AP
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Southwest Airlines will quickly require vacationers who don’t match throughout the armrests of their seat to pay for an additional one prematurely, a part of a string of latest adjustments the service is making.
The new rule goes into impact January 27, the identical day Southwest starts assigning seats.
Currently, plus-size passengers can both pay for an additional seat prematurely with the choice of getting that cash again later, or they’ll request a free additional seat on the airport. Under the service’s new policy, a refund continues to be doable however now not assured.
In a press release Monday, Southwest mentioned it’s updating a few of its insurance policies because it prepares for assigned seating subsequent yr.
“To ensure space, we are communicating to Customers who have previously used the extra seat policy that they should purchase it at booking,” the assertion mentioned.
It marks the most recent change at Southwest, which had lengthy been identified for letting its passengers decide their very own seats after boarding the aircraft, and for letting their bags fly for free, which ended in May. Those perks had been key to differentiating the budget carrier from its rivals.
Southwest says it will nonetheless refund a second ticket below its new policy for additional seating if the flight isn’t absolutely booked on the time of departure, and if each of the passenger’s tickets had been bought in the identical reserving class. The passenger additionally must request the refund inside 90 days of the flight.
If a passenger who wants an additional seat doesn’t buy one forward of time, they will be required to purchase one on the airport, in keeping with the new policy. If the flight is full, the passenger will be rebooked onto a new flight.
Jason Vaughn, an Orlando-based journey agent who posts theme park opinions and journey ideas for plus-size individuals on social media and his web site, Fat Travel Tested, mentioned the change will seemingly affect vacationers of all sizes. Southwest’s present policy helped create a extra comfy flying expertise for plus-size vacationers, he mentioned, whereas additionally guaranteeing all passengers have sufficient house of their seats.
“I think it’s going to make the flying experience worse for everybody,” he mentioned of the new rule.
Vaughn described the change as yet one more letdown for Southwest loyalists like himself, likening it to Cracker Barrel’s recent logo change that has angered some of the restaurant’s fans.
“They have no idea anymore who their customer is,” he mentioned of the airline. “They have no identity left.”
The airline has struggled recently and is below stress from activist buyers to spice up income and income. It additionally mentioned final yr that it could charge customers extra for more legroom and supply red-eye flights.