Two free checked bags, zero rescheduling fees, and now a guarantee that they won’t brutally drag you off of the plane screaming? Why, Southwest, you spoil us!
Southwest’s CEO, Gary Kelly, announced to CNBC today that the airline will no longer overbook flights.
“I’ve made the decision, the company has made the decision, that we will cease to overbook going forward,” Kelly said. “We’ve been taking steps over the last few years to prepare for this anyway.” They have yet to announce the exact date that the new policy will be put in place but indicated that it will be soon.
The announcement comes after United’s forceful removal of a passenger on an overbooked flight. The unfortunate event caused massive outrage, forcing many airlines to reexamine their booking policies. This has prompted United and Delta to begin offering up to 10 thousand dollars to compensate passengers on overbooked flights. But Southwest’s move to eliminate overbooking entirely may give them the edge with customers who were sick of the rampant overbooking of flights in the industry.
Now, if only Southwest would announce their new policy to personally send a representative to our apartments, to remind us to check in 24 hours in advance, we’d never fly with anyone else.
