DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF News ) – Southwest Airlines is doing away with a 50-year tradition and plans to start assigning seats.
The Dallas-based carrier said it will also offer premium seating options, redesign its boarding model and introduce red eye flights.
In a Thursday news release, the Dallas-based carrier said it was studying product preferences and expectations and believe the new amenities will produce additional revenue and strengthen financial performance.
Southwest will provide more details about its comprehensive plant to deliver “transformational commercial initiatives, improved operational efficiency and capital allocation discipline” during its Investor Day in late September.
“Moving to assigned seating and offering premium legroom options will be a transformational change that cuts across almost all aspects of the Company,” said Bob Jordan, President, CEO, & Vice Chairman of the Board. “Although our unique open seating model has been a part of Southwest Airlines since our inception, our thoughtful and extensive research makes it clear this is the right choice— at the right time—for our Customers, our People, and our Shareholders. We are excited to incorporate Customer and Employee feedback to design a unique experience that only Southwest can deliver. We have been building purposefully to this change as part of a comprehensive upgrade to the Southwest experience as we focus on Customer expectations – and it will unlock new sources of revenue consistent with our laser focus on delivering improved financial performance.”
Click here for more information about the changes.
Southwest made the announcement the same day that it and Fort Worth-based American Airlines reported a dramatic drop in second-quarter profits despite higher revenue.
The carrier said it’s second-quarter profit fell 46% from a year earlier to $367 million and cited higher labor costs, fuel and other expenses as the reason, according to the Associated Press.
American Airlines also reported a 46% drop in profit to $717 million from a year earlier.
Meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Administration announced its launched an audit of Southwest after a series of close calls.
Earlier this week, one of the carrier’s planes en route from Columbus, Ohio dropped within 150 feet of the water off the coast of Florida, when it should have been closer to 12-hundred feet in the air.
Last month, another plane plunged to 525 feet off the ground, passing dangerously close to an Oklahoma high school before finally making it to the runway.
Southwest said they are aware of the audit and have created a team to look for ways to increase safety for their customers.
Copyright 2024. WBAP/KLIF News. All Rights Reserved. Associated Press contributed to this report.
