LA Times: After 57 years of open seating, is Southwest changing its brand?

Chris Hydock, assistant professor of marketing, was interviewed by the Los Angeles Times for a story about Southwest Airlines' decision to abandon its famous first-come, first-serve seating policy in favor of traditional assigned seats and a premium class option. 

“They’ve not been profitable the last couple of quarters and they’ve had some activist investor pressure to increase their revenue,” Hydock said. “This is one of the options where they could potentially increase their revenue and do something that a lot of consumers have a strong preference for anyway.”

To read the story in its entirety, visit latimes.com:

https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2024-07-26/after-57-years-is-southwests-brand-changing