OK, Gary, I'm here, you can start now.

After looking at the Business Select and the Business rates it looks like you have doubledl your fares. I am disspaointed. I think that you will find that this is not going to go over well with your regualr travelers.
Sorry,
Larry Holt

Whatever is supposed to be in the Gary-box did not come up on my #1 computer or my #2 computer. I think there is a problem with the site.

I'm Orlando based, a.k.a. massive family preboarding -- good luck if you just live here.

The new process has me looking at other airlines now and we will probably be droppig the Chase/Southwest Visa card. Once our Rapid Rewards are used we will probably go elsewhere now that Southwest is turning its back on a lot of customers, including me.

I am thrilled with the new boarding process. It is very frustrating to have booked early have an A3 ticket and watch the "pre-boards" Families with children OVER 5yrs walk right on and the Agents say nothing. Reserved spots in the line at the gate and my favorite, the FAKE handicap. How dare you! You should be so lucky NOT to have a disability but you stand there like nobody notices. If a wheelchair is required to get a passenger to a plane, doesn't it make sense that this passenger would require a chair to exit the plane? It's funny, people almost receive miracle "cures" during flight and require no assistance at their destination and will knock you over to get off the plane and get theur luggage FIRST. HOORAY for you! The new boarding process won't fix this, but this does need to be addressed. Thank you Southwest for your continued great service!!

My husband and I have flown Southwest for years because the airline flys where we want to go. Half the fun of flying SW was standing in line and trying to get the seats that you desired. I guess the new boarding system will work OK; we are willing to give it a chance. It was my understanding that families with children 4 and under would board between the A group and the B group, has this concept changed? Also, what if there are 8 or 10 people in the family and only one child 4 or under, how is that handled? We flew out of Reno the other night with only about 12 or so passengers, so that was not a good indication of how the new system works. Although there was a couple who decided that because they were #15 & #16 they should be at the head of the line and not get behind the other people who had already lined up when the flight was called. Oh well..

Living in Europe I don't get the opportunity to fly Southwest that often. However I do fly SWA when on business in the US. I like SWA efficiency (which is reflected in the fares) and simplicity. The plane is, for me, a means to get from A to B. Getting to B faster is worth some money; reliability and punctuality is worth some too.
When I use frequent flyer perks, it is to avoid queues. I don't mind being at the end of the A's with online check-in (no queue there!) I don't care for "business class treatment" on short flights, will not pay for "priority boarding" (move the waiting from the gate area to your plane seat). I haven't seen the "number boarding" system, but it seems an improvement.
Don't lower SWA to the standards of "major airlines".

P.S. Did not feel like installing Flash, just for a video.

Forget about the boarding procedure, I got to see Paula's bright shining face this morning. What a great way to start the day :)

I thought the point of the new boarding was to eliminate the cattle call line???? This in no way is happening in the way it is presented in your website "tutorial". "Sit and relax"?????

No, now we are forced to line up numerically like 1st graders in a lunch line.

This is not a step forward, and for as much as I fly your airlines for work, it is a great disappointment. I was so looking forward to an improvement!!

Sorry but that speech seemed more political than anything to me..
It didn't really hit on any of the real key points of concern..
What seems to be hitting me in the heart more than anything is a post by someone named Dennis regarding boarding with his children..
The SW response to his concern regarding being given boarding numbers that put as many as 50 people between him and his children truly doesn't seem adequate..
Because he brought his children he is no longer an A lister??
Basically you are saying either he moves back in the line because he is an A lister or he is to leave his children alone and save them a seat??
So he loses his privileges for flying so many times with SWA or he leaves the kids behind and hopes that they will be ok unattended..??
So the perks of becoming a frequent flier are good unless of course you have children and you are calling this "catering to families"???
Maybe its me but the common sense on this one truly eludes me...
So say my husband and I make the A list as we would have many times in the past and we want to take our grandchildren on a trip, that means that when we want to fly with them we are no longer A list customers...
This tells me that actually unless of course your kids don't go to school most of the year and they travel with you most of the time, these programs are catering more to adults than to families whether that be children or grandchildren...
So the perks of this program are what???
I realize that you have worked hard on this program but why can't you see that it could have areas that are flawed and maybe need some tweeking a bit...
I could fly 200 times a year but if I bring my grandchildren on only two trips a year the other 198 trips don't count while traveling with my grandchildren because on those two I have brought them with me and they are not on the A list..
I'm not sure exactly how this reward program could possibly be looked at as family friendly in the real world the adults, moms, dads, grandparents are more likely to be part of the A list which leaves A list folks with children that are not A list to always be behind the remaining A list folks or leaving their children unattended while they save seats..
In other words unless entire families are ALL A list, children included, families have to make the choice of staying together in the airport or taking advantage of a program that is basically set up for adults that travel much more than children do..
Maybe its worked for some that were lucky enough to get numbers close enough together but I see a potential problem with adults getting numbers as many as 50 between them and the kids...Which has obviously happened as per the post by Dennis..
Your catering to the most frequent fliers and generally that isn't the children, so get your A list boarding pass, just don't bring the kids with you or you ALL lose...

I fly 50 round trips a year and have flown on 2 segments since the new boarding program. I possessed an A16 and A17 respectivly. In both cases, when the gate agent said "Welcome aboard A1-A30." passengers who were previously sitting in front of the gate cut in front of us with A16 on. I looked at the boarding pass # of the person who cut in front of me in the first leg, A27. When the same thing happened on the second leg, I asked the person in front of me and was told to "xxxx off." If the gate agent does not enforce the rules, the new boarding procedures are doomed to fail.

Why not board in groups of five. I can't see this slowing down the boarding procedure.

Cindy wrote: "I realize that you have worked hard on this program but why canÃ

I have expressed my ideas in a posting on the original presentation of the idea. Quick synopsis: people need to take a deep breath, relax, let things become established and evaluate after having experienced it - not based on emotional arguments about not feeling equal because they can't get A1 anymore. I DID agree with some posters that for purely PR reasons, families should just pre-board, with LIMITS. But other than that, I agree with SWA about the changes it needs to make in order to keep fares nice and pretty for the rest of us.

Yet people continue to say they don't like it either before they have tried it or purely because they didn't feel equal having to line up further back. Before coming to medical school, I was a Middle School teacher - and boy oh boy, it's a good thing Mr. Kelly doesn't run SWA the way I ran my classroom in Baltimore City. He has shown patience, kindness, an openness to listen, etc. In my class, whiners were told to grow up - end of story.

Furthermore, I did some math: (Mr. Kelly or Ms. Berg, please correct errors I probably made) But there are about 137 seats on an airplane, 6 seats across. That means about 23 rows in an airplane - each of those rows has 2 window seats, 2 aisle seats, and 2 middle seats. That means there are 4 seats per row that somebody would prefer and only 2 that somebody would rather avoid (middle seat). 4x23=92. Assuming an absolutely full airplane, that still means all the A group (even A60) gets a desirable seat and the majority of B group gets a desirable seat. And since SWA is only selling 15 Select fares, that leaves a whole lotta nice seats for everyone else. If somebody wants to pay that much more to park themselves on the same "EQUAL" leather seat as SWA made available to me for way less than the competitor, I'm all for it!

Let's not confuse SWA's mission - to me, their mission and goal is to provide the Freedom to Fly to everyone. Unlike a previous blogger who advocates across the board increases in fares in order to maintain the proverbial "equality" everyone keeps talking about, I WOULD rather SWA give some perks to people who are paying way more if it means I get to keep the freedom to see my family, go on a vacation, and explore this great country of ours.

People, there are way more important things we could be worrying ourselves over rather than A3 vs. B47. Grow up.

here is a picture of what Artie is talking about
http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Southwest_Airlines/Southwest_Airlines_B...

Joe

I think this might be too much change in such a small amount of time. For me waiting in line for a good seat was like a southwest airlines tradition. I think the Southwest Airlines customers liked the airline just the way it was and you are trying waay to hard to get buisness travelers. It almost seams like Southwest is leaning towards legacy style with their changes. But the changes dont really effect my buissness with the airline.

I agree with the ealerier flyer who left this message," While I have no issue with the changes themselves, the implementation of these changes will be the key." I've just signed in on-line to print my boarding pass 24 hours in advance and have received the following message. You are not checked in for your flight. Proceed to gate for boarding pass. I called the 800 customer service and they said their were no more tickets available to print from the on-line check-in. She assured me that I was A-listed, but that I couldn't check in and print my boarding pass. I flew this morning and I was A-listed and when I checked in I at the gate I was awarded B-55 which was hardly an A-listing. What gives with this new system? Now I have no boarding pass and I'm at the murcy of a person at the airport. I check-in on-line so I don't have to waste time interfacing with a human who doesn't have my interests at heart. The computer system is unbiased and that was the success of the program. The implementation process needs to be fixed so a frequent A-flier can again check-in on-line before they go to the airport. In the old system at least you received your boarding pass and knew where you stood A, B or C before arriving at the airport. Please fix it.

Just flew Southwest today and experienced the new boarding process for the first time. It worked great. Travelers that are concerned should give it more of a chance. Don't make snap judgements. Don't be afraid of change. It really hasn't changed that much. Relax!!! You still get an A, B, or C and you still get to choose your seat. What is the big deal? One thing remains consistent: great ontime service.

Thank you Southwest. You are by far the best around.

As a dedicated and frequent flyer on Southwest, when I first heard that SW was going to board people basaed on the letter and number on their boarding pass, I though that was fair and convenient. But when I read about how SW was going to sell "A" pass seat to those capable and willing to pay for them, I had a very negative reaction. Southwest was built on the Joe Six Packs and Grannies of the world wating to fly for personal reasons. Now, it appears that you are catering to the business flyer. I fly to assist my non-profit clients in the management of their associations. It is they not me that pays for the fare and I am duty bound to get the lowest and best fare.

I work for southwest in Tampa, Fl and I can say after being in the gate area for the past week I have noticed a very positive change when we are boarding. I understand families being nervous about sitting together , I have a 7 yo son and I share that same dilema. We communicate with our flight attendants and make sure there are going to be seats together when "family boarding" begins. Another positive note is when we announce a gate change, In the past you would have hundreds lined up in the gate area and when we announced that the gate has changed you could witness complete chaos with people actually trying to run over each other because they didn't want to lose thier place in line. In the past when a flight had a delay our passengers were standing in line for the 40 minutes prior to boarding and then they sat in line for the remainder of the delay. This new boarding process eliminates that. I just watch our passengers and now they are sitting in chairs instead of laying on the floor or standing for an extra 40-50 minutes. Also families have the same chance of obtaining an "A" boarding pass as any other passenger. I have heard a lot of the same concerns from other passengers at the gate and I understand that we may lose some costumers because of these changes but I don't think you will find a more friendly set of employees than ours and that makes all the difference at the end of the trip.

As a flight attendant for Southwest, I have noticed that since the new boarding procedures have have started, it seems like the plane is being boarded a little faster. I am pleased the family boarding is after the 'A' group as well.

In talking with passengers, most of them just don't understand why we've changed our procedure... after explaining what I've learned about the new boarding, the passengers seem to understand a little better. I think change is change and some people don't like change. Like Gary said in the video- we can't be everything to everyone... but I think this will keep our loyal customers loyal by not assigning a seat... but then again, this will keep away some passengers who like to have an assigned seat.

Just a note: Most of the passengers who I've talked to actually prefer the new procedure.

Folks this is real simple. America (thanks to our Gov't) is becoming another post WWII Germany with the rights and liberty's being stripped away little by little and day by day. We whom believe in what our forefathers started, should be outraged and furious at the mockery of our veterans who fought for rights that now are tossed away by political idiots. Example: Immigration rules. WAKE UP AMERICA !!! Look back 100 yrs to what our then president said about the english language here in America. Southwest just plain SHAME ON YOU. Southwest remember we still have the freedom to put you out of business by using other airlines. Signed Tired & Disgusted with Americas double standard of the rich over the middle & poor class

Good job Southwest!

I have been a customer for years and know that things change according to the times! You all should realize this as well and for that I commend SWA! My cardinal rule is you get what you pay for, meaning, its not the era of meals anymore or inflight entertainment. Customers want low fares and with low fares you got to remember you get what you pay for! I have no complaints about my ticket being as low as possible! Here is a thought EAT before flying or buy something at the airport for your flight! Also bring something to do A BOOK! DVD PLAYER! I know hard to understand right???? Sorry to preach but once again I LOVE SWA!

Loyal Customer,

Ian Dahl

Hi SWA~
I certainly hope you DO read these comments. I am really upset about the changes and have already booked my next West coast flight on another Houston based airline. Why?

1. NO Enforcement of the Boarding pass numbers, just flew 6 flights in the last week. Mob rush to the gate attendent.
2. Rarely I fly with my toddlers and when I do, I want to get them situated before the mad rush of rude "Carry-on loaders"
3. It's a challenge to fly SWA at times, but I did so just because of my Rapid reward points. Now, I think I might not have the 16 RT's a year, therefore be relagated to B or C status, and the dreaded middle seat when flying alone.
4. Disappointment that no one enforces the HUGE carryons people bring on. I always check my bag because I dont want to hassle with it, but most folks don't.
5. Disappointment with the way SWA has changed for the worse.

Thank you for asking.
We don't like this at all!

Longtime Loyal Customer now diappointed and taking my $$$ elsewhere.

I echo other comments that I was pleased to hear of the initial boarding changes. Adding the numbers seemed like it would eliminate the need to go sit on the floor an hour and a half before a flight. A welcome change. And I was happy to hear of the change in family pre-boarding. Families can plan ahead just like the rest of us and print our boarding passes 24 hours in advance and get in the A group. Everyone seems to take a long time getting into their seats and stands out in the aisle, so I don't see much difference for families (if we all tried to either move to the back or step into the row and let people pass, that would sure help things though!).

But the change in offering priority boarding to those who paid more does not sit well with me at all. One of the things I despise about the other airlines is the "class system" they have. First class, Priority Class, etc. Its ridiculous. Southwest has always been different and it feels great to feel equal to everyone on the flight. Now that all changes. I don't have an equal chance to get the good seats (I'm a fearful flier and seating is a big deal for me) or the opportunity to get on ahead of the crowd unless I pay more. I work for a non-profit so when I fly on business its not ethical to pay more for this privelege. And I work for a non-profit, so I don't make enough to be able to just pay for priveleges I want when I'm on personal trips. I'm not willing to say I'm done with Southwest, but I will definitely explore more options than I have in the past as they become more like all the other airlines.

I'm very disappointed to see Southwest, the airline that really seemed to be the people's airline, suddenly implementing a class system. A very sad day...

To The CEO of Southwest'
I would Like to Commend your employee and employes on the handling of the situation with the UNDERDRESSED PASSENGER! that has been in the news. I believe you and your emp's handled that PERFECTLY and if that is your position about your airlines and your position with regards to morale and integrity you have my support and the majority support of numerous traditional americans! Thank You for trying to provide a flight service that I can bring my family and children on without worrying if the main display will be someone dressed like a porno star getting ready for the next scene! I genuinely wish hope and pray for the best for You and Your employees for all that you provide for your customers!

Kelly Gibson
KellyKellyGibson@aol.com

Regarding Kyla Ebbert, the Hooters girl who apparently has ZERO modesty:

The more I hear of this, the more proud I am of the employee who had her adjust what little clothing she was wearing before reentering the plane. Finally, SOMEONE who has the moxie to stand up and say, "That's inappropriate!"

There was once a time in the not-so-distant past when females who dressed this way in public were considered hookers. Unfortunately, our society has loosed its morals to the point that when someone approaches another and says something like, "Please properly cover yourself . . . your attire is offensive," the inappropriately dressed person makes a big STINK of it and gets on national news and the person who makes the comment is scorned. WOW! Shouldn't it be the other way around?

THANK YOU for taking a stand!!! The public has got to know that there ARE those who disapprove of people who lack decency flaunting it in the faces of people who dare cover themselves!

The thing that gets me is Playboy hired this girl to have nude pictures taken. The mother was talked into approving her daughter to pose nude and the father finally caved in. Oh, yeah, I'd like my daughter's naked body on every magazine stand across America!

She aspires to be an attorney . . . FOXNews.com states:

Ebbert worked at a Hooters in San Diego but said wants to become an attorney, and doesn't think posing nude should get in the way of her professional aspirations. "This was beautiful and classy. I don't see why it would affect a professional position," she said. "I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

Wouldn't you love to be there to say, "I told you so"? I believe it WILL and SHOULD interfere with her becoming an attorney!

KUDOS TO SOUTHWEST!!!!!!!!!

IF YOU WANT LOYALTY FROM YOUR CUSTOMERS YOU HAVE TO BE LOYAL TO YOUR CUSTOMER BASE.

I guess people just don't get it. There are SIXTY A boarding passes. Unless a combination of SIXTY Rapid Reward or Business Select passengers happen to walk up if you print your boarding pass out 24 hours you will get an A boarding pass.

Besides, I'd rather have time before the flight to go get food, coffee, or a newspaper.

You can always head over to American Airlines where they have assigned seats. Oh, yeah, they love to change equipment. There goes your window emergency exit row seat! I've flown them a lot of times. They board late, depart late, and arrive late. SWA? Usually on time.

Chill, peeps.

I am using a Rapid Rewards Award for a flight tomorrow and my wife is flying on my companion pass. I just printed our boarding passes and got A21 and A23 for the first segment and A17 and A19 for the second. So far, so good. The bad news is that when I was looking at changing the flight several days ago I noticed that it is no longer possible to get the last seat on the plane with a Rapid Rewards Award. The number of seats available for Rapid Rewards Award use now seems to be very limited and in order to get the same flexibility that I had under the old system I will have to convert two Standard Awards into a Freedom Award. In effect, Southwest has doubled the number of segments for a "useful" award from 16 to 32. I fly Southwest exclusively because of the Rapid Reward program and think that this was a very disappointing improvement. I can understand all the other changes but this one is hitting me directly in the pocket book and I am surprised that it hasn't been discussed on this blog.

I'm certainly for any changes that remove the need to sit in line to reserve one's spot. However, I can't adequately express my dismay regarding preferential seating for higher-paying customers. I became intensely loyal to Southwest after taking my first flight with them. Now, I need to reconsider. Please, no elitism for seating!

I heard your video response. I work for a big company too. Your response was typical PR BS. The founder of a company would never say that "replacement CEO" crap.

SWA now is just like all the other airlines so I guess there's no need for me to prefer SWA over any other airline when I'm planning my trips.

Once the founder leaves as the leader of his company and is replaced by a "business school" grad that is bottom line oriented and only lives to meet "Wall Street's" expectations, that company becomes just another cookie cutter business school case study. Too bad for SWA.

I have been a loyal Southwest fan for about 10 years now and i loved that i would get the ticketless awards from flying, booking online and using my credit card. Well, the past few flights i wanted to fly there were no seats available for ticketless awards. I used to never have this issue, which was a HUGE reason i loved flying southwest. I could fly when and where i wanted. Now it doesn't seem to matter I can only fly when and where you want me to or i pay like everyone else. If i have to pay normal fares I am going to do it where i get an assigned seat. In fact the past 4 times i have flown my ticketless awards wouldn't work so i flew other airlines, which it looks like is going to have to happen again. So much for enjoying the great customer service and appreciation that southwest once provided. I guess it's time to use my other flight miles from other airlines and credit cards.

SW blows.......cramped seating, rude staff, that stupid bag of peanuts, shall I go on? This airline is the 'Wal-Mart of the sky'..............

I do a lot of business flying. I'm on my second companion pass. Every business flyer to whom i have spoken prefers your old policy of allowing families with children four and under to board first. Knowing where the families with children are sitting allows subsequent passengers to select a seat away from the children if that is their preference. I have seen several unhappy flyers who boarded first and selected the emergency row seats dismayed by having crying babies seated directly in front of or behind them when children board at the end of the Group A.

Your new policy of boarding by numbers within the A, B, and C categories unintentionally disadvantages your best customers, those flying with a person on a companion pass or a rapid rewards ticket. The companion pass and rapid reward ticket holder must have a separate confirmation number from the primary flyer. By the time you log in a second confirmation number for the companion several numbers within the category have been issued resulting in the primary flyer and the companion being in separate boarding numerical groups. Your policy should be amended to allow the companion to board with the primary flyer, even though their number may be a little higher.

I recently used my companion pass and 6 rapid rewards tickets to fly the family from Sacramento to Orlando and return. Even though we started the boarding pass log in process exactly 24 hours prior to departure the family was separated because each person had their own confirmation number and other numbers were assigned between each log in.

I have always enjoyed flying Southwest. They have gotten me home during college and around the country on business. I am not pleased with their new changes. I have enjoyed online check-in and appreciated the ease of online reservations compared with other airlines. But I refuse to pay 3 times the lowest fare, just so I can have priority seating and a free drink. I think most people will be standing around the gates anyway waiting for their group to pop up on the screen.

Hooray to the people who have a company or the means to purchase the more expensive rates and the perks that come along with it. But I have chosen Southwest as my carrier because it has made its fares affordable and available to many. If their business customers are so numerous perhaps they can offer a business online route to major cities. I can fly more often and to a greater number of destinations with Southwest, and I hope to continue to do so. But these changes may make it hard to ignore their competitors.

I'm infuriated.

I bought a ticket 6 days before you made this announcement under the assumption that I would be eligible to board the plane before anyone else as long as I checked in first. This is critical to me, because at 6'11", I can barely squeeze into your regular seats. I now find out that I have to pay an extra $400 (more than double) to qualify. If I had known this, I would not have purchased a non-refundable ticket.

The ethical way of making this change would be to have it take effect in several months, not immediately.

There is flat out no reason to fly Southwest any more. Good riddance.

Herb/Gary/Southwest in general,

Facts:
1. I am a businessman
2. I travel for work (50 round trip flights/year)
3. My primary residence is in Phoenix
4. I own LUV

Feelings: I have flown SWA almost exclusively for many years, why:
1. Safety Record- your planes don't fall out of the sky
2. Simplicity- go to one website, yours, buy fare, print pass, go
3. Competence- your pilots are good and attendants friendly
4. Cost- Prices are low and consistent and rarely charge for flight changes
5. Consistency- You don't have delays/overbookings/cancelations

You are now causing me great concern.

KISS- Keep It Simple

I don't need rewards programs
I don't need a letter and numbers seating system
I don't need to be boarded before families with kids
I don't need food or beverages on the flight

ALL I NEED IS TO GET TO MY CLIENT AND BACK TO MY FAMILY SAFELY AND ON TIME. THAT IS IT.

From my perspective, your customer, you are fixing something that was not broken.

P.S. I don't want to see you become a HBS case study on what not to do.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions. That's why we have this forum here. So everyone can chat...good and bad. But come on folks! Some of you are being down right rude, and I take offense to that. The Employees here at SWA have faith in our Leaders. Afterall, they have been hand picked by the Leaders before. If our company has made a mistake, they would "own" up to it and "fix" it. But I do not believe that's the case...no mistake made here. Ya know, most people don't call management to compliment a job well done. But have an employee make a mistake, or someone's food order be wrong etc. in any business, you can believe management will be recieving a phone call. Of course you are going to hear more negative comments. Does the phrase "squeeky wheel gets the grease" come to mind? Many, and I would bet most, are complaining and have not even tried the new boarding process. They do not even fully understand it. That is apparent by their comments. If you are a parent, and concerned about family boarding, don't be. You can check in online early as well. No one is forcing you not to check in online. You will be taken care of. If you are most concerned about boarding first to get that coveted "extra leg space" seat(s) then you can simply get the business or check in early online. When I travel, I really don't mind where I sit. If I'm traveling with my 2 year old, all I care about is that he and I have a seat together. We are not traveling overseas. I'm not going to be on that plane for hours and hours and hours. So it really doesn't matter. I just want to get to my destination SAFELY! That is my only concern. So if I sit in the middle seat....so what. That seat is the same size seat as the others.
Southwest is my company! I'm proud to be an Employee! You will probably never see me. I'm not a "frontline" employee. But my feelings have been hurt by some rude comments on here. We are a company. We have job security, and that's a beautiful thing! I have changed the way I live now. My daughter now drives my Dodge Durango to school now and I drive her little peppy 4 cylinder to work....yep, my teen drives my vehicle, and I drive hers. Why? FUEL! We have had to adjust some things around for our budget. When you have a long commute, it gets very pricey. Imagine the fuel our jets use. Now imagine you had to figure a way to balance your monthly budget with the way fuel prices have increased. How would you do it? Other airlines did it at the expense of their employees. I know because my husband works for one of the other airlines. He took a cut in pay and benefits. That was/is very very hard on us. We do not want that here! I hope you, the flying public, do not want that for us either. We work hard. We work as efficiently as we can. Sometimes, you just have to try other things. And if a few people choose (key word) to pay a little more, while the rest get great prices, than that's a win-win situation isn't it? If price is not an issue, then you can help us by paying a few bucks more. I know our prices for our business select is NO WHERE NEAR a "first class" ticket price on other carriers. You still get first class service no matter what seat you are in on SWA. Our Customers' treatment is, and always will be the same great service.

I'm sorry I have rambled on here....and almost written a book. But I take these comments to heart. All that we ask, is before you say we "blow" you should first at least try it. And then you can offer some constructive criticism if need be. You can also offer a compliment if need be.
Let's be thanful that we live in a country where we do have the freedom to fly, the freedom to complain or compliment. Many places you cannot. Let's be thankful for our many friends and family and our armed forces men and women who will not be with their families this holiday to give us these freedoms, and hopefully to allow others around the world to have the same.
**stepping down from soap box**

My young, ages 9 and 12 (adult!!!), grandchildren will be flying to visit me without an adult. It sounds as if they could easily be separated as they board the nonstop flight. If this is true, I will have to cancel their tickets and get new ones on an airline which reserves seats. Does anyone have any suggestions? I have never even looked at airlines other than SW, but I guess now I will have to do so when I buy tickets.

I have experienced the new boarding procedures and I have no problems with it once it gets in sync and your gate agents follow the established protocol.

That being said, I am simply floored by your new pricing structure. In the past 48 hours, the company I work for (in Phoenix) has removed Southwest from its "preferred" list of airlines because the new pricing structure is unbelievable. As one of the travel coordinators for my company, I am perplexed as to the justification for the sudden sticker shock.

Even for personal travel, your pricing has certainly excluded me. That ticket from Phoenix to Las Vegas that was running $118 (which included fees and taxes) two months ago is now $239 even if I book four months in advance. You are going to have to show me hard evidence that your costs have doubled in order to justify those increases. At $239, I can add another $80 and fly JetBlue to NYC.

You have said you are trying to appeal to the business traveler. Did you run any of these changes in front of focus groups, because if you had, I doubt you would have instituted the pricing structure. I have been coordinating travel on the corporate level for about 20 years now and every business traveler I know falls into one of two camps: the "bargain hunter" and the "upgrader."

The first is going to fly the cheapest flight they can get in order to save money for the bottom line. They don't particularly care that they are in boarding group B or C. They just know that $118 from Phoenix to Orange County is a good buy. But now, that flight is $239 and they can now go to USAir which is offering the same routing for $118. Your pricing structure has driven off the "bargain hunter" businessperson into the arms of another airline, not to mention us Average Joe's who chose Southwest because of the cheap fares regardless of the time of day.

The "Upgrader" flies coach on Delta/United/American/etc. in hopes they can hit the upgrade elite status so that they have a very good change of moving up from coach to Business Class or First Class. It is there that they can open up the laptop and have room to actually do some work. The upgrade on Southwest is that you get on the plane first and you get a free cocktail. But, your seat will always come with the same pitch and width. My travelers want the chance to move up and get a better seat, not a free cocktail. Getting on the airplane first is unimportant because they have an assigned seat. So, Southwest is now chasing them away, too, and the arms of another airline is ready to accept them.

In the video above, there are plenty of nods about how Southwest just HAS to change. But you never really state why. SW is one of the few profitable airlines with a business model that worked when Northwest Airlines was keeping people trapped on the tarmac in Detroit for 10-12 hours. Why does something that isn't broken need fixing? You don't need to change for the sake of change.

So, with fares higher than other airlines, no real "upgrades" per se, and the death of a business model that worked, please let me know why I or my corporate travelers should fly SWA?

Heard on CNN yesterday that Southwest flew more passengers in the first 8 months of this year than any other airline in the world ...69 MILLION!!!! Management at SW must know a little bit more on how best to operate their business than all of us put together. They've been an outstanding airline in the past, and I believe they will continue to be - with or without a couple hundred spoiled, whiney passengers. Besides, if the new proceedures need tweaking, I'm sure Southwest will tweak.

I have faith in an airline that has proven fiscal responsiibility AND an exemplary safety record. When I fly the legacies I feel like I'm paying twice...once in my tax dollars to bail them out from bankruptcy and then again for the cost of the ticket.

Desert ranger....

SOUTHWEST IS STILL CHEAPER THAN FRONTIER AND UA!!!

Oops - Gary...Gary...Gary

I have flown Southwest almost exclusively (98% of the time) in the last 8 years, logging more than 300 flights.

This one is probably going to cost you a lot of loyal passengers, although there really aren't a lot of other decent options in markets like Manchester. If you are going to change the old policy of first come first served, why not just assign seats?

Your system is too complicated and it clashes with Southwest's established "everyone is equal" culture. It also pits passengers against one another because a first boarder will be trying to block out the seats next to them waiting for their traveling partners (who aren't A-listers).

What happens to a child or companion (hey - a companion pass holder is one of your best customers) who can't board with the A-lister?

You didn't think this one through - the best course would be to admit a mistake and either go back to first come first served, or start giving out assigned seats.

The more you try to fix it, the more complex it will become and the more consternation it will create.

Switch to assigned seats or go back to first come first served! Gee - I still like the plastic boarding cards - because hacks on a computer couldn't get ahead of me.

Finally, if you are going to charge extra to board first, let me select my seat! I should at least know what I am buying before I pay you. Check out the Northwest web site - they still don't have it figured out right since you can't assign all the seats at the same time on a multiple leg flight, but at least you know what you are paying for, when you upgrade to an aisle seat 24 hours before the flight.

This is a dramatic culture change, and the many will end up abandoning the airline while the few, with large expense accounts, probably won't make up for the lost revenue.

Even working on the financial numbers, this one doesn't make sense. You didn't properly calculate the revenue that you will loose from loyal passengers looking elsewhere.

PERTAINING TO THE COMMENT OF THE FEMALE WHO WAS ASKED TO ADJUST HER CLOTHING ATTIRE.......KUDOS TO YOU SOUTHWEST AND THE "GENTLEMEN" WHO REQUESTED IT......THIS CAME FROM A "MALE" WHICH WAS A SURPRISE TO EVERYONE I'M SURE, BUT EVERYONE SEEMS TO FORGET ONE BIG FACT..........

BEFORE THAT LADY EVEN ATTEMPTED TO PULL THAT "MINI" DOWN FURTHER, HAVE YOU EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT HER SEATING???????? FOLKS, WHEN SHE SAT DOWN, ALL THAT WAS ON THE SEAT WAS HER "BOTTOM" AND I'LL BE NICE IN ADDRESSING THIS....FROM FRONT TO BACK, HER "BOTTOM".............NOW, NO ONE KNOWS IF SHE WAS WEARING UNDERGARMENTS OR NOT, BUT, GERMS ARE GERMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT TO TAKE A CHANCE TO SIT AFTER HER, WHEN SHE COULD HAVE VERY WELL CONTAMINATED THE SEAT WITH "WHATEVER"...THEN SHE HAD THE NERVE TO EXSPECT AN APOLOGY? GIVE ME A BREAK.......SHE WAS THE ONE SPREADING HER "PERSONAL HYGIENE GERMS" AND THAT IS TOTALLY UNEXCEPTABLE......THERE ARE PEOPLE AROUND, KIDS WHO'S LITTLE HANDS MAY TOUCH THAT SEAT AFTER HER AND CATCH WHATEVER........I WAS FLOORED WHEN I FIRST READ ABOUT IT BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT WAS TOTALLY "UN SANITARY", THEN SHE EXSPECTS THE APOLOGY........WELL, UNLESS SOUTHWEST SCRUBBED HER SEAT WITH CLORAX WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE US....SOUTHWEST DID RIGHT FOR ASKING HER TO ADJUST HER "STYLE." SHE SHOULD NOT SPREAD "WHATEVER" FROM WHAT "UNDER" TO EVERYONE WHO COMES IN CONTACT WITH THAT SEAT....(GOSH, WHERE IS OSHA WHEN YOU NEED THEM)...SWA SHOULD NOT HAVE APOLOGIZE TO HER, AND INSTEAD SHOULD HAVE MADE HER GRAB A BUCKET AND CLORAX AND CLEAN UP HER GERMS........GREAT JOB SOUTHWEST ON ADDRESSING THIS ISSUE............I GUESS SHE TOOK THE TERM "BOTTOMS UP" LITTERALLY.............

People here seem to be under the illusion that fares can remain the
same even though fuel prices have doubled. Get real, people. Extra
money has to come from somewhere. Would you rather pay all the extra
on your tickets or would you rather have business travelers carry most
of the increase?

You know and I know that we buy the cheapest tickets we can find.
Southwest knows it too. Southwest is creatively attempting to keep
leisure fares down as much as possible in the face of high fuel
prices. Cut them some slacK: they are doing it for your own good.

I'd rather be able to afford a flight as a "second-class citizen" then
to have to stay home because I couldn't afford to travel on the
"everyone is equal" airline. The latter is not what I'd call "Freedom
to Fly".

Barbara Watson wrote: "For many of us, it's not about being thrifty;
it's about whether we can afford to fly at all." To Barbara I say:
That is exactly why Business Select is your friend, not your enemy.
Money collected from Business Select customers is money that doesn't
have to come out of your pocket. That money has to come from
somewhere.

People who are complaining about A's no longer being affordable would
be the first ones to complain about a massive increase in leisure
fares in the absence of a program like Business Select. They need to
get a grip on financial reality. The status quo is not an option with
oil at $98. It's just not.

On another subject, Gale Thomssen complained about limited
availability and vowed to switch airlines. Gale, do you have any idea
how difficult it has become to redeem a saver award on any airline
other than Southwest or JetBlue? It's a scandal. We'd always like
better availability, especially on Fridays and Sundays, but
Southwest's award tickets are the most usable in the industry. Ask
anyone at flyertalk.com and they'll tell you the same. One other
suggestion: award availability sometimes improves in the last week or
so before a flight. But for Thanksgiving and Christmas you're not
going to get the peak travel dates you want.

Zach K,

I don't know where you are getting your fares from but I just looked at southwest.com and the fare from phx to vegas with 14 days in advance is STILL $59 each way. Maybe you were looking at us airways' website when you saw the 239 roundtrip fare.

I, too, am a faithful Southwest passenger, although not enough of a frequent flyer to get "special status."

Flying Southwest is a trade-off--you trade some convenience for efficiency and price. I believe that most frequent flyers are savvy enough to check in online and get a good boarding pass. Most people that fly have access to the internet. Families with small children can already board early. When we have travelled long distances with a group, we were able to switch around at the first stop and sit with our group. My motto is " if it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

For the people who are saying "just pay the extra fare": I priced the extra fare for my flight, and it was double the fare I paid expecting just the old system with the added numbers. There is no way Southwest can justify this. There are 6 bulkhead seats and 4 exit row seats with extra leg room, but up to 15 tickets are sold at the "business select" fares. This means that as many as 5 people may pay twice as much for no benefit. This is a fraud.

I have no problem with the new system. 6 flights since the change.. I actually enjoyed the boarding process...SWA need not worry, at least with SWA the plane gets you there on time...

We will wave to those who choose to change airlines when our plane leaves the gate and you are still waiting to board your new found airline because you did not like the new system...

You will all be back in time!

The new boarding procedure - brilliant!! The new Business Select program - FANTASTICALLY BRILLIANT!!! I used to fly you ALL the time, but it just got to be too much of a hassle for boarding. I am now back and using your business Select program. It's great to be back - thanks southwest!
BTW - sure wish you would get direct flights from Hobby to New York City back again - when you had the codeshare with ATA - I flew it almost everyweek for awhile. I heard ATA discontinued it 'cause they thought they were competing wiht Jet Blue - I assure you - they were not competing with Jet Blue. But - whatever the reason - please bring back a direct flight from Hobby to New york City!!! LUV ya!

Southwest employees must take charge at the gates. Make people abide by the rules. I've seen people sit in chairs and say i'm in line(no way) stand like everyone else. Handdicapped solution (must have doctors note) these people get on first and jump off (no sign of medical condition) seen it many times. Plus we do not need a family of mom, dad, aunts, uncles, grandparents to help with the baby. please address these things.

i like the A seating change but, still keep it as first come first serve, and go back to the old pricing selections. at first glance it makes you want to check out other airlines for cheaper filghts plus, get you seat assigned right away and that way there is no need to go online 24 hours in advance,.think about it!

I'm currently a contractor for Southwest, so I fly on the company's dime and wait until the very end of the boarding process before I hit the jetway so that Customers get the best seats. This gives a me a great opportunity to see the pros and cons of the new boarding system as well as a score a middle seat on every leg of the flight :)

From what I've witnessed I've seen a few dramatic shifts in passenger attitudes and activities prior to boarding....

-Passengers are now able to sit down and relax before boarding. No more folks camped out for an hour waiting in line just to secure their spot.
-In upgraded gate areas - families are enjoying the redesigned "family areas" to relax and talk. Upgraded comfy chairs with power sources are fantastic...I heard one guy mention "if I had seats like this I think I might actually come earlier" - wow!
-The process seems a little confusing for some who either haven't flown Southwest in a while or are new flyers. Gate agent announcements seem to reduce the confusion but some more visual descriptors of the process at the gate might be helpful.
-There is a concern that folks may not be exactly where they should be in line, say an A29 is lined up before an A4. I'm sure this process will be tweaked, or peer pressure will force folks to find their right spot in line.

I think the biggest gain for us as Customers is the fact that we can use that time before boarding to eat, sleep, or work unlike in the old system where we had to just wait in line to secure our spot. Additionally, the new Business Select fares may sound a bit elitist - but heck, with oil at $90 a barrel it's going to be very hard for Southwest to keep it's prices down - just like an other airline. Letting a few pay extra to board earlier actually keeps the fares lower for the rest of us.

At the end of the day the boarding process is designed to react to Customers concerns that they were tired of waiting in line. The revised fare options allows Southwest to remain competitive by offsetting rising fuel prices by allowing Customers that wanted additional perks - like being first in line - to pay for that privilege.

Finally, before and after you you board that plane you're still surrounded by the best Customer service in the industry. Southwest keeps me happy, even when I have the last seat which puts me between the two largest fliers on the flight. They have attendants that actually like their jobs; they sing, they clap, they make jokes. You won't find positive attitudes like that on any other airline. - hands down. You have a problem with a flight and you call Reservations, guess what, you're not confronted with a confusing phone-tree queue, you get connected to a real person who really cares. Again - wow - try that with any other airline. They keep it simple and they keep it nice.

For those that are concerned, try out the changes, see what you like, what you don't like, and voice your thoughts. Happy flying!

I hate your seating policy. I fly your airline when I have no other choice. Why you dont learn from JetBlue how to serve your customers.

I refuse to purchase any more SWA tickets until the system is changed back. I believe we deserve a full REFUND on any tickets we have already purchased. My tickets are no longer worth what I paid for them. UNBELIEVABLE that you would install this program, screwing over people retroactively.

Many times, businesses take the risk of alienating their current customers with the hope of attracting new ones. History seems to indicate that this doesn't always pay off.

I never had any problem with the system of open seating. It seemed kind of funny the first time, but then I was okay with it. The bottom line was that I soon found that I was able to get better seats.

It seems to me that this system was designed to appeal to travel columnists instead of Southwest's current customers. I will see it first hand soon enough.

NEW BOARDING PROCEEDURE--USED IT FOR THE FIRST TIME--AS EXPECTED SEVERAL PASSENGERS "VIOLATED" THE LINE W/NO ONE FROM SOUTHWEST "POLICING" THE LINE-UP --WILL JUST GET WORSE AS MORE REALIZE THE LINEUP MEANS LITTLE OR NOTHING.
AS LONG AS SOUTHWEST IS GOING IN THIS DIRECTION--IT SEEMS KIND OF SILLY TO GIVE ME A "BOARDING NUMBER"
WHY DON"T YOU GO ALL THE WAY AND EITHER:
PROVIDE ME W/AN ASSIGNED SEAT OR AT TIME I BOOK (IF ON LINE) SHOW ME THE SEATING CONFIGURATION OF THE PLANE (AS OTHERS DO) AND ALLOW ME TO SELECT THE SEAT(S) W/ MY MOUSE.
U.S. AIRLINES STILL MAKE A MESS OF BOARDING-I USED TO TRAVEL INTERNATIONALLY AND THE SYSTEM IN PLACE IN EUROPE MADE A LOT OF SENSE AND WORKED GREAT!! THE CHECK-IN AT THE GATE ALLOWED YOU TO PRESENT YOUR PASS AS YOU ARRIVED--YOU WERE THEN ALLOWED INSIDE A SEATING/BOARDING CORRAL AND WHEN BOARDING WAS ANNOUNCED EVERYONE SIMPLY FILED ON THE PLANE--NO LAST MINUTE CONFUSION/DELAY AS THE ATTENDANTS TRIED TO "CHECK" EVERYONE IN AT THE LAST MINUTE AS YOU WERE TRYING TO BOARD THE PLANE,BALANCE YOUR BAGS AND HAVE THE USUAL PASSENGER AHEAD OF YOU W/OUT A PASS OR SOME OTHER CONFUSION--IT TURNED THE PLANES AROUND "REALLY FAST!!"

Always flew SWA because once you learned the open seating and check-in system, it simply required a little legwork on your end to acquire a good seat of your choosing. Thought it was a great idea to implement the numbered boarding system to eliminate the need to stay put for an hour before a flight lest yoy lose your spot in line.

The latest change for prefered biz class is deeply disturbing, although not anywhere as disturbing as eliminating the family pre-boarding. My choice of SWA was always fueled by the knowledge that I would be able to avoid sitting a row away from parents with (usually) unattended children who kick seatbacks or climb onto the seatback in front of you, not to mention the lovely sound of bawling infants. That was the risk you took when purchasing assigned seats with another airline; you never knew who you'd be sitting near.

My two cents...establishing an elite biz-class that has dibs on "A" seats removes the best aspect of choosing SWA as my carrier of choice. Not pre-boarding children is a HUGE mistake. Increased fares are a fact of the economy and fuel prices. While I was always a steadfast loyal customer of SWA, I fear I have purchased my last ticket to fly with them. I think I'd rather pay an extra $50 to $100 and not have to deal with this nonsense by purchasing assigned seats on another airline.

SWA...you took a once great thing and totally destroyed it. Way to go...

We have homes on the East Coast (Philadelphia) and the Other Coast (Spokane, WA) and fly cross-country several times a year - often on Southwest. In general we have liked the experience, and have on a couple occasions snared boarding passes numbered in the first 5 (yeah, my wife has the internet thing timed to the nano-second). While not crazy about playing the A-B-C Line-up Game, we endured and usually were there early enough to get seats to our liking, at NO ADDITIONAL COST. You have always put the customer first, and to your credit, you fill your planes and turn them areound better that anyone we fly. But PLEASE take heed of what we, your loyal customers, are saying. Don't rock the boat for those of us that got you where you are today. Establishing "classes of boarders" goes against your founding principles. We all know what KISS means - let's admit the error in judgemant and level the playing field again.

Herb, Gary & Colleen:

I'll stand up and defend your position with the best of men or women. Your thoughtful redesign is the best of both worlds. You have obviously taken a very long time to think this process through.

Most of the comments I have seen here have to do with people who fly infrequently. For those folks with the disadvantage of Orlando...my heart goes out to you...it must be difficult flying nearly any airline from the land of Mickey. However, as a recent flier of Northwest into Memphis...at a Ghastly $1493...then $116 for a change fee because I stayed one extra day, I'll take Southwest for are long as I can.

This past week, I had the pleasure of flyig on the new system. Both at full fare as well as at the new Business Select Rates. Regular full fare and early checkin still lands you a decent seat on the planes. Business Select will probably land the exit rows with all the leg room. It appears as though 1-10 are held for Business Select Clients. Since many people don't purchase these fares...then A11 has a good shot at great seats. All without a cattle call. In fact I had A55 on the return trip from Salt Lake to Baltimore and still had a middle seat in the exit row. You'll find not much of a difference than in the previous design...except the long lines.

Simply a brilliant design. Smart, Elegant, extremely well done. My compliments to all those hard working folks that put this plan in to effect.

Keep up the great work

Now if you can just connect to Rochester MN so that we can slaughter Northwest :)

Shawn Pearsall
Productive Solutions, Inc.
Fairport, New York

I just returned from a conference in Las Vegas. The conference was the Word of Mouth Marketing Association Summit. Angela Vargo with SWA was one of the breakout session panelists. As part of the breakout session Angela discussed these recent changes in the boarding process and the prioritization of frequent travelers when distributing boarding assignments.

Angela if you're reading this:

- I enjoyed the discussion session
- Thanks for the inflatable plane (my kids are grown so I gave it to another conference attendee)
- I think Southwest has made a mistake.

Not having exposure to the business case and extensive research and planning that went into this decision I'm clearly missing the drivers for this new approach. What I am aware of is the first hand exposure of the power of word of mouth marketing I experienced in the boarding line and on the plane ride home from Las Vegas. I was shocked by the volume of anger and frustration expressed by other travelers. Up and down the line one person after another expressed their disappointment and disgust for preference being given to the privileged few versus the average Joe. The decision didn't seem to fit the SWA brand. This may turn out to be a great WoM case study for a future WOMMA Summit.

I'm anxious to see the customer response over the next few weeks/months.

Jerry

The difference in a $99 web special and 'Business Select' $389 on a one-way leg is ... well ... $290. Nearly $600 RT? Business flyers are asking for this? Really? Did SWA switch business consulting firms? For everyone who thinks the new boarding is better ... you're kiddin' ... right?

Gary,

I encourage you to give your new boarding system and business select choices a chance.
My first thought about the new system was like many others - "don't fix what ain't broken" however after a couple of runs at it, I 've come around to it.
I have chosen Business Select as my seat of choice the last two times I've flown and I'm giving it a thumbs up. As a business owner, with last minute flight schedules, I like the options that Business Select offers and the options of last minute changes without huge penalty costs. As reference, I fly a couple of times each month during the year and look forward to flying Southwest Airlines. And really, your on-time record is what really sets you apart from he other guys. No other airline can even come close as far as I'm concerned.
Thanks for the superb service.

DJ

The new boarding process in reality is too complicated. People do not know where and when to line up. People do not like it, go look from behind the scenes and listen to the comments in the boarding area in a place like Las Vegas or L.A. Bring back the pld simple way please or just do it by numbers only. Maybe just preboard your Business Select people like other airlines do with boarding their first class people first so they get first choice of a seat. Thank You

Those of you who are considering trying other airlines may want to take a look
at the piece of the Phoenix ABC affliate put together. The piece authored by
Lisa Fletcher. Look under the heading "Cashing in frequent flyer (SWA has Rapid Rewards) miles without sufficient advance notice.

source:www.abc15.com

The new boarding proceedure with the poles is the first major error I have observed at Southwest in its history.

This is a confusing big mistake.

Hi, I am an "A-Lister" thanks to traveling the required number of segments over the past 12 months, so I guess I should be happy about it. However, even as such, I noticed last night on my flight from Austin to Dallas that most of the boarding group from A1 to A15 was non-existent. Do these spots get saved for last-minute business fare bookings? It just seemed odd. And, most of us in line were wondering just what was up.

Although I think the basic principles behind your changes are well-intentioned, the execution leaves something to be desired. I will not be an A-Lister for long given these changes, as I will start to fly American and/or Continental more often. I think the old system was really not so bad afterall.

I am VERY, VERY UNHAPPY with Southwest's recent Familes With Infants/Young Children Pre-boarding changes.

In October, my wife and I traveled with our two children from Mississippi to New Hampshire via BWI. One child is 2 yrs old, the other 2 MONTHS old. We were STUNNED when told we could no longer preboard and must wait - strollers, etc in tow - in the regular line and HOPE we could sit together!

I would like Gary Kelly or any other executive at Southwest to answer this: have you ever tried to board a plane with TWO children 2 and under - WITHOUT pre-boarding? Folks in line looked at us like we didn't know what we were doing. They said "you can pre-board...why are you here?". They, like we, could not believe that this convenience had been taken away from families with VERY young children. (for the record, my two kids have yet to cry or disturb anyone on any flight - they are extremely well behaved in flight...and I have seen some disruptive infants/kids while flying believe me)

And I totally agree with the person who wrote about the "fake handicap" pre-boarders. WHY would you send a family with infant(s) into the pack with strollers and all that comes with travelling with children...yet allow the voluntarily obese in wheelchairs to pre-board?? The vast majority of these folks in wheelchairs - are just FAT AND LAZY...they are NOT handicapped! Don't believe me? Try watching them walk or jog throught a given airport...only to look VERY pitiful slouching into a nearby wheelchair as they near their gate. It's in plain sight for God's sake!

My family has flown Southwest for 10 years. I have been a stockholder since 1993. I have sung the praises of this airline to all who would listen.

And now I have stopped.

We are disappointed in this company. My young family must now look to other airlines that will allow pre-boarding when travelling with very young children.

I never thought this day would come.

You need to better train your gate agents for the new boarding system. It's a great idea that should avoid passengers having to stand in line, but on a flight out of Las Vegas to Indianapolis/BWI on November 10 it didn't work worth a damn. The agent was still having people line up for A or B, leaving it to the passengers to sort themselves out in groups 1-5, etc. even though there were numbered posts where they should have been directed. It was rank confusion. I also saw folks roaming around the terminal before boarding who were perfectly mobile, but when pre-boarding was called, they were boarded as disabled. Let's cut out that nonsense too.

I have been a loyal Southwest customer for about 5 years. I live in San Francisco and go over to Oakland to get the Southwest flights I want. It was worth it for the convenience and price of Southwest. After completing the trips I already have booked for the holidays, I will be flying on United for all of my future trips. Although I often take 12-16 roundtrips in a year, I likely won't qualify for the "A" Rewards program, and if I want to get in the A group for a decent seat I will have to buy the Business Select tickets, which end up being MORE expensive than getting an ASSIGNED seat on United from a much more convenient airport. I was initially excited to hear that Southwest would start boarding by number, as I used to usually be one of the first to check in and print my boarding pass, but didn't realize that you'd be implementing other changes that would make it pretty much impossible for non-business travelers to get in the A group (as a side note, I've flown Southwest for business trips before, because of the low rates - my employers chose Southwest because of their low fares, and would not pay for the Business Select fares). I have to say I'm very disappointed in the way Southwest has chosen to change the boarding policy. I mean, this is so complicated and user-unfriendly, why not just assign seats? As of now, there is nothing convenient or advantageous for me to fly Southwest. After five years of 12-16 roundtrips per year on Southwest, I regret to say I am done. Another example of a company making "improvements" that completely eliminate things that made them great. I'm curious to know exactly how you surveyed your customers to come to this conclusion.

Question: What should a highly successful operation do when it outperforms its competition year after year and builds a phenomenally loyal customer base? When it consistently shows a profit while its competitors bounce in and out of bankruptcy court? When its customers share stories about the fun they had on their flights, while competitor's customers complain endlessly about how horrible their experience has been?

Southwest's answer: Change to be more like the competition!!

Anybody remember "New Coke"?? What an amazingly bad decision made by the (obviously) new leadership at Southwest. Herb, where are you?? Please come rescue your loyal customers!! I have always chosen Southwest over any other airline whenever possible, but now will have to reconsider that decision. If I have to pay more to get a seat I want, will the flight still be cheaper? If I don't pay the increased price, will I get stuck in a middle seat between the guy who smells bad and the woman with a screaming baby? Who knows? Why take the risk?

I fly Southwest because they have cheaper fares, lightning fast turnaround at the gate, rarely a canceled flight, and I get to choose my seat in person when boarding. I'm at the airport early anyways, so why not get in line and get a great seat? Now, I will lose out to those who pay extra for the right to choose first. Kind of like the "Lexus lanes" being added to highways, where those willing (and able) to pay can get a faster travel lane.

Shame on you, Southwest. Shame on Gary Kelly. And shame on Herb Kelleher for allowing this to happen before he leaves. You have a very disappointed customer, and one very upset shareholder. Apparently I'm not the only one, though, judging by the stock price since the announcement.

Has anyone taken a tally of positive comments vs. negative ones from this posting and the previous announcement posting.

As I scroll through I don't have the time to read every single one but I'd guess it's 5 to 1 negative to positive.

As a current employee I originally thought the plan was great for 2 reasons:

1. Families still sit together, which is very important, and they don't clog up the jetway waiting for their strollers to come up from the belly of the plane. Strollers are already waiting for them. Additionally, they don't sit in the front of the plane clogging up the boarding and deplaneing.

2. The numbered system is great and most love it because they don't have to stand in line.

However, this BS system is where the gripes stand. First of all, we named it BS! That's like naming your unborn baby something you know he will get teased for the rest of his life. It doesn't seem that the business community or the non-business community likes it. I know we do exhaustive research on every move we make but holy moly! We are getting blasted from all sides on every aviation web forum I've read.

I hope this was a process put in place to be easily changeable.

THANKS SWA FOR THE BUSINESS SELECT; WE ARE SO TIRED OF WAITING IN LINES FOR AN HOUR AND SOMETIMES TWO, PAYING $450 FOR A SEAT SETTING NEXT TO SOMEONE THAT PAID $100, ALL THE SILLY PREBOARDS JUMPING AHEAD OF LONG WAITERS.. SWA IS NO LONGER THE AIRLINE OF THE ECONOMY CLASS NOW WE BUSINESS TRAVELERS HAVE A BUSINESS CLASS, WE PAY MORE WE GET MORE, TAKE THAT ALL YOU CHEAP WHINERS..

When I first heard about the new boarding system I was optimistic. I have experienced the "get there early sit on the floor and wait" for years and watched the attitudes and tempers flare with those further back in line jockeying for position. I enjoy the SWA mentality of "he who is best prepared gets the best seat" and I expected the same ideal to hold true with the new group/ number assignment system. However, I was surprised when I logged in exactly 24 hours early online, as usual, and recieved an A36 designation. Normally logging in this early would result in a number below 5. Later, at the airport, I learned about the Business Class option and the pieces fell into place.

While I do appreciate SWA's attempt at expanding the client base, my question is: is it worth alienating the budget flyers who have been the bread and butter of your business for decades? I do enjoy sitting in a seat until it is time to board, but ditch the Business business and you have it nailed.

Mini DVD players are on sale and I highly recommend them for the frequent flyer in your family. $ 49.00 at Walmart Friday morning. They are great for long flights and late nights. Happy Thanksgiving to all and to all a great flight.

I Just switched all my business travel to SWA and could not be happier. I live in Phx, Az and had the option to fly SWA or US Air. I have been a Chairman member with US Air for 10 yrs (100 segments per year).

After many problems this past year with US Air I decided enough is enough. I will give up a first class seat on US Air to fly SWA for the simple reason SWA gets you from point A to B on time.

As far as the new boarding process I have experienced it for 2 weeks now and the only problem I see with it is they call A 1-30 and people that might have A 30 jump the line. This problem needs to be addressed before there are fights.

As far as the new Business Select I have purchased this fare twice and think that it is a good move. For the people who travel 1-4 times per year on tickets that cost $99.00 one way for a cross country flight stop youÃ

Dear Sirs:
For some 35 years, I have flown Southwest almost exclusively out of Houston Hobby. I made the switch to Continental about a year ago, after having grown weary of the disproportionate number of leisure travelers on each flight. As a small business owner, traveling on business, I simply found myself part of a smaller and smaller segment of business passengers. Southwest definitely shifted it's focus toward leisure customers, all the while making changes and reducing business passenger benefits. Making the change to Continental was difficult at first, having been a loyal Southwest customer for so many years, but truthfully, the transition became much easier when I realized how similar Continental services and business traveler benefits were to the original Southwest Airlines business traveler, many years ago. While I hope the new business traveler program is successful, I would like to remind Southwest management that you can't have it both ways, your primary focus has to be on one segment or the other. In my opinion, current Southwest management has already succeeded in turning off a significant portion of business travelers over the last several years, I can only surmise that they'll now offend their primary leisure travelers, in their effort to regain lost business travelers. I wish Southwest success in this new program, but once again I see current Southwest Management playing with fire, convinced that they're going to satisfy everyone. As in most of their decisions over the last few years, they are simply pushing more and more of their better customers into the arms of their competitors. What made Southwest successful to begin with is the fact that they were different than the other carriers. Current Managment seems determined to become more and more like every other carrier. At the end of the day, I strongly believe that the current path, will end up being the demise of Southwest.

After using the new boarding method in Lubbock, I must say that it is a great improvement to everyone waiting in line for an hour before the flight. The problem in Lubbock is the very cheap signage in the line-up area, rather than the screens and columns that I saw getting off in Houston. I would hope that every station will eventually get the better set-up, because the numbers are so high on the signs in Lubbock, not to mention the fact that some of them were turned sideways, had everyone more confused. I applaud the new boarding, but please get us the good signage soon and get the cheap signs removed!

Gary, I'm not sure if this belongs under this subject but it is related to a relatively recent change that you've made. I see in your Spirit Magazine that "digital cameras" are now no longer allowed use below 10,000 feet. I haven't flown in a year or so so this must be fairly recent. I understand why certain devices are banned, as they may interfere with aircraft electronics, but I have never heard of this before and none of the other major airlines ban their use in this way. I've never had a problem with keeping my camera handy on a Southwest flight - in fact its been quite a conversation piece with some of the Flight Attendants and Pilots as many of your employees are also aviation enthusiasts. I have taken quite a few fascinating pictures while flying and I always get positive comments from those pictures that I have posted online. In fact, some of my pictures have been used by your cargo department for their annual employee calendar in the past. The scenery when flying is truly beautiful.

Southwest has a lot of employees as well as customers who are aviation enthusiasts. I was very disappointed to hear the cameras need to be shut off. I hope that you can re-consider this or perhaps make it more specific (as "digital cameras" covers a wide range) because it doesn't seem to be a problem for other carriers or the FAA.

I am so sad as I write this. For 10 years I have never looked at another airline when traveling. I loved Southwest, I defended Southwest, I had all of my friends and family and extended family flying Southwest (and believe me with 9 siblings and families that is a lot of people). The problem is I have free flights from Rapid Rewards that I can not use when I need them. My husband is out of the country and all I wanted was my daughter to be able to come home to Kansas from California for Christmas. She only gets off work from Sunday through Tues. By the way she also has a free flight. When I look at booking I am told "not available" - well the flight is available is you have switched to the new business class rewards but that is not fair to those of us who have earned the standard award. I realize that you have a business to run and that times are hard. But Mr. Keller you always said that you put the regular people your customers first, I believe that this is not longer so. Seems like greed has overcome Southwest. There are seats available on these flights - this is a family time of year - what business is being conducted on the Sunday, Monday and Tuesday of Christmas week - open these flights to your regular everyday people. Don't be a Scrooge. I am sorry that I am being so mean in this e-mail, I am just so sad right now.

I(we)have been flying with Southwest for some time now. Many of the trips are to/from St. Louis. Prior to the "change" I thought the boarding areas, were not very well situated for waiting passengersconsequently resulting in some raised tension(s) amongst some passengers. On 11/10/07 I again had a flight from St. Louis. The day previously, I got my boarding pass(A23), and arrived thinking everything would be running smoothly. In the boarding area, I observed the separated(1-5/6-10/11-15/etc.)areas. Passengers were loosely hanging around. After the "pre-boards", the male Southwest employee made one exclamation(I'll take 1 through 30)which then caused a minor somewhat uncontrolled rush to biard. This may be an improvement over the previous procedure, but not really that much. If this is how it is to be done, then there is no need for the separated sections(1-5, etc.). Thanks.......Bob Horvatich

I have been meaning to write to Southwest Air for many months. Your recent changes have prompted me to take the time to finally write. Before I start, please note that I have flown a Southwest round trip flight almost every week for the past 2 years. I am approaching approximately 100 round trip flights in 2 years; 95%+ on Southwest. I really feel like you all are part of my family. I mainly fly for business but several flights a year are pleasure as well. My wife and 2 sons, travel on Southwest as well.

First off, CONGRATULATIONS on the changes to the boarding process. Thursday November 8th was my first chance to experience the new process at PBI. I have flown about 6 flights under the new procedures. These changes have been a long time coming. For 2 years, I have been defending my turf in the A line, observing shouting matches, shoving matches, fights, ignorance, rudeness, etc. Thank God for this boarding process change. It worked very well on Thursday. I now have time to relax after the fun security process and before boarding. However I do agree that your boarding agents need to provide much better direction on the boarding process. Saying "A 1 through 30 can now board" causes much confusion, anger and angst. I suggest that they call out for A 1-5, then A1-10, A1-15, A1-20, etc. I have unfortunately already seen many fliers try to cut in front of others. e.g. those with A30 or higher going to the front of the line and not being stopped/questioned by your agents.

I think that your new boarding process has been well thought out including the family boarding. The prior system has been abused for way too long. And may I say "shame on you" to the many pre-boarders that blatently abuse the pre-board/wheelchair process. I have been shoved out of the way many times exiting the plane by those (now quite mobile walkers/runners) that came on via wheelchair. Miracles in flight, yes there are......every flight?!?

I am very pleased to hear about the new Boarding Pass priority A selection process as well. I guess this is as close as we will get (on Southwest) to priority boarding for frequent fliers like me. Thank you!! It would be great if we Priority fliers could get the boarding pass greater than 24 hours but I understand if you can't make that happen.

I am very close on the Companion Fare opportunity as well. I am somewhere in the 90 to 95 flight range. Guess I need to get a SW VISA to get a few extra credits.

May I thank you for your on-time, non-stop or direct flights, and affordable fares. Your flight attendants, pilots and gate attendants are very professional and helpful. I even appreciate their humor.
Now if you could only invent Southwest airplane toilet seats that stay up while "us guys" are going to the bathroomÃ

I have flown SWA since the new boarding procedure, and it worked fairly well. However, the poles with the groups of 5 on them seem to be too close, as all 5 of us could not fit between them. Maybe there were people not lining in the right sport and this was the problem? Like others have said, enforcement will be the key, ensuring people board in their "group of 5" and not out of turn. My flight was half full, so that definitely helped make the process smooth. The only other thing is that there seems to be less seats in the waiting area to make room for the poles, thus not everyone will be able to sit until boarding as the new system is supposed to allow.

Southwest is catoring to the business class of flyers and I will have to agree with a previous blogger that Mr. Kelly's video was very political.

It seems to me that Southwest has now created a "first class" for their airline and that is Business Plus. Those of us who fly for work or for pleasure are forced to pay the "first class" fare or risk getting a B or C unless we meet their number of flights rule. I like the boarding changes but I think Southwest pushed it a little too far. Keep the boarding changes but change the special treatment Business Plus people get and/or the REALLY frequent travelers receive. If we are sitting at our computer and push check in 24 hours in advance Southwest should be fair and allow us to get the number we deserve.

I have been flying Southwest for work while my fellow employees have been flying another airline because I liked Southwest. I will have to say, I will now be flying the other airline with my co-workers because sitting in a middle seat from Baltimore to San Diego is not worth it - especially if I check in at exactly 24 hours in advance.

I just checked in for my flight from Baltimore to San Diego - paid refundable fare price - and got an A30. I don't like it and this will be my last roundtrip on Southwest.

I am very disappointed with Southwest. Southwest allowed the average person to fly with no consequence of how much you paid, how often you flew and whether you were flying for work or pleasure. The average person, flying for pleasure, paying a fare they can afford can now enjoy a boarding group of C and a center seat.

Of course all the bloggers who fly for business like the new set up - they meet the flight criteria and they get the A-list treatment or they get their "A" boarding group reserved because they pay Business Plus fares. Southwest is now a business friendly airline and they seem to careless about the average flyer.

Lessoned learned: If you want a good seat, a low number in the A boarding group, you must now pay the Business Plus fare.

Just raise the fares across the board and make it fair for all.

Gosh! I have a real easy comment.

ENFORCE YOUR OWN POLICY!

I really don't care how or why you change any aspect of your policy. You make those decisions based on research that I'm not aware of. Besides, once I learn any system I will be aware of what I need to do to get what I want out of it.

However, if you don't enforce your own boarding policies, then why even bother asking our opinions.

I have no desire to pay extra for Business Select when the A1 thru A15 area is crowded with A50's.

I'm an A-Lister and will be one for many more years but lining up as an A16 just allows the A50's to jump in front of me by breaking the rules.

So, even though I don't care how you change the policies I hate the new system because it is not enforced.

To everyone who is SOOOOO happy that families with small children do not get to board 1st, I will be looking to sit right next to you with my 1 1/2 year old and I will not have a problem inconviencing you while I put everything away. Also, sorry if he talks to you or makes a noise, he does not understand the difference between the Business Select Passenger and the rest of the passengers. At his age he sees everyone the same not separate classes!!!

Something else that needs to be corrected and keeps coming up from the Business people who are spending someone elses money. IF YOU HAVE A LAP CHILD, SOUTHWEST AIRLINES WILL NOT LET YOU CHECK IN ONLINE, SO YOU DO NOT EVEN HAVE A CHANCE TO GET AN A.

Also, if there is 137 seats on a plane how can there be 60A's??????

I am not a business flier but I was the Loyal SWA customer who went to SWA for all of my flights. Maybe I am wrong but from what I see above I am not alone when I ask the question, Why change one of the only successful airlines in the US?? You company was built by people like me who loyaly flew 4-6 round trips a year. The last time I looked it was very successful, it will be interesting to see where you and your business travelers go when you stop seeing the families travel on SWA.

I wish you the best, I really like what you use to be.

I've got to say I'm a bit dissapointed. I've been a loyal Southwest customer for years, flying several times a year. I've enjoyed the fact that everyone is treated the same. You show up. You get on the plane. And you might sit next to a business person. You might sit next to a family on vacation. You might sit next to a kid going home from college. It was alwasy different, and you never knew who you were going to meet. Anyway, it set you apart. It was fun.

Now you're starting Business Select and the Business rates where certain people if they're willing to pay a little more are guaranteed to get on the plane a little bit earlier than everyone else and get the seat they want. Sounds like you're going the way of everyone else. Why not just have a business class section of the plane and while you're at it just assign everyone a seat. That's what the other guys would do.

Best of luck with you're new way of doing things.

A dissapointed fan who will probably fly you a little bit less because the differences are getting less and less.

Kory Tedrick
St. Louis, MO

Since 9/11, any smart traveler will arrive at the airport 2 hours early. Now instead of sitting on the floor enjoying the company of our fellow travelers, we must mill around the greedy food vendors. I have been a loyal SWA traveler for many years and have had a companion pass for the pass 4 years. But alas, since I have not traveled as much this year, I do not qualify for preferred boarding. You have made a joke out of Rapid Rewards, since you have started restricting the available seats. I guess the new fee structure will replace what you lose from the fleeing client base that made you successful. You have moved from something special to just another airline. Maybe one of your competitors will adopt your business plan that has made you and capture your former customers as they flee. I always felt special on SWA and I m sad to see so many good memories fade!

If the primary goal of Southwest's boarding procedure is to board the plane faster (I think both the old and new system share this goal), there needs to be a way to align the goals of passengers and the airline together. There really isn't a lot of motivation now for passengers to board quickly.

Perhaps a way to 'reward' passengers for boarding the plane quickly could be implemented. For example, let's say SWA expects to board a plane in 15 minutes (this would vary based on the number of ticketed passengers). Perhaps a reward system where the passengers receive something if they board faster (maybe a .25 RR credit bonus, free drink coupon, or a $5 credit on their account). I think the prospect of a reward for boarding the plane more quickly may motivate passengers to load their bags quicker, clear the aisle faster, etc.

The only negative I can think of is passengers getting mad at another passenger for taking too long to clear the aisle, but I think if the reward is small enough, people will be motivated without being too upset when they don't get it.

Thoughts?

I've always enjoyed flying Southwest, but did not look forward to the check-in. People playing cards in the floor, waiting an hour or more in advance, luggage holding places in line, it all seemed a little ridiculous to me.

I think the new changes have reduced the stress of the check-in, and I thought it was well organized. Oh, and I love business select. When I am traveling on business and have to book flights last minute, I'll pay the extra. And I like moving of the boarding of children to between A & B.

The mark of a good airline: alway striving to be the best including trying different things to make things better. Great Job!

I love SWA. I love the new boarding procedure. And I love the fact that Southwest continues to innovate and arrive at a completely different solution to the boarding issue while not sacrificing the open seating that we've come to love.

Keep doing it right and keep making money. I love flying a profitable airline!

I have flown SWA several times since the new boarding was implemented. I love it. No more watching people act like cattle standing in line for hours when the plane has not even arrived. I have not had a problem getting an A thus far except once and I still got an aisle seat even with that B. Keep up the good work SWA. Looking forward to my next flight in a couple of weeks.
I don't know what people are complaining about with this new system. It works for me.

Heads up to those that are flying either MCI-DAL or DAL-SAT this week. There will be a even greater need to check in as close to 24 hours before as possible due to the Missouri football fans going to San Antonio. Also since Kansas and Missouri have the same home airport (MCI), there is a possiblity that these flights have been/will be overbooked because of the Kansas cancellation possibilities. Make sure you check-in early to get your seats. Correct me if I'm wrong.

How about, Families will be able to board first, if they would like sit in the last 10 rows. They would then be close to the rear galley and bathroom. Boarding first,it gives them time to get situated as the front of the plane starts to fill. (without clogging the isle). At the destination, ground crews have time to have strollers and car seats on the jet way when the get off last.

Jennifer, Parents traveling with small children deserve and need extra assistance! Many of us have been there (as passengers traveling with children) and we remember how tough it was. I remember the days of trying to fold up the stroller with a diaper bag over one shoulder, totebag and baby in the other...wondering if I had too many carry-ons!

Changing tables in the restrooms are about to become a reality.
I'm not sure of the date but they should be rolling out soon if not already. Hooray!

We do like to think we are a family-friendly airline and we love seeing travel made a little easier for all of our families. Always know the flight attendants are most happy to help you. Many of us are mothers too! Families are LUVed at SWA!

I am a businessman and travel frequently. I recently used Southwest to fly to Phoenix. My experience with the boarding process was not a good one. The efficiencies gained by Southwest may be great but the inefficienties of the process on customers is also great. To start with, to get a "choice" you have to go to the Southwest website and click on the button 24 hours ahead to get a good "choice" seat. If you don't click within a millisecond of the time, your chance of getting a good seat is not happening. In addition, I had to leave a meeting to go a web computer to perform this function both on the trip out and back. Talk about unintended consequences. I also do not like standing like cattle in the lines prior to boarding. I don't have to do this on other airlines. I don't feel the anxiety of not knowing. This may be fantastic for Southwest but the mumbling in the cattle lines is not positive. I don't have the time or the will to go through this process just for a flight again. Sorry.

Andrea, thanks for the great news that Southwest's Ops Agents are enforcing the sequence. The poles with the numbers mark your correct position, so you don't need to ask others what numbers they have in order to find your correct place. If after knowing that you still prefer to try boarding out of sequence then you really do belong on another airline.

What many people here don't yet realize is that slots A1-A15 are normally almost empty. Those are the Business Select slots that mostly go unsold. So the A20 you saw was actually in the first 5 mini-group of non-Business Select passengers. The Ops Agent did it exactly right.

It's a good system. Learn it and you'll love it.

One recommendation to Southwest from this customer: Go ahead and ratchet down the count of Business Select slots sooner rather than later. You can let it grow later. The reason is to eliminate the large gap (nearly empty A1-A15 positions) that confuses newbies and tempts line jumpers. Operational considerations outweigh potential but unlikely revenue, at least for now.

Can some one put on the main website the deal with the A1-A15 Business Select spots and also A-1 treatment exist only 36 hours and up for the A-1 people. Thanks.

As a business traveler, often flying 3 or more times a week, I LUV the new boarding process. I am now able to arrive a little later and get more work done at the same time. The revamped gate areas are LUV-ly and so customer oriented!!! The A+Priority is awesome too. The only change I would make would be in the alcoholic beverage area...I have all these free drink tickets and you really don't serve alcohol that I drink. ....if you only served White Zinfindal, Amaretto or Michelobe Ultra ! SW still has the best flight attendents and flight crews around!!!!!! Thanks for all you do.

I am writing this message with the hope it actually reaches someone in the Southwest decision making process who will read it. I am sure there are good reasons for many of the changes Southwest has made recently. Some I agree with, some I donÃ

I've posted a few times before on this topic. Quick synapse: LUVin' it.

BUT, it just occurred to me after reading another post above that your new Business Select fare will be short-handed as "BS". I found this to be fairly amusing.

Personally, I feel as though your marketing people could have come up with a WILDLY more exciting name that is more fun than "Business" and "Business Select", which is so dry and boring and not the typical SWA style. I expected more creativity from the airline that turned a mini-skirt incident into a hilarious and successful national advertising campaign :)

Just some thoughts.

Regardless, see y'all at LAX in a couple weeks when I travel with friends to LAS for a fun filled day! Happy flying!
cheers, artie

I personally like the new boarding for families. There was nothing more annoying than arriving at the gate an hour and half early, being the first person in the A group line, then have 40 people walk up at the last minute to pre-board. I look at it as, if you need to pre-board, you need to follow the same rules as everyone else and get there early, not just skip up to the gate at the last minute and get on first.

As far as the new pricing......not really into it. We fly Southwest exclusively because they go everywhere we want, with the exception of COS and the prices are perfect. Now, if you want to get a decent seat, you have to pay a higher fare, not to mention fly 16 roundtrips in a year. I do fly alot, but not 16 times a year.
As the saying goes...if it ain't broke, don't fix it! Everyone was happy with the original pricing. The pre-board defineltly needed an overhaul, but the fares were wonderful....now, not so much.

Good luck with the new fare structure.

I try to fly SWA whenever I can. They are usually on-time and my baggage is coming off of the belt before I get there. I like the new boarding method (people don't need to sit on the floor for an hour before the flight) --- except the change of pre-boarding families with infants or children under 3yrs. As an "A" boarder I want the choice of whether I sit next to a crying and screaming baby. They used to be in the front of the plane -- Now I hear them all over the plane and there is no way to get away from them. For those that have "Miracle Cures" while flying I think I may have the solution to the problem -- Seat anyone that is preboarded because of a disability in certain rows. Those rows will then have to wait until everyone has deplaned before they will be allowed to deplane just like real disabled persons. I have added the quote from a mother who is also unhappy with the small infant pre-boarding change, I thought it was right on from her perspective and from mine also -- "To everyone who is SOOOOO happy that families with small children do not get to board 1st, I will be looking to sit right next to you with my 1 1/2 year old and I will not have a problem inconviencing you while I put everything away. Also, sorry if he talks to you or makes a noise, he does not understand the difference between the Business Select Passenger and the rest of the passengers. At his age he sees everyone the same not separate classes!!! " I will continue to use SWA whenever possible and look forward to improvements in the tweaking process.
Thanks for listening, Don

I am a 25 year devoted SWA customer. One of the things I have always liked was ABC boarding scheme, which I thought was quite fair. If you had your STUFF together and checked in early...you are in the A group. If you didn't better luck next time. Plus I am friends with a few of your mechanics who explain taht you actuallt DO regular quality maintenace on the 737...

I tried your new business class (guaranteed A classification plus a beer...) on my last flight. It was a complete joke (excpet for the beer). On both ends from Houston to Midland the gate clerk hosed up the now complex A1-30 and A31-60...B1-30, etc signs so people could not figure out which lane to stand in. They had them turned the wrong way and I had to jump from the wrong line to the right one...at the last minute TWICE. At the end of a long day in the oilfield, it is often the only solace you get that you actually know how the bloody line works at the gate...as was echoed in many blogs above this a step backwards. The beer was good, but the new signs have got to go.:(

This has actually made me (gasp) consider trying Continental to MAF.

Please reconsider...

I had my first expierence with the new boarding system over the Thanksgiving Day holiday. I have to say as a person who chooses to fly S.W. before the other airlines I didn't much care for the new system. My husband flies on your airline about once a week for business, so he atomatically was in the A group. A16 to be exact, but since I only fly when we vacation I was in the B group. Now we are adults and I realize he can just save me a seat, which he did, but what about families that fly with many people? Are we asking that they all stand in different locations??? There seems to be something not quite right about it. Maybe there needs to be a on online checking system that would allow a group of people traveling together to at least be able to board together??? Just a suggestion.

I also am not in favor of families boarding after the A group. My husband and I don't have children, but what I just experienced on our flight recently wasn't enjoyable. In the past families would board first and they did usually chose the seats up front. It aloud the rest of us to decide if we wanted to seat next to someone who would probably have a crying child. Instead, there was a dad, mom who was holding a baby, and a 3 year old behind us. The 3 year old kicked my seat the entire 2 hour flight because he can't reach the floor, and a baby who cried most of the way. Now I realize neither of these things were not being done to purposefully irrate but, with the old system I could have and would have choosen to sit a few rows away. Now families have to find spots where they can.

I do think some change is good, but it seems all that was good has gone and so many loyal customers are rethinking the airline they will fly. It seems you have forgotten why your loyal customers have always choosen to fly with S.W. and we are rethinking our choices. I know I am.

IT IS OBVIOUS TO ME THAT SW "AGENTS" ARE THE KEY TO MAKING THIS NEW SYSTEM WORK........GARY, BRIAN, CAN WE GRADE THEIR PERFORMANCES????????????????????????? MAYBE THEN THOSE WHO PAY MORE, WILL NOT HAVE ANYONE CUT IN LINE OF THEM...(BY THE WAY, THAT ISN'T ME, I'M A DING KIND OF PERSON) BUT I WOULD BE IRRATE IF WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO SOME OF THEM HAPPENED TO ME..

ALSO, JOAN WASKI, WHOM CALLED THAT LADY A "WITCH" FOR NOT CHANGING SEATS SO SHE COULD SEAT WITH BOTH HER KIDS....THAT "WITCH" AS YOU CALLED HER, HAS RIGHTS TOO....SHE PAID LIKE ANYONE ELSE TO GET THE SEAT SHE WANTED, AND BECAUSE YOU WERE SO OBLIVIOUS TO THE CHANGES THAT SW MADE (AND MAY I SAY, HAS ADVERTISED ETC FOR A WHILE) SHE SHOULD NOT BE PUNISHED FOR YOUR "LACK OF INFORMATION".......YOU SAY NOW YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO, BUT ON YOUR RETURN TRIP THERE IS NO INTERNET...HELLO, ARE YOU FLYING LIKE TO SPACE? OOPS, I'M SORRY, THEY HAVE COMMUNICATION LINES THERE ALSO.....WHY NOT HAVE SOMEONE FROM "THE EARTH" YOU LEFT OUT OF, CHECK YOU IN WHEN ITS TIME, AND ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS REPRINT YOUR BOARDING PASS........IT DOESN'T TAKE A ROCKET SCIENTIST TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO MEET YOUR BOARDING NEEDS.......BUT FOR YOU TO THINK THAT "EVERYONE" NEEDS TO BECKON TO YOUR NEEDS ON THE PLANE BECAUSE YOU HAVE KIDS IS OUTRAGEOUS...........WE HAVE KIDS ALSO, DON'T GET ME WRONG, AND IF WE WERE LATE IN BOARDING, THEN UNFORTUNATELY WE WILL HAVE TO REAP THE CONSEQUENCES......ANOTHER ALTERNATIVE, PAY THE HIGHER FARE TO BE ASSURED OF BOARDING FIRST, OR FLY ANOTHER AIRLINE.........

WE FLEW OVER THANKSGIVING AND OUR KIDS FLEW FROM RALEIGH, WHICH THEY SAID WAS VERY UNORGANIZED, BECAUSE THE GATE AGENT JUST SAID "THOSE IN A1-30) LINE UP......SO OF COURSE, YOU KNOW THE REST, EVERYONE JUST ON IN ANY POSITION AND WOULDN'T MOVE BECAUSE THE AGENT DIDN'T TAKE A FEW SECONDS TO TELL THEM HOW TO LINE UP, AND AS WE KNOW, NOT EVERYONE WILL TEND TO THE RULES............SO, LET US GIVE A GRADE ON THE AGENTS AFTER OUR BOARDING (CARDS TO CHECK WHATEVER) AND HAVE A SLOT AFTER GIVING OUR TICKETS TO THE AGENT TO DROP IT INTO TO.....THEN WE'LL SEE WHO DOES WHAT THEY ARE SUPPOSE TO...

WE FLEW FROM HOBBY AND IT WENT FINE, ALTHOUGH NOT 100%..OUR RETURN FROM VEGAS WAS VERY GOOD........THE AGENT EXPLAINED THE PROCEDURES SEVERAL TIMES, THEN WHEN IT WAS TIME TO REALLY BOARD, HE HAD THOSE FROM A31-60 BOARD AGAINST THE WINDOW, THE THOSE FROM A1-30 BOARD SECOND, THAT WAY NO ONE WOULD BE CROSSING EVERY WHICH WAY......WAY TO GOOOOOOOOO..IT WENT FLAWLESSLY.......

WHEN OUR CHILDREN BOARDED VEGAS TO RALEIGH, IT WASN'T QUITE 100%, BUT THEY SAID BETTER THEN IN RALEIGH, SO LAS VEGAS HAD THEIR DUCKS IN A ROW ON THESE FLIGHTS...........

FOR THOSE WHO LOVED THE OLD SYSTEM SAYING THEY DIDN'T MIND STANDING IN LINE FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS, ARE YOU KIDDING??????????????????????????????????????? THAT MEANS YOU HAVE TOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH TIME ON YOUR HANDS, AS MANY OF US DO NOT, AND HATED THE CATTLE WAIT AND CALL......

THANK YOU SO MUCH SOUTHWEST FOR MAKING THESE CHANGES...ALL OF THEM.......OUR LITTLE ONES WHO TRAVEL WITH US HAVE ADJUSTED FINE, KNOWS NO DIFFERENT, YET WONDERS WHY OTHER MOMMIES ACT SO MEAN ON THE PLANE.......I TELL THEM TO JUST WATCH "HOW THEY SHOULD NOT ACT" AND JUST SMILE REGARDLESS.

WE LOVE THE "NON CATTLE CALL"............LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT.....NOW, TWEAK YOUR AGENTS INTO DOING THEIR JOB BY MAKING SURE EVERYONE IS IN THEIR PRESPECTIVE PLACES, WITH NO LINE CUTTING....MERRY CHRISTMAS.......(I'LL LET YOU KNOW HOW OUR FLIGHTS DURING NEW YEARS GO WHEN WE FLY YOU AGAIN...CAN'T WAIT!!! GEE, WE LOVE SOUTHWEST!!!!!!

I was on a six hour flight yesterday with two screaming, jumping, unruly children in front of me. I call the one who kept standing on her seat and leaning over to drop things on my lap 'rosemary's baby.' It was AWFUL, and the parents did nothing, despite repeated unbelievably polite requests by my husband and myself (such as, ' could you ask your daughter to sit down?' and 'might it be possible to take that stinky diaper to the rest room and get rid of it?'

It's not the kids fault, I understand, but SIX HOURS.
Not a child hater, no 'when my kids were little.....soapbox.

I have flown Southwest great deal -- I will fly Southwest more now!

I APPLAUD THIS STEP !
I

I am one of those "chosen few" who received the promise of a guaranteed A spot in your boarding process because of the amount of trips that I fly on Southwest. I average one to two round-trips per week on your airline; thus I assume that I am one of those "road warriors" to whom you are now attempting to pander with your new boarding system. That being said, I find your latest attempt at squeezing some more dollars out of your favored customers to be nothing short of reprehensible.
There are those business travellers who understand that their company is trying to save as much money on expenses as Southwest seems bent on extracting that money by creating classes of boarders, not passengers. To me, paying an artificially high fare which is passed on to our company under the guise of a business expense just for the privalige of boarding earlier is nothing short of asking business travellers to steal from their employer.
Other airlines of course have different classes of tickets, and with that purchase comes ceratin supposed amenities, be it larger seats, meal service, or just a certain distance from the obligatory screaming child that some people seem to feel empowered to share with their fellow passengers - for some people these amenities are worth the extra price. But Southwest offers no such amenities - one would have to go to only the most upscale hotel to be willing to pay $30 for a single drink as you now offer. And as I have experienced over the years, even early boarding does not guarantee a passenger any more privacy or comfort than any other patron who boards later...I can be the absolute first to board and still end up sitting next to a 300-pounder in a center seat who spends the trip spilling into my side - the only thing that I am guaranteed with an A or B boarding pass is overhead bin space.
So while I do applaud the changing of how families and other "assisted passengers" now load (as was pointed out in another posting, too many people abused this policy and putting them in-between the A & B groups still guarantees them the chance to sit together), and while I appreciate the promise of being guaranteed an "A" boarding pass (that is, unless you sell all of the A's to higher-paying customers), I refuse to play Southwest's new game of "pass the costs on to the boss" and will not be participating in your little experiment at revenue improvement.
I thank you for my 15+ years of weekly round trips, but after my current group of pre-paid reservations runs out, I will be giving my business and my company's weekly business to another airline where I can see an actual return on my flying dollar. Congratulations on doing more to prop up your competitors' bottom line than they could have ever done on their own.

The new boarding process has been going pretty well until my last flight on Thursday Dec 6th. Don't get me wrong. I love the freedom that the new boarding process gives us. not defending my turf for 2 hours before the flight and being able to go to the bathroom & get a meal instead of sitting on the floor is priceless. i am not asking you to change anything just enforce the boarding order. at PBI on Thursday morning, i had (as I usually do) the coveted A16 slot. There were no BS A 1-15's. No less than 14 people somehow boarded in front of me!!!!! This is not right at all. Is this what i have earned? The 2 gate attendants not only totally ignored the boarding pass order/numbers, they were making fun of it. i strongly encourage you to enforce the order or there will be fights once again in line. This really made me angry. You can't create a new system then not follow the rules. this just encourages the line jumpers and causes the folks that were obeying the rules to now cheat as well. they know you are not enforcing the rules so they cut in front of those of us following the rules. You need to remember that we are the reason you changed the rules. those of us that fly round-trip flights every week on business. I applaud the several gate attendants that have been policing the boarding process. they explain the process well and check the boarding passes. For the incompetent PBI GA to say "gee, where did all the A1 thru 15 passengers go" is misleading, studid, not funny and just encourages line jumping. You are heading for trouble if you don't educate your GA's and your passengers!!! Saying "OK A1 thru 30" is causing problems. they simply need to say A 1-15, then A1 - 20, A 1 - 25, A1-30 in rapid succesion & everyone will then get the idea. Thursday's boarding was a disaster that will now just encourage rude passengers to continue that behavior. not happy at all..........

I've been a pleasure and business traveler on Southwest for years. I could never figure out why east-coasters had such distain for Southwest since they are typically always on time, have great customer service and the open seating policy is just fantastic.

Not so much anymore. This morning I became the latest victim of the new boarding policy. I checked in 23 hours and 57 minutes before my flight to end up in the B group position 08. What?!

I called and an agent explained that not only do Business Select customers get priority, but so do RR customers with at least 32 segments in the last year. So that's how I ended up in the B group. Even though I paid the business (not select) fares.

So I paid more but still end up sitting in B? United Airlines offers guaranteed seating on a more convenient schedule and to an airport closer to my destination for not much more money -- Maybe $80 more. And since I fly this route about 10 times a year, I think I'll definitely be switching to United since they seem to value my patronage a little more than Southwest's new "Pay more or travel more frequently and we'll like you BETTER" policy.

This is a complete slap in the face to business travelers who might not travel as frequently as Southwest would like or to those of us that enjoyed getting to the airport early so that we could sit in what I now call "Southwest's 15 rows of 'first class'".

And I'll *definitely* stop recommending Southwest to my friends, family and my 6,000 co-workers -- about 15%-20% who travel all over North America.

Why pay more (or even slightly less than the competitors) and get less?

You guys stuck out. BIG TIME.

Well, I've already posted above my objection to the new fare structure. Since then, I've flown 2 rt's SNA-PHX (booked and paid for prior to the failed changes) and for both flights, boarding numbers were not enforced. It seemed that the very front of the A line was filled with squatters who saw the gap and took it. On another note, I think that I MAY like the new Business Select class. Silly to offer a drink to someone who may well be headed toward a meeting. But it can be rewarding to sit next to one of them and be offered their drink coupon since they won't be drinking anyway. Now if I can just learn how to spot them! Well, no worries....I won't be flying SWA after my current itineraries are complete...I don't like the feeling of standing in line after recess to get back into the classroom......

Just had my first experience with the new boarding system and I really think you've got it right. (You can't believe how much I despised the old cattle call) I also have no hang up with saving some preferred seating slots for full fare customers.
Considering how far this airline has come over the years, it makes me wonder why I remained so loyal to one of the legacy carriers for over 800K miles. They should be so progressive.
Thanks and keep up the good work

I just checked in online as soon as the web site would allow me. A25. 25th in line. I'm meant to sit down and relax while I wait to board. Relax, knowing that there are 24 people in front of me competing for the 10 seats that my 6'11" frame will fit in without my knees pressing into the back of the seat in front of me. The fact that I used to be able to show up early and get at the head of the line was the main reason to fly Southwest. I sincerely hope you'll reconsider these decisions.

Southwest Guys,

I've been a customer since 1998. I attempted to book our annual March flight to Salt Lake last week and discovered the "benefits" of the new Rapid Reward program. You've done a terrific job here, selling out your loyal customers in order to pander to business customers at higher fares.

I discovered that except for 2 and a half rows of seats on your planes, my rapid rewards award was useless but I could turn it into a "freedom reward" for twice the number of rapid reward trips ! Basically THIS CUTS MY RAPID REWARD BENEFIT IN HALF AND CUTS IN HALF THE VALUE OF MY SOUTHWEST VISA CARD BENEFITS !! While you were at it, you should have cut the value of your drink coupons in half as well, from 3 to six required for a drink.

What's the value of that on your books - basically eliminating half the liability of your rapid reward award travel ? I'd like to see that accounting entry !

So here's what I'm going to do in response to your program changes.

1. I'm cutting my loyalty to SW to zero, treating you like any other airline, where I have plenty of miles, can get assigned seating in premium economy, and upgrade possibilities. I will go to great lengths not to fly Southwest.
2. Directing my admin assistant NOT to book my business travel on Southwest - might as well give my business to the other airlines
3. Informing Chase that I'm dropping my SW Visa, and use my bank-issued credit card instead.

Happy Holidays yourself !

One PO'd customer !

Recently I was inadvertently booked on SW Airlines and was surprised that SW has upgraded from Cattle Class to more ordered seating system. However I was able to convince my Company to book me through any other airline but SW, until they can get their act together and start assigning seats. I will be looking to read about it in the news.

I fly 4 - 8 rt/month depending on personal & business schedule. I TOTALLY applaud the boarding and other changes made to make the SW experience better for business travlers like me. I do agree with the many comments made here that the gate agents have to be diligent in handling the boarding process. I have seen several folks recently who apparently can't read numbers and were attempting to board well before their numbers were reached.
I also agree with earlier comments about off-duty SW employees who receive priority boarding as well as some passengers I've seen who are in better health than me who receive handicapped preboard. I know that the gate agents aren't doctors and can't do anything about this.
For the whiners about the new process who travel infrequently I'd like to ask them to look at all the other major airlines that all cater to business travelers with ticketing, upgrade and boarding policies. I had a problem before with folks who aparently had plenty of time to get to the a/p two hours+ early for a short flight and then stand in the A line for an hour so they could get preference with their discount tickets when I paid full unrestricted fares and often boarded B or C because my schedule prevented me from hanging out at the a/p. To these folks I say: PONY UP the cost of a full fare ticket ticket and you'll get preferential treatment just like on the other major airlines. If you travel infrequently and want a cheap fare PLEASE be prepared to board with others that paid about what you did. If SW only had this group they wouldn't be in business very long at current fuel and service costs.
I haven't chatted with a fequent business traveler yet who didn't support the changes. We know we are the lifeblood of the U.S. airline industry and we appreciate the recognition. Please continue to enhance the frequent traveler experience and we'll continue to support the airline.

I like the assignment of numbers so that I don't have to stand in line for a long time. Especially given that I mostly fly SW for business and can't get to the airport hours ahead of time.

I am less excited, however, about the business select bit. There are a billion other airlines where sales folks with nice fat travel budgets can buy their way onto a plane early. I travel for the gov't and must take the cheapest tickets I can find always. It was nice to fly on SW, knowing that it was the one airline I was treated no better or worse than anyone else.

So, for the fatcat travelers -- if you don't like standing in line with the great unwashed, go fly on those other airlines -- they are for you anyway.

Please, Southwest, remove the classification of passengers. Keep the numbers, but kill the special perks for those who have money to spend on their place in line. Let them check-in early on the web like the rest of us.

- A not-so-thrilled SW business traveler

Is CORPORATE LISTENING? WE NEED A CHANGE!

IÃ

MY wife and I have flown southwest from Indinapolis Ind.to Las Vegas twice a year for quite a few years. We have always been well satisified with Southwest. The "cattle call" type boarding was getting to be a hassle when you get into your late 60'S. Our experience this Dec with the new boarding procedure at Indy was GREAT. I watched a earlier flight board at our gate and the gate agent announced numerous times how the boarding was to be done. Two men decided that they would board with the A's when one of them had a high B and the othe had a C. The agent told both of them to wait their turn, she have to tell one of them twice because he kept trying to jump ahead in the line. After the plane was boarded I went ot her supervisor and told them what a great job that the gate agent did, and was told to pass it on to the agent. She said thanks this is what the policy is and I and trying to do it right but it can get a big hassle if you let the people push you around.
Flew out of Las Vegas Dec 16 our boarding passes were A26 and A27 There were people with B and C boarding passes in the A1 to A25 lines, I questioned the boarding agent about this and his reply was so what do you want me to do about it , I replied just enforce the boarding policy, his response it not worth the hassle.
Like the new boarding GREAT GREAT
If others don't like it let them fly with anothe airline and the one's of us that do we will be able to get all the A boarding numbers.
Just try to get all boarding agents like the one in Indinapolis who had the GUT'S to tell people trying to jump ahead go back and wait your turn like everyone else , then if they do, then their supervisers have to have the GUTS to back them up.
GREAT job SOUTHWEST love the new boarding

I travel quite often on southwest airlines and i favor the old boarding process for Families with small children. I do not have children and with the old way i could choose not to sit by these families, because they would board first go all the way to the back and take their seats and not have to worry about a "stranger" sitting next to their children. With the new family boarding i have been stuck next to a mother with a screaming 2 year old, and i also have been sitting by a mother with an infant and her 4 year old because it was the ONLY seat left on the aircraft. Please take these comments in consideration the next time you change your boarding procedures and try and make it better for everybody. I LOVE the old Southwest Family PRE-BOARDING!!

Thanks,
Mildred

A 5:35 PM EST return flight tomorrow. Tried to check in as earlier as possible. Even got an error message timestamped at 5:35:02. Ended up with A43. This system is a huge mistake. Please comes to your senses.

Have flown 6 flights using new boarding system, it works great. But, I must say the new ticket prices are a disaster. Prices fluctuate all over the scale for no apparent reason, changing from day to day. I can fly BWI to the west coast cheaper than BWI to West Palm Beach (one third the distance). Ding fares from BWI are a joke. Is anybody really going to pay 3 times the price for the BS fare, just to board first and get a "free" drink? ( I have about 40 free drink coupons if anyone wants them) Please, bring back common sense pricing. Dave

I've flown a couple of round-trips since the new boarding procedure was implemented and neither experience was a good one. In one case, the Southwest airport employee boarded people without referring to the numbers and it angered many fliers, who had taken the time to print out boarding passes 24 hours ahead of time as well as move up and down the line trying to find out where to stand.

In addition, it's just become too much of a hassle. I can easily book on other airlines which cost about the same and have the seat I want already selected before I even get to the airport.

I travel somewhat often and the new system isn't practical. It's created more "airport anxiety" for those who fly less often so once I receive my next RR flight award, Southwest will no longer be my airline of choice. I'm sorry to say this because I live in one of the hubs and have always enjoyed flying Southwest. For those of us who fly more often, it's just easier to book a flight with a confirmed seat.

Regards,
Marcia M. Neel

I have always flown southwest, until recently when fares are skyrocketing. i do not have a problem with the new boarding system and never had a problem with the old one. its not really about the boarding procedure that SW has anything to do with...its their customers. if people would only learn to show others respect, people wouldnt be taking out their anger on SWA. People....its not a race to the gate..i have found that if you wait your turn, and be patient that you usually will end up with what you want..and if you dont get what you want, then suck it up. have a drink or two on the plane...everything will be okay.

I was just about to buy my first SW tickets ever, to Orlando
from Philadelphia, and have read the comments about
the new boarding processes. Looks like upper management did not
realize that the people on the firing line (almost judging from some
comments) were stuck with enforcing a poorly drawn up system
and appears that many if not most are not enforcing the new
rules.
I go to Fla for a vacation, and would hate to start with a
hassle, either from a gatekeeper or nasty fellow passengers. I am
not going to fly SW to Orlando- or anywhere. l hope this matter is resolved
as I would like to fly SW that I have heard so much about on
a positive basis before this matter came up.

My husband and I flew to Las Vegas in early December and discovered a problem with the new boarding process. I got my boarding number at home, but my husband was denied and had to go to the agent at the airport. The agent said it was because he has a common name and had to be checked against the "watch" list. She cleared him and gave him a high number in the C line. So, I had to go on early and save him a seat.

Can't the system still issue the boarding number, but mark the pass "check in required"? That would give these passengers the same chance for early boarding.

I also am very unhappy with the new Rapid Reward free ticket system. I can not use my free tickets on the flights I desire, they are always "Unavailable". They have cancelled the flights I would normally use from ISP to the West Coast or changed them so that it will take 11 or 12 hours to get there.
My vacation time is very precious and the less time in the travel part the better. I will also be cancelling my Southwest Visa card and switch to a carrier that has a better schedule. I really will miss the old Southwest.

hi my name is chase winks I love your airline iam a future pilot for your airline. In my room i have every thing of southwest airlines in my room.I have flown your airline 6 times. The flight Attendance & pilot are the best so you shoud give them a thumbs up. And your fares are awsome. And i am so CRAZY adout your airline.

thank you Chase Winks

Jan - The inspections in question were one of many routine, redundant, and overlapping inspections of our fleet. As an article from todayÃ