How much do the new southwest seats cost? It depends

Southwest Airlines“The seats for the first time were put on sale this week for flights from January 27 of next year. What you will pay will vary.

The price depends on the route, when you travel and where you sit down. The selection of your ideal seats can add hundreds of dollars at the cost of family vacation, similar to flying on other airlines.

For example, a round -trip ticket in the “Choice” ticket class – the second type of cheapest ticket – between Denver International Airport and Orlando International Airport leaving February 14 and the return of February 21, which coincides with the presidents day, went to $ 692 on the Southwest website on Thursday. For seats that the airline judges “preferred”, it would be $ 46 for a window or a driveway in rows from 7 to 13, or $ 41 for a central seat in these rows.

Customers with frequent flight elite status on the airline or with Southwest Airlines credit cards will be exempt from certain costs.

An extra-light seat, located in the first six rows of Boeing 737 Max 8 Aircraft, went $ 96 for the window or the aisle. The prices were similar, but slightly lower, for the return flight.

Selecting seats at the rear of the plane in rows 17 to 30 is free for a “choice” ticket. The most expensive “favorite choice” ticket includes favorite row seats, while the most expensive option, “Choice Extra” includes extra-light seats and is also delivered with a free “premium” drink like an alcoholic drink.

The same route, the same days United Airlines was $ 665, with extra-light seats varying from $ 105 to $ 126 in each direction and from $ 37 to $ 42 for favorite seats.

The changes are all part of the Southwest plan to abandon the characteristics of its business model of more than half a century. For decades, which included open seats (and a uniform leg space throughout the cabin) as well as an eccentric boarding system that led to a crazy race at the airport for a seat, and two free plaid bags for all customers.

Southwest competitors have made billions of bag and siege fees, which raises questions for years with investors and analysts of Wall Street as to whether the carrier maximized income. Last year, the Elliott Investment Management’s hedge funds took a major participation in Southwest, calling for such changes and leading to a reshuffle of the Board of Directors. The main American carriers brought in 12.4 billion dollars of siege fees awarded between 2018 and 2023, according to the Senate Committee report.

The very first Southwest bag costs started with tickets sold in late May. The airline invoices $ 35 for a first bag checked and $ 45 for a second, almost online with other airlines.

The carrier has also joined its competitors in the launch of a basic economic ticket without frills, where customers are not free, the advanced selection of seats, which the Southwest expects it to benefit from next year, when the assignments of seats come into force.

“We assume that there will be a positive impact in the first quarter when we go to the assigned headquarters, it is a more convincing takeover of the basic economy of the choice,” said Andrew Watterson, director of the Southwest farm during a call for results last week. “However, if we manage to make it a positive before that, it is an additional back wind as the second half goes.”

Southwest will reward its most loyal customers, with seats of choice as advantages.

Frequent leaflets with a favorite status of list A leading on the Southwest will obtain seats for booking for booking, as well as two free checkered bags, and A-List status holders can reserve them 48 hours before departure, although there is no guarantee that they will be available. The two groups will have complementary access to the favorite seats. Several credit cards from the southwest also give access to favorite seats, regardless of the type of price.