Southwest Airlines says goodbye to open seating, hello to boarding complications

What is it The best way to cram people into a tin can in the sky?

For five decades, Dallas-based budget Airline company Southwest has earned its reputation with its unique open seating policy. Savvy passengers who checked in early were able to board early too, lining up at the distinctive silver trusses to claim first prize for whichever seat they preferred. The “fairer than you” approach extended to Southeast’s cabins: For years, the airline had no first-class seating, and all the seats looked essentially the same.

no longer! On Tuesday, Southwest Airlines officially opened its new assigned seating policy, the latest in a group of changes that bring it closer to average. Flight operations. Taken by itself, the new policy, which divides passengers into boarding groups and loads them according to seat location, should be more efficient.

But unfortunately for gentrification enthusiasts, Southwest’s new boarding plan comes with some asterisks — concessions that executives say will pay dividends — that will likely make the process more complicated than it could be.

First, more about the new plan. Instead of boarding the aircraft at check-in time, passengers will enter the cabin by group. They will be assigned to those groups according to the Window-Middle Aisle Method, or WILMA for short: Starting at the back of the plane and moving forward, window seat holders board the plane first; Then the middle seats, also starting from the back of the plane; Then the corridor. Airlines use the WILMA method because it reduces blockages in the aisle when people find their seats. It also gives window passengers time to store their luggage before the next wave of passengers board the plane. United Airlines, which It turned again For Wilma’s method in 2023, He says It saves a few minutes from the boarding process, which is important in a business where time is tight and Equals money.

But Southwest Airlines’ new operation has some drawbacks that could hinder business. The company also last year inaugurated a more capitalistic approach to air travel that gives more perks to frequent Southwest flyers, passengers willing to spend more to board earlier or get extra legroom. People who purchase the new “Priority Boarding” fare get first. Then first-class frequent fliers, people opting for the more expensive Select Plus, and those who have purchased the airline’s new Extra Legroom packages. Then other frequent flyers, those who choose the next fare level, and credit card members. Then, finally, these people are from the economic class.

Southwest believes all this extra complexity will make the company more money. Robert Jordan, president and CEO of Southwest Airlines, told investors last fall that seats with extra legroom, introduced last May, should save an additional $1.5 billion annually by next year. Plus the passengers really He wants It’s assigned seating, the airline said when it announced the changes for 2024.

However, frequent flyer programs, credit card perks, and even baggage fee strategies get in the way of completely efficient boarding processes industry-wide, he says. John Milnea professor of engineering management at Clarkson University who researches boarding procedures. In general, these types of concessions mean that airlines have become “generally worse” at loading people onto planes quickly.

“They’re trying to get extra money, and I understand that,” Milne says. “But it slows things down.”