Southwest ends open seating after 54 years. We take the last flight.

OVER THE PACIFIC OCEAN — The 112 passengers on this Southwest Airlines The red-eye flights from Honolulu to Los Angeles were the last in the airline's more than 54-year history to fight for a seat on board.

Before dawn Tuesday, Southwest ended its quirky (or anxiety-inducing, depending on the traveler) open seating policy in favor of assigned seating for all customers, as the airline that once prided itself on marching to the beat of its own drum looks more like its rivals, under pressure to boost revenue.

The change means that all Southwest passengers will know exactly where they will sit before boarding, and some of them will pay more than $70 each way to have a spacious new spot at the front. Prices vary.

CNBC flew on the last flight with open seating and hopped on one of the first with assigned seating to talk to passengers and crew about how they felt about the change. His feelings were mixed.

“Honestly, it was necessary,” said Lisa Tate, 33, a teacher from Honolulu, who was traveling to Atlanta via Las Vegas on Monday. “I like having the peace of mind of being able to sit with my loved ones. It makes the situation less stressful.”

Vicki Economou, a 68-year-old Houston woman who is in the process of retiring from running a family restaurant, thought otherwise. “Now they are like everyone else and nothing sets them apart,” he said.

Economou said he might consider flying with other airlines after years of loyalty to Southwest because he doesn't want to pay for seats.

“I'm not very happy about it,” she said. “I think there are people who are hungry for money.”

Several Southwest flight attendants in Los Angeles said they were relieved by the change. One told CNBC that she is so happy she wants to cry because having customers wandering down the aisle looking for a seat was stressful for crew members.

Other airline employees greeted the last passengers with free seats with applause, served them coffee and handed out commemorative bag tags and other souvenirs.

Southwest has been training its employees for months, including offering suggestions on clear announcements that remind customers, especially in the early stages of seating assignments, how boarding will work.

CNBC heard some of the first boarding calls from eight groups moments after landing in Los Angeles. Gate agents repeatedly reminded customers that their seats were assigned and told them where on their boarding passes they could find that information. Customers lined up next to the poles that used to designate boarding groups just hours before, even though the numbers were no longer there.

Digital boarding screens showing two lanes have already been installed and will replace metal studs at airports to tell travelers when they can board according to the new boarding order.

As of Tuesday, Southwest was the last U.S. airline to board customers with an open seating policy that meant passengers could choose any seat they wanted once they boarded the plane. Passengers would be assigned a group A, B or C and then a number to line up at the gate, and the higher the group and boarding number, the better their chances of getting a coveted aisle or window seat. depending largely on when they were registered.

The end of open seating is a casualty of today's consumers, who Southwest executives say are seeking more certainty about where they will sit, as the airline's network, once exclusive to Texas, now stretches from Hawaii to Costa Rica.

Eighty percent of Southwest customers prefer an assigned seat, according to market research, CEO Bob Jordan told analysts in July 2024, when the airline announced the change.

The new seating policy comes after a push from investors who are eager to see the airline capitalize on fares and reach the profit margins of its rivals.

From 2018 to 2023, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines and United Airlines collected $12.4 billion in seat fees, according to a 2024 Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations report.

It's not the only policy Southwest is changing. Less than a year ago, the airline ended its “two bags fly free” policy for all passengers and began charging for checked bags. Baggage fees generated $5.5 billion for U.S. carriers in the first nine months of 2025 alone, according to the Department of Transportation.

There are exceptions for big spenders on all fronts, as is the case with other airlines. Customers with certain credit cards, elite status or those who purchase the most expensive tickets can waive some fees and select the best seats.

“What it shows is that Southwest has basically said if you can't beat them, join them, and I actually think this will be a positive move for Southwest,” said Henry Harteveldt, founder of travel consulting firm Atmosphere Research Group. “This is a positive step for both what travelers want and for Southwest's revenue and profitability. One of the reasons Southwest has had difficulty attracting more frequent flyers and stealing customers from other airlines is its lack of assigned seating.”

Investors are already excited about top-performing airline stocks.

Southwest told investors Thursday that it expects profits to more than quadruple this year starting in 2025 to at least an adjusted $4 per share, more than analysts expected, sending the stock up nearly 20%, the biggest one-day percentage gain since 1978.

The stock is up more than 53% in the past 12 months through Thursday's close.

Other initiatives could be on the way, but Southwest declined to provide details this week.

“We're not done yet,” Southwest Chief Financial Officer Tom Doxey said in an interview after the airline reported the results. CEO Bob Jordan told CNBC last month that Southwest is exploring airport lounges.

On Thursday, however, Jordan acknowledged in an interview that this year's expected profit increase “would be difficult to double in 2027” because it would be a two-year comparison with the same policies.

The airline's original plastic boarding passes have long been replaced by digital boarding passes, but for years customers have set alarms to check in as early as possible (24 hours before a flight) to ensure they get the best possible spot in line.

Comedian Adam Mamawala's Southwest record alarm went off during a performance in September 2022.

“I'll tell you why,” he told the audience. “Tomorrow, at exactly 8:10, I'm flying home on Southwest,” he said. “You think I'm going to end up in Group C because I'm doing a show? Are you kidding me? I'm signing up right now.” He informed the audience that he got A51 and the crowd applauded. (He said he missed a Southwest check-in during a show the year before and didn't want it to happen again.)

The seating assignment is the latest of major policy changes that Southwest, which carries more customers in the United States than any other airline, has announced in the past two years.

In 2024, Southwest reached a deal with activist investor Elliott Investment Management, which had called for management changes and noted in a filing that the airline had long avoided what are now airline industry standards: restrictive basic economy tickets, baggage fees, premium products and seat assignments. Elliott declined to comment.

But there could be some growing problems for the airline as customers adapt to the changes.

Mamawala said he has become a “loyal Delta man” because he now flies the airline more frequently and has a American Express card that gives you access to the VIP lounge at LaGuardia Airport.

But from time to time it still flies southwest.

“Frankly, I'm surprised that so many devotees in the Southwest are apparently heartbroken,” he said. “We are moving from chaos to order.”

— CNBC Erin Black contributed to this article.