California Insider

Southwest Airlines Scraps Open Seating and Introduces Red-Eye Flights

The airline has been famous for its open-seat model since 1971, but research shows most customers prefer assigned seats.
Southwest Airlines Scraps Open Seating and Introduces Red-Eye Flights
A Southwest Airlines airplane comes in for a landing at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, on May 12, 2020. Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images
Summer Lane
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Coming off a poor second-quarter financial report and after decades of open-seat commercial flights and low prices, Southwest Airlines announced July 25 that it will be pivoting to an assigned seating system and introducing red-eye flight options for passengers.

The company said it was making the changes “to meet evolving customer preferences and increase revenue opportunities,” according to a press release.

Summer Lane
Summer Lane
Author
Summer Lane is the bestselling author of 30 adventure books, including the hit "Collapse Series." She is a reporter and writer with years of experience in journalism and political analysis. Summer is a wife and mother and lives in the Central Valley of California.