Southwest Airlines' Former & Unique Seating Arrangement: Experts Say It Was Safer

Southwest Airlines' previous seating arrangements look seemingly unfamiliar. Onboard their Boeing 737 were rear-facing seats, known as "lounge seating", which saw select rows in the forward, rear and over-wing exit rows in the economy-class cabin, where seats faced each other, as opposed to seating arrangements today, with rigid rows of passengers all facing one direction, when traveling, whereby passengers all face the front of the aircraft.

Flying forwards and facing the aircraft's cockpit can be reassuring for many passengers, especially those who are nervous or afraid of flying. Going backwards for take-off and landing would be an unusual phenomenon in today's skies and aircraft. The iconic Southwest Airlines seating arrangements onboard their Boeing 737 aircraft meant three passengers faced one another in the cabin, a total of six seats, on both sides of the aircraft aisles.

A total of twelve seats in a row were arranged so that passengers faced one another during the flight. This would be difficult now with the majority of airlines having their in-flight entertainment screens fitted to the back headrests of their aircraft seats. However, facing passengers can allow for easy conversation.

Having seats facing each other meant legroom was shared among the six passengers who sat facing each other. Airline seats have been a major talking point for travelers and aviation enthusiasts who have studied the changes over the years, but how exactly have the seats evolved over time? A my article details the changes to airline seating:

Were Southwest Airlines Rear Facing Seats Safer?

Studies conducted by air crash investigators, as discussed in a BBC Science Focus article, showed that the impact of a plane crash resulted in the body's energy being evenly distributed throughout the aft-facing Cabin Crew seat compared with a seat belt, which "cuts into a person facing forward" when seated.

One article by The Telegraph covered the important concept that the "rear-facing seats provide far better support for the back, neck and head." This much-needed support can help assist injured passengers in emergency situations due to fewer injuries, enabling them to safely and quickly evacuate an aircraft that could be on fire or ditched into the water, where time is of critical importance.

Cost implications are mentioned in the article whereby the strengthening of an aircraft floor for rear-facing seats would be required. Was this seating arrangement safer than the seating arrangement Southwest Airlines now has? The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulating aviation safety in the United States issued regulations as stated in their FAA factsheet:

"All newly developed transport aircraft use “16g” seats. Using a test dummy, these seats undergo dynamic testing and evaluation regarding injury protection. Similar to automobile crash tests, the FAA tests are designed specifically for the aviation environment."

Safety being of critical importance to all airlines, the aircraft with the forward-facing seating arrangement will still need to be evacuated in 90 seconds or less with all passengers onboard. Thus, the seating arrangement was safe. FAA seating studies are conducted whereby aircraft seats are rigorously tested, including the width and also pitch of the seats and how the size of passengers can affect evacuation times.

Allowing a simulation of an aircraft crash to take place and people to conduct an evacuation where experts can evaluate evidence from the evacuation to see if the size of seats makes a difference to the evacuation. This study was conducted on forward-facing passenger seats:

Aft-facing seats onboard aircraft are very rare in today's aviation market, as detailed in this my article which discusses why rear-facing seats are scarce. Cabin crew seats, however, continue to face the back, aft of the cabin, enabling them to have a good view of the aircraft and their passengers, checking for any issues or any need for evacuation during critical stages of flight; take-off and landing.

Was the famous lounge seating arrangement safer?

Many would worry that six people are trying to exit a row, as opposed to the usual three passengers for the economy cabin seating layout, or two in a row in dual-aisle aircraft. However, facing a fellow passenger face-to-face can help provide reassurance in an emergency evacuation situation onboard. You can hear their guidance, and they can also directly see you, to help if you are injured.

The lounge seats, when placed in the center of the cabin, had middle emergency exits (over-wing aircraft exits) directly situated between the six seats, meaning passengers seated there were very close to an onboard emergency exit and all luggage was required to be stowed away in the overhead lockers for take-off and landing so as not to impede any emergency evacuation at those exits.

The seats had much praise from passengers.

This Forbes article details the fun the seating arrangement could bring, including enjoying cocktails with fellow lounge-seated passengers, getting to know fellow passengers face-to-face and even family pillow fights mentioned. Scott B, 25 years ago, wrote on the famous Airliners.net forum, discussing Southwest Airlines discontinuing their lounge seating:

"I always liked the lounge seating because I thought it would be safer in the unlikely event of a crash. If you think about it, the seat and your body absorb the impact, as opposed to just a seatbelt. Well, as long as it isn't a really disastrous crash".

Families traveling together would find the convenience of facing one another helpful. For example, to enjoy playing a game of cards or being useful when feeding children onboard a flight. However, sitting between a family of five and you alone in the seating arrangement, I am sure one could find it uncomfortable. Asking other passengers to kindly move while you exit the seat to go to the bathroom or stretch your legs.

Experts such as air crash investigators have said that this seating arrangement is safe, with more space for passengers' legs, which are free to stand and evacuate, than a seat directly in front of their legs, which could impede their exit, as rows of seats are placed in front of them.

Southwest Airlines' Facebook account shows a detailed image of the seating arrangement, with many commenting that they enjoyed the seating arrangement, especially when traveling with their family. The seats look retro now in comparison, but comfortable and spacious, especially if the seats opposite you were vacant when traveling, a lot of space would be available versus seating in a row of three seats:

Southwest Airlines posts an image of their historic rear-facing seats asking their followers "Raise your hand if you remember these seats!"

A Travel Updates article details the rear-facing seats onboard Southwest Airlines, including detailed images of the rear-facing seats onboard Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 aircraft. 2005 saw the end of lounge seating for Southwest Airlines. 20 years on, their new seats showed a modern design. Including USB charging outlets integrated into the backs of the seats:

Southwest Airlines did face harsh criticism for its new seating design, which was launched in February 2024. The seat map below from Southwest Airlines shows their Boeing 737-800 series aircraft with all passenger seats now facing forwards.

Southwest Airlines has over 800 aircraft to date, with new cabins refurbished and new seat designs now in service. The airline continues to move with the times, keeping modern and aligned with the competitive aviation market. What could set them apart could be a retro comeback of the famous "lounge seating" many once enjoyed onboard Southwest Airlines flights.

Would passengers feel safer?

The statistics say so: The United Kingdom's (UK) military Royal Air Force aircraft also have rear-facing seating, such as their BAe146 aircraft, now retired and exhibited at the aircraft museum, South Wales Aviation Museum (SWAM) in Wales, UK.

Southwest Airlines' current CEO, Robert E. Jordan, stated that "customers want premium of all kinds, and if you're flying longer, that extra legroom is worth a lot," when speaking with CBS News. The lounge seating did have a premium feel with space and a seat, which was different from the majority of seating available onboard Southwest Airline B737 flights.

Business class cabins show configurations whereby seats are rear-facing and even diagonally placed within the cabin and Q suites onboard Qatar Airways allow up to four passengers to enjoy dinner together or onboard business meetings. The Q suite would be an ideal arrangement for a family of four to enjoy a family game onboard when traveling in business class with the airline, whereby the plush Q suite pods can be opened to allow four fellow passengers to speak openly as opposed to speaking across an aircraft aisle which could divide seats. However, economy seats remain facing forwards onboard their aircraft.

The lounge seating to look at from previous Southwest Airlines flights has a retro feel, the seats look comfortable and modern in design, nostalgic for many who traveled onboard with Southwest Airlines and sat in the seating arrangement. Southwest Airlines no longer has the facing seating arrangements onboard their flights, but I do hope one day we see them return to the skies with the airline.