Southwest Airlines ‘refining’ new seating process amid complaints over boarding, bin space

(NEXSTAR) – Southwest Airlines is “refining” a few aspects of its new seating policy amid a less-than-enthusiastic reception from both customers and crew members.

The announcement comes after complaints from some of Southwest’s longtime travelers over the recent switch from an open-seating policy to the new assigned-seating policy, which allows customers to pay to reserve more premium seats on the plane. Other travelers reported having new difficulties finding overhead bin space near their seats, allegedly due to early boarders cramming their luggage into the bins near the front.   

“I was on a flight — and there’s just no space,” one Reddit user claimed, explaining that people seated nearer to the front of the aircraft were forced to walk to the back and “slow down everything” while trying to find a bin with room for their bags.

Southwest, in an email sent to customers on Friday, said the carrier had made “several enhancements” to help tackle newer issues caused by the transition to assigned seating.

The email, which contained a message from Southwest Chief Customer and Brand Officer Tony Roach, said the airline will “continue to refine the experience” by “refining how boarding groups are assigned to improve overhead bin availability near your seat.” The airline also plans to upgrade the majority of its aircrafts’ cabins with larger overhead bins, and will designate certain bins as reserved for use by those who purchased a more premium “Extra Legroom” option.

“We’ll keep listening to feedback and keep you updated as we roll out additional enhancements,” Roach said.

Southwest’s flight crews, too, may be relieved to learn about Southwest’s plans. Sam Wilkins, the first vice president of the TWU Local 556 flight attendants’ union, told Nexstar last month that crews had faced new challenges after the rollout of assigned seating.

Wilkins did not go into details of those challenges, but anecdotes from social media indicate that flight attendants were also dealing with issues of overhead bin availability, and at times were forced to police the usage of the front bins.

“When new processes are rolled out without fully taking into account the realities of the cabin environment, it increases pressure on the Crew and can negatively affect both the customer experience and Crew working conditions,” Wilkins wrote.

“More thoughtful implementation with direct input from frontline Employees could have made the difference.”

The switch to assigned seats, however, was not entirely disastrous. Some customers applauded the divisive policy, claiming to love the perks it affords to travelers with A-List Preferred status. Others liked how it removed the uncertainty of finding a seat or a “stranger to sit next to.”

But even Southwest, in the first few weeks after implementing its new seating policy, acknowledged that tweaks might be necessary.

“Like any new process, we’ll continue looking for ways we can improve to make it even more positive for our Customers,” a representative for the airline said.

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