Southwest Airlines has already undergone several high-profile changes over the past several months, from ending longstanding policies to changing its entire model for its flight offerings. Now, it sounds like the airline is moving forward with more changes.
During a recent appearance at a Morgan Stanley conference, Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan confirmed that the airline was moving forward with a few more changes as it undergoes a bit of a brand overhaul and looks to win customers and boost profits.
The upcoming changes follow a similar trend as Southwest appears to be looking to shed its budget airline status and court more high-end customers.
Recent Southwest Airlines Changes
- Ended its “bags fly free” policy back in May
- Will move to an assigned seating model in January
- Moving away from its point-to-point model
- Changed its credit card rewards and annual fee
- Offers complimentary WiFi for Rapid Rewards members
- More international routes
Southwest Eyes More Major Changes
As Southwest Airlines looks to shed its reputation as more of a budget airline and compete with the likes of Delta, United, and American, Jordan recently made it clear that Southwest is looking to add some more upscale offerings for its customers.
During his comments on Thursday, Jordan announced that the airline would be looking to move forward with adding things like first-class seats and premium airport lounges.
“Southwest Airlines doesn’t have a lounge,” Jordan said via View From the Wing. “We don’t serve destinations beyond what the 737 [can] serve. We don’t have a true premium product… A first class. A business class.”
Southwest has already revealed plans to expand its international offerings, but Jordan explained that Southwest would likely need new, wide-body aircraft as the airline’s current fleet of Boeing 737 Max planes is not equipped for those trips.
“Should we choose to fly to Europe, that’s not a mission the 737 Max will do, so we need a different aircraft,” Jordan said. “It could be that a widebody is just too much, at least for a start.”
Nothing Set in Stone
While Jordan and Southwest Airlines obviously have some big plans for the future, it’s worth noting that none of these plans are set in stone just yet, but the airline is exploring all of its options.
“I’m not promising those things,” Jordan said. “Everything is on the table at Southwest.”
Clearly, Southwest intends to continue evolving and changing as it looks to bring in customers and boost profits.
Given how much the airline has already changed over the past several months, it will certainly be interesting to see how it continues to change over the next several months and years.
