Southwest Airlines' golden age quietly came to an end

• Southwest Airlines has ended its open seating policy in favor of assigned seats.
• The airline has also eliminated free checked bags for most passengers and changed its plus-size passenger policy.
• These changes make Southwest's business model more similar to other major U.S. carriers.

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Friends and loved ones, we are gathered here today to mourn the loss of Southwest Airlines as it once was. The fun, free-spirited carrier with open seating and two complimentary checked bags for every passenger is no more. Elliott Management, the airline’s new Wall Street overlord, decided the company would be more profitable by fitting in with the others. 

On Jan. 27, the last major differentiator between Southwest and its competitors fell by the wayside as the airline moved to assigned seats for all passengers.  

It may not seem like a life-altering decision to some. In fact, many casual travelers may not even notice. 

Certainly, when I flew an early morning flight on the first day of assigned seating, there was no commotion. There was no pushback. There wasn’t even any apparent confusion among passengers heading to assigned seats – even as the airline was transforming from the quirky carrier that so many travelers loved for its personality and different approach. 

Speaking more broadly and from the heart, it’s a bummer. 

I may like knowing what to expect when I travel, but there’s something to be said when a company blazes its own trail and stands out from the competition.  

“It’s a very big deal. They’re going to be in many ways similar to the other three mega carriers who have 80% of the market more or less offering the same product.” William J. McGee, senior fellow for aviation and travel at the American Economic Liberties Project told me. “Southwest managed to find a niche and managed to develop a product that truly was different than the others.” 

It can be good for travelers to have choice beyond the simple schedule an airline operates, and Southwest’s decision to homogenize with its competitors poses a bigger question: What will this mean for its most loyal passengers? 

What changed at Southwest? 

In the last year or so, Southwest reinvented itself to be more like all the other major U.S. airlines. 

Where once the Dallas-based carrier offered two free checked bags for every passenger, first-come, first-served seating, a flexible policy for plus-sized passengers and other customer-friendly business practices, the airline is now getting in line with the competition. 

Free checked bags for most casual passengers? That’s over. Especially when airlines collectively made $7.3 billion from bag fees in 2024, according to the Department of Transportation. The exhilarating race to grab a seat? That’s done. Assigned seating and extra legroom rows have become the new standard on its fleet of Boeing 737s. A second seat for passengers who need the space? Sure, but it’s more likely to cost you. Its plus-size passenger policy, too, has gotten more restrictive. 

While executives insisted the changes give customers more choice and more options that they actually want, consumer advocates like McGee aren’t so sure. 

From his perspective, the changes are being driven entirely by what’s good for the company’s quarterly earnings statements, not necessarily what’s best for passengers. 

"More should be made of the fact that we have such an upside-down world here in that the market is driven by punishing people, so therefore, if you’re doing something that is good and that consumers like, for example, free bags, what are the investors on Wall Street say and what do the big banks and the analysts say, they say you’re leaving money on the table,” he said. “The value of your company is hurt because you’re doing something good for your customers.” 

Brian Lorenzo, 28, a Southwest Airlines loyalist, told me he’s "happy to see them doing more for different customers," and added that he's glad to see Southwest doing assigned seating in its own way – which includes keeping the pre-boarding lineup procedure, something he said seems to make boarding go smoother. But still, he said, he’ll miss some of the old quirks.

What it’s like on the new Southwest 

It’s just like any other airline, and isn’t that kind of a shame? 

When I flew to Nashville from New York on Jan. 27, I was expecting at least some people to be upset or annoyed about the new policy. Instead, I saw a bunch of passengers slogging their way through the airport before the sun came up, and checking their boarding passes to confirm their seat assignment. 

Southwest’s open seating policy, in place for decades, ended more with a resigned sigh than a furious uproar. Even the airline’s own press materials were uncharacteristically staid. 

“Today marks the beginning of a new chapter for Southwest Airlines as the airline introduces assigned and premium seating in response to customer demand for more options, including Extra Legroom seating, Preferred seating, and Standard seating, along with a new group-based boarding process and elevated travel experience,” a statement from the company said. 

Online, some superfans spoke out about how much they’d miss open seating, but at LaGuardia Airport on Tuesday morning, it seemed like most people didn’t notice or at least didn’t care if they took note. 

Onboard, people found their seats and seemingly went to sleep. Or at least, I went to sleep. There wasn’t much else to do considering the Wi-Fi, now free for all Rapid Rewards members, was nonfunctional. 

And just like that, a new era at Southwest began. With passengers sleeping in their assigned seats, unable to scroll Instagram. 

I was in seat 24A, a window seat near the back of the plane, assigned to me at check-in with my basic economy ticket. 

There was no singing or celebration at my gate, although the airline announced a few celebrations that popped up for other flights, including the last one with open seating. Meanwhile, Southwest executives promise the airline intends to keep its quirky personality onboard, even amid the other changes.  

How you may ask? It’s up in the air. 

That Tuesday morning departure could have been any other flight on any other airline. 

For McGee’s part, he said these changes were bound to come to Southwest’s lovely skies sooner or later. 

“In the end, we all should be surprised that they hung on as long as they did,” he said. “I guess, the market being what it is, it was inevitable.” 

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and you can reach him at [email protected].