In response to comments in our November announcement posts about our new boarding process, I asked that you be patient and allow our Frontline Employees to get used to working the new procedures. It's now been two months and two Holidays since we started the new boarding process. Thank you for giving us time to adapt. Here's what I heard and saw in Nashville during Christmas.
I actually left my comfort zone (aka Baggage Service) in the month of December and spent some time working at the gates to see how things are going. What I saw was a lot of Customers who have adapted to the new boarding process. I also saw a few that didn't know we made some changes because they only fly once a year. But, they adapted quickly. And best of all, I saw lots of people sitting around not worrying about their place in line (standing in line was the biggest complaint about our old boarding system).
I heard our Operations and Customer Service Agents doing a great job with the new announcements. They are flowing much better now and many Agents have added their own personality. Additionally, Operations Agents did a better job keeping order when Customers tried to board out of turn. Maintaining boarding order was something that had been requested by our Customers.
I actively sought comments from Customers and Coworkers. The comments I heard were mostly favorable. Everyone liked not having to stake out a place in line. And to my suprise (and it would be to the surprise of a lot of the negative blog comments we received), quite a few Customers paid to upgrade to Business Select after receiving a C boarding pass.
We did receive some negative comments at the airport and some people were caught off guard by the changes. But despite some of the initial concerns, the new procedures are definitly offering a more comforable, and stress-free gate and boarding experience for our Customers.
I'd like to hear from both Customers and Coworkers about your current (real-life) experiences (as opposed to perceptions) with the new boarding process. How's it going now?
Comments
Bert: thanks for the info on the "Memo". Fact of the matter, I as the customer shouldn't have to enforce the policy at boarding that WN put in place. Being A-List is a benefit, not to be getting the benefit is a problem. It is constant problem as it was friday DEN-ABQ, you had line jumping everywhere. Full flight and panic set in, I had A-17 and got to gate as the stampede was over walked to my position as GA started to board. It was a gaggle! Oh, I got seat OK but why the mess???
I am like the guy above who is switching to others, this deal could work if enforced. As a longtime customer and stockholder it seems that enforcement rewards the Biz traveler instead of making it a hassle. In the past 12 months I have accumlated 185 Rapid Reward Points, my wife won't even use here Comp. Pass any more due to the boarding process. Tie the A-list to the CP user!
I don't know if your comments caused it, but all Operations and Customer Service Agents recently received a memo from Headquarters titled, "Boarding in Numerical Order". Here is an excerpt I thought you'd be interested in seeing:
"We are not policing the A-22 boarding before A-19, but the obvious 'line-cutters' should be addressed in order to maintain the integrity of our boarding groups."
Thanks for all the comments! Keep them coming. We appreciate you letting us know where we have met or exceeded your expectations as well as where we have failed and need to improve.
I love Southwest, including the new boarding process. Check out my article on The Feel Good Airline: 11 Reasons to Fly Southwest at hqhqblog.com
Ok, here is a weekly Wn flyer's take. You wanted a few months to get everyone onboard, well its now Jan. 24. SWA is not here yet. Let's face it, you want business travelers. To do it you need the system you implemented, I am A-list due to 45 weeks of travel. I live in the New Mexico, so I am basically a SWA flyer.
The gate personal in the western States I fly still don't get it, boarding week after week is a gaggle at best. Yes, a few come forward and check sometimes the A-1 to 30 protecting the precious BS fare folks. But, wait where are they? I haven't seen enough BS fares to fill both hands yet. There is no enforcement! Due to that I have been switching my weeking travel biz to Express Jet, Frontier and United.
After all these years of standing in line for 45 minutes I embraced the announcement, but why not make it work? I suggest teaching numbers again to gate personal, can they count???
About the new boarding process, I have a + - experience. I like that I don't line up until my letter designation is ready. Much cleaner - no cuts in line - less irritating and frustrating. What I don't like is the lack of room in the airports for lining up. In most airports that SWA has implemented this new process, not enough room for 5 people to gather under a number designation with their luggage was considered. I am not a large person and usually only have a carry-on computer roller bag - but I really feel personal space being infringed upon and sometimes am pressed up against the windows to accommodate the other 4 folks. The word I am searching for is claustrophobic
Please consider this as you expand to airports and maybe make some adjustments now? 3 people might work better.
[...] class passengers on the planes first, then families…to the outrage of families. Their blog suggests that everyone liked not having to stake out a place in line and people paid to upgrade after [...]
Thumbs down of the new boarding process. It may drive the revenue up for WN as people pay more for the higher priority but for me it doesn't work. At 6'4" an isle or exit row is priority and I had learned to get to the airport early enough to insure this these seats. Now I am locked out a great many times. The reality is if I have to pay more to help get a boarding number that might make it possible to get an exit row or isle I may as well buy a ticket on a competing airline and pick the seat I want.
One other problem occurs when my wife and I fly together. I have flown more on WN than she has so our boarding numbers are frequently very different even though I check us both in on the website within moments of each other. We have to stand apart waiting to board (did not have to do that before the new system) and I have to be polite but try to save a seat for my wife behind me. Arrgh, not the best program for me
We just completed a round trip from Chicago (MDW) to Portland (PDX) and could not ask for a smoother or more pleasant experience. We checked in online and the new boarding procedure was flawless. Both flights pushed away on time and arrived 20 minutes early at both destinations. Thanks Southwest for stress-free travel!
I have to chuckle at some of the negative comments posted on the blog about the new boarding system. I have been a long time frequent flyer with SWA, since the days of the "Company Club", and I must tell you that this new system is GREAT!
I came to SWA after growing tired of having to fit my 6'7" frame into middle seats with other airlines. I was normally able to find an isle or a window with SWA even though most of my trips are last minute do to the nature of my business. Yesterday I did a last minute round trip OAK to BUR and thanks to Business Select I actually got the exit row both ways. Never would have happened with anyone else and the fares are competitive.
Thanks SWA, keep up the great work.
Here lies SWA,
A once proud airline that felt it could do things more simply than its behemoth relatives... and actually accomplish simplicity with easy to understand fares, rewards, and boarding (yes, we all got used to getting to the airport extra-early for the cattle call), Southwest was something to shout about. "Much LUV!"
Unfortunately, the SWA we knew is now dead and gone. A nasty disease called "Maximus Rules-a-must" has taken our SWA from us and we never expect her to return. Where once we could count on her being the low-priced carrier, we can no more. Where once we understood that every seat and ticket were the same, we now have multiple classes. Where once we knew that our rewards could get us on any flight with an available seat, we now have to double up if we really want "freedom."
I might be "free to increase my productivity" if I didn't now have to spend more time navigating the rest of the carriers to find a less costly fare.
R.I.P. SWA, I'm done with your "wanna-be" attitude. If you are going to turn into the old standard, then I might as well go back to one of them so I can choose my own seat and earn points that can take me all over the world. You're now dead to me, from my flights to the chopped up SWA Visa that now sits in a landfill somewhere.
See y'all in the Maldives... oh wait, you don't fly there... never mind.
Sincerely,
Bob who liked the little company that let us "move about the country" more than the turned-corporte company that lauds about "increased productivity"
PS: Please distribute simplicity enhancers to the management team ASAP.