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Southwest shifts to assigned seats
Southwest Airlines is making waves with its biggest shift in over 50 years: the transition from open to assigned seating. But that's not all! On the same day, the airline also announced the launch of red-eye flights, with Orlando among the first cities to offer these new overnight options starting in 2025.
ORLANDO, Fla. - Southwest Airlines is making waves with its biggest shift in over 50 years: the transition from open to assigned seating. But that's not all! On the same day, the airline also announced the launch of red-eye flights, with Orlando among the first cities to offer these new overnight options starting in 2025.
The decision to jump from open to assigned seating is one that came from customer feedback and extensive research, the airline said. Southwest will also begin to offer another option for passengers: a premium, extended legroom option.
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Southwest Airlines shifts service to Orlando
Southwest Airlines is shifting the bulk of its international service to Orlando, the company's chief operating officer said in a quarterly earnings call last week.
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"The decision to update the seating and boarding model is part of Southwest's ongoing modernization efforts. During the past two years, Southwest has enhanced its onboard offerings with improvements such as faster WiFi, in-seat power, and larger overhead bins," Southwest Airlines said in a news release. "Work is well underway on a refreshed cabin design, including new, more comfortable RECARO seats. The addition of assigned and premium seating will give Customers more choice and is expected to further enhance the all-in value Southwest Airlines is known for."
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 airplane takes off from Baltimore-Washington Airport (BWI) in Baltimore, Maryland, US, on Friday, April 12, 2024. (Photo: Angus Mordant/Bloomberg)
In addition to these changes, Southwest now has red-eye flights available for booking. The new flight option will help Southwest reach its goal of 24-hour operation capabilities.
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The first nonstop red-eye flights will land on Valentine's Day (Feb. 14) 2025 in a handful of cities selected by Southwest:
- Las Vegas to Baltimore and Orlando
- Los Angeles to Baltimore and Nashville
- Phoenix to Baltimore
These initial routes are available for booking online now.
Additional red-eye service is planned for other Southwest routes as the airline begins its "multi-year transformation to a 24-hour operation."
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"Redeye flying, coupled with continued reductions in turn-time through new technologies and procedures, is expected to provide incremental revenue and cost savings, enabling Southwest to fund nearly all new capacity over the next three years without incremental aircraft capital deployment," Southwest said.