Listen: ABC's Alex Stone
Southwest Airlines has always differentiated itself by being a more relaxed airline with open seating policies, all one class of service, and it has never flown redeye flights. Well, that is all changing as Southwest works to adapt to changing customer demands. Today its executives told investors that it will become more like every other airline and go to assigned seating next year and it will offer premium seats up front which will essentially just be seats with more legroom. Its planes were already due to be refreshed with a whole new higher end interior look. That new interior will include the premium class. Also Southwest will begin flying redeye flights like other major carriers including routes from LA to its focus city of Baltimore. Southwest says most potential customers have cited open seating and no premium class as a reason they don’t fly Southwest. But for Southwest faithful this is a blow to the airline they love.