Over the past year and a half, I've been fortunate enough to be involved in a project that is focused on improving our Customers' experience with our boarding process. This is another great example of how Southwest Airlines truly listens and cares about our Customers. Enough to make changes for you. So what am I blabbering on about, it's the hottest craze to hit our gate area in the San Antonio airport. We are testing a new boarding method that tries to improve our Customers' experience in our gate area. I think it's great, and, no, I'm not biased. Here's how it works: you check in and get your boarding pass, just like you would today, but now, in addition to the letter A, B, or C, it also has a numeric position on it. That numeric position is your spot in line! We're, essentially, holding a place for you in line so you don't have to camp out in line before it's time to board the aircraft (Old Way: A...New Way: A6). You're now free to move about the airport...grab a coffee, a bite to eat, maybe even use the restroom with out having to leave those bags unattended. You don't have to be watching for thar first person to race to the front of the line and then hurry behind them, only to wait 30 minutes utill the plane even lands. With all the flying I do, I lUV it, and I hope you will too. Now remember, we're just testing it in the San Antonio airport. We want to make sure you, the Customers, like it and that it doesn't hurt our "turn times." So if your travel plans take you to the river walk, come say "hi." We'll be testing there for a few more weeks.
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Comments
What's a "turn" time?
Don't like it. This will make it even less fair to those who use those silly automated boarding card retrievers.
Go back to the old plastic cards at the podium, and then whatever number you get is whatever order you board in. This solves the problem of boarding area crowding/ unattended bags, and makes it more fair for everybody.
I for one think it's a terrible idea, the race to make sure you're near a computer with internet to check-in now 24 hours before your flight is bad enough, now it won't be enough to get an A Boarding pass, but the actual order of the passes counts too.
@John Cantrell - Turn Time is the time between when the plane stops at the gate and wheels are chocked until the plane starts pushing back. You "turn" a plane by getting people off and getting new people on - it's been Southwest's adage since day one that planes do not generate revenue whilst sitting on the ground.
@Matthew - I too remember the plastic boarding passes fondly. Remember the ones in California that were die cut into the shape of the state? I also remember my shock when I received a paper boarding pass for the first time - yuck! And I don't understand what you mean by those silly automated boarding card retrievers - are you talking about the renegade websites that offer to get a boarding pass on your behalf?
@Tom - You're like me. It will be a terrible idea if you have BP A60 and get to the airport 90 minutes early, but it will be a WONDERFUL idea if you have BP A6 and get to the gate just as the last deplaning passengers are getting off.
But you know what's cool about Southwest? They are trying a new system in one airport to make sure it works before rolling it out system wide. Much better than somebody at corporate deciding this is the way it will be and forcing it on everybody from gate agents to passengers. Kudos to SWA for realizing that the solution might not be the best one.
Hi Susie,
Since you broached the topic, and have been involved in testing new boarding procedures, can you talk about how this might work practically?
When the plane arrives and your boarding group is called - are their numbers painted on the ground to guide Customers to their spot in the queue? Do you have to go down the line asking each Customer what number they are to find your place in the group? Does the Ops Agent call A6, or A1-10? Or is there a method I didn't think of?
Of the processes I mentioned, each seem reduce the impetus to stand in line and reserve an earlier spot in the boarding group. But the methods I thought of also seem to have problems in Customer experience or operational expediency.
Thanks, Colin.
Susie, how exactly do people line up in order? Are there numbered dots on the floor or something? I'd love to hear how the other experiments with seating families and early boarders are going.
As for the mad line-up, I've never understood that. Unless I have a tight connection, there's no need for me to have my "pick of the litter". Normally, as long as I can get a window, I'm happy. In that case it wouldn't matter if I had A1 or A45 as I know I'll be able to get what I want. It's only if I get a C card (which would mean I had to change flights at the last minute) that I will look to line up early.
Oh, to answer John's question, the "turn time" is the amount of time it takes to turn a plane that has just arrived at the gate to one that has just departed the gate (i.e the time it takes to open the doors, get the arriving passengers off, take care of any cleaning, get the departing passengers on, and then close the doors).
I applaud you for trying something new for the boarding process. I have several concerns. First, who will monitor to make sure you don't have the cheater who will crowd ahead of everyone? Also, won't this slow the boarding process? There is several more questions I can think of, but I'm sure someone will ask them. I'll be anxious to hear how things are working. Please keep us updated. We can always count on Southwest to find ways to make things better or at least try to make them better.
John- Turn time is the time from when one plane/flight lands until that plane leaves for another flight.
Example:
Flight 1549 is a flight from Baltimore to Buffalo. It takes off from Baltimore at (these are today's figures, as filed) 4:35 and lands in Buffalo at 5:20. That same aircraft then goes back to Baltimore as flight 263, which departs Buffalo at 6:10 and arrives at 6:55. Therefore, the "turn" time in between those two flights is 50 minutes, which is about average from what I've seen. Many flights run better than that, but I'm guessing that the turn time is padded somewhat there because between 5 and 6 is when Buffalo experiences rush hour as far as air traffic goes.
Hope this helped.
Q - "Are there numbered dots on the floor or something?"
Q - "are their numbers painted on the ground to guide Customers to their spot in the queue?"
Q - "Do you have to go down the line asking each Customer what number they are to find your place in the group?"
WTTB found a picture that should answer all these questions - http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/img/v3/08-08-2007.NB_08south...
Wish we could edit our posts Brian - feel free to put that on your to-do list when you get back to work.
I misspelled the West Texas Blog Boy acronym and I meant to add a line saying, "Look closely at the rails. Notice the cut outs every five numbers to make it easy to get to your assigned area of the line."