Southwest Airlines to end open seating with new assigned seating policy from January 27

Dhaka: Southwest Airlines is replacing its long-standing open seating with the new assigned seating policy from January 27. The change is expected to bring more order to boarding and reduce chaos.

Southwest adopted this policy change mainly due to misuses of wheelchair pre-boarding services. Currently, some passengers claim wheelchair assistance to gain early boarding access and get off the plane without asking for any special assistance after the flight.

With assigned seating, passengers would no longer have the chance to use wheelchair service for an unfair advantage, and it will ensure priority boarding remains available for those who truly need it.

In addition to assigned seating, Southwest will implement new boarding procedures. The airline will replace its traditional A/B/C boarding groups with a new eight-group system, which will be guided by digital screens.

The newly placed policy changes will eliminate some flexibility Southwest passengers enjoyed for years, but the airline believes it will facilitate a smoother and more efficient boarding process, improve the overall customer experience, and promote fairness for all passengers, especially those requiring special assistance.