Southwest changes course on its signature open seating plan

Southwest Airlines said it will abandon its signature open seating plan. The airline said it will now assign seats and offer premium seats with more legroom on its flights. NBC News' Emilie Ikeda reports on the reasons behind the change.

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[TexasGal.]

Next thing they’ll add are bag fees…just wait.

[FluffyMarshmallow-xr]

Good..they cost as much as American Airlines near me but without the benefit of assigned seats. I don't mind sitting apart from people if I know ahead of time, but the Mad dash. It's stressful

[Qosmokid]

Really? Fares are way more expensive than a few years ago. Im not referring to during the pandemic

[btbraden]

The main reason I fly Southwest is now gone.

[Thomas-tugj]

Plainly put, their old business model isn't working anymore.

[Bradastan]

I only flew southwest once, hated the fight for seats and being split from my travel companions, never flew with them again. But maybe they are back on the airline menu now.

[bradchoi]

I am a former airline worker, and active duty memeber who fequently flying with southwest, the leg room for selling is a joke. I experienced 3 flight crash accidents while working in an airline. selling emergency exit seat selling to anyone is a great example of moral hazard of airlines.

[robertpurdy]

I flew them once, and never again. I dealt with that dumb policy and vowed never to sit on one of their planes ever again.

[tharris]

Well, I guess there’s no point for A list.

[rrfirefly]

In spite of the range of people flying the airline, there's a Southwest customer stereotype: people who laugh at really dumb jokes with puns in them. The attendants have those lines rehearsed for each new batch of flyers and down-home folks think they're supposed to laugh to be courteous. But NOT on the West Coast. Just grimaces there.