Dont you wish we could just "scramble" the boading passes? Some flts B boards first , some flts A, some flts C....just a thought

I love the Southwests boarding process. I'll admit when I used to fly those other guys I coveted the fact that I could pick my seat when I bought the ticket, but once you learn the system it is so simple and easy to be an "A" and get a great seat on every flight. Our (my wife and I) seat is the starboard (that is right for those non-Navy types) exit row that has only two seats. We'll take that row every time even though the seats don't recline. Of course having quite a few hours of flight time under my belt as a Flight Engineer with the US Navy , I'm more than will to "man the emergency exit."

Last week I flew back from Las Vegas. First of all to get a boarding pass cost me $5.00 to logon to a Kiosk to connect to the Internet. I logged on about five minutes from the 24 hour rule and found that I was already number 27!

The problem with the current system is that not everyone has easy access to the Internet (especially when on vacation) and now that there are bots out there you have to be on the Internet right at the begining of the 24 hour period.

In my mind this is not good customer service.

Here are my suggestions:

1. Allow the issuing of boarding passes on return flights at the same time as those issued for the original flight(s).

2. Attach boarding pass levels to the class of ticket purchased. Full flight coach can check in 72 hours before flight, etc, etc

3. Issue boarding pass class at the time of ticket purchase.

4. Allow the issuing of boarding passes through an automated 800 number with the boarding pass sent to fax or e-mail account.

The current system is neither easy, nor fair. It discriminates against those who do not know how to use the Internet and or do not carry a laptop with printer with them on vacation.

Just my two cents worth.

John Brice

Why doesn't Southwest offer a competing service and let the "market" (e.g. "supply and demand") sort the problem out? Instead of listening to your former marketing professor, perhaps you should visit a modern economics department of your choice and inquire as to how prices serve to allocate scarce goods to those who value the good the most (and are willing to pay commensurately.)

Instead, you've chosen the "sour grapes" approach in claiming (a bit phonily, IMHO) that these sites are taking away Southwest's inventory. Didn't Southwest agree to accept a reduction in its inventory in exchange for the ticket price paid by the Customer? Why should Southwest care how Customers choose to obtain a BP? This sounds a little heavy handed and evidences a slide in Southwest's culture from the "good ol' days;" remember the lawsuits that almost grounded Southwest early on? I see Southwest is now returning the favor with respect to this nascent group of companies in the (tired) name of "protecting customers."

If any doubt remained, this should clearly demonstrate that Southwest is your run-of-the-mill fierce competitor wrapped in a flag of feel-good "customer friendliness." Also, why the change in heart from the original (i.e. neutral) stance?

I LUV Southwest, but this is just another typical corporate "squish the little guy" tactic -- not in keeping with what I'd expect those I LUV to do.

I would like to see Southwest produce evidence that any of these have become -- or are projected to become -- popular enough to snatch up any sizable fraction of the A boarding passes. They have been around for about eight months and I haven't seen or heard any such evidence.

By the way, the reason you might get boarding pass number 10 or 20 or 30 even if you check-in right at the 24 hour mark is that connecting and thru passengers get to check in before you (since their 24 hours starts at the departure time of their first flight). What you're seeing is NOT the effect of the boarding pass sites!

If a small number of people are willing to pay a premium to get a good seat, I fail to see the harm in letting them do it. Instead of a knee-jerk "shut them down!" reaction, Southwest should think about how they can benefit from the demand for this service, perhaps by giving full-fare passengers A boarding passes, or charging a small additional fee for a guaranteed A boarding pass.

On the news in Dallas Southwest claimed that these sites are "messing with their inventory." Now the passengers are considered Southwest's inventory, like tires? Or maybe heads of cattle.
If these services weren't useful, there would be no demand for them and they would simply disappear. I've never had a problem getting an "A" pass, but who cares if someone wants to use a service, it's up to them. Has anyone else noticed that first they cut back on our frequent flyer rewards, then they raise their prices and now they want to get rid of these websites? Where is Herb Kelleher when you need him?

An airline's inventory is its seats, represented by boarding passes in this case. These services can use computer programs to "suck up" all the A passes in a very short time, taking away other customers' equal chances at the A passes.

Southwest 's goal here seems to be to give all customers an equal chance at the best seats.

I fly SWA more than 50 times per year - so I'm frequently in the SWA lines and under some other carriers' definition I would be a Frequent Flier and would be awarded special privileges.

I LOVE the current system. I routinely log in and obtain my boarding pass - I also have you bookmarked in my Blackberry and you have made it very easy to log in when I am away from my PC.

I think my knowledge about how to use your system - and the "A" boarding pass I generally obtain - is my 'reward' for the number of trips I take. You

And when I screw up and don't get online - well, as one of your flight attendants once said "You're not getting married, just taking an airplane ride - so find a seat!"

I believe these Third Parties unfairly disrupt the process and should be immediately shut down - if not prosecuted for interfering with your business. They are no better than hackers who would deface your website or steal confidential information.

PLEASE don't change a thing in the process and stay diligent about protecting your customers against these interlopers.

I fly SWA 25 plus trips per year. I love the random seating proceedure. The system can be improved by adding an "A-Plus"
boarding group. Here's how it works.
1. Ask for 30 volunteer passengers, first from "A" boarding, then "B", then "C" until the quota of 30 is filled.
2. These 30 volunteers board immediately after the pre-boarders.
3. The 30 volunteers MUST AGREE to choose their seats from the AFT-MOST 8 ROWS OF SEATS (on each side) of the airplane.
4. The next boarding groups are "A", "B", "C' (same as it is now).
5. This gets 30 people on the back of the airplane and out of the way while the front of the airplane loads.
6. These 30 "A-Plus" boarders will have about 48 seats to choose from. They need not sit in a center seat unless they are
traveling as a family or other group. "Group" travelers may be the first to volunteer because they get to sit together.
7. After the "A Plus" boarding system has been in place for a few months, there will be no shortage of volunteers because
of the speeded-up boarding process and the fact that participants will soon learn that the back of the airplane gets to the
gate very shortly after the front of the airplane.
8. Try it, You'll Like It.

This is an excellent decision by Southwest.

Please don't do away with the current seat system. If it is a problem, just give the highest fare class (or two highest) priority for A. That would solve most legitimate concerns.

As for BoardFirst, screw them; they are clearly taking away from your product.

Southwest takes on seating controversy...

Kudos again to the Southwest the Southwest Airlines blog. On the same day the Wall Street Journal article appeared about the cease and desist letters they are sending out to companies which help customers secure A boarding seats, they post...

Just one more thing to add about access to checking in. If you are on vacation or don't have access to the internet, you can use your wireless web on your cell phone. In your mobile wireless web, go to your options and "go to URL". Enter the URL: mobile.southwest.com. From there you can put in your name and confirmation # and check in for your flight. It will even tell you which boarding group you have! Then once you arrive at the Airport, just stroll on over to any Southwest Kiosk (The ones that don't charge you $5 :-) ) Access your reservation via any Credit Card swipe (don't panic, our Kiosks are not ATM's, they just read the name encoded on the card and match it to the reservation in our system) or you can enter your confirmation # without using a credit card and reprint your boarding pass. I personally have used this option many times when flying my parents up to Chicago. One tip, make sure you book your tickets with exactly the same name as it appears on your credit card to ensure a match at the kiosk. All this information can be found at Southwest.com in the Travel Center under Wireless access. Happy checking and I look forward to serving you on one of our flights! Brian- MDW Flight Attendant

Just wanted to give a super thank you to employee 697-51 who gave us a big help in recovering a suitcase that had been picked up by the wrong person. Her quick action saved the day and we gout our bag back! Thanks/

[...] Southwest Airlines Blog Â

Keep it the way it is, for now.

I fly Southwest several times a year and they provide great service. The only thing I do not like is not having an assigned seat. As someone who is older and also has anxiety attacks, it would be nice if I knew for sure where I was sitting before I got on my flight. I do Id I do appreciate being able to print my boarding pass from the internet 24 hours in advance, but I don't have internet access to the place I visit, so I don't have the opportunity to print my return boarding pass.

There have been a number of suggestions here for assigning the boarding group at the time the ticket is purchased. I often fly on short notice, so I wouldn't want to see this system implemented.

What would be great is if SWA would auto-assign the boarding pass letters maybe 12 hours before flight using RR status, followed by time of purchase:

Check our Rapid Rewards status, the more we fly, the higher we are in the list. The second sort could be who purchased their tickets earlier. Maybe a sort between those two so that families traveling together would get a higher letter.

I do miss the plastic boarding passes - I think SWA should find some in storage somewhere and auction them on eBay - maybe the proceeds could go to the Ronald McDonald House.

A couple weeks ago I was shocked to get a C pass 20 hours before departure. I ended up between a very elderly lady who crapped her diaper (after waiting until cruising flight level) then pretended to be asleep while spreading out into my center seat and nearly cracking my ribs. At landing it turned out her HUSBAND was in the aisle seat. He was unashamed of making me sit between him and his incontinent wife for 2 hours. Full flight. The stewardess couldn't do a thing but avoid my row like we were all lepers.

Coming back - same thing. C pass and inbetween two people who knew each other and talked across me the entire flight.

My next SW flight will be when they have advance seat assignments. My company pays for my tickets so I am
not price sensitive -I'll spend my connection time in Dallas or Houston in the President's or Admiral's lounge and sit in a rear window seat. Aggressive unplesant passengers never sit aft - they want to get off first and stand around waiting for their baggage.

We want to thank all of you for sharing your thoughts, especially on assigned versus open seating and our boarding process. Your thoughts are being shared with our top Leadership. In the next few weeks, we will be posting additional information about this topic, so stay tuned.

Brian

I would like to know how many RR members are happy with the new type of tickets? The new tickets don't have expiration dates,
but have limited seating. Just wondering.

Please dont go to assigned seating. I love the current system. By and large, I can get an aisle or window seat by checking in early and dont have to buy expensive seats to do so like other airlines. Even if I am unlucky and have a C, I can choose my elbow mates if i show up early while on other airlines I could be stuck between two sweaty obese men while plenty of other middle seats are empty. I feel sure that there are many many more of your loyal customers who feel this way and the whiners who think about you as just another airline should probably fly another airline anyway.

PLEASE do not change the seating policy. I look forward to knowing that I can select who I want to sit next to. I just got stuck going to Atlanta (hint, hint)and having to be subjected to assigned seating. I fly every week and hate having to fly other airlines and I go out of my way to fly Southwest whenever possible. Your culture and your policies are the best. Now, if you can take care of the Wrong Ammendment and fly to Atlanta, well, life will be great.

We love open seating. But if you decide to go to a reservation system, we're sure it will be executed in a first rate fashion. Here are two suggestions offered in the most gentle manner. First, some passengers are unfamiliar with the Southwest custom that requires people, not bags, to hold a place in line. Something as simple as a sign might be helpful in reminding passengers that leaving a bag in one of the aisles is rude, not to say risking the collection of unmonitered luggage if a waiting passenger were sufficiently annoyed. Second, we think it is a bit unbecoming to sue Board First. You are not losing any revenue and the service is very helpful when your interim destination does not provide online capabilities. Cheers

[...] I’ve written here on the Listening Post and here on my personal blog about Southwest’s entry into Web 2.0 with their Nuts about Southwest Blog. They took the initiative on the seating controversy issue by posting to their blog on the topic. [...]

Wow! Reading everyone's responses to our boarding process is very enlightening. I'm astounded by the overwhelming support not to conform. As an Operations agent, I get to see and interact with all the passenger's on the flight. When Southwest was going to install the GATE READER's, most employees only saw drawbacks. I heard time and again that having them will only slow down the boarding process and hurt our ontime performance. Boy, were we wrong. I don't know of any operations employee that hates the gate readers. We would be lost without them! The reader's (gate scanners) tell us who is missing, where the passengers checked in, and also provide us with the ability to pull up flight information and print out connections, weather, flight releases and such. We can literally do everything ,except talk with the pilots via the company radio all from the gate area.
With this said, I am TRYING to keep an open mind over assigned seating. We have been wrong before. I will hold my overall judgement until the results of the testing in San Diego are complete, but from what I have heard and read, the people who are loyal to Southwest Airlines are not easily enticed. They love us for who we are, and fly US if the opportunity exists. We give everyday people a chance to fly and to sit in the front of the aircraft. After all, being a non-rev on other airlines, don't we feel special when when we get a seat in the coveted business or first-class.
If I do get a complaint from someone who is in the "C" boarding group, time permitting, I explain that they can check in 24 hours in advance, but the best response that people have a hard time counteracting, is that now "YOU GET TO CHOOSE WHO YOU SIT BY, AND NOT WHO SITS BY YOU!"
With all of this said and the only thing I can say that I fear as an operations agent, is that with assigned seating that probably will mean we board from the back of the aircraft forward. I fear that when we do have to check bags in the jetway because the overhead bins are full, that it will be with those people who are sitting in the front of the aircraft, and I don't look forward to that battle.
We have a great customer base, and as employees, I believe we all have to agree that they keep us entertained as well. They have been loyal to us, have provide US continual growth and profits, and allowed Southwest Airlines to become the largest Domestic carrier in the United States. They have offered us job security when all the other airlines laid off employees, they have, year after year, provided all of us with profit sharing. IT JUST DOESN'T GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS!
I guess in the end, I may be a little biased, but Southwest has taken care of me so far, and from what I have seen in the past, Headquarters has made wise decisions so I won't second guess them now. To our customers, Southwest is listening to your concerns, insights and ideas, so please keep them coming. And to our passenger's I have to say "PLEASE WATCH THE SIZE AND NUMBER OF YOUR CARRY-ONS!"

[...] I’ve written here on the Listening Post and here on my personal blog about Southwest’s entry into Web 2.0 with their Nuts about Southwest Blog. They took the initiative on the seating controversy issue by posting to their blog on the topic. [...]

quote:

"There are security issues as well, such as providing e-mail addresses that can be bought as well as be used for spamming."

The same could be said of any website. Do you have any evidence at all that any of the companies selling boarding passes are affiliated with spammers? I somehow doubt it.

I'm more disappointed by the disingenuous excuses that you're using here than I am by the action you're taking.

What happend to you, SWA? You used to be cool.

If you can't fly to Atlanta, can you fly to Athens or any other city in Georgia?

Mobile website - I wasn't sure where to go with this but I have Motorola Q device and when I go to the mobile.soutwest.com addr I get the full southwest.com website not the mobile portal. I'm certain I'm putting in the correct URL and I've had other Moto Q users tell me the same thing. Doesn't seem lke the mobile.southwest.com site views Moto Q as a mobile device? Help!

I think SW should leave the third party A retrieval sites alone. They are just assisting travelers who may not be able to get online in time themselves. Its called capitalism. The other alternative would be for SW to charge a fee for A passes at the time the ticket is purchased. I would have no problem paying SW $10 each way for an "A Fee".

Recently on vacation I had no way to access a computer to check in early for our return trip...a very long flight across the country. I was also traveling with my seven year old daughter who is too old for pre-boarding but too young to be split up from Mom or Dad. We ended up in the worst seats possible by the bathroom. I agree with the earlier comments that some people simply can't access the Internet (and my cell phone is pretty basic too). A telephone option for early check in would make it more fair for everyone.

I find it unbelievable that the story of the girl who was embarrassed by an employee who felt the need to be clothes police was allowed to get out of control. A simple apology could have saved it from being on all the national TV News Programs. You are a smarter company than that. All the money spent to build a reputation and you allow this stupid thing to happen. Apologize and get on with running an airline or do you plan on instituting a new dress code as part of your long range plan?

Those who say everyone has the same shot at checking in 24 hours in advance are incorrect. In addition to anyone traveling on a fare where you need to be age-verified, group travel also issues paper tickets and therefore makes those passengers ineligible to check-in prior to arrival at the airport. So for extended families traveling as a group you may find yourselves in a panic about not being able to sit with your own children even when they are two young to sit alone. This will slow down the whole boarding process while you desperately try to negotiate with other selfish passengers who think only about their coveted A boarding pass and their aisle seat so that your children don't end up sitting alone. Board familes with children of any age first. Go ahead and require them to sit in the back of the plane. Their priority is simply to sit together. Are you actually going to force a terrified and crying child to sit alone just because they have reached the ripe old age of 5? And do you as a passenger actually want to endure sitting next to my crying children for the entire flight?

I do love SWA, but you are not my #1 choice for flying. Everything about SWA is superior except for seating, and for me its a huge negative. I travel weekly for work. Having to be at my computer exactly 24 hrs in advance of my flight is a real pain. Now we have to compete with 3rd party checkin services.

Please do us frequent travelers a favor. Stop trying to tweak the open seating policy. Let me choose an assigned seat at reservation. If you do you'll always be my 1st choice.

I like th new boarding process except I have encountered a few line jumpers which the Southwest gate agent has not stopped the line jumper from boarding. I think a simply tweak will stop the rebels from bucking the line and the system for all the customers who conform to the rules.

This should go under the category of "CONSUMER RIP-OFFS?"
As an American consumer, I thought this story might prove "blogworthy." Has this ever happened to you? Being an avid patron of Southwest Airlines with their on-time records, and their notable "cheap" fares, they have always been my first choice in airline travel—at least up until now. I would like to know how many customers such as myself, have fallen victim to Southwest's "TICKETLESS AWARD PROGRAM?" I was awarded one of these so-called "free round-trip tickets" (anywhere Southwest fly's) in 2005. Unfortunately, I was unable to take the trip that year so I (conveniently for them) opted for the $50 "replacement award." Unfortunately, I was unable to travel the following year as well (2006), so I again opted for the $50 replacement award. Now I am into my "FREE" round-trip ticket for $100. You guessed it, my free ticket expired in March of this year, and once again (due to various reasons) I was unable to take the trip. I began feeling suspicious when the Customer Service Rep offered me yet another "extension" for yet another $50. I politely explained that $150 on a free ticket was border line ludicrous (especially when I could easily purchase my own flight for that price—or less even). I believe this practice is totally and completely unfair. I would love to know how many of us have fallen "victim" to this type of corporate extortion. In this day and age of exorbitant gas prices, and inflated food costs in a receding economy, is it fair that Southwest Airlines can (for all intents and purposes) "steal" money from their loyal customers in this way? Please pass this on as a "consumer warning." DO NOT sign up for Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Program. It may only serve to "cost you" in the end. If I ever do fly SWA in the future, my ticket will automatically cost me an extra $100 bucks, which could easily provide me quite a bit of gas, and a few groceries to boot.