering improved financial performance.”

Southwest said it will provide more details on its plan to deliver transformational commercial initiatives, improved operational efficiency, and capital allocation discipline during its Investor Day in late September.

Assigned seats preferred by ‘80%’ of Southwest customers

Southwest said that after listening to customers and conducting extensive research, it decided it will assign seats and offer premium seating options on all flights.

Southwest has been known for its unique open seating model for more than 50 years, but preferences have evolved with more customers taking longer flights where a seat assignment is preferred. The airline also said it conducted “robust operational testing” that included live and over 8 million simulation-based boarding trials.

The airline said that the research is clear and indicates that 80% of Southwest customers, and 86% of potential customers, prefer an assigned seat. It said that when a customer elects to stop flying with Southwest and chooses a competitor, open seating is cited as the number-one reason for the change.

Southwest said that by moving to an assigned seating model, it expects to broaden its appeal and attract more flying from its current and future customers.

The carrier also said it will offer a premium, extended legroom portion of the cabin that research shows many customers strongly prefer. Specific cabin layout details are still in design, but Southwest said it expects roughly one-third of seats across the fleet to offer extended legroom, in line with that offered by industry peers on narrowbody aircraft.

During the past two years, Southwest has enhanced its onboard offerings with improvements such as faster Wi-Fi, in-seat power, and larger overhead bins. In February, Dallas Innovates wrote about Southwest’s plans to upgrade cabins with premium seats from a German manufacturer, and offer redesigned cabin interiors and conveniences, new airline employee uniforms, and even new ways to prop up your mobile phone or tablet.

Southwest said that work is underway on a refreshed cabin design, including new, more comfortable RECARO seats.

Transitioning to 24-hour operations

Southwest also announced it is adding 24-hour operation capabilities with the introduction of overnight, redeye flights. Booking on initial routes is available through Southwest.com, with the first overnight flights landing on Valentine’s Day 2025 in five initial nonstop markets: Las Vegas to Baltimore and Orlando; Los Angeles to Baltimore and Nashville; and Phoenix to Baltimore.

Southwest said it intends to phase in more redeye flying in the carrier’s coming schedules as part of its multiyear transformation to a 24-hour operation. The airline said redeye flying, along with continued reductions in turn-time through new technologies and procedures, is expected to provide incremental revenue and cost savings, enabling Southwest to fund nearly all new capacity over the next three years without incremental aircraft capital deployment.

Ryan Green, previously executive vice president, & chief commercial officer, will take on the new role of EVP Commercial Transformation, leading development and rollout of these and other commercial initiatives already underway. Green currently leads the work on cabin transformation.

Previously, Green directed efforts to transform Southwest Airlines’ Rapid Rewards loyalty program and the digital customer experience. He reports to Jordan in his new role.

Green said that he is eager to lead this step in the airline’s transformation to better serve its customers.

“In addition to meeting the evolving needs of customers and fostering more loyalty, these changes are expected to generate additional revenue as we capitalize on greater demand for Southwest Airlines and offer customers the ability to purchase premium seating options,” Green said in a statement. “Together, these strategic initiatives play an integral role in the airline’s comprehensive strategy to meet customer needs and enhance Shareholder value, while maintaining the unique culture, hospitality, and flexibility that make Southwest Southwest.”

The company said it will share more details about product designs, cabin layout, timing, and incremental financial value at its Investor Day in late September.

“The board fully supports these efforts to usher in a new era for Southwest Airlines, and we have the ultimate confidence in Bob and our leadership team to design and deliver an experience that is unique and true to our Southwest Legacy,” Executive Chairman Gary Kelly said in a statement.

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