Southwest Airlines recently got rid of the open seating and bags fly free policy that used to make it different from other airlines.

“We’re talking about one of the most beloved brands of all time, and they just completely nuked it over the course of the last 11 months,” Kyle Potter, executive editor of the travel site Thrifty Traveler, told The Washington Post.

Southwest has argued that research showed more people would fly the carrier if it offered assigned seats.

When booking a recent Southwest flight from Fort Lauderdale to Las Vegas, I flew on the last Friday in January and returned on Feb. 2, choosing the airline despite preferring the old system.

The airline was correct in its gamble that flyers like me would still book if it offered the right itineraries, even if the new policy raised prices.

I paid for extra leg room, but not a checked bag, and was generally happy with my flight until the airline showed me the one failing that makes me cross a brand off my list. Southwest’s WiFi, which I got free as a T-Mobile customer, barely worked for some of my flight and didn’t work much of it.

That can happen due to weather or equipment, but it was actually worse on my flight home.

That’s going to change, according to Southwest.

WiFi can make or break your flight

Industry data show that Wi-Fi now influences booking decisions.

“Seventy-five percent of fliers said they’d be more likely to select or rebook with an airline that offers quality in-flight Wi-Fi, and 22% wouldn’t even consider long-haul flights without it,” according to a 2024 passenger experience survey by Viasat.

For many, it’s about getting work done. If I was productive on my six-hour flight to Las Vegas, that meant I would not have to work as much once I landed. Many business travelers feel the same way.

“The biggest problem with Southwest Airlines is that its WiFi doesn’t work very well. Flying Southwest has meant giving up hours of productivity for me,” wrote Gary Leff on View From the Wing.

He noted that the airline offering free internet actually added to the problem.

“And things are worse now that the WiFi is free. They should have raised the price of WiFi to ration what limited bandwidth they have on many aircraft,” he shared.

Southwest, he noted, does have plans for an upgrade.

The airline plans to add Starlink to all its aircraft to improve its WiFi.

Southwest Airlines has added USB ports to seats on some planes.

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Southwest Airlines adding Starlink

“Southwest plans to rapidly integrate Starlink into its fleet. The first Starlink-equipped aircraft enters service this summer, and it will be available on more than 300 aircraft by the end of 2026,” the airline shared in a press release.

The airline promises a ground-like experience.

“Starlink delivers that at-home experience in the air, giving Customers the ability to stream their favorite shows from any platform, watch live sports, download music, play games, work, and connect with loved ones from takeoff to landing,” Southwest Airlines Chief Customer Officer Tony Roach said.

Leading industry analysts see the move as a win.

“Airlines opting for Starlink-enabled Wi-Fi say the high-speed service increases passenger expectations for in-flight connectivity while boosting both onboard experience and airline ancillary revenue and improving operations,” Aviation Week reported.

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Leff is pleased with the change.

“We should soon reach the point where flying Southwest isn’t a tradeoff with getting work done. I’d love it if they offered AC outlets at their seats — but that’s why I gave up my Lenovo X1 Carbon (poor battery) and travel with a machine that can go all day without charging,” he added.

Starlink delivers a better experience

“Poor connectivity on board in terms of speed or unreliability has been one of the major frustrations for frequent travelers. Conventional in-flight systems tend to fail when they have too many users, and their speeds drop when they are in remote areas,” Elliott Aviation shared on its website.

Starlink, an Elon Musk-led company, is designed to address those problems.

“In the case of Starlink, passengers have inflight internet connectivity that is significantly closer to the broadband they are used to at home or in the office. The satellites in the low-earth-orbit will greatly minimize the latency, which means that the passengers can stream movies, upload files, hold video conferences, use social media, or apply cloud applications without delay,” the large avionics installer added.

Leading industry figures see Starlink as a competitive edge for airlines that add it.

“I believe right now that Starlink is the gold standard,” SAS CEO Anko van der Werff told Reuters.

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