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Southwest Airlines is making significant changes to its business model, notably moving away from its traditional open seating policy. The airline is now introducing extra-legroom seating across its fleet as part of a strategic shift aimed at enhancing customer experience and generating additional revenue.
Chief Financial Officer Tom Doxy discussed the rollout of these new seats at the 9th Annual Future of the Consumer Conference hosted by TD Cowen. He revealed that approximately 15% of Southwest's aircraft have been retrofitted with this configuration, although these seats are not yet available for sale. Doxy stated, "So we’ll start selling extra legroom and selling the seat assignments in the third quarter but for flights in the first quarter."
The rollout will continue throughout the year across Southwest's Boeing 737 family jets. Doxy emphasized the importance of exposing more customers to these seats quickly, suggesting that increased exposure could benefit the airline.
