Southwest no longer doing open seating

https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/25/investing/southwest-airlines-assigned-seats/index.html

You are going to get an assigned seat ....and also they will be doing red-eye flights.   

I'm more excited about the latter.     Every red-eye flight I've been on I end up with a whole row of seats to myself.    You can tie one on at Ellis Island and then sleep it off on the flight home =)

Another article on this topic from the Points Guy.

https://thepointsguy.com/news/southwest-airlines-redeye-flights-overnight/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3Iupk9jsCigPh_2-JMrb6A5pNbg-S34QidnDKzmT5x7wetNigNAVyyPwk_aem_e6yDddFlBl5Czktxt764XA

Pessimistically, I can't recall a big change resulting in good things for the consumer.  I hope I'm wrong.  I pray they don't discontinue non-stop flights, that's all.  I never minded not having assigned seating when the trade off was lower cost of a flight.  I can appreciate those who like a red-eye.  We did red-eye in our younger years. 

I'm so used to the simplicity of the SW online booking site, I dread that it will become like the other big guys, headaches figuring out which flight, which class, etc.  But, must wait and see!

Candy

For me, the reason to take Southwest is: I can check a bag without paying a goddamn $50 or $75 or $8,000 or whatever all the other airlines charge. There used to be the additional reason that Southwest was cheaper, but that's no longer the case.

Their cattle-car boarding procedure is dumb for one simple reason: it slows everything down, as passengers mill about their assigned section, musing on which seat to choose. Getting that part of the process out of the way before boarding saves time and aggravation.

I hate hate hate hate hate (HATE!) air travel (and I used to love it), but if I'm forced to fly, like if I have to accept a Nobel Prize or something, Southwest is my choice--fortunately, they serve Portland. I've flown Cheapo Cattle Car Airlines a couple of times, but from now on, absolutely no mas, even if the fare is 25 cents.

Southwest is rumored to start charging for bags.  Their new owner wants profit and the airline has been losing massive amounts of money.  Soon it'll be just like the rest of the airlines, nickel and diming for every last cent while providing substandard service.

I fly Southwest almost exclusively, I didn't mind the cattle call boarding my wife and I would always get in the A group or high B at least and be able to have a seat in the front third of the cabin. It helps that we both like aisle seats and normally sit across the aisle from each other. 

The CEO of Southwest said they will not start charging for bags, let's hope he keeps his word. From a Reuters article on July 25, 2024:

"Jordan said the company currently has no plans to start charging for bags, adding the airline's data shows that a no-bag fee policy is the number one reason customers choose it."

That is my point.  I'm happy with things as they are.  I suspect long time Southwest users like me are still OK with the system.  It isn't the "cattle call" (I don't think of it like that) that is their problem.  It is the SNAFU with Boeing and other internal disruptions, IMHO.

The other day I struggled through American Airlines' reservation web site to a city where SW didn't go from my city.  Picked out a schedule, round trip, one layover each way not too bad, (no non-stops at all), but then it came to selecting the 'price' which within the price category were multiple "class" options each with the specifications of that class.  The "basic" option:  had to pay for bags, had to pay for seats, had to pay for almost everything.  Oddly, the highest "class" (and its highest cost) had to pay for bags, with the 'benefit' for the higher cost being something about easier changing of flight on the same day, something like that.  The next lowest class, no charge for bags.  Strange.  And not every flight schedule had the same classes and specifications.  Gave up, won't do the trip.  Grrr.

Candy

The open seating unofficially ended when they started to charge $50 to get into group A & their credit card holders and premium also got into Group A; so Group A was almost half the plane. Everybody else got the middle seats and back of the plane.

And then there were the arguments over people "saving seats"

My wife and I had a bit of a weird situation with Southwest boarding at the beginning of June. We flew from Tokyo to LAX on Singapore Airlines and then flew LAX to Denver on Southwest, I paid for the Early Bird check-in, so we were in group A. When they called group A only about half the slots were taken by people in line, the others were empty, it stayed that way until we boarded and then I assume they called group B. I'd never seen that before.

Remember the days when people would arrive hours before the flight, sit against the wall starting at the gate so they could get an exit row seat?  That was crazy time.  That started the ABC boarding position line.

I'd like to hear from anyone who, instead of paying for Early Bird, takes a chance on "checking in" at the very second 24 hours before your flight.  Hovering over the computer and clock to hit it at exact second.  Is the boarding position ever good, or do you end up in C?  Thanks.

Candy