Southwest Airlines is changing its long-standing policies on open seats, premium seats and … [+]
Southwest Airlines has announced significant changes in its technique to increase its profitability. The biggest change is a move away from its long-standing open seating policy to a reserved seating policy modeled on the three major U.S. airlines: United, American and Delta Airlines.
Southwest has been considering changes for a minimum of the past yr, but pressure from an investor with a $2 billion stake in the corporate apparently led to the announcement. That investor questioned the airline’s two-bag-free policy and suggested other possible revenue-boosting measures.
Southwest’s unique customer experience
Southwest has never tried to repeat the client experience of its larger competitors. They stuck to their policy of allowing two bags free, at the same time as other airlines raked in billions of dollars in checked bag fees. The same goes for fees when a passenger changes planes. Their planes haven’t got economy seats with more legroom, let alone spacious top notch seats.
The airline emphasizes direct connections between cities in comparison with the hub-and-spoke model of other airlines. It has avoided night flights. It even encourages its gate staff and flight attendants to maintain passengers comfortable and entertained by incorporating humor into routine announcements.
The biggest difference between Southwest and the others, nevertheless, is its open seating policy. Passengers line up in groups and select their seats as they board. Passengers will pay a fee to board in the primary wave, and a few of Southwest’s frequent flyers can join this group as well.
In my previous article, I posed the hypothetical query of whether Southwest would drive away its loyal customers if it made the experience more much like its competitors. Now the query isn’t any longer hypothetical. Change is coming.
Will seat changes alienate Southwest customers?
Reactions to the move away from open seating were mixed.
At Redditseveral posters were vehemently against the change. One commenter who flies Southwest 60-70 times a yr appreciated the power to alter flights often on the last minute. “I love being able to book a flight 3 hours in advance and still be able to board after the A.” Other users agreed with the advantage of with the ability to book last-minute flights and still get seat.
Some posters lamented the planned division of seats into seats with extra space and seats with less space. “Lsaykae” noted: “My husband is 6’6″ and he really liked that every one seats on SW had the identical legroom.” A premium seat could also be vital in the long run.
Hans Mast, travel agent at Golden Rule Travel, knows how attractive seat guarantees are for some travelers, but additionally believes it can make travel tougher for groups and families who can currently sit next to one another at no extra cost.
Gail Sideman, founding father of a Minneapolis-based public relations firm, flies Southwest only a dozen times a yr, but is anxious that the airline’s currently orderly and well-organized boarding process shall be slowed down by the brand new system.
Matt Kovacs, president of Blaze PR in Long Beach, Calif., currently flies primarily Southwest and pays for early boarding. He doesn’t think the change will change his behavior because Southwest’s routes suit his needs.
Will assigned seating attract more passengers?
Personally, Southwest’s open seat policy is the important reason I never fly with them. My status with United allows me to book extra legroom seats at no cost and board in the primary group, so they sometimes get first-come-first-served. United Club access (which I pay for individually) also helps. But if the destination is not conveniently served by United, I take a look at other airlines that allow me to order a preferred seat, even for a further fee.
While I believe a switch to Southwest is unlikely, a more conventional seating policy would make switching an option in cases where the itinerary could be higher.
I’m not alone. Jamie Miller, Florida director at promoting agency People Who Think, stopped flying on Southwest due to its current boarding policy. He found that even should you paid to be in the primary boarding group, you didn’t all the time get seat up front.
Dan Farkas, founding father of Pass PR and a lecturer at Ohio State University, also believes that paying to board doesn’t do much good for the primary group because so many other people pay for the privilege or qualify based on their status. And he believes that when seats are open, boarding is slowed down by people trying to seek out seat and stow their carry-on luggage.
A comfortable middle seat
Every passenger I do know tries to avoid the dreaded middle seat, but New York-based comedian Dan Nainan has used Southwest’s open seating policy to his advantage. He reports, “On one flight, I sat between two ladies and ended up going out with both of them (separately)!”
Of course, there are probably many more horror stories of people that were already seated after which attacked by a seatmate who’s overly talkative, carries smelly food, or is otherwise problematic.
The net impact of the brand new policy on Southwest
There is little doubt that the proposed policy changes will alter the Southwest customer experience. Instead of seats where everyone is similar, some may have just a few more inches of legroom than others. Assigned seats shall be uncomfortable for some (e.g. last-minute travelers) but shall be helpful for individuals who don’t love uncertainty. The boarding process shall be overhauled and can little question be confusing for some time while each staff and passengers get used to it.
The hoped-for profit, in fact, is that Southwest can attract more business travelers and generate additional revenue from premium seats. But the danger is that Southwest loses the features that set it aside from the competition. If Southwest becomes only a smaller version of the large three, they risk losing their loyal base without attracting enough latest customers to make up for that loss.
