Southwest ends open seating after 54 years. We took the last flight

Over the Pacific Ocean — 112 passengers on this Southwest Airlines The red-eye flight from Honolulu to Los Angeles was the last in the airline’s more than 54-year history to jostle for a seat on the plane.

Before dawn Tuesday, Southwest ended its bizarre (or troubling, depending on the traveler) open seating policy in favor of assigned seating for all customers, as the carrier that prided itself on marching to its own drums became more like its competitors, under pressure to boost revenue.

The change means all passengers on Southwest will know exactly where they will sit before they board the plane, and some will pay more than $70 per leg for a new, spacious seat up front. Prices vary.

CNBC flew on the last open-seat flight and hopped on one of the first all-seating flights to talk to passengers and crew about how they feel about the change. Their feelings were mixed.

“It’s running late, honestly,” said Lisa Tate, 33, a teacher from Honolulu who was traveling to Atlanta via Las Vegas on Monday. “I like to feel reassured that I can sit with my loved ones. It makes the situation less stressful.”

Vicki Economou, a 68-year-old Houston resident who is about to retire from running a family restaurant, felt otherwise. “They are now like everyone else, and nothing separates them,” she said.

Economou said she might consider flying on other airlines after years of loyalty to Southwest because she doesn’t want to pay for seats.

“I’m not really happy about it,” she said. “I think there are people who are starving for money.”

Several Southwest Airlines flight attendants in Los Angeles said they were relieved by the change. One told CNBC she was so happy she wanted to cry because having customers wandering up and down the aisle looking for a seat was stressful for the crew members.

Other airline employees greeted the last passengers sitting in open seats with applause, offered them coffee and distributed souvenir bag tags and other souvenirs.

Southwest trained employees for months, including by suggesting clear announcements to remind customers, especially in the early stages of assigned seating, how boarding works.

CNBC heard some of the eight-group’s first boarding calls moments after landing in Los Angeles. Gate agents reminded customers several times that seats had been assigned and told them where to find that information on their boarding passes. Customers lined up next to flyers that had been used to designate boarding groups just hours earlier, although the numbers no longer existed.

Digital boarding screens showing two lanes have already been installed and will replace metal supports at airports to guide travelers when they can board according to the new boarding order.

Until Tuesday, Southwest was the last U.S. airline to welcome customers with an open seating policy that means passengers can choose any seat they want once they board. Passengers will be assigned a group A, B or C and then a number to queue at the gate, and the higher the boarding group and number, the better their chance of getting an aisle or window seat.

The end of open seating is a casualty for today’s consumers, who Southwest executives said are looking for more certainty about where they will sit as the airline’s network, once limited to just Texas, now extends from Hawaii to Costa Rica.

Market research found that eighty percent of Southwest customers preferred an assigned seat, CEO Bob Jordan told analysts in July 2024, when the change was announced.

The shift in seating policy also comes after a push from investors hungry to see the airline cash in on fees and catch up to competitors’ profit margins.

From 2018 through 2023, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines and United Airlines brought in $12.4 billion in seat fees, according to a 2024 Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations report.

It’s not the only politics changing in the Southwest. Less than a year ago, the airline ended its “two bags go free” policy for all passengers and began charging fees for checked baggage. Bag fees brought in $5.5 billion for US airlines in the first nine months of 2025 alone, according to the Department of Transportation.

There are exceptions for big spenders on all fronts, as with other airlines. Customers with certain credit cards, elite status, or those who purchase the most expensive tickets can waive some fees and choose the best seats.

“What it shows is that Southwest has basically said if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em, and I actually think that will be a positive move for Southwest,” said Henry Harteveldt, founder of travel consulting firm Atmosphere Research Group. “This is a positive step for both what travelers want and for Southwest’s revenue and profitability. One of the reasons Southwest has struggled to attract more frequent flyers and walk-in customers than other airlines is its lack of assigned seating.”

As the boarding race winds down, Southwest investors think they’ve won. The stock has risen more than 26% over the past 12 months, more than any other airline, as of Tuesday’s close.

Southwest reports fourth-quarter results and 2026 forecasts Wednesday afternoon. Wall Street expects Southwest to triple earnings this year to $3.19 per share, according to estimates compiled by LSEG.

Its new initiatives are likely to add $4.3 billion in earnings before interest and taxes this year, Southwest forecast last October, with $1 billion coming from seat allocation and new seats with extra legroom at the front of the plane.

Southwest’s CEO was also optimistic.

“Because the assigned seating and extra legroom are so important, [results are] “It’s going to be better year after year,” Jordan told CNBC in a December 10 interview.

The airline’s original plastic boarding passes have long since been replaced by digital boarding passes, but customers for years have set alarms to check in as early as possible — 24 hours before the flight — to ensure they get the best possible place in line.

South West comedian Adam Mamawala’s check-in alarm went off during a September 2022 set.

“I’ll tell you why,” he told the audience. “Tomorrow, at 8:10 a.m., I will return to my home in the Southwest,” he said. “Do you think I’ll end up in Group C because I’m doing a show? Are you kidding me? I’m checking now.” He informed the audience that he had received the A51, and the audience cheered. (He said he missed a check-in at Southwest during a show the year before and didn’t want that to happen again.)

The assigned seats are the latest major policy shifts that Southwest, which carries more U.S. customers than any other airline, has announced in the past two years.

Southwest in 2024 reached a settlement with activist investor Elliott Investment Management, which called for management changes and noted in one presentation that the carrier had long eschewed what are now airline industry standards: restrictive basic economy tickets, baggage fees, premium products and seat assignment. Elliott declined to comment.

But there may be some growing pains for the airline as customers adapt to the changes.

Mamawala said he has become a “loyal Delta guy” because he flies the carrier frequently now and has American Express The card that gives him access to the lounge at LaGuardia Airport.

But it still flies to the southwest sometimes.

“Frankly, I’m surprised that so many worshipers in the Southwest seem heartbroken,” he said. “We are moving from chaos to order.”

— CNBC Erin Black Contribute to this article.