Southwest Airlines is undergoing significant changes, aiming to transform from its traditional “open seating” boarding process to a more structured and premium experience. Here’s a breakdown of the key changes and their implications:
Seating Changes
- Assigned Seating: Southwest is moving away from its essentially first-come, first-served (or at least first to check-in, first to seat) boarding process to assigned seating like traditional airlines have. This aims to enhance passenger comfort and streamline boarding.
- Premium Cabins: The introduction of premium cabins aims to offer a more luxurious experience, including better seats and additional amenities. This will likely please business travelers and other frequent travelers.
Luggage Policies
- Enhanced Luggage Options: The new changes may include more flexible luggage policies, potentially allowing for more carry-on space or additional checked bags for premium passengers. While it’s likely the current policy allowing two checked bags will not change, it seems that might eventually change down the road as well.
Rewards Programs Implications
- Rapid Rewards: Southwest’s loyalty program, Rapid Rewards, will likely see adjustments to align with the new seating and service model. Expect updates on earning and redeeming points, particularly for premium seating options.
- Elite Status Perks: Elite members may receive additional benefits, such as priority boarding for assigned seats and extra luggage allowances.
Credit Card Implications
- Co-Branded Credit Cards: Southwest’s credit card offerings may see updates, with new perks tailored to the premium experience. Look for benefits like additional free checked bags, priority boarding, and higher points earnings on premium fares.
- Enhanced Rewards: Cardholders might enjoy increased points multipliers for booking premium cabins, further incentivizing the use of Southwest’s co-branded cards.
Analysis and Insights
Southwest’s shift towards a more traditional airline model aims to attract business travelers and those seeking a higher level of service. While this may alienate some loyal customers who appreciate Southwest’s unique boarding process, the potential benefits include:
- Improved Customer Satisfaction: Assigned seating can reduce the stress of boarding and ensure a more pleasant travel experience, especially to those that haven’t experienced Southwest boarding in the past.
- More Competitive: Offering premium cabins positions Southwest more competitively against other major airlines that already provide such services.
- Revenue Growth: Premium seating and services can drive additional revenue. Other airlines earn billions of dollars in extra fees for seating and luggage.
Old vs. New Comparison Chart
| Feature | Current Southwest Policy | New Southwest Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Seating | Open seating | Assigned seating |
| Premium Cabins | No | Yes (details unconfirmed) |
| Luggage Allowance | 2 free checked bags | Enhanced for premium |
| Rewards Program | Rapid Rewards | Updated Rapid Rewards |
| Credit Card Benefits | Standard perks | Enhanced perks for premium |
Conclusion
Southwest’s changes are a strategic move to enhance the overall travel experience, cater to a broader audience, and, frankly, make more money. I have become quite appreciative of Southwest after having a child, given the checked baggage allowance is pretty important now. The boarding process has always been annoying to me, although I’m not sure how much better the “gate-lice” situation with other airlines is. Southwest is following the lead of JetBlue and others by making these changes, so you can expect even more to come in the future, most of which will probably be negative for readers of this website.