Wow, so much to process at one time. Looking forward to being an A-lister, although when I travel with the family I will choose to board with them. May these changes at the peak holiday travel period go as smoothly as possible. Best Wishes.

Dear SW - I am a very frequent business traveler and I must tell you that you have really messed up with one of your new policies. By making families with small children board the plane after group A, you have actually hurt, not helped business travelers. I for one always avoid sitting near families with small children, not because I don't like kids - just the noise and seat kicking. Now this is no longer in my control as they are boarding the plane after me and I cannot control where they sit. This very case happened to me yesterday as I boarded a plane from Kansas City to Seattle. I had a family with one child sit behind me ( the child directly behind me) and he kicked my seat the entire flight and spent the last 20 minutes absolutely wailing. Please re-think this policy to give me back the control over where I sit in relation to these families. Let the group C crowd, deal with this un-intended issue.

Hi Dennis. Thanks for your comment. We feel like the enhancements we made to Rapid Rewards today actually improve the value of the program. We are trying to find ways to reward and thank our most frequent travelers and give our members who are trying to book award travel more choices and flexibility. With as much as you say you fly, you'll be the perfect candidate to take advantage of some of these benefits. We have heard from Customers just like you that are upset about our restricted award seats so this annoucement today is our way of finding a win-win for both our frequent travelers (such as yourself) and Southwest.

I have to agree with AJ. I left Delta after being Platinum for 4 straight years because they began the policy of higher mileage based upon tiered pricing levels. I have now been a loyal SWA customer for the past 3 years. I actually liked the fact that we were all treated equally regardless of the price we paid for a ticket. The implementation of the A-List business pricing goes against everything that SWA stood for. Businesses are not stupid, In most cases, we travellers know several weeks out what our travel plans will be. Rewarding the last minute flyer will eventually erode your loyal customer base. I am a business traveller who purchases my tickets early. I am also willing to check in 24 hours early to insure myself an A Boarding Pass. If that is no longer available, I may have to rethink the convenience and comfort of the Crown Room and First Class Seating.

I want to echo the comments about the "families with small children" policy. I can see where on one of your "shuttle" legs (DAL-HOU, for instance) it would be beneficial to be at the front of the plane... if every second counts. Also, on a 45-minute flight, if the 3 year-old behind me was kicking, I wouldn't be that worried about it.

However, on BNA-SAN, it is VERY important to me that I either can sit in a spot where I'm not annoyed by children, or I can sit in a spot where my child isn't annoying.

I won't benefit from either of these changes, but HAT'S OFF to WN for these changes. These folks that pay higher fares or travel a LOT deserve some special treatment. I'm willing to board B / C even for four hour flights because I bet if my spouse and I want to sit together it will happen.
WN people are like that.

USA Today has an article online regarding the new boarding procedures which only places more stress on the flight crew to get families to sit together. It's a bungled operation when there are through passengers. I for one don't want my 9 year old sitting 20 rows away from me where I can't see him. So even if you check-in 24 hours prior you feel bad and end up sitting in the middle anyway. How stupid.

I am a frequent flyer on SWA and I can't believe they did the testing in San Diego and San Antonio. How about Chicago or Baltimore or some place significant within the route structure?

Sorry SWA but you screwed this one up.

I am disappointed that you have now made your fare structure and seating more elitist and complicated. Southwest used to stand for treating everyone equally and offering a fairly easy fare structure. You are becoming more like the old time airlines -- don't try to influence us about your "exciting" new features -- you are taking what made you different and throwing that out the door --

Now you've done it! Turned America's most successful and my favorite airline into just another private club for the expense account-blessed businessman. Not since Coke tried to change its formula years ago has a major corporation made such a marketing blunder. Have you lost your senses and forgotten waht made yout he success you are, or were?. The average Joe who felt SWA was their airline has been betrayed again. C'mon Frank, remember when everyone was treated the same; no perks, just great service and convenient terminals? If I want to watch a bunch of "travel warriors", who have never paid for an airline ticket themselves, board a plane before me go, I'll go get in line over at the American counter.

Herb, an SOS is needed we need you back and find folks that will follow your lead as the Fuel Hedge Program you revolutionized is now gone thanks to $100 oil, now you have these young whipper snappers who will ruin your airline. Folks, "If it is not broke, you don't need to fix it"! Nice try Kevin but you don't get it and will have this airline either merged or in Bankpuptcy within 4 years......Care to make this bet?
I agree and think in 2 weeks we will see a meltdown over the Turkey Day holiday and you soon are going to over work your F/As are the front line to keeping the peace and I have had 4 flights so far that have left late due to through flights not having room for the responsible parents that use car seats and being a loyal SAT flyer and saw the problems in the middle of summer that the books were cooked for your management to make the changes they did and not I can tell you, I am a sucessful business owner and did not fall off the turnip truck and do not see how you think you can hoodwink us into paying more for more credits, we made you the airline of choice due to DING and the fact you were unique but now you are joining the ranks of the big boys and you will fail. Sorry to see but you will be another Republic, Piedmont, Braniff soon unless you all wake back up and get back to what the true flyers of SWA like...
Good Luck but I am a realist and the majority of F/As I talk with do not like having to take the gruff of your bad decisions...You need to get back to basics..
B.P. just offering my advice and two cents,,,,,
I think I am going to cancel my Turkey-Day travels too as I see nothing but angry families and travelers and feel for the F/As and Pilots.

[...] everyone, despite the hype, is happy about this…In Southwest’s blog, the comments are piling up, both pro and con…Many con. The biggest complaint is that Southwest…known [...]

Well John - San Diego and San Antonio are lovely destinations...but that's not the reason we chose to do our boarding tests in those cities. Both San Diego and San Antonio have a good mix of passenger "types" and a wide variety of destinations and flight lengths. There was a lot of criteria that went into making those two city choices but I can promise you that we did more research outside of those cities as well.

I also wanted to point out that you don't have to be a high paying Customer to get into the A-List. You can purchase 16 roudtrip "Wanna Get Away" fares in a 12-month time period and get A-List status. On many carriers you would probably have to pay much more in that same period of time to be awarded a similar perk.

Why should I fly Southwest anymore after today? Your fares are no longer the cheapest and I can't get a reserved seat and now I'm being bumped out of the A boarding group. You just gave a punch in the gut to all of your loyal customers who fly less than 16 round trips per year.

My company has exclusively scheduled our travel plans to Southwest destination cities in the past in order to achieve awards tickets faster -- even flying into cities in which we would have a lengthy drive or enduring long layovers; however, this will no longer be a factor when we schedule our travel. We're business travelers, but we don't travel on the elitist all-expenses-paid accounts to which Southwest now seems to be catering. What was the renegade airline will become just another airline tomorrow. How unfortunate.

Allowing those who pay higher fares to take precedence over other passengers in the A line belittles those passengers who cannot afford to pay more. It's disheartening to see Southwest take a step back under the guise of progression.

I think its good that your trying to cater to all types of travlers. My concern is that will the people who only travel 2-4 times a year still be able to get that A pass, or will all those belong to business travlers and those who travel a lot. I'd like the chance to still receive an A pass even though I don't fly much throughout the year. Can you explain if/how that would work?

I don't like this at all.

The first time I check in 24 hours before a flight and get a B-ticket I will start looking at alternative airlines. If I am going to get a lousy seat, I might as well know that in advance.

Will Southwest start serving "New Coke"?

Thanks for making my decision easier to move on to another airline, I only selected SW because I could check in online and never had a number higher than 5, now I have to wait for another class of passenger and lose that benefit.

Airlines reserve the right to change the way they operate. I don't agree with the changes but I don't own the airline.

What I don't like is when I book travel with a airline and they change the rules 1 1/2 months then 2 days before I travel. I booked travel for my family that includes a toddler last July because of under 4 pre-board policy. Your airline took that away that feature at the first part of October. Now 2 days before I travel you make it impossible to grab A boarding passes with your new business ticket class policy. I'll have to be fast to get on the A-List.

Your airline has introduced twice the anxiety to my family. First we have to compete for A boarding passes, and even then put up with disgruntled passengers as we try to find enough seats for my family together and install a car seat.

We chose your airline for a reason, family friendly, and everyone is equal. My tickets are not the lowest cost either so I should not be looked at the low end of traveling public.

If we had know the future changes on Southwest, we would have booked reserved seats on Delta. Your airline should wait until you make tickets available in the future before before rolling out such major changes. Your customer will know what they are getting into. Don't change the rules in the middle of the game, or at least honor the airline policies in place at the time of booking.

All airlines need to choose what they want to be. Full Service business class airline or Low Fare Limited Service for the masses. Airlines in the middle don't do well most of the time.

The changes recently at Southwest are sort of like Saturn Cars. A great company with a good image and a certain type of a product back in 90's that is slowly being diluted. Compare the Saturn of the early 1990's and Saturns now.
Saturns are just another car now. Southwest may soon be just another airline.

Dear Kevin and in SWA management,

It is evening and now I can take time after the business day to comment on the new policies. As a person who flies SWA several times per month (10 in Nov.), here are my thoughts:

As many other people have commented in previous blogs, including a great number of parents and business people, I implore you to change your pre-board policy for families. It is pretty clear that parents need a little extra time (even psychologically to recover from the drama of children and airports) and most A's and B's would like to choose whether they sit near small children. To prevent pre-board abuse, simply limit a maximum of two adults to board with the children. It seems so simple. I would rather be further back in the aircraft than have a small child kicking or screaming behind me (as I experienced this past Sunday).

Thank you for keeping wheelchairs before A's, I have 3 elderly family members that need extra assistance when they fly.

I will qualify for the A-list, however, I think it was an error that relays the wrong message to your non-business travelers. For years I dreamed of the coveted companion pass, now that I am a holder, I appreciate the incredible gift that it is. There must be other ways to continue to reward your high volume travelers without creating a hierarchy with an A-list for boarding. All SWA passengers are important and some who fly infrequently now are the road warriors of the future. What is done is done for now. Now some A-listers will feel deprived if and when you repeal the policy.

Many people that have been redeeming rapid rewards tickets have had to adjust to the "new" policy (changing blackout/seat restrictions). I preferred the old one because it was the most generous in the industry. Of course, the two year accrual period was a nice change. Clearly, you have been looking for a solution to allow people to use a reward when there are no reward seats available. The 2 certificate/1 flight is an option. Was it really the best one that the incredible talent at SWA could come up with??? What about allowing use 24 hours prior if the capacity permits? I know, you overbook and may have to compensate if the flight is oversold and over the actual passenger limit. You could simply allow use if the flight still has "actual" seats available and is not oversold. The seat would otherwise go empty and IT WOULD MAKE A HAPPY SOUTHWEST CUSTOMER.

Remember when it was all about LUV? Remember when the customers experience was important. Sadly, you have a lot of upset passengers right now (and a few happy ones too). It was not that long ago when I only earned 1 or 2 rapid rewards tickets a year, and they were gold to me. For many people, it is still a big deal to earn a free ticket. You have so much of the equation right: 2 years to earn 16 credits, 2 one ways (rather than a round trip), ease of redemption online (great improvement), and fully transferable. The only airline that comes close is Alaska, as they have copied you and implemented 10,000 mile one ways. Imitation is flattery.

Well there is a lot more to say, perhaps best in a letter. By the way thanks for the extra TUS/SAN flight and the new TUS/OAK nonstop, I flew it Monday.

Remember that everyone counts, thanks.

So if you pay extra for an A boarding pass and you have 50 through passengers then your A purchase was a complete waste of money because you are still sitting in the back of the plane. Lovely....

Kevin, I think it's pretty obvious from the posts on this board this new fare scheme is a bad idea. You should have just stuck with the new boarding procedures to attract new customers and left it at that. However, you got greedy and went the route of American, UAL, etc. to make more money. Well, if you attract 50 new customers but lose 50 then you've gained nothing.

I'm sure you have asked yourselves this question in your research. Would you mind answering it the best you can:

1. Since you now have a "first" class fares but you don't have any of the first class amenities (TV, internet, larger seats, clean planes, etc...) of the other airlines then why should I fly on you if the price is the same? Your fares are mostly matched by other airlines when I check online.

I have a son... soon to be 12... who has been "blessed" w/autism. I can assure you that no business class traveler would want to be seated next to us on even a short flight. Where my son is very good for the most part... waiting is just not his thing, which becomes more than annoying for the people sitting in our near vicinity. We have never been denied pre-boarding due to his disability, which, I can assure you is not only appreciated by us, but likely many other passengers who choose not to sit near children when the choice is given. So, I am wondering just how "comfortable" the next business class passenger who gets to sit next to us b/c we couldn't preboard will appreciate your new system.

It's nice to see that some people like Kim are congratulating SW for their new policies, but I am in the negative camp on this new turn of events.

To Kevin and Gary Kelly,

I travel a lot on southwest for business and travel. With a family of 4, we don't like this new pre-board behind 60 A tickets idea as others have mentioned. As a business traveler, I could care less that I get a free drink or extra credits with your new Business Select fare. Southwest was formed with the idea of having a class-less, choose your own seat policy. How can you choose a seat anywhere in the front of the plane if getting an A seat is going to be like going to the Indy 500? FAST FAST FAST! No more cattle calls (Good idea!) But instead NOW you have to watch the clock and get ready to pounce the computer to check in (and hope to get an A seat!).

It seems that the good old days of Southwest are gone (for good?) under new management. What a shame!

Southwest, I hate to say it, but this loyal customer from the OKC market is going to start using Xjet, Delta, United or Northwest regional jet service to get from here to Cal or Michigan. At least when I book those flights, I know where I will sit, there's no "business-class treatment" and it's worth the $50 change fee! I hope you will change your mind on these recent decisions.

If it's fuel costs and revenue are the issue, I know most people would be willing to pay an extra $5-10 a seat over your current one-way internet fares to secure the class-less boarding policies.

Thanks for listening to my opinion.

Casey C

The first time I put in the time and effort to check in online 24 hours in advance as I normally do and end up in a middle seat, I'm gone. These "enhancements" smell an awful lot like the enhancement when you eliminated blackout dates on Rapid Reward tickets only to impose capacity controls and then as a practical matter still have the same blackout dates as before. You should not be suprised at the skepticism expressed herein.

Southwest has become greedy. A little known fact is that Southwest has lead most fare increases in the industry this past year. It's true, not AA or UA or any of the other major players, our favorite (well perhaps not anymore) airline has been the spear head for higher fares. All this talk about "enhancements" from Mr. Krone is corporate talk for "we're screwing you." If you want to create a business class, get yourself 10 business class seats, put a partition behind them and charge what you can get for those upgraded seats and service. But don't try to tell us regular folks who don't fly 32(!) segments a year that sitting in the back next to a screaming 2 year old is an "enhancement."

Question:

I just tried the new Business Select fares. One way from OAK-OKC fully refundable for today 11/8 leaving at 1015 am PST. When I went to check in I got A-01 seat. Does this mean that all the people that checked in in the last 16 hours start at a higher A number? Or is there more than on A-01 seat?

P.S for the above blog...With all of the excitement about these new procedures, have you forgotten those of us waiting to book our trips past March 7????? On 8/29/07 you announced that today 11/8/07, you would open up the schedule for travel through May 9, 07. We are now 8 hrs. into 11/8 and still nothing. Is this new system taking precedence over those of us who faithfully follow SWA scheds. and plan our trips accordingly? I may not be an A-Lister, but I am a devoted leisure travel customer.

The only contract of carriage that is on your website that pertains to boarding is Issued Oct 26, 2006, Article 21 Section C

"Boarding Groups are assigned on a first-come first served basis in the order Boarding passes are issued, regardless of the location or means from which obtained"

Although this doesn't affect the RR- A List policy which issues boarding passes 36 hours before the flight Article 127 (Right to Change Contract) suggest that you have the right to make these changes, but you should keep you website up to date!

Tom

Good Morning...

I thought I would give you a bit of history on why we decided to make changes to our preboard policy when it comes to families. Over the years, we've noticed that the number of families traveling continues to grow, and so did our Preboard group. At times, we would have flights that would be halfway boarded with family preboards by the time we began our A boarding. Through research and surveys, we discovered that families aren't necessarily concerned with the section of the aircraft they are sitting, as long as they have seats together. Through that same research, we confirmed that our business travelers are under more of a time crunch when traveling and sitting in the front of the plane is important to them. With families boarding before the As, most of those front seats were taken by the time our A group or business travelers were boarded. The new boarding procedure gives our A passenger a larger seat selection and at the same time, allows our families to find seats together. Now, I know that does not help in situations, like yours AJ, of having a screaming, seat kicker plop down behind you but I'm hoping this is not a common occurrence. In fact, most of the time we've noticed that with the new boarding system the A's fill up the front of the aircraft and the family passengers move to the rear of the plane...closer to the restrooms which is a bonus for those travelling with small ones. Hope this answers some of the above questions and concerns!

SWA just made themselves into an elitist major airline without the major airline perks.

A. They now have first class ticket sales but no first class seats.
B. They have created a special customer. (i.e. United's Permier, Permier Executive, and 1K members) just so they can board first but won't even get their choice of seat if there are through passengers.

Basically, you are now charging more for nothing new except a drink.

It's sad to see how US airlines market themselves right into oblivion. There is no reason to buy a ticket on SWA anymore. I can get an assigned seat, TV, internet (coming on other airlines), and a REAL first class for the same price as a SWA elite ticket.

Very sad Kevin. Where is Herb Kelleher? SWA needs him back in a hurry.

As Gorden Gecko said, "Greed is good." Well, not in this case.

It's time to try out Virgin America and jetBlue.

Yes, agree with Kevin about the families, regular travlers see that all the time. Geez wouldn't want to be Kevin this week. I'm willing to see how it goes.

Wow.

I never thought so many people would have negative responses. Guess I was wrong.

As a Southwest f/a, I am on the front line of these changes. To all of you that are screaming about the family preboarding changes, I just want to tell you a quick story.

I worked a flight out of Orlando which had FIFTY preboarders. Wheelchairs and families.

We nearly had a riot at the top of the jetway. The OPS agent came down and told us that they were scared. They had people screaming at them in the A boarding group. Obviously this was NOT a good thing.

To the families: Take some initiative! Log on 24 hours ahead of time & print out your boarding pass and get an "A". Even if you aren't all grouped together numerically you'll get your "A" and get to sit together. If not, you'll still get to sit together in the B group. And we'll be on the plane working our magic to make sure it happens (I had to do it last night!).

To the business traveler with the kicking child: How about you take some initiative, turn around, and say to the parent "Please stop your child from kicking my seat". Wow, what a concept! :)

All I see is complaining here when there can be action taken by both affected types of travelers to minimize inconvenience. What SWA is trying to do is change things up to make travel easier and we're never going to be able to please every individual! Give the changes some time and you'll see that it will be better.

Oh. One more thing. Historically, passengers are unwilling to pay an extra $15-20 bucks per ticket to cover the cost of jet fuel ($90 for a barrel of oil right now) we have to find new ways to increase our revenue. This is one of them.

So step up, print out those boarding passes, talk to the parent with the kicking child, and if you really want, ask for a second bag of peanuts to soothe your soul. We don't mind.

LUV,

SWAFA

Tom,
The Contract of Carriage has been changed.
Brian

First you fix it so that we might not be able to avoid sitting near children

Then you fix it so there are so many favored classes of passengers that there is nothing left for your plain old regulars who have enjoyed Southwest for many years.

As far as the families boarding----there is one right way to do it!!!!!!!!!!!!
They board first and go all the way to the back of the plane.
That gives them plenty of time to get situated and meanwhile everyone else can get on without stumbling over car seats and such.

So they are favored by having extra time (which they really need) and are able to sit together, but not DOUBLY favored by getting on first and also getting the best seats. One favor for families is enough.

The first time I put effort into getting an A boarding pass and then I am surrounded by families, or asked to move my seat to accomodate them, that is the day I stop flying Southwest. I can have that experience on any other airline!!

I have been a big Southwest fan for many and I am a little disappointed--too many changes at once!!

Kevin,

I appreciate your willingness to offer a little more background on the family preboard comments. Honestly, this was not handled very well a few weeks back when we pushed for such an explanation on the original announcement. I think that many of us would also like to know why there seemed to be this need to roll out these extensive changes at the start of the peak travel season. Also, Southwest tends to be overlooking the fact that the changes do indeed negatively penalize those with lap children. When the preboard changes came out, Brian advised us that WN knows it to be a problem but that ... honestly... there is no timeline for a solution. Fortunate for you that those of us that are immediately impacted will most likely grow out of the problem before you introduce a solution. I can only say that I am greatful for the fact that our plans for once won't require us to fly this year. It really seemed a bit inconsiderate for everyone to be implementing all these changes during the busiest time. Here's hoping you can iron out the kinks without making it a miserable holiday for your staff as well as the public.

What I don't quite understand is how the company feels that all these particular changes are what were the priority to help with revenue. I question even the capital costs of the revamped gates ... not only for the line ups but all the new furniture. While the lounge concept is intriguing, it seems like the gate area will still be a mess whenever you have a schedule slide... which most of us can forgive because the gate area is not really our priority.. but rather the comfort and safety of the actual flight service. All the airport upgrades seem to really be a boon for the entire traveling public. After all, I am sure there will be nothing to stop passengers traveling other airlines at nearby gates from sqautting in the area. I find it hard to believe that these upgrades are where the company expects to see a serious return on investment.

On that note... there seems to be lots of general talk about inflight amenities (e.g. internet access). Nice idea and I hope it is still a priority for you. You want to compete and catch the attention of business travelers? Then how about investing the money in your fleet instead of the gate seating? The paint job and leather seat upgrades on your livery were nice touches a few years back to freshen things up. However, there have been lots of great innovations introduced by your low fare competitors (in flight tv comes to mind). I've been able to give Southwest the excuse for the lack of additional amenities by rationalizing that they have the philosophy of setting the expectation low (to match their fares) and then always exceeding it (on time schedules, friendly service, not to mention the complimentary snack boxes). However, now that there appears to be a class differentiation, I see that the company has elected to try to cater to a select group at the cost of their general consumers.

What has always impressed me about Southwest is that they found a model that allowed them to be profitable while treating everyone with equal respect. Whereas the legacies have always had the mentality that their bread and butter was the business traveler, Southwest managed to find a way to do it differently. However, with these announcements, it seems like the company has felt that their can't offer the same level of service to all their customers. Messing with that expectation means that you risk the danger of raising some folks expectations while disappointing others. I hope that your new strategy of going after business accounts work. Of course, isn't this now 2007 and not 1987? I know the company I work for watches every dime of travel expenditure and isn't necessarily going to be willing to let me spend an extra $15-20/leg for the perks -- we must be in the minority if your market research is showing different.

Why do so many families think they DESERVE priority boarding? You chose to travel, you bought the ticket, and you had the children. There are those of us who travel with our children and look at priority boarding as a PRIVILEGE, not a RIGHT and respect it for that reason. You purchased a SEAT on a FLIGHT, not the right to DEMAND some sort of special boarding just for you. Get a grip, folks! If you are offered the PRIVILEGE of boarding the plane with your children after the "A" group when you hold in your greedy little hand a "C" boarding pass....say thank you and move along. SHEESH!

Scott, speaking as someone who is childfree and militant about it, you are missing the point. Pre-boarding small children is not really for the benefit of families, it is for the benefit of everyone else who can avoid tripping over car seats and other debris in the aisles and, as many people have pointed out, select a seat that is not near any children.

I flew last month MHT-LAS and back on flights with the new pre-board rules and pretty much everyone was unhappy about having the kids between the A and B group. The parents sure didn't like it and the people in the A group who had to change seats obviously didn't.

But what Southwest should care about here is that is slowed down the boarding process. Maybe they let the B group come down the ramp too fast or something but it just did not work at all.

So I add my voice to the people saying to change it back, put the families on first with some reasonable and well enforced eligibility rules and maybe tell them to choose a seat past the wing exits or something so the aisle in the front of the plane stays clear for the next wave of passengers.

My wife is flying MHT->PHX today and I'm waiting for her report on the rest of the new boarding changes which sound positive.

Cheers.

Business travel fares, award travel perks for business travelers, posh waiting areas, numbered and lettered boarding...what the heck are you guys doing? You guys think these are enhancements?

SW has a cult status due to its democratic business sense and now that's gone. We like the low fares, friendly service, easy boarding method and knowledge that we'll get to our destination on time and without much hassle. You're becoming another major airline clone and that's incredibly sad.

I appreciate Kevin's and the F/As' explanations and view from the front lines. But I still don't fully understand two things:

(1) These changes are presented as win-win for everyone. I see how business travelers benefit, and why Southwest needs to make more money from them. How are these changes a "win" for non-business travelers? Aside from a streamlined online reservation page, I truly don't see how non-business travelers benefit, but I sure see how they lose out.

(2) Family boarding policy: I really appreciate CK and SWAFA's descriptions about how the new policy has been working well. But that's not what I've seen and heard, and many other blog entries say the same.

I followed the new policy as CK describes it: "Families with 'A' boarding passes can still board with the 'A' group." I checked in my family 24 hrs early and was #A1 and A2; When my 2-year-old and I, and his stroller, and car seat, and carry-ons, were lined up in the middle of the A group, between all the business travelers and other 'A' holders, it certainly didn't make things faster. No one in line could understand why a family should line up in the middle of 'A' group, and everyone I spoke with in line on all four legs of that trip--leisure and business travelers alike--felt strongly that families with young kids should pre-board as everyone was accustomed to.

Does it really speed things up and make things fairer to have families with kids, carseats, etc., boarding both during and after Group A? If things are really working better, I'd appreciate seeing passengers' comments to that effect.

This is the worst thing to happen to air travel in my lifetime. I LOVED Southwest for not following the same protcols as other airlines. I booked a flight online yesterday and went to do so again today --- I did not realize that today would be an entirely different interface and choices. I am SO disappointed in the change, that I opted to go to Orbitz and book instead.

This is a veiled attempt to get people to pay higher fares to get "benefits" that they could have previously gotten by being responsible travelers and booking/checking in early.

As for your "streamlined" reservations page... what a bunch of bull. Your previous user interface could not have been simpler - a monkey could have booked tickets. The new reservations page simply clusters fares together into an "average' that gives the flyer fewer choices in fares.

I am so sad. Southwest was my (FORMER) favorite airline. I frequently defended your honor to all of my airline "snob" colleagues who preferred the programs of other airlines. I will no longer sing your praises, Southwest!

All the people complaining about the children bugs me. This is Southwest's policy, but as the parent of an 18-month-old, reading these comments makes it sound like a personal attack. If you don't like a child sitting behind you, take your one bag, get up and move. Oh wait, isn't that the reason the policy was changed in the first place? First you complain you didn't get to get on the plane fast enough, now you are being discriminative to the people sitting around you. It sounds to me that for those who are really complaining, it's not possible to ever make you happy. I have to sit in traffic sometimes an hour per way per day, but I do it because I have to in order to work and provide for my family. It's the same with flying for work. You know what it's like, so plug in your ipod, get a book, and just sit through it like the rest of us.

I have very mixed feelings about these changes. As a customer who travels with Southwest at least once every 6 weeks, I feel that my business is being deprioritized in favor of those travelers who use Southwest infrequently and at the last minute. I give you repeated business very dependably and in advance.

It's extremely helpful for me, rather than confusing, to see each of the fare buckets available as opposed to being left guessing in the dark.

I don't mind the new boarding procedures, but they do mean that Southwest will have a much more serious problem with websites that check people in and acquire boarding passes for passengers.

I also do welcome the 'double rapid rewards' option, because it doesn't take away any flexibility that I already have, and provides an (admittedly very costly) option for travel when all award buckets are used up.

I am flying with my 2 kids (6 and 3) on Thanksgiving Sunday and doubt that I will like the changes. Given the holiday traffic, the A-List automatic checkins and the lack of family pre-boarding, I am not sure if we should even expect to be seated together (no matter how far back in the plane)
Would anyone from Southwest Airlines comment on whether there is a policy to ensure that at least one parent will be seated with a young child.

Congratulations! Business Select is the most sophisticated way of raising fares, creating a traveling bourgeiosie, and alienating customers by Southwest and perhaps, other airlines in years. Selling it as a positive development for passengers is transparently ludicrous. The last dopey move was for some airlines to charge extra for aisle seats.

Southwest is profitable. I suspect that its profitability will decrease as it alienates more and more customers.

Yet another reason I am glad we cancelled our flights and decided to drive. You put some shiny "wax" on a lump of coal....and it is still a lump of coal.

You surely have lost sight of the original philosophy of Southwest Airlines, and have decided to cater to the business traveler while kicking working families to the curb. As a traveller for both business and pleasure(family), I continue to be more and more disappointed in the changes which disadvantage families and persons not traveling on a "business account".

Kevin-
I laughed out loud when I read your comment that families with kid naturally head to the back of the plane. Check again!!! Two kids, a carseat and all their crap---yeah, we're going to sit in the first row available. Business travelers want off planes fast? So do families with children. Someone always has to go the bathroom (and gosh knows Mom and child can't fit in an airplane lavatory together).

The spiteful part of me wants to look for the smug business traveler who loves all the changes and when I board after the A's (because I have a lap child and cannot check in online), I will sit right behind or next to him/her. While I am usually a tyrant about keeping my kids feet from kicking and voices down, I may ease up. You wanted on before us--these are the consequences.

Sorry that sounds ugly. Southwest has reared it's ugly (and some would say greedy, head)--how can you expect your customers not to follow suit?

Where's the LUV, Southwest!????

Scott, you may want to read my previous comment again. I don't see where I was demanding special treatment since my point was that the new pre-board process seemed unfair to all passengers... because it took longer.

Part of the "business transaction," as you put it, is trying for an on time departure and my experience last month was the the new pre-board procedure endangers that because the B group took a lot longer to come aboard and take their seats.

Beyond that I am happy to take whatever boarding number I get and pick an open seat when I come down the jetway.

I just wanted to add to several comments on here, which I completely agree with. For about 10 years I have only bought SWA tickets, not because they are always the least expensive, but because of Southwest's policy's of not treating high paying customers to extras. Everyone was treated the same, regardless of the fare purchased. Now, it seems to be that it will be nearly impossible to get an "A" boarding card and to get the exit row seats unless one purchases a business select fare. The equal treatment of all Customers was one of the main reasons that I have ALWAYS chosen SWA; I did not even consider other airlines before.

With Southwest making these changes, they are much more like all of the legacy carriers. There is no reason now to choose SWA over other carriers any longer, as they have chosen to become just another commodity in the business.

I hope that Southwest's management decides quickly to change this policy, before they loose many extremely loyal customers to other carriers. This policy will only drive away the customers that made the airline what it is.

If these policies are not revised with boarding process; I for one can not be as loyal to SWA when it is viewed as a commodity, which is what these policies have done.

Please fix these policies before you loose your best customers, it is not too late!!

Just a quick addition to my comments above: I am not doubting that Southwest needs to raise additional revenue and the airline business is extremely competitive, but it should not be done by prioritizing one group of Customers over the other.

Thanks

One point that everyone seems to focus on is the equal treatment that SWA provided and how the A-List changes it.

I, too, liked the equal treatment because EVERYONE on the flights I have been on is treated like an "elite" Southwest customer, which is what makes the inflight service so special. The new policy kind of slaps this tradition in the face.

This whole new A-list and Business Select boarding policy seems like it is straight out of "Animal Farm". "All animals are equal but some are more equal than others". I think the new numbered boarding group (A1-A60) was a good idea but now it makes it much harder to get an A boarding pass for those who are not A-listers or spending an outrageous amount on a fare. I respect that Southwest needs to find a way to increase revenue, but as others have said it goes against the core values that has made Southwest successful for 35 years. I will enter this with open mind however and see how it all works out when I travel next week.

I've waited and read and waited some more before I comment. All the comments I've read are about change. One of the deadliest statements any business can make is, "We've never done it that way before!" Change is scary. But, in order to survive, we all must change.

First a little background. Stay with me, I'll get to the new offerings shortly.

Our leaders at Southwest are faced with the reality that every Airline is now a low cost Airline. They have to be to survive. Some have become that way through bankruptcy and others through wage concessions. Southwest has remained the Low Cost Leader by working smarter and harder. Crude oil prices at the time of this typing are $96.44/barrel and the 1 year prediction is $125.37/barrel (from www.oil-price.net). And, our fuel hedges are not as big as they used to be.

Every employee has been tasked with keeping our costs down. But to survive, we must find ways to increase our income. We simply cannot keep doing things the way we have always done them. We did not change our fare structure, we added a new level.

Customers have asked for change, some are willing to pay more for that change, and we are trying to give them what they want. That's a win/win. Enter: Business Select. Some business travelers are willing to pay more for an A boarding pass. So, a few A boarding passes have been set aside for those customers. The number will vary by flight, but there will not be more than 15. So, we still have 45 A's available regardless of what fare you paid. Just like we did before.

Our most frequent fliers have asked to be rewarded with something in addition to the Rapid Rewards ticket. So we introduce the A-List. Now they can check in without having to set an alarm for 24 hours before departure. Does this mean that all the A boarding passes will now be gone? On some of the commuter flights like DAL-HOU, maybe. On most other flights, no. There will still be A boarding passes available on most flights.

Next, our Rapid Reward members have spoken and we listened. Assume for a moment, that we make no changes to the Rapid Rewards program. You still have no black out dates, but you do have seat restrictions. Now we add Freedom Rewards. With the exception of a few select blackout dates, Southwest is making it possible again to redeem frequent flyer Awards for unrestricted travel.

Change is inevitable. It is also scary. But it can be good. And I believe that these changes will be for the best! I'm not in Marketing, so I'm not trying to hype you. I'm not in the Executive offices, so I have not been on the inside of discussions that I am sure have been ongoing for a long time. I'm a frontline employee who is scared out of my mind about these changes, but I believe they are for the best and will allow Southwest to not only survive, but remain the industry leader we have alway been!

I'm just sitting here thinking....I know usually when I get off the plane, I'm the last one. I'm an employee....usually at the back of the plane. I prefer that locale. When the plane arrives at it's destination, I ALWAYS hear people commenting that the people with little kids are holding up the line for people to get off because they are at the front of the plane, trying to gather everything. Do you ever hear that? So, if families are not up front, then they have more time to get their things together, unhook carseats, etc why the people in front of them are deplaning...right? What's the difference if we save time on the front end or the back end of the trip? The point is to get that plane out safely and ontime!
I am a parent...of a toddler. I am usually last to board because I'm an employee. I have NEVER EVER not been able to get 2 seats together for myself and my child. They usually close the door behind me...meaning a full flight, every seat filled. I travel with an umbrella stroller that i check at the gate, my child's diaper bag with everything i need in it. I don't lug the kitchen sink with me. I make it as simple for me as I can and for everyone else. I prefer to check baggage so I don't have to mess with it. We usually travel as a family of 5. But sometimes just me and the kids and hubby stays at home. And if you need assistance, all you have to do is ask. We luv our Customers! We truly do!
Happy travels everyone!

I flew Wednesday (before the change) and Thurdsay (after the change).

"A" boarding pass Wednesday (24-hour advance check-in).
"A" boarding pass Thursday (A-list -- don't hate me, frequent flying ain't that fun).

Thursday wasn't a big hassle. It didn't seem much faster (they have to assemble the "B" lines after the "A" lines board), but it's a new system. Extra staff were there to explain what's going on. Everyone seemed to stand it the right location. People seemed willing to go along with the change (but I didn't hear or see those folks that boarded last). We had pre-boarders, but no families with children.

An acquaintance (not on the A-list), snagged A 37 (by checking in about 23 1/2 hours in advance). The first 15 "A" numbers were empty (nobody had purchased Business Select tickets).

My question, what determine's the order of the A-listers? I got A-23, but why? Order of booking? Number of flight segments flown? Random assignment?

Gala
You are a bit confused. The requirements to earn a free ticket remain the same. The 32 credits are only for A-List checkin.
Brian

I'm 7 feet tall,

Everyone comments , "Wow! You're tall! You must have to fly first class every where!"

I'd reply, "No, I only fly Southwest. I just get my boarding pass early and get to the airport extra early. I can fly just like every one else."

No more! Today I just booked 2 trips in December (first class) on another airline.

I liked being like everyone else.
It's heart breaking and wallet breaking.

I am reading about these changes to SW's boarding policies and I have mixed reactions. I have been saying for years that you should board based on the actual number that you get when you check in, so I was VERY HAPPY to see that change being implemented. Thank You!

However, I don't think I am so happy about the new "A-list". Sounds to me like the last egalitarian airline has sold out to the elitists. What concerns me is that in busy markets (like Philly where I fly out of most often), all the "A" passes will be taken up by your A-listers, leaving the rest of us as "B"s or "C"s. I fly frequently on multiple airlines, so I may never reach your coveted A-list status, but I AM A LOYAL CUSTOMER!!!! Now I am feeling sold out. I may divert my business back to some of the other airlines I used to fly more frequently just to ensure that I get the seat assignment I want.

Please re-think who benefits (small number) versus who will be harmed (lots of us) by these new policies.

I believe the saying goes "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

My spouse's Rapid Rewards Awards have been devalued. I should have booked in August with a "Legacy" carrier. The fare Southwest wants me to pay into an alternate airport is double what I could've paid to fly directly into my chosen destination. I chose to wait and use those hard-earned RR Awards. Granted-I was never guaranteed usage of these awards (shame on me for becomming accustomed to traditional SWA practices). Now I will most likely pay the double fare, only on another carrier so I don't have to fly into an alternate airport.

I haved always LUVed Southwest (once lived in Dallas). The crews, both on the ground and in the air are typically awesome! The next few days/weeks, I would guess these crews (not "Decision Makers") will be taking the brunt of passenger questions/comments concerning the recent changes. Good luck to these poor souls! HAHA!

Having gotten my A-List e-mail yesterday I found the whole thing confusing and am wondering if any one told Herb K what you all have done?

Knowing full well that changes were forthcoming I am flying Frontier this week, I didn't want to be part of the gaggle of folks at the gates that can't read or count. Knowing the age of some of your Gate Agents also made me schedule other airlines during WN "changes". Some of them will undoubtly have reading and counting impairments also which have been documented on other blogs.

Question, being a A-list member and having a wife that travels with me on a Companion pass; how do I get her a A pass. Same as always or is she to be treated as you have to the poor families that travel on WN??? Also it states I need to print my boarding pass being an A-List member. Not posible on return due to be laptop hotel bound? Can I still print a bosarding pass at kiosk???

Signed,
Confused and traveling on other airlines

b. p heiss:

Do you think anyone is drinking the sw kool-aid? besides those who are trying to sell it?

I will be anxious to hear comments from SWA travelers after the Thanksgiving Holiday. Kevin or Brian, open the blog up the Monday or Tuesday afterwards to hear comments. Lets see how it works. Management has said "give it a chance". Hopefully Bert in BNA and other CSA's will comment also. By the way, I thought Bert's comments were very good. Its interesting to hear from the people on the front lines during this time of change. The one thing that we all must think about when we fly our next trip on SWA is to not take it out on these front line employees.

You can check in online if you are traveling with a lap child... age verification is required if you purchase a seat for the baby....

Like "nsx," I post at www.flyertalk.com a lot. A suggestion I made there never got too much comment, except for some folks who tried to shoot it down. I did not understand their objections.

It seems to me that preboarding should be allowed for young children and their families, but only under the condition that they agree to sit in the rear, say, 8-10 rows. This would solve the problems of

1. Slow loading of diaper bags, car seats, etc., since those folks won't be blocking the aisles at the front or middle, both boarding and disboarding.
2. Folks who want to sit apart from young children will have a much better chance by staying up front or in the middle.
3. Families will be more able to sit together without asking people to move.
4. Everyone knows what to expect.
5. Families that don't want to sit in the rear can take their chances getting an "A" like the rest of us.

Probably there are other benefits as well.

Obviously, some will consider "back of the bus" to be second-class, but other than that connotation, I don't see what flaws this plan would have.

Would appreciate level-headed discussion of this.

I keep reading on here...strollers being carried on! I have never seen a stroller carried onto a plane. Those are checked are they not? maybe except for the stroller that converts to a car seat. And quite honestly, I don't see too many parents carrying a car seat onboard either. At the most i have seen 2 carseats on one flight. I most of the time i do not carry mine onboard because I don't want the hassle of lugging it around with me and my child, and diaper bag etc. I'm pro active. Make it as simple as I can. My child sits fine in his seat with his lapbelt. I have plenty of things to keep him busy so he's not squirming everywhere.
i like what one blogger had to say previously, that alot of this is EMOTIONAL! How can you complain if you have not done it (back to broccoli story here lol).
I'm glad the family pre board is gone. It was frustrating to me to watch how it was taken advantage of...but then i still think alot of the pre boarders now (disabled who really are not!) is out of control. I'm an employee and i travel for fee and it was frustrating. So i can see how it would be for people paying for their flights.
The bottom line is this...change happens. it must in order for us to continue. We have done a lot of fabulous things to make our Customers more comfy. In life, you will never please all of the people all of the time. So you have to please as many people as you can most of the time.
Happy travels, and when you frequent fliers take your next flight, i'd love to hear back from you...an honest outlook on how it went. I'm sure there will be a few quirks as with anything new....
happy travels.

Thank you Southwest. You were wonderful all these years, I have been flying with you since the early 70s. Unless forced to do so, you were my selection for business and leisure travel. You were the tough, little spunky guy who created your own ethic and business model. You were cool and professional to a Tee. You have had my trust all these years, always getting me home, keeping things real and sometimes getting a good laugh from me at the same time. At times, I took a more expensive flight with you because that trust existed.

But now, now you are just like the other airlines. You have just put me in a C L A S S. I cannot tolerate that. It is shameful. Everyone was equal, now we are not.

I can't say I will never fly Southwest again. Sometimes you will be the only game in town . But I can say you have opened up the door for me to look at the others guys.

Many people here have stated how I feel: Betrayed. I have been defending Southwest for years when people said they hated Southwest because it was a "cattle car". Why did I defend Southwest, because EVERYONE was treated equally and it had... HAD ...the best frequent flier program of all.

First you stopped singing, then you added restricted use of your awards, now you marginalize and betray your loyal customers by changing your fare and boarding pass system to reward big business customers rather than the small business owners and average masses of people that select your airline bringing you to the success you have today.

You don't even GO everywhere, yet that didn't matter, if you went where I needed to go, I'd choose Southwest over any other airline. Well, I have averaged a few awards a year on Soutwhest, am elite on Delta and USAirways. I fly a lot and SOUTWEST WAS my favorite airline. The only reason I flew the other airlines is because you didn't fly to where I needed to go.

If I have to choose now, between Southwest and another airline, I"m going to work on my status at Delta and USAirways rather than waste my dollars on Southwest. You are not often that much cheaper anymore.

You've sold us out. You've lost your integrity. You are in line to become a dinosaur. I'm disgusted with your new "enhancements" and more disgusted at the "sales lies" that you use to sell it.

Award tickets whether they are Standard Award tickets or Freedom Award tickets can be used either as a roundtrip or two one-ways....

So yesterday I was flying from Long Island (ISLIP) back to Chicago Midway. I was luckey enough to be flying on business, and upgraded to the new business select fare the same day that the program started.

As I was getting ready to go with my A-1 boarding pass, I look back and see NO ONE ELSE in the A-1 to A-15 pods. So basicly folks, SWA has killed your and my chance at getting a A boarding pass by 15 if there are business select customers / A listers on your flight or not.

One other thing, I as a business traveler dont like having to purchace a higher fare ticket to travel on business. One reason I used SWA so much, is I could get a lower fare than the big 3, get to the airport a few hours early, stand in line and GET THE SEAT I WANT. Now to do that I have to pay just as much as I would to travel on United or American, where I CAN PICK MY SEAT.

Another thing, If I pay more money and buy a business select fair and board first; now I have to worrie about where all these kids and familys are going to sit! Nothing better than paying the most for my tickets and having to have little Johnie kick and scream behinds me. LET THE BOARD FIRST SO I DONT HAVE TO SIT NEXT TO THEM!!!!

SWA, just one more business traveler you have lost due to all this garbage! Go back to the way it used to be, and I will be on a SWA flight in a heartbeat.

David Rogers, Chicago IL

Here's MY game plan, Kevin...

Wednesday I'll be flying what is likely to be my next-to-last paid flight on Southwest from Dallas to Los Angeles. (I have a round-trip ticket so I'll use it to come back.)

In the meantime I'm going to make T-shirts that read "Bring Back the REAL Southwest Airlines" on one side and "I'm now a SECOND CLASS PASSENGER on Southwest -- I can't afford the new BUSINESS CLASS" on the back. I will wear these shirts as often as possible.

I'm going to encourage your customers to write to SW executives and tell them what they think of the new policies. I might even print up business cards to hand out with Southwest's mailing address to make it easier for customers to reach you guys.

I've already posted my thoughts on the "Business Week" website about what I think of the new policies. I'll be writing letters to the editors of newspapers in many of your major markets. (I'm a former editor of a daily newspaper.)

Why? Because Southwest's decision-makers have totally lost touch with the average customer. I can't recall seeing anyone in a business suit on my last four or five flights. What you're doing targets the pocketbooks of your executives' peers, not the people who made your airline a success.

Southwest WAS a lot like Apple. A better product. Intensely loyal customers. Loyalty that was built over years and years largely destroyed on a single day.

I flew on November 7 on Southwest, and had to stand in line at Dulles, while first class passengers moved to the front. I was going to complain to Southwest about the legacy carriers discriminating. Apparently, such a complaint would be a waste since SW is now planning on doing the same thing.

SW had a simple model, cheap and convenient flights. Too many people in marketing trying to make that complicated will destroy the business.

**** QUESTION about the A-list and Companion Pass !!! ***

I have been a loyal SWA flyer. For the past 2 years, I have flown a lot and have had 219 RR credits. I was awardrd the companion pass almost a year ago and I'm on the A-list.

Now my GF and I are flying together (with she being the companion pass cardholder) during the year end to Disneyworld. With the new boarding system I don't think I can check in online early and get her the A boading pass. So will I have to board the same group as her (which most likely will not be "A"), or can she come up and board the A group with me? If I have to board with her boarding group (which, again, most likely will not be the A), there are chances that we may not be able to sit together. And the trip wouldn't be as enjoyable as when I was able to check both of us in online 23 hours 59 minutes and 50 seconds before scheduled departure, and we were on the same A boarding group.

It would be good if SW could also implement into the system so that a Companion Pass Cardholder is also on the A-list. Or if this policy is understood and is consistently carried out by the gate agent, this would be ok as well. To SW: please remember that for anyone to be awardrd the companion pass, the person must have flown a lot!

Due to changes in my job, I'm currently not flying at all, so I won't experience the new boarding system until year end. I hope it will be a good one for me and my GF.

Thank you!

I really must agree with all the other negative feedback received. I am flying back and forth constantly from Washington to California for school breaks, and up until now I have never considered another airline. I have chosen Southwest in the past because of it's well-made website, its rewards that treat everyone equal and are easily explained, and the boarding system. Flight choices are now limited, prices seem to be higher, and the reward's system changes are ridiculous. I hate to say it, but I will no longer be praising flying Southwest. The fact that there is a Business Priority seating, disregards the idea of checking in early online. Also, blackout dates? Since when? Let's not be like all of the other sellout airlines. Marketing managers should really think about what they are doing here if they really believe this will boost profits or convince me to keep my brand loyalty. In essence I believe that these changes contradict all Southwest claims it believes in.

Ryan, you obviously need to run an airline since you know how to please 100% of the customers all the time. You seem to have an amazing ability in determining 90% of customers hate upgrades that have just been made (of which I wonder how many you personally have tried before complaining about them). I would like to know how you would run an airline where fuel costs have gone up 10's of millions of dollars in a single year and not change a thing. I am proud that SWA hasn't laid off a single person, or cut benefits, or cut paychecks in some of the most trying times for airlines. If you know how to do it, then I am sure everyone listening would love to hear your ideas. We all look forward to your ideas on how to improve an airline while staying within budget and while pleasing "every" customer.

I switched from Delta for the same reasons many have listed above: the egalitarian seat assignment.

My business trips have become longer in duration and shorter in distance. When I lost Delta Medallion status, it was like getting dropped by your girlfriend: no more special privileges, just friends (and you can sit in the back with the rest of the "just friends").

My company forces me to use American Express for an online booking travel agent, unless I can save >$100 elsewhere. The online booking doesn't get the Southwest fares I can get from "Ding!" and such... Delta is usually cheaper... so I wait for the "Ding!" fares and buy then. Is this going to change?

This morning I went to check in, and have an "A", but it also says "Position 34". I don't know "Position 34"... can somebody explain it to me?

Also, I was saving points for some Hawaii tickets for next May/June. Are these effected?

My husband and son are flying to visit colleges this weekend. I booked the trip long before any of these announcements had been made. Went on line to check them in (hopefully getting A group) and when I got in exactly 24 hours prior to flight they were assigned A19 & A 20. The interesting thing is that when they were at the gate at LAX, the announcement was initially "anybody with an A, get in line" (like the old-fashioned Southwest), etc. A short while later another announcement was made to shift everybody to the appropriate 5-number groups. Although my husband and son were 19 & 20, there was only one person in front of them, at A18. Where were all the rest of the A's, 1-17, that boarding passes were reserved for?? Were these A-listers that space had been allocated for but no one was reserved on that flight? Is this how it's going to be from here on out for the 'leisure' traveler? Will the system revert back to allowing position A1 to be printed if there has not been an A-lister on the flight? I would appreciate comments from SW regarding this policy. And I have a feeling I know what the answer is going to be. I guess my husband and son were then the second and third passengers on the plane, so why the fuss? The system was not broken before, it definitely didn't need this ill-conceived and discriminatory fix.

Well, so far I am not impressed with the new boading pass system.. I have checked in twice and both times got numbers that were at least 3 numbers different from each other (ex. A38 & A41) when the confirmation number was the same, i.e. two travelers flying on the same reservation. How is that possible?? Also, I checked in at exactly 24 hours ahead, and got A38 & A41. I used to get lower numbers before this new system. What gives??

I flew Southwest for the first time two years ago. I have not not flown anyone else since. Yea I only fly 9 times a year. I loved the idea of the new boarding pass system. Except the fact now the entire A line if for higher paying and the a list. So tell me as a person who books in advance why would I not choose another airline with assigned seating and pick my seat. I feel sad I loved Southwest airlines. i talked it up to everybody.. I am canceling my rapid reward visa and moving on. Good-bye Southwest

John Zimmerman

We switched to WN from DL over two years ago and enjoyed the simple rewards program and efficiency of the flights. I liked the idea that we all had a shot at getting an A pass if we took the time to check in 24 hours in advance and didn't have the whole "elite" thing going on to put up with. Now, we'll be lucky to get a #59 or 60 since we fly less than 32 paid segments a year.
We have a flight coming up soon on WN and we'll see how it goes, but I've already applied for a new Amex Skymiles card and rejoined Delta's Crown Room Club. I'm figuring Delta has more non-stops (saves time), assigned seats so I don't have to play the get on the computer first game, real first class seats, comfortable lounges and we'll be able to use their FF system to fly international.
The changes to WN help the business traveller, but no one else. What happened to your egalitarian mantra?
Oh well. Changes happen and it looks like we're going back to flying Delta. Take care. It was fun while it lasted.

Tom
Salt Lake City

Southwest marketing seems to have lost sight of the fact that there have been passengers on Southwest, with children of various ages, who were and who remain willing to buy seats at higher prices, and who purchased tickets on the old Southwest because they liked the spirit of LUV better than the corporate bland of legacy. With the new Southwest changes, LUV is just the same as legacy. At the higher fare leves legacy is pretty good, and their seating plan is predictable. Maybe it would have been better, if LUV needed more money, just to raise fares, but to have kept the same LUV as before.

I thnk it would eb nice to know the number of changes. How many business select. How many alisters on a flight. Does the averge joe start at a40 or b1?
balparking?

Let me start by saying that I am both a business and personal traveler. I have been loyal to Southwest since graduating from college ten years ago, and have flown Southwest since the mid-70's. All of that being said...

I have noticed, over the past couple of months, Southwest becoming less family friendly. As a business traveler, I appreciate being in the "A5" boarding group, but feel guilty about shoving families with toddlers to after A and before B. Having a four year old, I understand the importance of (1) being able to sit together as a family, and (2) being relatively close to the front of the plane (particularly for carry on and to catch connecting flights). This was not a problem on our last family trip because I had checked in 24 hours before the flight and had a low A number. Now I see there is another obstacle for the family traveler...BUSINESS SELECT (BS).

BS means, amoung other things, if I pay more I can board first. Given that I purchased family Thanksgiving travel well in advance (before BS), am I to expect that when I check in 24 hours in advance that I might have a high A or a B group awaiting my effort? BS! If you want to become American, please continue on the path you are heading down. Assign seats; provide classes of service per boarding group. At least if you assign seats, I'll know exactly were my family and I will sit.

I am mostly a business traveler, but I am not heartless about how families have to fly. Thank you for the low fares and freedom to fly the country, now bring back the family friendly Southwest Spirit!

Chris

Lots of comments about families at the BACK of the plane. Are you KIDDING ME? I am supposed to pay extra to sit together, then sit at the back of the plane just because I have kids? I am supposed to wait in line with people pushing to get past me with my carseat and stroller and stuff, then lug the carseat AND my diaper bag AND my BABY to the NOISIEST part of the plane? No thanks. I'll go elsewhere.

I see all these postings suggesting having a special section at the back of the plane for families. Are you kidding? I can just see me with my toddler and infant, lugging my stroller (I can't use a tiny little umbrella stroller), carseat, diaper bag, etc., all the way to the back of the plane. I don't feel sorry for anyone who doesn't like to sit near a kid on a plane. No one likes screaming babies. But you can't segregate them in the back of the plane. Not a good solution.

But, then again, you could put the kids section in the back. Then, make a special section for the handicapped, another for tall people, another for overweight people, another for smelly people, another for people who don't speak English, another for people who like to talk to their seat neighbors, another for people who prefer to sleep or read quietly.

That's a bad precident to set. You'd be much better off just going back to the numbered boarding passes you used to have and let people check in in the order they arrive.

See you when you fix this. I'll be waving from the Continental waiting area.

Oops, meant 11/11 posting.

I'm very dissappointed in the new way of printing boarding passes and the treatment you're giving your frequent flyers vs. non-frequent flyers. Ity would be nice if you went back to the old way of boarding, including the children to board first. This way you can dodge them by seeing where they're sitting. Your new way is really, really bad. Please change it back to the previous way.

Thanks,

Kathy

Well I to will join the many, many customer's to leave Southwest. I suppose to pay for these new programs is the reason you have raised your fairs by 20 to 40%.
You must be using a different type of fuel than the other airlines because they are saying they may need to raise by 5%. So far none have.
Buffalo to Chicago a couple of weeks ago was $54 but most often $78. Now the cheapest internet only fair if you're lucky enough to get it is $96.
United by the way is now $35 cheaper and the Tampa to Chicago, United beats it by $70.
Well I did save for the last two months trying out Southwest but sorry, I don't want to pay more for less.

As a VERY proud SWA Flight Attendant and having worked FOUR flights just today, I have to put my two cents in here. If you haven't flown SWA since the changes took effect, please, please, please withhold judgment until you do. We took the time on our flights over the last three days (NINE flights in all) to speak to our passengers about the new procedures. We had approximately 800+ passengers that we dealt with over the course of this trip (both business and leisure travelers) and I can honestly say that approximately 95% LUV the new procedures. The most often heard comment was the joy not having to line up for an hour or so before boarding knowing their place in the boarding line was assured. Our business travelers, just this morning on a full flight from San Francisco to San Diego, were SO grateful to be able to get on the plane, get to work on their laptops once we took off and exit the aircraft quickly to get to their meetings. Also, I specifically "targeted" our passengers traveling with small children to ask their views. They like the family boarding. The most often heard comment from them was that they did not feel "pressured" to get everything situated with other passengers waiting behind them. They prefer this system as it ensured they had seats together even if those seats were in the middle or towards the rear of the aircraft. They didn't care one bit where they sat as long as they had seats together. One mother, traveling alone with three small children had the quote of the day..."What's the big deal? Every seat on this plane is going to Phoenix and they all get there at the same time." Now, I know that most of you will automatically side with the 5% of those passengers on our flights that didn't like the new changes. To you I say, there will always be naysayers no matter what we do. I've had flights with only THREE passengers onboard and two of them still found something to gripe about. Since the changes were implemented, ALL but one of our flights left the gate five minutes early. That rarely happened with the old system. So, take it from one on the front lines! It's easy to automatically dismiss change when you feel it will negatively affect you, BUT please, save your comments until you have actually set foot on a SWA plane and have experienced the changes for yourself. This blog has been primarily negative since the changes were announced, but trust me, on the plane, the passengers are LUVing it...and that's what counts!

I have talked to a friend who has flown since this happened. I dont think it will be All that diffrent. I dont see the fares have risen. If you rememeber the old system the was the refundable anytime fare that is the new Business fare. The business select fare is a new tier about 15 to 20 dollars higher. If you remeber below those were restricted fares, advance purchase, fun fares and if avialble internet one way. There was NO DIFFRENCE between what those fares offered except price. The wanna get away fare is the lowest. now if tyou are tring to book a flight and the wanna get away fare is high. Remeber that is is the lowest of those fares. Remember the dreaded red unavailble? You just dont see it now. I went to look at pricing. I have a trip to Chicago and a trip to Columbus , and plaling a trip to vegas in april. Guess what? Chicago total would have been 18.79 cheaper After taxes. Columbus ohio was 353. MCI TO CMH. Last year i went to vegas after takes for about 230 now it is 194.
Guy and gals these fares have not risen. We just dont see all the unavailbe. The only thing that has changed it how we see the fares. Wanna get away shows all of them. Internet one way gione then it shows fun fare those gone it show restrcted thats gone it then show advance purchase. I dont think the boarding is going to be that big of deal. The people who Are "A-lister are the ones who checked 24 hours in advance and camped out in lines 1 hour to 2 hour before flights. My friend checked in 24 hr in advance and got A37. Remember unless you get C you wont get stuck in the middle. The people who already get c in the old system will contiunes to get c . B is not the end of the world. so i am going to give them a try. Southwest has one of the safest records. They allow people to change without penelty. I am loyal and will still be loyal. Think of the a-lister. They fly so much and always camped in line or paid someone else to check them in right at 24 hours. I would get tired of that if I flew that much. By the way I dont. I fly about 9 round trips a year. I will check in 24 hours in advance and enjoy my high A or low B seating. As far as the freedom rapid award. They added something and did not take it away anything. The program works the same as before except they can trade 2 for 1 pass that book them if 1 seat is empty. Now if you were flying to vegas and needed to book within seven days of the flight I would have to pay the refundable anytime fare or now the Business fare of about 600 dollars (MCI to LAS) The lowest advance far about 210. If I use two roundtrip awards I the value of that is 600 or 300 for each one. That new system would have saved me 200 dollars. Under the old system the max value of the ward would have been 210. On another note I belive this is a way of rasing pricing but not rasing them for the common folk. The higher cost of fuel is being paid for by those people who pay the little extra over the business fare. The rich folks are paying are ticket prices while keeping our prices down. Sorry for the long post but I put alot of time trying to figure out the motivation at the people in dallas to do this. I think I did I good job of reading between the lines.

I fly Southwest at least once a month for business and I take my small child with me. I have flown for nearly two years with the opportunity to pre-board and get myself and my daughter and her car seat on board ahead of and out of the way of everyone else. And I have done so now twice since the new "We-hate-families" policy was instated.

Chad (above) says 95% "luv" the new policy? Not a chance. You all aren't hearing from enough families. Why? The families are too damn busy to write to you.

By not allowing families on first, we hold everything up. By letting us on first we can get down the jetway and get our kids situated and out of the aisles. Not to mention the fact that if someone wants to sit far away from me and my child they used to have that choice. No longer. I may just sit down next to that person now because I have very little choice where to sit since I A) Have to sit next to my child and B) have to have my child in a window seat.

I have to walk a gauntlet now with a kid and a diaper bag and a laptop bag in tow, on a recent flight I bumped fifteen aisle-seaters as I went. And since I had to go so much further down the plane for two seats together I can't manage it all with my car seat and so the flight attendant had to assist me, holding up the B group. Lame. Now instead of getting on the plane with little fuss, I have to apologize to 20 people, and then ask someone to get up from his aisle seat -- car seats can only go against a window by Southwest law. Plus, I need the assistance of the flight attendant, which I never needed before when I could simply dash on the plane.

Southwest says, "You are still invited to get an A boarding pass and wait in line." I am thinking, however, that my fellow passengers would prefer that I let my daughter run off some energy before she gets strapped into a seat for 2+ hours. Thank heavens that the gate attendant at my last flight out of Tucson looked at my A pass and let me slip into the line with my daughter acknowledging that the new policy was unfair to single parents flying with a small child.

I could go on, but I assure you, the only people who are LUVing this aren't families, or people who have ever flown with families, or people who dislike kids in general. Southwest used to be family friendly. Now they simply hate families. I thought that this was a country where women and children and elderly came first. So much for true values (and I don't mean that political lip service nonsense). Shame on Southwest. Seriously, where is the luv? Alaska Air, here I come.

Emily, while I appreciate your frustrations, the reality is that I spoke PERSONALLY to these families traveling with small children and they like the new family boarding. All you have to do is take the time to actually check in 24 hrs in advance and get that "A" boarding pass, you can still board with the "A" group. I'm sorry, but your argument doesn't hold water if you don't take some responsibility for yourself and make sure you get the "A" boarding pass. Also, it is not "Southwest Law" that carseats go against the window...that's the FAA...I'll let you take that up with them. And again, while I understand your frustration, I'm glad that you weren't "too damn busy" (as you say) to comment on this blog.

My husband and I were very loyal SWA customers for years.. This past year is the first in a while that we didn't get a free flight because of a family member that was ill and eventually passed away..
The one thing that we always loved about SWA was that everyone was always equal..We were the only ones that knew that we were flying free or that we had earned drink coupons..We had the same chance as everyone else to get that coveted "A" boarding pass..No one was any better than anyone else...
We are not business travelers, we fly much more often for leisure..It took us most of our lives to get to this point that we have this luxury of travel as often as we do..
We were always like walking billboards for SWA because of the way they treated each and every passenger.. I have booked so many people on your airline, family, friends and even friends of friends..
The changes that you have made, whether intended or not have made me as a customer feel unimportant to you...
We like to travel with our family, particularly our grandchildren...As leisure travelers you have left us to make a choice of paying twice the price to get to where we want to go or risking that our grandchildren could be left to sit alone and scared..
I realize that there would be a chance that we could possibly get those "A" or "B" boarding passes but given that we would travel more than likely when the kids are off school and everyone else is traveling there is a chance that planes would be full and it is just a risk that we would not be willing to take..
In our minds you have taken the "family" out of the "SWA family culture"..
I know that this corporate decision was made for revenue but with no assigned seating and giving adult business travelers the perks the kids are left behind..
So while your business travelers sit comfortably where ever they want the leisure traveler is left with possibly leaving their family member alone..
Money is something that we all work for but at what cost to the customer?
This new structure you are so proud of has given adults more advantages to get to their place of work while leaving families behind..
Whether a child is 3, 6 or 12 they are not adults and this plan of yours with boarding these adults first if they pay the price, no assigned seating and the families to hope for the best, is sure to cause undo stress, more upset mothers, fathers, grandparents and scared kids...
Everyone talks a lot about family values but when it comes down to it, its the bottom line and the money that seems to come first...
My family will always come before my work and its just too much of a risk to pay for a flight without knowing if when you board, the trip will be stressful before it even begins...
So where is that SWA "family "culture now??
It seems like SWA business culture to us...
In my mind someone didn't think this through..Its not the end of the world as one blogger put it...
Its great for those adult business travelers, just a bit too risky for those people that have that coveted "family" trip...
What has happened to all of you?? You have left us behind on this one...
I never thought I'd see the day when you would forget about families to line your pocketbooks..
I am heartbroken and so disappointed...

As to those of you complaining about the fares. There are going to be differences if the cheaper fares are already gone. If there is an increase compared to when you traveled last year, well, oil prices were not $98 a barrel either.

Southwest hedged its fuel in order to help the Company and the consumer! It helped them not have to raise fares until they absolutely had to. It was hedged at $28 a barrel one year and then hedged at $32 a barrel the next a couple of years ago. The difference in that $4 raise meant the Company had to come up with over $300 million in additional revenue somewhere else.

In the next five years it is hedged at probably close to $50-$60 a barrel.

If you really dive down into it the only people who get penalized with the oil prices is the Customer. The airlines have to do whatever necessary to stay in business. Southwest always had the Customer in mind first. If their intent was to raise fares everytime the oil went up each one of us would be paying $1000 roundtrip no matter where we traveled.

Lets give them a chance before we judge.

Hey Southwest. Looks like you have taken up the same campaign as the neo-cons. Disinformation agents (employee-spin) abounds! Get real, hear what the families and non-business travelers are saying!

Are you so arrogant that you don't care about what those people are saying? Is corporate money the most important thing to you? Maybe your system works for DAL-HOU or PHX-OAK "commuter" flights, but I guarantee it's not working on other flights. I just took a flight from OKC-PHX and we were delayed 10 minutes to get some families together. I bet your hold system will crash and burn this holiday season. Just wait until Nov 25th!

Formerly a LUV fan, now a Xjet fan.

Tom (OKC)

Casey,
Before we made these changes, some in a party might have gotten the last A boarding pass, while the rest of their party got Bs. If this happens, like it did before, the first on the aircraft can save a seat. .

In your case, your wife and one child were in the same boarding group, and the other child in the one behind. You could have boarded and saved a seat. Since they were all so close together, they could have met up inside the jetbridge and boarded the aircraft together, or your wife could have let two people board ahead of her to be closer to the chidren.
Brian

Brian,

Thanks for the response.

In the past, we all got A seats, even though we could and did pre-board. We did this so that for whatever reason in case we were late, we could at least board together in the A group and make sure we had 3 seats together.

Now you are telling me that we can't do that with this new policy. I could go ahead and reserve 2 seats, but not all 3 seats (since we have a part of 4) without holding two rows of seats (and that won't make many friends!).

So even though I keep hearing "you can get an A ticket if you want to make sure you are together" that's not really the case with these assigned numbers. That's too bad that SWA didn't think of these issues before you implemented them. I hope that you will see the problems with this system for these occasions.

Thanks,

Casey

Brian,

No we haven't tried it, my example was hypothetical. However, how would you try to explain to your kids "Daddy/Mommy's got to board the plane first in order to save you a seat and make sure we sit together"? and then at the same time agree with the SWA slogan "A Symbol of Freedom".

Do you see the disconnect?

Thanks,

Casey

Chad, clearly you haven't been given all the info. I am NOT ALLOWED to get a boarding pass online if my child is a lap child. When we fly long flights I buy her a seat. A short flight I take my chances and hope for a seat. She is still under two and so that is my prerogative. When she is a lap child the online system will not allow me to get a boarding pass since I have to show proof of her age at the gate. Therefore my boarding pass is never an A, and often not even a B, and this is NOT because I am too lazy to get my boarding pass ahead of time or as you say, not responsible. Please. On my last flight I actually called ahead and lied to say that my daughter wasn't flying with me so I could get a boarding pass, then checked her in at the airport. That was the only way I could get an A pass. And, incidentally, this was the suggestion of a gate worker on my outbound flight.

And if you had read my posting carefully, or ever been in line with toddlers, you would know that the last thing you want to be next to is a squirming kid in line. Do you really want me annoying passengers that much as to have my child in close confines while waiting in line? So even if I get an A pass, I still have to wait until the end of the As to board so I am not annoying people in line, or dashing off for a last minute diaper change (since not all Southwest planes have changing tables in the bathrooms yet).

I respect that you are trying to be cheerful about this, but I assure you, no family is happy about this. If they are telling you that they are simply telling you what you want to hear, or you are not phrasing the question well.

Emily

Casey,
I don't want to seem insensitive, but again you are talking about 30 seconds difference in boarding times and only a few people. In all but the most extreme cases with those boarding pass numbers, you will have your choice of any seat on the aircraft. So, no, I don't see the disconnect. To use Carroll's example above, have you never sent one adult ahead into a restaurant or a theater to hold seats? Keep in mind that on airlines that offer assigned seats, families can't always sit together either. Assigned seating advocates also fail to mention that those airlines have middle seats, and someone is going to be assigned those seats. There is no perfect boarding or seating system. That's just a fact. We are trying to accommodate folks with different seating requirements by offering choices. All we ask is that folks give it a try, and then decide.
Brian

Emily,
Good news. You can now get an online boarding pass when traveling with your lap child. You will still have to obtain a Boarding Verification Document before going through security, but your boarding priority will be established.
Brian

Emily,
Never ever fly on any distance without a car seat and purchasing a ticket. At any point and time on any distance you can hit turblence and you are not strong enough to hold any child and guess what, that precious child can be killed, Saw it my self on United flight and know a few FA's from other airlines that have seen kids severly hurt. How would you like to have to live the rest of your life knowing that you were to cheep to secure your chils. The AFA and SW FA's and a few other Airline FA's all support efforts bye the NTSB and Congress to not allow lap kids. No child is worth less than the cost of a plane seat and unbeknown to most travelers that choose to fly with them as a lap Kid and something happens the airlines are not responsible. So please I beg you to buy that ticket. I think Brian and Herb and the whole gang at SWA would agree.

SWA flight attendant Chad says, to an angry mom, "IÃ

Emily, last comment I swear! haha! Even if you board in the Family boarding, there MAY be 60 people in front of you in the "A" group, which leaves another 77 seats onboard, with lots of windows left over for your carseat. Even on a through flight, with continuing passengers still onboard, families take priority when it comes to a carseat being next to the window, per FAA rules. I have never had to move anyone just to get a carseat next to the window, but if needbe, that's what has to be done. And as for the "corporate" passengers with priority tickets ahead of you, you're talking maybe 15 people at the most....leaving another 122 seats onboard. No reason to worry. Ease your mind that SWA would NEVER leave you in a lurch onboard and would make sure you AND your family were accomodated. I think you're jumping to conclusions and rushing to judgment about something you haven't even experienced yet. Give it a shot! Happy Flying! Oh and P.S., Just in case, to further ease your mind, I have NEVER had a problem getting a volunteer to change seats so that your family can sit together! People would much rather move than babysit, trust me. Haha!

I am confused by your changes to my rapid rewards program and as I fly short hops frequently, it becomes much less supportive of my needs. I am appalled at the increase in your fare structure. Before, there were more categories, but they were graduated and one could make choices combining available fares and flights. Often if the cheapest internet fare wasn't available, a fun fare would only be $10 more. Now, I will need to shop competively instead of just booking Southwest for my travel needs. I am disappointed in you.
Liz

OK, I've been reading these comments for several days and just have to put in a few of my own. I'm an FA. I work A LOT. I also work in all three positions, meaning I'm in the front, middle and back so I deal with everybody. Regarding family boarding... I guess I could go either way on the policy but it seems to me that it is faster then before. I can't say that I've heard many complaints about it, honestly. Also, before, and after, this policy I have ALWAYS offered to help families with boarding. Our pilots often help too. If I see a parent struggling with too many items, or a rambunctious child, or more than one child, I ESPECIALLY offer my assistance. Just yesterday I held an infant while her father put in the car seat. One thing that hasn't changed... the stressed-out parent, they were stressed out before and they're stressed out now. I don't think the boarding process will really help that. I, as an employ can only do my best to help alleviate that stress as much as possible by offering help when needed. And to Emily, you don't HAVE to stand in line with the new boarding process. You can still chase your child while waiting for your group to be called.

And for the other changes... I think people really need to give these things a chance. I worked several commuter (& vacation) flights over the last two days and the people I talked to didn't have any complaints. I had one customer complain about the new process, "Go back to the old way, people can't count!" My response, it's new, people will figure things out as they get used to it. Change is tough, but it's inevitable. I'm sure that if things are really the disaster that many of you are predicting you'll see more change... But I don't think doomsday is here just yet.

Dear "b p heiss" who has made me feel like a terrible parent... I know that wasn't your meaning. But I get do a seat for my daughter nearly every time she flew as a lap child and I never relinquish my car seat until the gate. And sometimes I insist that they let me on the plane with it and only then do I give it up if the flight is absolutely full. I have flown with her on I think 36 legs and I have only not had a seat three times. Each of those times I had a second seat belt that attached her to my seat belt. They sell them at Babies R Us. They aren't great, bit they are better than nothing. I couldn't afford to travel if I had to pay full fare for my daughter and she has a wonderful relationship with her grandparents and aunts and cousins because I have been able to take her with me. Southwest made is very easy for me to bring her and the car seat. The general seating policy made it easy to make Southwest part of my family's bonding.

I hear you, however, about the potential for accident. it was too late for me to buy her a seat on this coming flight but I will in the future. She is almost two anyway. But your warning is a good one. most of us haven't ever seen a child get hurt, much less killed. Your experience is rattling and thank you for sharing.

It still doesn't change the fact that with or without a seat for my daughter I have to wrangle all the gear much further down the plane than before.

whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa whaaaaaaaaaaa.
i don't fly for free! i don't get an "a" for my free pass for my girlfriend. whaaaaa whaaaaa!!!!!!! i think swa should just give numerical orders...forget the "a" card. everyoen is hung up on that lol! and it's funny

Wow, this has looked like a contest in negativity so far... BUT... about 200 negative comments out of 96,300,000 passengers can't mean that *everyone* is unhappy.

I've flown four trips on the new system so far, and it works. The families who didn't check in online did not look distraught or rushed, and the rest of us actually got to enjoy the airport services instead of sitting on the floor.

I think SWA is looking to lose the revenue of one roundtrip from each person in the the "I'm never flying Southwest again" crowd, one trip on the legacy carriers and they'll quickly realize what they've given up. When I walk by on my way to charge my cell phone at the gate before I board, I'll wave hello while you wait for your delayed flight.

The economics of air travel have changed greatly in recent years, and changes must be made to allow SWA to continue to offer the low fares that we all enjoy today.

I'm sure people are wondering, so... Yes, I am on the "A-List." I board the plane when I'm ready, sometimes with A, sometimes with B, sometimes C.. just depends on when I want to get up. Once we're onboard, no matter if we paid $83 on a DING fare or $359 on business select, we still get the same great service!

As a senior citizen with a husband who needs to board early due to medical conditions, may I add to the concern about famiies boarding after A group? He needs to be on an aisle seat due to a circulatory problem and another medical problem. He needs to get up several times during the flight due to those conditions. (Yes, he is healthy enough to fly and to travel in general, but he does need accommodations to travel in a healthly and safe manner.) He bruises easily, and I am now worried to pieces about him being jostled and bumped into as families load. We may be seniors, but we remember traveling with children. You are being so unfair to families and the other passengers by making families board after the A list. Why don't you take ten of your corporate staff, have each of them bring a child under one and a toddler along, carry the necessary items for those children to fly safely and to be occupied during a two to four hour flight. THEN tell us how deoightful your new boarding procedure is. There is evidently a lack of oxygen in the corporate headquarters preventing your brains' logistical systems from operating at full capacity. RECONSIDER THIS NEW FAMILY BOARDING PROCEDURE.

Dear Brian,

Many of us have posted the request that families preboard and sit behind a certain row in order to satisfy parents and business people. Is anyone in management even considering this or are our voices simply wasted? It has been weeks since the initial announcement of the seating changes. A note of thanks for solving the boarding pass issue for for parents with lap children.

PLEASE RESPOND, EVEN IF THE ANSWER IS NO.

Again, I request that you email a survey to your most frequent fliers in order to see that they truly want this change also. This time keep the survey direct, not would you be more likely, less likely, or somewhat likely, that is nonsense.

Thanks

Holding a seat is allowed and encouraged as long as somebody else does not push for the seat you are holding. Customers who are disabled are still allowed preboarding but for many folks preboarding for certain seats became an issue that never should have never be allowed. Log on and get an A and step in line and have your turn. Everybody cannot be 1st, perhaps that is why they call it AIRLINE you have to stand in LINE to get in the AIR.

The SCHISM of SWA.

Well Southwest, apparently you are still keeping up the propaganda campaign going strong with your employees based on the recent posts.

Have you seen one passenger that has a family make a positive comment in all of these messages? But your propagandists still keep saying everything is going well on the plane. These people have flown under your new policy and are speaking! Are you listening!?????

Even if boarding is going quicker, it's not pleasing these families and making the have/have not syndrome slowly crawling into the minds of SWA passengers. These single moms don't have $359 to blow for a one-way or catch a drink, but hey that doesn't matter, right!?

And to answer the comments about the movie theater and restaurants. You don't pay extra to sit in a certain row in a theater or restaurant (the way southwest used to be). And if you got there early, you can get a good seat (the way southwest used to be). Do you get the pattern here!?

And you don't have to split up families or beg the waitresses (like it's now with Southwest, spcly on connecting flights) to sit together. Do you think any restaurant/theatre would survive under this policy. Nope!

And to say that only one flight on another carrier will make these families come back! Haha!! At least every other airline allows pre-boarding for those families. How many relationships that break up get back together again? (it's certainly is a small number).

Do you really think Southwest will survive under this policy? You know in your hearts the right answer.

Please get real with your hearts. Some change is good and some change is bad.

This change is BAD!

Now it's up to SWA to fix it soon...

Tom

Tom you took my point wrong, check in is available on line and you will be an A, chances are you will be with your family than not. I have had to split up at the theatre when it was a big opening and plenty of folks were there ahead of me and my family survived. As for the restaurant it applied to people insisting on being served 1st not on where they are seated. We have proven over the years we are very family friendly and are proud of it. Southwest is the 1st airline I flew back in the 70's and it is the only airline I would work for.

One things is for certain. I will be paying VERY CLOSE attention to the November traffic numbers that will be disclosed during the first week of
December (3rd throught 7th) especially the Revenue Passenger Mile and Load Factor statistics. I'm assuming that management will be as well.

Scott,

I am not sure that paying attention to November Revenue passenger miles will tell you the whole story . A lot of people already got their tickets for November (and for the matter December) trips before this new policy was initiated and will fly because they don't want to hassle with refund requests or losing their money.

My guess is that you will have to wait until early Spring to see any results from potential loss of customers.

Casey

I find it hilarious that not two months ago, frequent fliers were telling the parents flying with children that they weren't entitled to preboard just because they have small children and a lot to carry. Frequent fliers said THEY were the bread and butter of Southwest and should be able to get on first. My haven't the tables turned. Now the frequent fliers sound like little children going, "hey, that's unfair!" You're complaining because as Southwest's bread and butter you shouldn't have to pay extra for seats or line up behind Business Select or have to use two rewards for one. Didn't you frequent fliers see this coming? Did you think you were in the clear when they made the first set of changes? With all of these changes, Southwest basically presented you with good news and bad news. You chose the good news first, now you have to deal with the bad news. Sorry frequent fliers, don't ever assume your that high and mighty. It obviously didn't take much to knock you off your pedestal did it?

I am thrilled with the new boarding process. It is very frustrating to have booked early have an A3 ticket and watch the Ã

Just wondering, how many other airlines out there let families pre-board at all?
Seems to me that you always board in your zone or section or whatever they call it.
I know for a fact that on United to sit in the front 12 to 14 rows of coach is called "economy plus" and those seats cost up to $30.00 more than regular coach.
All for 2 more inches of leg room.
I know change is sometimes difficult. All I ask is that you give us a chance.
Thanks.

Dear Pamela,

Your suggestion is a good one. Unfortunately, it has been tried without success. Parents with small children were told that they could preboard provided that they sat behind a given row, and invariably, they complained (loudly) and did not comply. Once on the plane, what could the flight attendants be expected to do? Physically move them?

You are obviously rational and reasonable and if everyone was like you, that policy would work, would likely still be in effect and many would be pleased. Unfortunately, all parents are not as reasonable and understanding as you are, and another system became necessary. And since we are talking about parents and small children I will quote from "The Little Mermaid" with Sebastian's lament about misbehaving teenagers. "Teenagers!..... You give them an inch, and they swim all over you! It seems that parents with small children acted similarly.

It is also important to remember that the speed at which the passengers board and deplane is of critical importance. Airplanes do not make any money sitting at the gate. If the ground times increase by only a few minutes per flight, the airline will need more planes, crews, and ground personal to handle the same number of flights. And that only translates into higher fares.

We all want large, aisle seats with gormet dinners and hot towels, but we need low fares. If we want the former, first class seats at rediculous prices are available on other airlines. If we need the latter (I do), we have to work with the airline. I hope that this clears up some of your questions.

I recently read that Southwest would no longer allow parents with young children to board early. If this is incorrect please ignore this comment!

I for one really appreciate that Southwest puts families first. As a father who has had to travel with young children I've always appreciated the willingness of the airline and fellow travelers to allow me to find a convienient seat where I can have my children near by. The complaint I've heard is, "why should parents who arrive late to the gate be permitted to board ealy?" Let me answer that

(1) The number of parents and kids who usually board early are typically a fraction of the total number on board (in my experience and I'm sure LUV has statistics on that). There are PLENTY of good seats available for the business traveler
(2) Very often parents arrive late because of a late connection. They have no control over when they arrive at the gate. I've experienced this myself on numerous occasions
(3) Have a "HEART". We're talking about families with SMALL CHILDREN. I find it ironic that an airline that has a "HEART" as a logo tells parents with small kids to line up with everyone else.

Please show more kindness to parents with small children. Let them board early.

Thank you for listening,

Fred

OK SW, here is some tough LUV.
I fly your airline at least 20 roundtrips a year, so I will be an A-lister. Whoopee. I see no benefit to me being part of this new program. I check in 24 hrs in advance, so I get the A list anyway, and if you fly 16 RT a year, you end up using drink tickets for everyone around you anyway!
With that being said, I immediately noticed the fare hike on my last purchase. $99 one-way internet only or $389(and I get a drink!). SO WHAT? For $800? In Herb's book, Herb and the "Over the Hill" gang developed an airline where everyday people could afford to fly to see family and friends. I especially like the David and Goliath example where SW was competitive at all costs and beat the big guys by playing different. Well, it is sad to say we are conforming. BE CAREFUL SOUTHWEST-SOME YOUNG DAVID MAY COME KNOCK US OUT IF WE CONTINUE ON THE CURRENT PATH....Now, please do what Southwest does very well and that is LISTEN. Listen to your customers and keep reasonable fares. We, the business traveler like who you are.
If I want high fares and stuffy airlines, I can go to US scare, AA, or Delta.
No Thanks.
I will remain loyal, but let's go see a councelor, huh?

I LUV IT. most of the time, only people with complaints post. The new boarding system is greatystem.
Eliminates the Jockeying and hours before line up, and the people who ignore the line etc... if common couretsy was more common then it would not be an issue.
Parents with children now board after the A group. 60 people? really, is your complaint that after 60 people board this is too large an issue. Even on a fuill plane people will move to allow seating together. So now waiting to board after 60 people is a slap in the face. REALLY? come on SERIOUSLY?
And this new process sucks in comaprision to who...which airline? at what fare rate.
I think the new procedures are good, and the latest round of fare hikes reasonable.

Kevin
Why don't you all swallow your pride and go back to the successful policy you all have enjoyed for many years.

This is the biggest airline blunder of all time. Anyone with any common sense can see that.

Why the heck don't you listen to the customers? Quit defending a plan that is doomed to failure.Your loyal flyers were not the ones who suggested the changes. To coin a phrase"Can 50 million Frenchmen be all wrong?". For God's sake, listen to the folks who buy your tickets.They are mad as hell.

There are several people in my office who can be described as SWA "junkies". We've gone out of our way to book SWA travel. Now, "not so much". If we don't catch the $99 Web Special, the fares are of zero benefit. So I qualify for an "A" boarding pass? I'm a 13 year SWA FF ...thanks! I get a drink ... on the way to a business meeting? Thanks again.

SWA has always been cutting edge, but this is a fumble. I view the changes as internally-driven, certainly not what your bread and butter has been asking for.

This SWA loyal customer will now "play the field".

Thanks for the memories.

I had the expierience at southwest in the past week--your new boarding policy is a mess, and to say the least unorganized--with no checks and balances--it was a very frustrating time --the flight was good on all four planes--but i'll check elsewhere next time i fly(business)--You have shot yourself in the foot---please come back to the regular travelers----Jack

As a faithful follower of SWA for 15 years (since those great plastic, numbered boarding passes, and not minding getting up to in the middle of the night to go online and check in to assure A status), I've got a solution for the problems now facing the business class folks. I'm thinking that all of you families out there with small kids should let those business guys board and then follow them right on and sit right down beside them. Be sure that the kids are wound up and filled with sugary treats.Once the fun begins, SWA will realize the big mistake it made by putting business ahead of families.We fly SWA faithfully 3-4 times a year at least and have just made reservations for March. May well be our last flight as we are a family, and like travelling together that way.

Just wanted to add to my post above. My check in exactly 24 hours ahead for my flight produced A-31 for OC to San Jose and A-41 for San Jose to OC. The wierd thing is as I talked to people in line, the guy behind me checked in two hours before the flight and got A-42, and a woman who is a frequent A-List flyer got A-54(checked in 18 hours ahead of the flight)...not sure how the numbering works.

In the past 18 months, I've traveled 250 segments on SWA.

I am very glad that I no longer have to remember to get my boarding passes. I am also very happy that I can sit in the front of the aircraft without having to stand in pushy lines.

If SWA could just get Clear Lines at LAX, I'd be all set: http://www.flyclear.com/.

Low fares are important, but time is even more important to me. Thanks for making things more efficient.

I travel with SWA on both business and leisure. For business, I like the flexibility of changing flights without penalty. For leisure, I like the prices. For both, I like "earning" my seat on the aircraft by checking in online 24 hours in advance (which by the way, all the families could've done all along) and arriving at the airport early.

So now, without asking, I'm assigned to the "business select" category. As they say, thanks for nothing. On my recent flights, I've been "assigned" A19 and A29. Please, let me sign in on my own: I think I can do better (before this change, your place in the queue as far as checking in was noted on the lower left hand corner of the boarding pass). If you want to make it a benefit, then reserve a place, but allow the passenger to "exceed your expectations".

I agree with many of the posters. SWA will no longer be my default airline.

You should be ashamed of yourselves. Southwest was the greatest and now they are just like all the rest. We the little people made you what you are and you are now screwing us with your new program designed for the alite. Most of us didn't mind waiting in the lines and chatting but now you raise the rates and give us nothing, I probably will be not only changing my airline but cancelling my Southwest visa. thanks for nothing.

As an A-lister and a frequent traveler, I switched from flying exclusively Delta to flying Southwest most of the time two years ago. I also decided 8 months ago to get the Rapid Rewards Visa from Chase. I had previously been using the Delta Skymiles credit card. All was well until October came and I paid my payment 2 days late. Whoa!, watch out if you do that, Chase applies late fees the day after its late, no grace period like American Express, then they apply interest not only for the month I was late (even though I paid it in full), but also for the next month (also paid in full). They explain this because once you are one day late, they apply a last in, first out method of applying payments to charges and thus you are a revolver. Based on my calculations, it turns out to be about 480% interest. Aren't there laws against such rates?

I figured I won't do that again, let me see if I can get it waived. Nope, nothing doing, Chase is a greedy bunch. They made me feel like a dead beat for paying two days late. I wonder if Southwest values their A-listers the next time it comes to picking a credit card partner. Chase certainly doesn't. Account closed. I thought I would warn others.

Well Southwest, here I am again, just wanted to let you know I sat down to book a round-trip for my sister to come visit and for me to fly back with her to take my regular business trip.

Well, you are charging $205 for a roundtrip from San Jose to Orange County and American is charging $163. That is a savings of $80 on two tickets, and we get to pick our seat and not worry about being a crazy person running to a computer to check in.

I am saying goodbye to high prices for less value and service. I can get treated just as badly on American and pay less.

I must say I am not a fan of the new pricing/seating announcement. I tried to fly Southwest frequently on business and personal travel as traveling on Southwest was, for the most part, a fun and enjoyable experience. I made the personal effort to check-in 24 hours in advance to be in the Group A boarding group. The change to using the numbering system by groups was an inprovement over standing in line at the A, B, C cattle shutes. Now you want to charge more for boarding in the A Group? My company pays my business travel airfare and will not pay for the increased price. Where is the reward for being a faithful Southwest frequent flyer? Increased credits and a free drink? For those that travel frequently, the increased credit is not a perk. A free drink? I have a stash of free drink coupons already. I say, go back to the regular pricing method, enforce the "board by group number" program (frequently there are people not in sequential order and don't care about the numbering system - they simply forge ahead in Group A).

Jim Rumpf

You have taken the essential vision of Southwest "the low fare airline" and turned it on its head. Any system that needs customers to attend "flight school" to get on an airplane is doomed to failure. From my experiences at CLE, BWI, MCO, MDW, and STL over the last two weeks it is a TOTAL failure,

Especially for families with small children who now have to drag them to the back of the plane and all the first group of "B's" who have to cross the second group of "A's" as they try to move forward to board the plane.

You're killing your egalitarian appeal to both business and leisure travelers alike. I'm going back to my car for those 4-5 hour trips. At least I can listen to my iPhone the whole way, or do business on the phone.

I can not think of a more misguided move than selling out its customer base to chase business fares. I fly anywhere from 200,000 to 400,000 miles a year, and have many road warrior employees and friends. I am 100K on United and Platinum on Continental. I also elite status with Singapore and Cathay. I have been a platinum flyer on American, Delta, and Northwest in the recent past. Many, many friends who are willing to fly Southwest have done so because they are sick of ridiculous boarding procedures and total disinterest in customer service for anyone who is not a top tier frequent flyer or flying on an first or business class fare. I am likely going to prohibit employee use of United because even as a 100K flyer, we all play second fiddle to their invitation only Global Services program. I personally have not been a fan of Southwest because 1) they didn't serve my old home airport (Denver) until recently, 2) they don't offer enough legroom anywhere on any of their flights, and 3) I once believed loyalty to an airline had advantages (clearly, this has changed). Also, with Southwest, it was hard to get across the country withough making 2-3 stops. However, having just moved to Manchester, NH I was looking forward to trying Southwest out more seriously BECAUSE they didn't have all the BS of tiered frequent flyer programs and tiered service levels.

Southwest is changing into exactly what the other airlines already are and the reason many of us road warriors are leaving other carriers such as United, Delta, American, etc. Southwest is not being true to its heritage and I believe this is a decision that Soutwest will regret. As someone that has flown 2 Million miles on United with the belief that as a 100K flyer I would always be the top of the food chain, I am extremely angry that United has eroded the promised benefits by imposing the Global Service program above all of us frequent flyers, and continues to administer the program with such secrecy that even their front line managers don't understand it. Being treated as a second class customer doesn't feel good for anyone, and this is where Southwest is heading. They are also only doing it half-heartedly. If they were really serious about business travelers, they would focus on international routes, put their flights on only booking engines such as Expedia & Orbitz or American Express, and they would change to something meaningful such as more legroom or wider seats. These are the things that have made Jet Blue, Frontier and, now, Virgin America appealing to business travelers and leisure travelers alike. Southwest probably figured they risked making their leisure travelers angry. I doubt they anticipated making road warrors like myself and others that have recently started flying Southwest (as the antithesis of other major carriers) angry, but they have.

Shame on Southwest. FIRE Mr. Kelly and remember who and what kept Southwest profitable through all the lean years when other carriers like United and Delta were passing on their business failures to the American taxpayer through bankruptcy and passing of pension liabilities. Southwest used to be an alternative. Now they are just another lousy airline with misguided management.

Reading a few of the comments, the ones that took me aback were those that stated "Southwest is still the best airline" or "don't judge it until you try it." Saying we are 'just as bad as everyone else' is not a winning business strategy. Further, those like me HAVE tried it. This is what we have been getting flying 100,000 miles a year or more on other carriers. While I haven't flown SWA all that much, I am a stockholder and I really don't believe this is a direction the airline should be heading.

Other posters on this blog say "well, SWA has to do something to generate more revenue with increasing fuel prices." Maybe so, but changing the winning recipe is not going to do this. The other crappy airlines are still holding on to their business travelers through the lure of free upgrades and other perks. The answer is keeping costs low and seats full. This new policy will alientate the traditional SWA customers, business travelers like myself, or both.

The least I have spent on air tickets in a year in the past 20 years is about $50,000 and some years it has approached 5 to 10 times that. Southwest is moving further away from getting any of that money. You are not a REAL alternative anymore. I don't get it. How is SWA going to be more profitable moving away from the strategy Kelleher implemented and alienating a large section of its traditional base.

Yes, there are only a few hundred negative posts out here, but most consumers aren't exactly in touch with the daily erosion of frequent flyer benefits and worsening customer service of their air carrier of choice. I get 3 or 4 emails a week from United and American and I don't have the time or the interest to read them. Invariably, they are a negative message wrapped in a transparent and untruthful wrapper.

I am extremely disappointed that Southwest is no longer a meaningful alternative. I guess Virgin America (I travel to San Francisco a lot) and Jet Blue should be thankful that Southwest has abandon their roots and hired inept managers.

The "new' Coke comment was spot on. Very, very sad in my opinion.

I AGREE with Nicole's comments on Nov 7. Here are my two cents worth.

I'm tired of the 'fat cats' with lots of money getting preferential treatment in this world.

Southwest used to stand for treating everyone equally but I see they are going to follow the 'crowd' instead of being 'different'.

While I know business is about staying in business, I don't see that SWA is losing money so why change.

I'm tired of the leisure traveler getting the shaft when it comes to freq flyer programs and seating restrictions.

SWA Management: I hope your changes backfire on you and you lose lots of customers permanently and that the business travelers you expect to gain do not make up for the lost leisure travelers.

Power to the 'little' people like 'me'. I hope everyone will take your travel plans to another airline which will send a message to SWA hopefully.

My 87 year old mother, who flies about 6 times per year, has excellent cognitiive skills but the physical limitations brought about with her age. She does not have a computer - shame on her, I suppose, if she wants to fly Southwest again. Last week she checked in at the airport, going and coming, and had a C boarding pass. In times past, she has been very courteously and respectfully pre-boarded due to her physical limitations - she arrives in a wheelchair but can walk onboard. She can't, however, manage to crawl over someone into a middle seat, and her previous pre-board experience made the process simple. This past trip was a horrible experience - much confusion for eveyone boarding, but particularly for her, sitting in a wheelchair and awaiting a pre-board, which is now a partial pre-board, after so many others have boarded. The transition from wheelchair to walking and being placed in front of some and behind others was actually a slowdown in the boarding process and a great embarassment to her. Based upon some posts herein, this is of no consequence to some of your travelers, who so highly value their opportunity to be first on and first off and, for your sake, you'd best have enough of these anxious business travelers to sell enough tickets to remain in business. Since your fares have risen to approximate all your competitors, we will now be forced to use other airlines where seat assignments are made in advance and, indeed, they will put her onboard in advance. She probably has only a few years left though, so her business lost won't break you. You better hope your plan works because it sounds as though she's not your only loss.
Joe, who wrote about the business traveler subsidizing the leisure traveler, must not have actually flown Southwest for too long. There has never been a distinction in the prices. They were all low fares. As a matter of fact, my recollection is that the last minute walk up fares in the evening used to be the cheapest Southwest had to offer -sort of a reverse from today's system. Anyhow, he'll be glad she isn't any longer going to get "his" seat if he's willing to pay extra. That extra ticket cost on other airlines gets you into an entirely different class, i.e. first or business - it doesn't prohibit elderly, handicapped or families with children from getting onboard easily.

I don't know if this was even mentioned or not, since 200+ comments are a lot to go through, but I was wondering if it would be an idea to board the families after the first 30 A's. That way, you're still giving the business select and A-listers the chance to reap the benefits, yet still allowing the families to get decent seats together. Being a mother of a 3 yr old, I've found that flying on a full flt with 40+ thrus on it, then letting another 60 ppl go on board in front of us...we weren't able to sit together, and my son harassed a poor guy who never knew what was in store for him (quite possibly one of your bussiness selects that unfortunately just paid extra to have his "choice" of seats) for 2 hrs. Just a thought!!

Having posted the above -- let me just say that I do so only because I consider Southwest the best of the air carriers and it is "disappointing".

Yes, some other airlines do have specials to the same destination (or fly more convenient flights to IAD or DCA instead of to BWI from MHT for instance) but - overall - Southwest is still an exceptional value.

What I am disturbed about is loss in value of Southwests "loyalty" program.

To be fair, I have also noticed other programs (notibly hotel programs) also showing a higher use of points in order to get a "free" room.

I hope Southwest listens -- with a slowing economy and ridership and airline stock prices falling in response - this does not speak well for the future of airline programs.

It's easier to keep a customer than to try to regain a lost customer.

Those to those who think that SWA's RR program is becoming closer to the rest of the industry. I have a feeling that go are mistaken. It is my opinion that all of the airlines that have "frequent flyers" are also more aggressively are controlling their programs as well. Before you bolt, ask the customer as DFW is it getting harder to use your AAdvantage miles. ask the customers at ORD the next time your are in Chicago is it harder to use your miles on United. The next time you are in Houston go over to the Bush airport and ask the Continental customer is they are having trouble using their miles. I suspected that they will ALL say that they are. But I don't think at SW had in mind that 8 round-trips from DAL to HOU should earn me an roundtrip from OAK to BWI even though you can. I also wish that JP Morgan Chase stop offering new accounts that include 8 RR credits when the account is open. Maybe JPM is also contributing to the problem of too many outstanding Rapid Award credits and not enough flights to use them on. Just some things to consider.

Wow. Perhaps I am a bit behind, but I just read about your new seating priorities. I'm very disappointed. The two reasons my husband and I have flown loyally with SW for the past 6 years was because of your great fares, and the ABC seating system. Now you have neither . My husband and I will be likely choosing other airlines to fly with these days. I'm sure the same will go for most of our family. Thats a shame...you really should rethink your new procedures.

Like many others on this blog I have been a faithful customer of SWA for over 20 years. Living in Dallas from the late 80's until 01. My family and I pretty much exclusively made SWA our airline of choice. Hey lets face it ,you guys were good. Good service, great prices, great FF program, an airline that actually cared about it's customers. After moving to FLA. I chose to drive the 150 mile round trip to continue supporting an airline that cared not only about it's customers but about the community it works and lives in. I was even more impressed with SWA's committment to thier own employee's. Encouraging that freedom of thought gained valuable insite into what makes an airline passenger choose how they travel. OMG,,,somehow a bean counter has infiltrated the ranks of those sage employee's who have had their finger on the pulse of your customers and initiated the recent change is your RRewards program. In my opinion it is a step in the wrong direction. De-valueing my time to reward will indeed result in considering other options when choosing an airline. I'm hoping someone comes to their senses.

Dear Kevin and SWA...

So... I thought I would wait a while before commenting on the new RR program. I am going to do my best to refrain from spewing any anger or hostility, but please forgive me in advance if any happens to leak out as I share my observations.

Please keep in mind that I refrained from commenting until I "experienced" your new program, and didn't just respond based on speculation.

I would like to refute the comment you made to Dennis on an early post that this program was created as a "win-win for both our frequent travelers (such as yourself) and Southwest." This program is OBVIOUSLY not for the benefit of any traveler, let alone the business traveler as you say, here is whyÃ

I must confess that I have not read all 285 prior comments on this subject. However, I did read enough to get the idea that few like the new boarding system, fare structure, and the devaluation of our rapid reward awards. On the latter subject, for instance, I find that there are no "standard" awards available for a trip from Houston to Los Angeles for Palm Sunday weekend, but plenty of seats on all flights at all fare levels. And, of course, plenty of "enhanced" awards tickets are available. This is the first time that I have not been able to find award seats this far in advance. I take that as evidence that Southwest has greatly reduced the number of "standard" award seats. How does this benefit customers?

I will reiterate several points made by others previously:
1. Numbered boarding passes are progress - though many do not agree.
2. The system of assigning the boarding numbers in NOT progress.
3. Families and those needing help should be boarded first. This allows them to stay together and the rest of us to sit far away - except for those unlucky "C" pass holders.
4. The new "twofer" for rapid rewards awards sucks - and is not worthy of Southwest. This sounds like something Continental would do (and has).
5. I do not object to receiving more rapid reward credit for paying higher fares. This makes good sense and rewards the traveler who pays more, for whatever reason.
6. Southwest is no longer automatically the cheapest seat in many markets - even the senior fare has recently gotten out of hand. This is not progress, either.

As a resident of Houston I have alternatifves to Southwest - Continental, AA, UA, USAir, Delta - just to name a few. With your new policies, these also-rans are starting to look more attractive - a good trick, to say the least.

I am hoping to see some major adjustments in your new policies. After all, hope springs eternal.

Kevin, How can I get you to stop sending me RR Credit Card offers every week. I really DO NOT want your Visa card and am getting a little irritated that I can't seem to get removed from you mailing list. Stop the waste!

I am very disappointed with the new Rapid Rewards program. Rewards are practically worthless now, as it is nearly impossible to find seats on any flights I want. I am going to get an American Airlines credit card and quit using my Rapid Rewards card--the $60 fee is crazy, the "rewards" useless, and the increase in the amount it takes to earn a "reward" is unreasonable. This used to be my favorite airline--the first one I thought to use for any trip. This is no longer the case.

Hi DeAnna,
We certainly appreciate the courage, skill, and sacrifice of firefighters like your husband, and we salute him. If I can give you some background about government fares, I think it will answer your question. These fares are negotiated directly with the specific government entities for individuals traveling on government business. Usually they only apply to state and federal governments because of the quantity of travel involved. It is very rare to have a negotiated rate with a municipality--simply because the volume isn't there. With a government fare, we can offer a lower rate because we know we will have a set volume of travel, and the government can control travel costs, since they are the ones who will be paying the bill. Because the governments directly pay for these fares, they are the ones who control the form of payment for the tickets. Prior to corporate style credit cards, they would issue government travel orders or GTOs to purchase tickets. Today, the individuals who qualify for government travel have governent-issued travel cards, and we are bound by the contracts with those governments to accept this specific form of payment.
Brian