Dallas-based Southwest Airlines changed its open seating policy on Jan. 27. Passengers now must select their seats beforehand or have specific seats assigned by the airline. This major change has sparked massive backlash from travelers.
Many passengers have complained that they are facing issues reading the seat numbers, which is also causing a massive disturbance in the boarding flow.
On Thursday, a spokesperson for Southwest Airlines told Fox News Digital, “We’re always looking for ways to improve our customer experience, to continue delivering the seamless and reliable travel journey that customers expect from Southwest.”
Southwest Airlines passengers got onboard with a new assigned seating system on Tuesday, as the Dallas-based carrier closes its chapter on the open seating process, which has distinguished it from other airlines for more than a half‑century.Passengers will also be offered paid… pic.twitter.com/t3U4SZWxcT
— CBS News (@CBSNews) January 28, 2026
“The employees of Southwest deliver the best hospitality in the airline industry alongside our best-in-class reliability. We look forward to continuing to provide our customers with friendly, reliable and low-cost travel,” the spokesperson added.
However, many passengers think that the new policy makes it difficult for them to travel. “On Reddit, one user wrote, “Yes, it is as bad as everyone is saying.” They added,” [I] paid for an emergency row seat. There are two people next to me. All the other rows around me (same class or lower) only have one person on them. We still can’t scoot over even though we paid for seats.”
Another user shared their experience: “I’m currently on a flight, and it’s about 25% full (maybe less). They said people can’t change seats for weight balance reasons. I’m in a full row. The row in front of me is empty.”
One user noted, “Here’s what nobody is saying about the new assigned seating. There is an alarming [number] of customers that have no clue how the seats are numbered or how to read them.”
“At first I was thinking that the majority of folks are just idiots, then it occurred to me that these are likely frequent SWA customers who have never dealt with seat numbers,” the individual wrote.
Southwest Airlines on a flight that was not full made a family of 8 move their seats due to assigned seating of 1. Who is right in this situation? If it were me, I would move for that family, especially with an almost half-empty plane. pic.twitter.com/o0OdyX49mv
— Suzee Q (@SusieM414141) March 4, 2026
However, some people think the situation might not be that bad. “It’s not that bad. You just need to pay more,” one user wrote. Another claimed, “I’ve mainly flown SW, but still know how to find my seat on an airplane. It’s not hard. Lol. Even when there wasn’t assigned seating, the seats still had numbers. It’s mind-boggling that this is difficult for anyone.”
One frequent SWA passenger took to X (formerly Twitter) to lament, “I always used to fly Southwest. Was trying to find a flight, and saw that everything I liked is gone. Higher prices and fees for everything. Plus, I might get separated with this new seating. Unfortunate.”
“Hey @SouthwestAir, please go back to your open seating. Sincerely, EVERYONE THAT [FLIES] SOUTHWEST,” echoed another user.
