Southwest ends open seating with a final commemorative flight

Southwest will retire its open seating policy after nearly 60 years; the final flight using the old boarding system is set to depart Honolulu Monday night on the airline’s 'Desert Gold' Boeing 737-8 MAX and arrive in California early Tuesday.

Southwest Airlines will retire its long-standing open seating policy and mark the last commercial flight using that system with a special aircraft. The final trip is scheduled to depart Honolulu at about 10 p.m. local time on Monday and arrive in California around 5:30 a.m. Tuesday. That flight will operate on Southwest’s retro 'Desert Gold' Boeing 737-8 MAX, designated N871HK. The move ends nearly 60 years of first-come, first-served boarding at the carrier. Key facts: - The airline will end open seating after nearly six decades and will assign seats by fare class instead of using A/B/C boarding groups. - The final open-seating flight is Flight N871HK, a Boeing 737-8 MAX in the 'Desert Gold' livery introduced in 2022. - The commemorative flight is scheduled to lift off from Honolulu at about 10 p.m. local time Monday and land in California around 5:30 a.m. Tuesday. - Southwest said its research indicates about 80% of current customers and 86% of potential customers prefer assigned seats. - Under the new model, seats will be assigned based on fare class rather than check-in order. - Passengers who previously could request a free extra seat at the airport will now be required to book an additional seat in advance. Summary: The change aligns Southwest’s boarding approach with other major U.S. carriers by moving from open seating to assigned seats based on fare class, a shift the airline attributes to evolving customer preferences. The company commemorated the transition with a final flight aboard its 'Desert Gold' 737-8 MAX. Further operational details beyond the final commemorative flight were not provided. Undetermined at this time.