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Southwest Airlines Testing Enhanced Boarding
Southwest Airlines is testing a modified method of their popular A-B-C group-based boarding technique in San Antonio, Texas. From the Southwest blog:"Here's how it works: you check in and get your boarding pass, just like today, but now it has a position on it. That position is your spot in line! We're holding a place for you in line so you don't have to camp out for boarding."
When I fly Southwest (which is often) I'm always, always in front of the computer precisely 24-hours before my departure so that I can print out an "A" boarding pass. Then one day on a flight to Las Vegas I chatted up the guy in line next to me and he asked me what number I was. What number? I didn't even know there was a number. Sure enough, right below the big "A" there was a number. I had A2. He had A1. From that point on, I became even more obsessed; I needed to get that A1 no matter what -- even though it didn't mean squat. I liked looking around the crowded plane and knowing that I was the first person to print their boarding pass. I'm a dork like that.
Now Southwest will actually be using that number (along with A, B, or C) to queue passengers. No more camping out at the gate's A line. No more elbow throwing. If the testing goes good in ole' San Antone, soon I'll be rewarded for my obsession -- everyone will know who number one is.
Related: Print Your Southwest Airlines Boarding Pass Without a Printer
Update: Luxist writer Trey Evans had a chance to experience the new boarding procedure on a flight from San Antonio to Houston Hobby, and here's what he had to say: "...the big deal here is that they've doubled the size of the 'A' group and done away with the C group completely, and that families with small kids get boarded between 'A' and 'B' groups. It worked well on my flight, but it wasn't a crowded flight and there were only 50 or so people trying to board." Thanks, Trey!
Filed under: Airlines
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Ben Aug 23rd 2007 4:05PM
Ok, damn the next thing they'll do is put a number that corresponds to a particular seat on the plane and then they'll have you board using that number. Oh wait, I've said too much.
SJ Bobkins Sep 6th 2007 1:53AM
I like it!
I was flying Southwest from SLC to PHX on Friday afternoon. In SLC all Southwest gates are in a small circle maybe 10-20 feet apart. At 4-5 p.m., every gate was in action unloading and quickly loading from B-13 to B-18. people were in line 50-80 minutes prior to flight time making a royal mess. I was in the "B" line but I wasn't sure if it was the B-18 or the B-15, "B" line. I asked others close by who were similarly confused, standing so as to not get a middle seat. The Houston-Hobby Southwest gates are the same way. There isn't enough room for people to get in line an hour a head of every flight in 3 long lines per gate. Even on delayed flights no one moved from the lines, they just stayed the 60 minutes a head of time in addition to the 45 minute delay.
THANKS BE TO THE POWERS THAT BE, that we have some common sense out there. This isn't Russia, we hate lines in the US. Why stand for all this time to them be smashed together 6 across? Now we can sit and relax until the numbers are called. And no Virginia, it isn't going to be #1, now #2, #3 etc. They will call 1-30, then board the families before calling 31-60, followed by the rest of the plane. So it won't matter if you are #1 or #30, just so you aren't #31.
Gene Sep 21st 2007 12:30PM
Parents are not parents anymore. They are buddies to their children. I object to the change in the seating policy for parents with children because I like for them to board first, then I can see where the undisciplined, screaming kids that have never been told no, are sitting, then I get as far away as possible. I am on Southwest Airlines about once every ten days. I hope you hear me, Southwest.
will Sep 21st 2007 1:41PM
I agree with Gene, children should be alowed on the plane first so people that get on after can decide if they want to sit near them. I certainly dont want to have to move if they get on after and sit near me.I paid for this seat i shoulden't have to be disturbed with unruley kids.
Charney Sep 21st 2007 7:04PM
I don't think that is how the new procedure works. On your flight, it sounds like the C group was gone because as you said, there were only 50 or so people trying to board. I flew out of San Antonio, which is a test city, too. My flight was completely loaded, and the C group was used. The change is simply first come, first serve. If you get your boarding pass first, you get first spot on line, and so on.
Romans Nov 20th 2007 1:58AM
Aside from all the peripheral "benefits" of the new boarding plan, bonus points, drinks, 1st to board, let me tell you the true skinny. I am elite with UAL, AA and over the top 3X at SWA Rapid Rewards.
Put up the posts for line-up takes space. Space where we used to have seats. So the seats go away. So if one objective was that people didn't have to stand in line, great, now they stand around, because there is no place to sit. This takes brains?
The real road warrior does not, repeat not, want to board first. Why? Any bad smelling, fat bastard, or crappy kid can grab the seat next door, and you have a horrible flight. The true road warrior wants to board around #60, and choose his seat mate already in place. I always check if the flight is near full, and if it is, I always board late, even if I have an A1 seat. Ain't choice great.
I like the idea of frequent fliers getting auto boarding passes. This is the best and only part of the new process that is worthwhile to the business customer. 9 out of 10 I am in the air or not near a computer at the 24 hour mark. I need to have my wife or kids check me in, at their inconvenience and they let me know it.
Next time you do this, really talk to the frequent flier, not some snot-nosed Robert McNamara game theory quantitative analyst MBA.