KIRO NEWSRADIO OPINION

‘It’s a setup. It’s a trap’: Gee Scott calls out Southwest Airlines’ after seating policy change

Feb 1, 2026, 5:00 AM

One of Southwest Airlines’ more favorable policies was recently thrown out, ending its long-standing perk of allowing passengers to select their own seats ahead of a flight.

Gee Scott, co-host of “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio, found the policy change to be a trap, with the company essentially pulling the rug out from under its customers, and potentially adding excessive fees to give back what passengers once loved.

“You don’t see the bait and switch coming up?” Gee asked. “‘Oh, we want to pick our own seats.’ OK, you don’t want to do the group A, group B thing, cool. We have something special for you, increased prices. It’s a setup. It’s a trap.”

After KIRO producer Paul Holden explained that a past survey showed 80% of participants wanted to choose their own seats on Southwest Airlines, he claimed the airline has taken a step back.

“Now they’re just like the rest of them. You board with your boarding group, and you enjoy the classic experience of, ‘Hey, I paid more, so I get to get on the plane faster than you and have more leg room,'” KIRO producer Paul Holden said.

“I’m not sure that’s going to work out for Southwest Airlines, and I would love to hear from folks who use it much more than I do,” Ursula responded. “The times I’ve gone, I thought that it was one of the more appealing things about it.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on KIRO Newsradio.

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