Southwest Airlines passengers are making their final boarding-time scrambles for seats as the carrier prepares to end its signature open-seating system. Customers on Southwest flights will have assigned seats starting on Tuesday. The airline began selling tickets shaped by the new policy in July. New airfare tiers include the option of paying more to get a preferred seat closer to the front of a plane or seats with extra legroom. An eight‑group boarding structure is replacing the find-your-own-seat scrum. Southwest says the boarding groups are based on seat location, fare class, loyalty tier status and benefits from the airline's credit card rewards program.
Anxious travelers across the U.S. felt a bit of relief as airlines mostly stayed on schedule while gradually cutting flights because of the government shutdown. More than 800 flights were called off on Friday to comply with the Federal Aviation Administration's order to reduce service. Some passengers were forced make last-minute changes and rebook on different flights. Plenty of nervousness remained, as more canceled flights are expected in the coming days. Airports in Chicago, Atlanta, Denver and Dallas led the way with the most disruptions, and long security lines added to travelers' woes. The upheaval will intensify the longer the shutdown lasts and could become chaotic if it extends into the Thanksgiving holiday, just weeks from now.
By JOSH FUNK and RIO YAMAT AP Transportation and Airlines Writers
The federal government shutdown has entered its second week, and already shortages of air traffic controllers have strained operations and disrupted flights at some U.S. airports. The situation may well get worse if the shutdown continues and employees start to miss paychecks. And there is no way to predict what airports might have problems on any given day. So be sure to check your flight's status before you head to the airport. If your flight is canceled, airlines will rebook you on a later flight. If you no longer want to take the trip, you should be able to get a refund. But each airline's policies can differ, and airlines are not required to pay cash compensation.
It's the last day to book a flight on Southwest Airlines without being hit with a fee to check bags after the airline abandoned a decades-long luggage policy. Southwest Airlines will start charging many of its customers a fee to check bags beginning on Wednesday, abandoning a decades-long practice that its executives once described as key to differentiating the budget carrier from its rivals. The airline announced the change in March, saying at the time that the the new policy would start with flights booked on Wednesday.
Labor Day weekend is the last blast of summer vacation, and that means lots of Americans will be traveling. Airports, highways, beaches and theme parks are all expected to be packed for the long holiday weekend. The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen more people at airports than during any previous Labor Day period. Auto club AAA says bookings for domestic travel are running 9% higher than at this time last year, but international trips are down 4%. Motorists and air travelers are getting a break on prices, with gasoline and airfares both down a little from very high levels last year.
