Southwest Airlines introduced new seats in the airplane cabin, and travelers already hate them

Southwest Airlines has unveiled new seats and a revamped cabin design that will be rolled out in early 2025. The response from passengers to this news has been overwhelmingly negative.

For decades, the aviation industry has prioritized profits over passenger comfort. Seats have become increasingly uncomfortable, overhead bin space has diminished, and luggage compartments have shrunk, leading travelers to incur additional fees for baggage checks. Now, with the introduction of these new Southwest Airlines seats slated for 2025, it appears that this trend will only continue, as the seats themselves appear to be scarcely thicker than laptops from the early 2000s. This information was reported by brobible.com.

Southwest Airlines has announced new seats, a redesigned cabin, and updated flight attendant uniforms, presenting these changes as enhancements to the customer experience and updates to brand elements.

The timing of these changes is unclear. However, last year, travelers voted Southwest Airlines as the best low-cost airline in the United States, surpassing Delta and JetBlue.

TheTransitGuy published a post reflecting the general public's sentiment regarding the new "paper-thin" seats, which are perceived as a significant regression in travel comfort.

Many online are drawing comparisons between Southwest's new seats and those of Spirit Airlines, despite Southwest Airlines being ranked as the second-worst airline in America after Frontier, according to the same study that placed Southwest in the top spot.

In addition to the new seats, Southwest is introducing in-flight power ports, larger overhead bins, improved Wi-Fi, and enhanced functionality for digital platforms and airport kiosks.

Given that Southwest is ranked as the #1 low-cost airline in America, it's reasonable to assume that these seats may not be as bad as they appear.