Southwest Airlines changes seating system, offers red-eye flights

Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) is making changes to fix its bottom line while it puts bottoms in assigned seats and offers new red-eye flights.

The moves are intended to drive revenue for the company while also satisfying customer demand, according to a news release.

In its customer research, Southwest reported that 80% of its customers, and 86% of potential customers, preferred an assigned seat, the release stated.  The airline also learned that when a customer stops flying Southwest, open seating is cited as the No. 1 reason for the change. By moving to an assigned seating model, Southwest expects to broaden its appeal and attract more flying from its current and future customers, the news release stated.

In addition to assigned seating, the airline also will introduce premium seating options on all flights. These seats will offer more legroom for about one-third of each plane in its fleet. 

Southwest also announced it is adding 24-hour operation capabilities with the introduction of overnight, redeye flights. Booking on initial routes is available today through Southwest.com, with the first overnight flights landing on Valentine’s Day 2025 in five initial nonstop markets: Las Vegas to Baltimore and Orlando; Los Angeles to Baltimore and Nashville; and Phoenix to Baltimore. Southwest plans to phase in additional redeye flying in the carrier’s coming schedules as part of its multi-year transformation to a 24-hour operation, the release stated. 

During the past two years, Southwest has offered faster WiFi, in-seat power, and larger overhead bins, the release stated. The airline is working to refresh its cabin design with the new seating with more comfortable seats. Work is well underway on a refreshed cabin design, including new, more comfortable RECARO brand seats, the release stated.