Southwest Airlines has made its hated boarding process even worse – and you need to be careful when booking
Southwest Airlines customers now have to pay as much as $149 if they want to board a plane early — a huge increase from the previous cost.
Unlike traditional airlines, Southwest does not assign seats on tickets. It has open seating – so those who board first will get better options.
The Texas-based airline offers customers two paid services that allow them to board earlier than they would otherwise secure a preferred seat.
It has increased the price of both – by as much as 300 percent.
EarlyBird Check-In now ranges from $15 to $99 one-way per passenger, down from $15 to $25 previously.
Upgraded Boarding now costs $30 to $149 per passenger per segment. It used to be $30 to $80.
Southwest Airlines has increased fares to allow customers to board earlier, giving them a greater choice of seats
It means those who want an early check-in can pay four times as much.
Southwest does not assign seats when checking in passengers.
Instead, passengers board in a specific order depending on whether they are in Group AB or C. Once on board, passengers can sit in any available seat.
They can be promoted to a higher group in three ways: seestatus of the program, burying a business seat, how early they checked in and whether they paid extra for early boarding.
Anyone who pays for a higher entry level (available 24 hours before departure) is usually placed in the A group that goes first.
Only customers with disabilities will board before them. Families with children come on board after group A, followed by B and C. Each group consists of 60 people.
These would ensure that EarlyBird improves the passenger’s group so that they encounter the boarding process – although this does not guarantee A. This service is available within 36 hours of a flight’s departure
“This price increase is the result of our regular review of pricing for additional products based on market trends and customer demand and will generate additional revenue to support the business,” Southwest said.
Every other major U.S. airline sells first or business class seats with more space and amenities.
Companies like Delta, American and United assign seats before passengers arrive at the airport.
These airlines are increasingly charging extra fees if economy class passengers want to choose a specific seat, for example an exit seat or at the front of the cabin.
This policy generates significant ‘additional income’. Eight U.S. airlines — the three above plus Allegiant, Frontier, JetBlue and Spirit — collected a total of $4.2 billion in seat fees across their domestic networks in 2022, according to WorksCompany.
Southwest allows open seating, meaning passengers can sit wherever they want. But it can cause a struggle to get on board
Southwest CEO Robert Jordan wants to change the long-standing open seating arrangement
Southwest said last week it lost $231 million in the first three months of 2024
CEO Bob Jordan hinted at a change in the airline’s quarterly results in April when he revealed the airline had lost $231 million in the first three months of 2024.
“We’re exploring new initiatives – things like the way we sit and board our planes,” Jordan said in an interview with CNBC.
Southwest caused holiday chaos in April when it announced it was cutting flights to four airports and laying off 2,000 employees.
Since it started flying in the 1960s, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines has differentiated itself from the competition with a very different approach to seating.
At the same earnings event, Southwest Chief Commercial Officer Ryan Green assured customers that it would not charge for baggage. It is the only American airline that lets passengers check in one or two bags for free.
He said Southwest also won’t install curtains like those that separate premium cabins from the economy class section of other airlines.