Flight from Austin to Chicago Midway on March 4 and the plane was only around 40% full. But somehow the last 10 rows were completely packed while plenty of seats in the front and middle were empty.
Passengers could pay about $40 to move to a better seat, but it felt like people were being pushed to stay in the back unless they paid. It seemed like the seating setup was making things uncomfortable on purpose.
Made me wonder what the actual load factors on Southwest flights look like lately. From what a few friends have mentioned, some flights seem pretty empty.
Open seating used to be part of the appeal of Southwest, but charging for better seats might push some people to look at other airlines.
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