Southwest Airlines is ending open seating and will offer extra legroom seats on its airplanes as mounting pressure on the carrier to increase revenue prompts the biggest changes to its business model in its 53 years of flying.
The airline plans to start selling the first flights that will offer extra legroom next year, it said Thursday.
It also plans to begin overnight flights, starting in February.
Southwest executives have said for years that they were studying such changes and hinted in April that the airline was seriously considering assigning seats and offering extra legroom options.
Customers can get earlier boarding though if they pay for a higher-priced ticket, they'll get a better boarding slot.
Southwest did not, however, unveil any changes to its beloved two free checked bags policy.
Southwest reported second-quarter earnings Thursday that showed profit down 46%. »
