Southwest Airlines dumped its famous open-seating policy last month – the one that let families board early and sit wherever they wanted for 54 years.
Now a toddler is sitting alone in his own row at 30,000 feet.
And somehow, the internet is scolding the dad.
Southwest's New Fee System Created Exactly This Mess
Here's what happened.
Cory Watilo booked a Southwest flight this month for his wife and two young kids – a 5-year-old and a 2-year-old – and chose the Basic fare, which doesn't include seat selection.
Southwest's new system auto-assigned the seats.
His 2-year-old ended up alone in his own row, separated from his mom and sister.
Watilo posted about it on X, noted he'd selected ages 0-4 during booking, and asked a reasonable question: why didn't the system at least factor that in?
Two million people saw it.
The response was remarkable – and not toward the airline.
Commenters told him to pay for his seats, stop being cheap, and questioned why he didn't just make the 2-year-old a lap child.
A father trying to keep a toddler next to his mother on an airplane – and the mob blamed him for not paying extra to make it happen.
https://x.com/watilo/status/2021941000302920070“>https://x.com/watilo/status/2021941000302920070
The Airline That Killed the One Policy That Prevented This
Southwest spent 54 years being the airline that didn't do this to families.
Open seating meant you boarded together, picked your spots, and sat where you wanted – no fees, no algorithm dropping your toddler into a random row across the plane.
That policy died January 27, 2026 – ended by CEO Bob Jordan under pressure from Wall Street investors who wanted Southwest extracting the same seat-fee billions that American, Delta, and United have been collecting for years.
From 2018 through 2023, those carriers pocketed $12.4 billion in seating fees alone, according to a Senate investigation.
Jordan called the new model "exciting."
The airline projects it will generate $1.5 billion in new seat revenue annually.
A 2-year-old sitting alone in his own row is apparently the price of that excitement.
Southwest's own policy now says the airline will "do its best" to seat kids under 13 with their parents on Basic fares – and if it can't, it will offer to rebook the family on the next available flight.
Which is a lovely offer when you're already standing at the gate with two kids and a carry-on.
Bob Jordan Got His Billions. Families Got the Bill.
Southwest wasn't broken.
Families loved that airline precisely because the open-seating model made separating a toddler from his mother structurally impossible.
Bob Jordan changed it because investors demanded it.
And when the inevitable happened – a 2-year-old sitting alone, a mom scrambling at the gate, a family at the mercy of strangers – the internet shamed the dad instead of the CEO who made it possible.
That's a pretty good deal for Southwest.
Watilo's story had a decent ending.
A kind fellow passenger switched seats without drama, and the family flew home together.
But the next family at the gate might not be so lucky – and they'll have Bob Jordan's "exciting" new fee model to thank for it.
Sources:
- Fox Business, "Southwest Airlines officially ends longstanding open-seating model," January 27, 2026.
- CNBC, "Southwest ends open seating after 54 years," January 28, 2026.
- Newsweek, "Southwest's new policy change sparks backlash," August 1, 2025.
- Daily Dot, "'Stop being broke': Dad blames Southwest Airlines for seating his toddler separately," February 2026.
- The Hill, "Southwest Airlines officially ends longstanding seat policy," January 27, 2026.
- ABC News, "Southwest officially ends open seating as passengers take flight with new assigned seats," January 27, 2026.
