Southwest on track to begin assigned seating on flights

The busiest commercial air carrier serving Harry Reid International Airport is on track for launching its assigned seating plan in January and already has begun selling those seats on its website.

Dallas-based Southwest Airlines announced the dramatic change in policy this year, but said it would take time to make the plan operational.

In the company’s third-quarter earnings call Thursday, Southwest said the sale of seats is in line with management’s expectations and at the same levels as three other major airlines that have seat-selection charges.

Since its founding, Southwest has had a first-come, first-served open seating policy that didn’t cost extra. The new initiative begins on flights starting Jan. 27.

The company said Thursday that more than 400 of the airline’s roughly 800 jets have been retrofitted with seating that provides extra legroom.

Depending on the route, the cost of extra legroom ranges from about $42 to $51 per flight segment.

The added charges are part of Southwest’s plan to generate additional revenue for the company demanded by some shareholders.

In addition to seat-selection charges, Southwest reversed its famed “bags fly free” policy and began charging to check a suitcase in May.

The cost for checking a bag is $35 for the first suitcase, $45 for a second bag and $150 for subsequent suitcases.

Southwest affirmed other changes in its Thursday call. The company has:

— Announced that as of Friday, free WiFi sponsored by T-Mobile for all Rapid Rewards members.

— Expanded distribution with online travel agencies, partnering with Priceline.

— Launched Getaways by Southwest, an in-house packaged vacations product creating more opportunities for customers to book vacations.

— Announced a partnership with EVA Air that will connect itineraries between North America and Asia through shared gateway airports at Los Angeles International, San Francisco, Seattle-Tacoma and Chicago’s O’Hare International.

— Announced new service to McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville, Tennessee; Princess Juliana International Airport in St. Maarten; Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa, California; and Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport in Anchorage, Alaska in 2026. Anchorage will be served nonstop from Las Vegas and the company also announced new international nonstops from Las Vegas to Cancun, Puerto Vallarta and Los Cabos beginning in June.

Southwest affirmed this week that it is pursuing plans to fly to and from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in addition to Dallas’ Love Field. It’s unclear whether there would be nonstop flights at Dallas-Fort Worth to and from Las Vegas since that initiative centers around connecting to international destinations.

In the third quarter, Southwest reported net income of $54 million, 10 cents a share, on revenue of $6.95 billion. That’s down 19.4 percent from third-quarter 2024 net income of $67 million, 11 cents a share, on revenue of $6.83 billion, which is up 1.2 percent from a year ago.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.