American regional airline Southwest has implemented an assigned seating policy.
Previously, passengers could sit in whatever seat was available, but starting Jan. 27 they had to sit in the seat assigned to them or they would have to pay a fee to choose their position on the plane.
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The move brings the airline in line with most airlines in the world. Most low-cost airlines abandoned unassigned seating about 15 years ago, when systems to improve turnaround times became available.
As is common practice throughout the industry, passengers are divided into groups, in the case of Southwest, eight. Priority groups board first, and basic fare passengers board the plane last.
However, assigned seating is not popular with all passengers. Previously, overweight passengers who could not fit into a seat without encroaching on others could request to sit next to an empty seat at no additional cost. They will now have to pay for that seat at the time of booking.
