Southwest Airlines is considering changes to its quirky boarding and seating practices

abcnews.go.com:

Get ready for changes in boarding and seating at Southwest Airlines

DALLAS — Southwest Airlines is studying changes to its quirky boarding and seating policies as it searches for ways to raise more revenue.

Airline officials say they are studying possible changes but won't have anything to announce until September. That tease is leading to speculation about whether Southwest might ditch some longstanding traditions, including the practice of passengers picking their own seats only after they board a plane.

CEO Robert Jordan says he is proud of Southwest's “product,” but it was developed when flights weren't as full as they are today, and customers' preferences change over time, prompting the “deep dive” into “transformational options” in boarding and seating.

“Early indications, both for our customers and for Southwest, look pretty darn interesting,” he told analysts and reporters Thursday.

Every other major U.S. airline sells first- or business-class seats with more room and amenities. They assign seats long before passengers arrive at the airport. And increasingly, they charge extra if economy-class passengers want to pick a particular seat, such as one in an exit row or near the front of the cabin.

Those policies generate significant “ancillary revenue.” Delta Air Lines took in $4.4 billion in “premium products” during the first quarter.

Southwest doesn’t have a first-class cabin or assigned seats. Passengers line up in the gate area in an order determined partly by who checked in first and – increasingly – who paid extra to move up in line. The lucky or high-paying ones get in the “A” boarding group, followed by the middling “B” crowd and finally the dreaded “C” group, whose unfortunate inhabitants usually wind up