Airlines Confidential‘s Scott McCartney breaks news in this week’s episode about how Southwest Airlines will change its boarding process next year, to go along with the rest of the changes to its business.
When Southwest Airlines moves to assigned seating they will no longer line everyone up prior to boarding. Like the rest of the airline’s moves, Southwest’s boarding process will converge towards being much more like other airlines.
- Gone will be the stanchions, and having passengers line up by group and number
- In its place with be 9 boarding groups
Currently Southwest Airlines passengers line up with a boarding letter and number, and board in order. Passengers self-organize in line, checking with each other to make sure they’re queued up properly. Those pylons help – most often with numbers 1-30 on one side, and 31-60 on the other, and often a pylon for every 5 places.
Boarding order is assigned based on elite status, fare type, whether they’ve paid for ‘Early Bird’ check-in (getting a boarding number assigned just before those are open to the rest of the flight) followed by the order of check-in. Passengers on ‘through flights’ can stay on board or save their earlier seat from the first segment and keep it for the second.
Customers wanting to save money but still board earlier, hoping for an aisle seat or at least to avoid the middle, check in as close to 24 hours before their flight as possible
Years ago, before the pylons (and numbers printed on boarding passes), passengers received plastic boarding numbers.
This queuing in order means that most passengers line up and are ready, in a more or less orderly fashion, before it is time for them to get on the plane. They board quickly and find seats quickly. Their boarding order is a ‘license to hunt’ for the best seat.
All of this adds up to very quick and efficient boarding. Combined with free checked bags, passengers also didn’t bring as much on board planes. That means they didn’t take as long storing belongings, and – even though Southwest hasn’t been as quick to increase overhead bin size as other carriers – they deal with less need to gate check bags which takes crucial minutes just prior to departure.
Combined, Southwest has been able to turn planes more quickly, which means less time for an aircraft on the ground not making money, and more efficient scheduling at times that most appeal to customers. Those are all features Southwest will lose as it charges for bags and seats.
- Even if bag fees add just a few minutes to boarding each aircraft, that’s a huge loss to the airlines. Fourteen years ago, when they were much smaller, they estimated that “it would cost us approximately 8 to 10 airplanes of flying per day if we were to add just a couple of minutes of block time to each flight in our schedule.”
- Since airlines are trying to optimize schedules for connecting flights, they don’t just push each flight later in the day. Customers want certain times, too, and their competitors fly certain times, so there’s a scheduling inefficiency that derives from small delays.
Southwest realizes, though, that when boarding order no longer affects what seat you’ll have, customers won’t have the need to go through that drill. A new boarding procedure makes sense. But nine boarding groups is akin to what American, United and Delta do. It means the introduction of gate lice, people milling around boarding before it’s their turn. It means customers trying to board out of order, either for restlessness or to ensure access to overhead bin space which will suddenly become more scarce as everyone tries to bring their belongings onboard to avoid bag fees.
Someday, people will look back at Elliott as the reason SW lost its soul and loyal customers.
lmfao, the boarding time is going to double from all the extra carryons. Deboard will suffer too. Are they adding 20 minutes to block times?
Look at all the money Southwest will save on wheelchairs though.
I don’t know if I will like this better than the current system but I will miss the front and back boarding foot race at Burbank 🙂
I think planes should load from back to front. Assigned seating is desired to smooth out the delay of waiting for someone to make up their mind which seat(s) to save
I am looking forward to the change. With all the discontentment in the world today, we don’t need it on planes too….fighting over saved seats, etc. Now if only they could do something about all the wheelchairs needed to get on but not off….
SW created the gate lice problem to begin with.
LET THEM EAT CAKE!!!!
@JT$: ‘the dumb “draw the Texas Triangle on a napkin” they claim was the impetus for starting SW’
You may think it’s “dumb” but as someone who lived in Texas in the 1960s I can assure you that, “dumb” or not, it’s the truth. By flying only in Texas they were exempt from regulation by what wa then the federal Civil Aeronautics Board, which gave them the price flexibility to offer fares the majors couldn’t match.
Herbs rolling over in his grave. For all of us growing up with southwest it’s sad.
IMHO this is the first iteration of the boarding overhaul. I doubt the pricing pyramid will look like this by December. One thing WN excells in is listening to their Customers and People. There’s no way this is falling on deaf ears.
I will start flying SW again. Paying the premium fare and being assigned A1 I can’t tell you how many times i would sit 15 rows back while the folks w the cheap tickets and rented crutches faked their way to the front. Thank you SW
I currently like the boarding process. I only fly Southwest for this reason. The prices and the no bag fees are huge for me. I may check out other airlines at this point for future flights. Southwest you need to pay attention!
There are two groups (not all are in one or the other): those who currently won’t fly WN because of no-reserved seats but will try them in the future and those who will “leave” WN when reserved seats arrive. WN will be very happy to gain the former and loose the latter.
I literally have no reason to fly south west again. I’ve flown them for 20 years because I could just find an affordable fare and route, knowing that I could have a window seat. On a few occasions I checked camping gear for free. I already knew they’d be the best value flight even though they don’t disclose their fares on Priceline or similar services. I couldn’t imagine paying for a bag or two, business class fares for a window and perhaps not having overhead storage for a plane without free wi fi, food or legroom. I really hate how Wall st seems to ruin great companies because of metrics.
I am disgusted at the able-bodied so worried about getting on the plane first, that they claim disabled people aren’t disabled. Your privileged. You’re gross. Southwest doesn’t have first class. So why? I’m not however surprised at more corporate greed. And I suppose I really shouldn’t be surprised at how little people in this country care for others. I guess the disabled the elderly the poor who have family ill in another state should just stay home. So the guy in his suit from men’s wearhouse can get on the airplane first. Gross. In Southwest I only ever flew Southwest if it was possible. Now I’ll shop around.
Should have kept free checked bags and charged for reserved overhead bin space.
@rob – back to front doesn’t work because they’ll stop and put their bags in the overhead bin at the front. Soon everyone is having to go past their seats looking for overhead bin storage. Even worse when deplaning and your bag is behind you. There’s some good YouTube videos on the pros and cons of different loading methods.
Comments on pretty much on target. Elliott has ruined SW for the rest of us stockholders. I am glad they are moving to assigned seating because I was tired of paying business class and watching all the wheelchairs needed to embark but not debate. Jesus flights are common on SW. I do admire the stwardesses who confront flyers taking up bin space in the front and then sitting further back on the plane. Put your bags over your own damn seat.
This is THE WORST possible idea EVER. The open boarding IS the reason I love and exclusively fly on Southwest. They should STOP trying to reinvent themselves and continue to be a safe and friendly place for travelers to go ….
@Debra Ewe “I am disgusted at the able-bodied so worried about getting on the plane first, that they claim disabled people aren’t disabled.” Nobody hrre is claiming thevdisabled aren’t disabled. Even the slow ones like me here don’t tend to argue agsinst a tautology. But, there seems to be pretty decent evidence that some people without a disability claim one to get on earlier. Under Southwest’s current boarding scheme, that also means better seats. In general those with disabilities and their supporters dispise those pretending to have disabilities, like using grandma’s handicap sticker to get better parking spots (when grandma died last year).
I have been a loyal Southwest customer because I dont like carry on luggage. Now I will look elsewhere.
The airline industry just like everything else in the US wants your money but offers poor to no customer service.
SW should have managed the pre-breading situation. Too late, the new board jis ust rubber stamping all of Elliot ideas
I have never been on another airline where there is so many wheel chairs! And there are miracles that occur on those flights. So many that needed wheel chairs to get on – walked off with the rest of customers when leaving. I counted one flight that had 15 wheel chairs to load and 3 needed them to disembark
Been a loyal customer for YEARS after bad experiences with US “Scareways”. Alaska Airline is appealing… better service and schedule for me. Have a ton of SW points to use up tho!
I too am seriously disappointed that SWA is joining the pack of greedier airlines by charging for checked bags. The boarding pass process is unique and efficient; if u need a front or window seat, pay a bit extra. Fake disabilities are eliminated by a doc’s note – so simple. It is unfortunate that one guy with too much $$ and a bully attitude is ruining SWA’s individuality by forcing them into mediocrity. After 30+ yrs as a loyal customer, I’ll have to shop around; now that’s a real hassle!
Nine different boarding groups mean nine different types of fare. Will make it a nightmare buying a ticket.
For those of you who don’t understand why some use wheelchairs to get on but not off. Some of us aren’t able to walk long distances so we use wheelchairs to get to the gate. We are, however, able to walk down the jet bridge onto the plane. But we have to declare as needing wheelchairs and board as such or we won’t get our wheelchair at our connecting city or destination. I can’t walk up the jet bridge so I need my wheelchair to be there at my connecting city, especially for those tight connections. Mind you, I said “some” of us. Don’t judge everyone.