The fee starts at $15 per flight but goes up when planes are full. In 2009, the airline began charging an extra fee - called EarlyBird - to move up in the boarding line. Over the years, Southwest customers learned to check in online exactly 24 hours before departure to get the best shot at grabbing the seat they wanted. The lucky or high-paying ones get in the 'A' boarding group, followed by the middling 'B' crowd and finally the dreaded 'C' group, whose unfortunate inhabitants usually wind up in a middle seat, maybe in the back of the plane. Passengers line up in the gate area in an order determined partly by who checked in first and – increasingly – who paid extra to move up in line. Southwest doesn't have a first-class cabin or assigned seats. Those policies generate significant 'ancillary revenue.' Delta Air Lines took in $4.4 billion in 'premium products' during the first quarter. And increasingly, they charge extra if economy-class passengers want to pick a particular seat, such as one in an exit row or near the front of the cabin.

They assign seats long before passengers arrive at the airport. airline sells first- or business-class seats with more room and amenities. 'Early indications, both for our customers and for Southwest, look pretty darn interesting,' he told analysts and reporters Thursday.Įvery other major U.S. That tease is leading to speculation about whether Southwest might ditch some longstanding traditions, including the practice of passengers picking their own seats only after they board a plane.ĬEO Robert Jordan says he is proud of Southwest's 'product,' but it was developed when flights weren't as full as they are today, and customers' preferences change over time, prompting the 'deep dive' into 'transformational options' in boarding and seating. DALLAS (AP) - Southwest Airlines is studying changes to its quirky boarding and seating policies as it searches for ways to raise more revenue.Īirline officials say they are studying possible changes but won't have anything to announce until September.

Southwest airlines boarding pass online