Southwest President and CEO Bob Jordan says research shows passengers “overwhelmingly prefer” an assigned-seat system. He also pledged to improve the airline's financial performance.
Southwest Airlines unveiled big shifts in how it does business Thursday, saying it will throw out the open-seating model it has used for decades and introduce redeye flights. Here, an employee and passenger are seen at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport last year in Austin, Texas.was onceBut after some 50 years, Southwest passengers will soon encounter a different process when they book and board a flight.
, adding that research shows passengers “overwhelmingly prefer” an assigned-seat system like that used by other carriers.In another change, Southwest also said it would introduce redeye flights. It did not say when the new policies would be enacted. The company unveiled the dramatic shifts in how it does business as it announced financial results for the second quarter, showing net income of $367 million on record operating revenues of $7.4 billion. In the previous quarter, Southwest lost $231 million.
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