Weeks after Southwest Airlines rolled out its assigned seating, the company is telling customers it is “refining” the process after receiving complaints about the boarding process and carry-on baggage.
The airline, which once boasted open seating and “bags fly free,” got rid of the sit anywhere model, changing it to more traditional assigned seating with some seats in the front of the airplane boasting more legroom starting in January, travel website The Points Guy said.
The assigned seating was announced in 2024, the San Antonio Express-News reported.
But last week, the company sent a letter to customers saying that they’re going to “continue refining” procedures and that some changes have already been made.
A Southwest representative told The Hill, “Like any new process, we’ll continue looking for ways we can improve to make it even more positive for our Customers.”
Some of the changes include onboard signs that mark the bins over the extra legroom seats as reserved for those paying for the premium.
Executive Vice President Chief Customer and Brand Officer Tony Roach said it will “improve overhead bin availability near your seat while maintaining the fast boarding and deplaning process you expect from Southwest,” the San Antonio Express-News reported.
Customers who paid extra for the roomier area said they found bins filled with luggage from people sitting further back in the aircraft, not in the seats directly under them.
TWU Local 556 first vice president, Sam Wilkins, said that crews had challenges after the rollout of the new procedures, but didn’t go into detail, The Hill reported.
“When new processes are rolled out without fully taking into account the realities of the cabin environment, it increases pressure on the Crew and can negatively affect both the customer experience and Crew working conditions,” Wilkins said.
The company is also creating “better balanced boarding groups” to speed up boarding. The airline has eight groups similar to those of other airlines. Priority groups include those in extra legroom seats, A-List members and those with the Southwest credit card, The Points Guy explained.
Finally, it is swapping out overhead bins that hold up to 50% more luggage, with 70% of planes having the larger bins by the end of the year.
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