Southwest Airlines Is Switching Up Its Boarding Policy and Assigning Seats for the First Time Ever

It’s the end of an era at Southwest Airlines as the company has announced it is changing its seating process for the first time in more than 50 years.

In an announcement Thursday, the company, founded in 1967, told customers it would be shifting to assigned seating for the first time in its history. The airline has traditionally been characterized by its unique policy of no passenger-assigned seating.

Related: Southwest Airlines Debuts New ‘Thin’ Seats, No Video Screens

“After listening carefully to customers and conducting extensive research,

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