Southwest airlines baggage fees upgrade#
Southwest airlines baggage fees free#

'Very handsome opportunities': Southwest aggressively plotting ways to boost revenue Kelly and Jordan said Southwest is still working on new products or services that will boost revenue, hush-hush efforts they regularly touted before the pandemic without providing any details. Is this seat taken? Southwest seat saving drives some passengers crazy Kelly, who has previously acknowledged Southwest's open boarding turns off some potential customers and said the airline's new reservations system gives it the capability to assign seats, said at the moment, however: 'There's no work on that.'' 'If it was clear that the need (for assigned seating) was there, that this was essential to our product, we would absolutely look at that,'' Jordan said. Southwest doesn't serve Europe, for example, focusing its international service in the Caribbean and Mexico. He didn't rule out testing assigned seat again, putting it in the same camp as other potential changes ahead, including the addition of new international routes. Jordan said 'every single time'' time the airline has studied changing its seating policy customers 'generally prefer open seating.'' 'You spoke and we listened! Southwest Airlines says open seating is here to stay,'' the airline said in announcing the decision. One of the assigned-seating studies, which Jordan led, led to the creation of the current boarding system in 2007.

Southwest airlines baggage fees free#

Passengers are free to pick any open seat when they board. Instead of assigning seats, the airline assigns numbered boarding positions in three groups based on the time of online check-in and other factors, including frequent flyer status, ticket type or the payment of an early boarding fee.

Southwest has occasionally studied changing another one of its quirks: open seating. Might Southwest (finally) switch to assigned seats? 'it's not like we’re changing the DNA of the company or the brand or something like that,'' he said. That was more a reference to the airline's next 50 years after its 50th anniversary celebration last week, he said. Each comes with four free Upgraded Boardings per year, and any purchased in person or by using the official app or website will be reimbursed on their statement, per the company's website.Despite references to a new era for Southwest in a memo sent to employees about the leadership change, Jordan said the company doesn't plan drastic changes.

Southwest airlines baggage fees upgrade#

However, the digital upgrade purchase expansion will come as especially good news to anyone who carries the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card or Rapid Rewards Performance Business Credit Card. Also, anyone accompanying a passenger with the boarding upgrade will have to purchase the perk to move up their position. Additionally, any passenger whose flight is canceled by the airline will lose the upgrade on any rebooked departure but will be entitled to a refund after reaching out to the airline, according to The Points Guy. Anyone who chooses to change or cancel their flight after purchasing early boarding access will forfeit the non-transferable purchase without the option of a refund. While opting for an upgrade could make travel with Southwest much more manageable, the new boarding policy has a few limitations. There are still a few limitations to the new upgrade system-and a few perks for certain loyal customers. The decision 'aligns with the boldness of a philosophy to give our customers definitive simplicity and ease in travel, just like bags fly free, just like no change fees, just like points don't expire-they're a first-in-our-industry combination of differentiators that only Southwest offers,' Bob Jordan, CEO of Southwest, stated in the press release. The change ended a long-standing policy of exclusively booking tickets through its own website, which the company told ZDNet it did to ensure customer service and overall experience were up to the company's standards.Īnd on July 29, the airline announced that it would be getting rid of expiration dates on flight credits issued to passengers, making it the first major U.S.

Even recently, the carrier has made changes that its most loyal flyers have applauded.Įarlier this year, Southwest announced that it would allow customers to buy tickets on the travel booking website Kayak for the first time. Southwest has long earned its fair share of praise for everything from its customer service to how they handle passengers' belongings. Southwest has made other major recent policy changes that have been popular with passengers.