AFTER over 50 years in business, Southwest Airlines is making a huge change that will impact all passengers.

The airline has announced plans to restructure its seating design due to customer demand.

Southwest Airlines has announced massive changes to its business model

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Southwest Airlines has announced massive changes to its business modelCredit: Getty

Southwest will eliminate open seating and offer extra legroom on its planes.

The change comes as pressure mounts on Southwest to change its 53-year-old business model and increase revenue.

The airline hinted in April that it was considering cabin changes.

CEO Bob Jordan told CNBC that they were considering single-class, open-seating cabins to increase profits.

“We’re looking into new initiatives, things like the way we seat and board our aircraft,” Jordan said.

Currently, Southwest offers a single economy class cabin with no seating assignments.

Seats are first-come, first-serve, although the airline does offer early boarding for an extra fee.

Southwest customers are placed in one of three boarding groups and then assigned a number, which places travelers in a race to get on the plane.

Over the past two years, the budget airline has made changes, such as improved WiFi, in-seat power, and larger oversized bins, in an attempt to boost revenue.

“Moving to assigned seating and offering premium legroom options will be a transformational change that cuts across almost all aspects of the Company,” said Bob Jordan in a statement.

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“Although our unique open seating model has been a part of Southwest Airlines since our inception, our thoughtful and extensive research makes it clear this is the right choice, at the right time, for our customers, our people, and our shareholders.”

On top of assigned seats, the airline explained that the premium portion of the cabin would upgrade “roughly one-third of seats across the fleet to offer extended legroom, in line with that offered by industry peers on narrowbody aircraft.”

Luckily for loyal Southwest fliers, the company will not make any changes to its two free checked bags policy.

The airline will also be adding new flights to its program, introducing overnight redeye flights.

The airline plans to introduce premium cabin options, with extra legroom

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The airline plans to introduce premium cabin options, with extra legroomCredit: Getty

Southwest plans to bolster its 24-hour operation with late-night flights starting Valentine’s Day 2025.

The first redeye flights will include routes from Las Vegas to Baltimore and Orlando, Los Angeles to Baltimore and Nashville, and Phoenix to Baltimore.

“Redeye flying, coupled with continued reductions in turn-time through new technologies and procedures, is expected to provide incremental revenue and cost savings,” Southwest explained.

[It will enable] Southwest to fund nearly all new capacity over the next three years without incremental aircraft capital deployment.”

Customers can purchase the first flights to offer the extra legroom starting next year.

The airline is expected to deliver more details about these changes on an investor day in September.

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