Pittsburgh travelers react to Southwest Airlines ending open seating for the first time in its history
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - For the first time in the history of Southwest Airlines, the company announced Thursday it's going to start assigning seats, similar to its competitors. Travelers at Pittsburgh International Airport said they have mixed feelings.
"I can get my seat when I go on," Farah Middleton, who lives in Pittsburgh, said.
This has remained the Southwest model for more than 50 years. You pick your seat on the plane and get the better choice, based on your boarding position and the earlier you check in.
While Middleton doesn't mind it, others feel there's always a rush that comes with flying the airline.
"If I'm flying by myself, I don't really care, but if I'm with my family then I want to sit with them," Tomasso Valerio, who lives in Steubenville, Ohio, said.
Now what's synonymous with the company is going away. Southwest will soon have assigned seats and will begin charging for premium seats with more legroom. It also will offer red-eye flights for the first time.
They're changes welcomed by many travelers like Nancy Steltzer, who lives in Morgantown.
"People like to have some sort of control over what and where they're going to sit and with who they're going to sit," Steltzer said.
The airline said it will broaden its appeal, citing research showing 80 percent of its customers and 86 percent of potential customers prefer assigned seating. It also says open seating is the top reason travelers stop flying Southwest and choose another airline.
However, for Steltzer and Middleton, when picking an airline, seating is not their top priority, and they say that will stay the same.
"Mostly what I pick is related to where I'm going, you know, what is flying to where I'm going," Steltzer said.
"I will still fly the cheapest deal whether it's Southwest, Delta, United, American, I'll fly them all," Middleton said.
It's unclear when the changes will go into effect, but Southwest said it will provide more details on its plans in late September. The premium seats will be available in 2025.
