Southwest passengers in Las Vegas sound off on end to ‘cattle call’ seating policy
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Flyers of Southwest Airlines are taxiing their stance on a decades-old boarding method that the company announced Thursday will soon be replaced by one most other air carriers use globally.
It’s goodbye cattle call – as some flyers unaffectionately call Southwest’s open-seating policy – and hello assigned seating. The airline is making the change after more than 50 years which it believes could generate revenue and boost financial performance.
Southwest believes this is also the solution to common customer complaints, like those of Briana Perez. She said she was almost separated from her young daughter, Selenas, when leaving Santa Barbara Thursday morning. Family boarding does not board first.
“I’ve never done this before. (The stewardess) says, ‘You can go down and find a seat. You know, maybe you should go sit in the back because you have a little one, to make sure you sit with her.’ I’m like, ‘Well, that doesn’t make any sense,’” Perez said at the Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) baggage claim Thursday morning.
She wasn’t alone.
“The cattle call, like, pushing through everybody to try to get to her in time,” Kirsten Garner said after arriving from Colorado, describing her boarding experience.
“Last to board, and we ended up getting on separately, about 10 seats apart, and we ended up in middle seats,” Alana Logan said after arriving from California, discussing how far apart she sat from her travel partner.
Southwest says open seating used to save time while boarding, leading to profits saved with fewer departure delays. But preferences have changed, according to the airline.
Its research found 80% of current customers and 86% of potential customers prefer assigned seating. It goes on to list the lack of affirmative seating as the leading reason their customers switch to other air carriers.
Seats with more legroom will now come at a premium, also. That is expected to represent a third of all seats across its fleet.
The open seating policy is what some frequent flyers love most about the airline, who may be hesitant to pay up to fly out, comfortably.
“It’s affordable. Everybody can fly on it, and now, if you’re going to make it a tiered-type-of-level seating, it kind of takes away that uniqueness and it makes it kind of more an exclusive airline,” Meredith Brewer said after arriving from Texas.
“You have your own fate in your own hands,” Salomon Cantu said after arriving from Texas. “Taking that away kind of takes away from their identity, in a sense.”
Others find themselves unclear what to think until the additional pricing is announced. Southwest expects to detail the rest of this transition in September.
“If you still ‘Want To Get Away,’ it should be a cattle call. You get whatever seat you get, and then everybody that pays more money, they probably should be able to choose their seat,” Elli Downing said after arriving from Colorado.
Is that going to change minds about flying Southwest?
“Honestly, probably not, because you would have to pay more for United or something,” Texas traveler Sagdrick Lewis said.
Southwest expects tickets of these kinds to go on sale in 2025.
The airline carries the most passengers through Reid International Airport by far. The most recent statistics from the airport reported 1,922,662 Southwest customers carried in May, nearly three times as many as the second largest carrier, Spirit Airlines.
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