Last Updated: Jan. 28, 2026 at 8:50 p.m. ET
First Published: Jan. 28, 2026 at 4:54 p.m. ET
On Tuesday, Southwest Airlines’ five-decade-old open-seating policy came to an end. On Wednesday, investors appeared thrilled to enter the airline’s first year without it.
Shares of Southwest LUV jumped 5.5% after hours on Wednesday, after the airline forecast a profit this year that came in well above Wall Street’s expectations, helped by a move to assigned seating that took place a day ago and a wider variety of upsells for flights.
