Nuts About Southwest

all these suggestions are good. however i have a good idea i think too, however it's a tiny bit difficult for me to explain at the moment.

it would consist of that table, with two power strips down the center, one inch apart. this table would have enough room for one laptop per two plugs. this table should be one side for business use, and one side for personal use. there would be enough LAN plugs for every computer at the table, along with a wireless router inside the table (so it can't be messed with) so other's at the southwest gates can still possibly use another plug elsewhere and get the internet. the LAN and wireless route would not be needed for those aiports with free wifi, such as phx.

at the end of the tables you could have shelves with plugs so someone could just plug in thier device and put it in the little shelf/cubby thing. -- or this could be a separate stand that has like shelves with a plug in the shelf and same as the last shelves, they just put thier device in there. then they just have to watch it. it could lead to liability issues which is the problem i find there. why not just put a power strip on the floor under the seats? two per seat so someone could have a laptop and their cell phone charging or something.

and yes i like the idea of plugs at seats is a great idea but that might be too much of an in-depth thing. however maybe it could be requested on the new planes that are being delivered. adding it to existing planescould cause some problems.

my ideas might be a little far fetched but oh well this is for expressing idea's right?

James --
Great blog about another innovation brought to us by our friends at Southwest! Sure, as some of my fellow bloggers have pointed out, there are a few bugs to be worked out, but I'm proud of my favorite airline for making the effort. USA Today and the Dallas Morning News have both had articles recently about the sudden surge (sorry, I couldn't resist) in popularity for airport terminal power sources.

Having lugged a laptop and a cell phone around for years, I can attest to the futility that often accompanies the search for available power outlets. It is not uncommon to see men in business suits sitting on the floor so they can do work on their laptop, or trying to balance their computer in their lap without any kind of solid work surface available.

In addition to the fine suggestions made above about staggered outlets spaced further apart for those pesky power converters and child-resistant sliding covers, I would also like to suggest an adaptation of something I read in one of the recent newspaper articles. I regularly see people needing to charge a cell phone for 30 minutes to an hour between flights but then feeling tethered to that area so their phone isn't stolen. I read about a small locking "cage" system where a phone can be plugged in and left inside a cage device that has openings large enough to see in to the phone's display but small enough to prevent reaching in and removing it. The owner can keep the key and go to a food court area or restroom or retail shopping area while leaving the phone to charge. The device could be coin operated like the old "bus station/airport" type lockers. Putting the key back into the lock to open it would "grab" the key and keep it.

Thanks for working on this for us and showing us once more that Southwest cares about its Customers!

Kim :-)

I agree, having a convenient place to run your laptop on electric power while you wait to board at the gate sure beats having to use your battery or connecting the power cord at some out of the way place.

Additionally, while on the general topic of laptop power I think Southwest should consider installing at-seat outlets so that one can run a laptop during a flight without depending on the battery. It would be beneficial especially on long haul flights (such as on a Tampa to Los Angeles flight with a stop in Nashville on the long segment from Nashville to Los Angeles, for example).

James is right, and I will forward your thoughts to our Facilities and Marketing folks.
Blog Boy

Duffer, et. all - Thanks for the comments and I'm sure the powers that be at HDQ will definately take them into consideration. I really like the idea you have of the branding!

Have a GREAT day!
James malone
MDW FA

Hi James,
Well since Laurie just busted my hope for free rides, here are some more thoughts.
Cliff is right and I tried to allude to that. The outlets should be unrestricted, thus the idea of a multi outlet power strip down the center (or two, but offset so the outlet is still unrestricted.
You should consider Ground Fault Interrupter outlets, so if somebody overloads the plug it won't blow the whole circuit (or injure them.)
How wide is the top? Wide enough for two laptops back-to-back?
Got your legal disclaimer signs in order? Not responsible for damage to you or your gadget. Don't leave gadget unattended.
Usage guidelines?
Don't stand here with your portable DVD plugged in to watch a movie.
Don't eat here (good luck with that one)
To save floor space, how about a vertical power station? That would eliminate all the problems that a flat surface invites (now that will cost you if you want a design.)

Oh yeah, better branding: Recharge with LUV, and they gotta be orange and blue with winglets.

OK, I may be back with more later.

HOPING HOU CAN GET SOME POWER,OUR POOR CUSTOMERS HAVE TO DIG UP A POWER SOURCE IN SOME DUSTY MOUSE INFESTED AREA. YOU WOULD THINK THE NEW TERMINAL WOULD INCLUDE BASIC INTERNET, CELL PHONE NEEDS OR EVEN A BUSINESS CENTER. THEIR IDEA OF HI-TECH IS REQUIRING A PIN NO. TO CHANGE FROM DEPARTURES TO ARRIVALS ON THE SCREEN. SOMETIMES NEW IS NOT ALWAYS BETTER. WE LOVE THE LOOK JSUT STRUGGLE WITH SOME OF THE CITIES DECISIONS. WOULD LOVE SOME SIGNAGE TOO.

Due to Southwest being so family-friendly, I believe any design should incorporate child-proof covers/outlets to protect the youngest travelers. The best of these are the outlets with the built-in, spring-loaded slide covers, so that there is no effort required on the user's part to re-safe the outlet after use. I am really surprised that most public buildings have not gone to these outlet types just because of liability-issues. By the way, I am not trying to relieve parents of their responsibility for watching their children and keeping them safe; however, electrocutions can happen in a matter of seconds. So why not avoid setting anyone up for failure?

Duffer - i think this is just the first prototype. So, please tell us what you like and don't like about the Power Station. The things that you mentioned are all good ideas. What other things do you all think would make the Power Station more user friendly?

Regards,
James Malone
MDW FA

Umm...Duffer? I think you just did. For free. :o)

Since my airport has no outlets available for passengers; I can tell ya that these would be most welcome!