LINTHICUM, Md — Some travelers flying out of Baltimore had heard the news already; others heard it from us. Either way, almost everyone had an opinion on it, including Southwest frequent flyer Cynthia Ragland.
"Yes I'm very surprised. I don't know if I like that policy or not," she told WMAR-2 News.
Allowing passengers to pick their seat once they board, was a policy that separated Southwest from other major airlines. But the company announced Thursday, it's switching to assigned seating.
"This was my first time flying with Southwest and that's what I liked about it. With assigned seats, you gotta hope you can get all your family together with the assigned seats," Kisha Dunson from Ohio said.
The airline hasn't given an exact start date for this new policy, but it will be some time next year.
"I'm looking forward to it," Nicole Richter from Hanover, Pennsylvania told us. "I enjoy knowing where my seat's gonna be instead of having to sit there, waiting for your time to click on the phone to check in to get a good position in the line."
With the current open seating policy, it's first come, first served. Travelers get a boarding position upon check-in. So the earlier you check-in, the more available seats there are to choose from. You could pay extra to secure an early boarding position.
"You have to get up, what like 12 hours early or something, to try to check in to be able to get a seat and if you don't, you're sitting somewhere you probably don't want to sit. And if you're traveling with somebody, you're gonna get separated 90% of the time," Michael Schank from Dover, Delaware said. He's happy about the change.
Other major airlines still allow you to select your own seat when you buy your ticket, but you usually have to pay for it. Otherwise, the airline selects one for you. It’s unclear how it’ll work on Southwest; the company hasn't released more details yet. But the airline will now allow you pay for premium seats with extra legroom.
Another big change especially impacts BWI. southwest is introducing redeye flights for the first time, in just a few cities, and Baltimore is one of them. Starting on Valentine's Day, you can fly overnight nonstop from Las Vegas, Los Angeles, or Phoenix back home to Baltimore.
"That'd be great. Because if I'm traveling, I want the cheapest flight I can get. Redeyes are pretty cheap sometimes," Schank said.
