Do you fly SWA?

[all4disneyworld]

I received an email from the Rapid Rewards department at SWA yesterday. It was basically a survey about assigned seating. We fly quite a bit in a year on SWA but, assigned seating isn't really important to us. The email did state that if they do change to assigned seats it will not be before 2008.

Did anyone esle get this email and how do you feel about it?

 

[UnderTheMistletoe]

We haven't gotten it, but I would like to! We hate the cattle call.

 

[mrszrw]

I like things just the way they are on SWA. We have two kids and have never had a problem due to the pre-boarding. it seems like every time we flew with usair they had our DD5 sitting in a differnet row then you have the added stress of having them fix the problem at the gate. Granted you always know someone will change seats with you (who wants to have to take care of someone else kid while on the plane). When we have flown SWA without kids it was never a big deal getting seats together as long as you don't get to the airport to late.

 

[escape]

I fly SWA but I did not receive this email.

I've been lucky in that most of the time, I do get in the A group - thanks to being able to get the boarding passes in advance. I hated, hated, hated SWA original policy where you were assigned the letter group after you checked in at the airport. I was in the B group most of that time.

In general, I do prefer assigned seating.

 

[dennis99ss]

I fly southwest a lot. I think, I could be wrong, but from what I have heard is that the people who fly southwest frequently, like the non-assigned seating. The peo-ple who do not like it are not the airline's frequent customers.

Go over to blogsouthwest.com. There is a closed article and comments about this issue. It runs 10 to 1 against.

Assigned seating slows a turnaround, and takes away character of the airline. It also indicates that the airline is looking to disregard its base in order to try to gain more customers. Unfortunately, once assigned seating comes, there is really no reason to be loyal to them. They turn into every other airline.

To those who complain about non-assigned seating, your seating is up to you. 24 hours before the flight you check in online, or through your handheld. You get your pass. If you do not check in, well, that's your problem, not the airline's.

It sure sounds like assigned seating is coming, but, I really, really hope that it is not.

 

[dennis99ss]

Can you send the mail address, etc. so we can respond as well. I didn't get one either and would love to participate.

 

[all4disneyworld]

Can you send the mail address, etc. so we can respond as well. I didn't get one either and would love to participate.

I would love to pass it on to everyone but, it requires you have a Rapid Rewards Account Number to participate in the Poll. So I assume if you have one you would have gotten this email. If anyone has one and did not get the Poll I can sure try to forward it to you. Let me know!

 

[all4disneyworld]

I am pretty sure you can go to the SWA site and sign up for a Rapid Rewards Account in a matter of minutes.....

 

[mking624]

It always makes me giggle when people refer to the current boarding procedures as a cattle call. So somehow another airline going "now boarding rows 1-6" (or whatever row it is) is different and better than "now boarding group A"? I just don't get it.

Anyway, we pretty much exclusively fly SWA....just got the email poll this morning. I much prefer the way it is now, we've never really been a fan of assigned seating.

 

[all4disneyworld]

It always makes me giggle when people refer to the current boarding procedures as a cattle call. So somehow another airline going "now boarding rows 1-6" (or whatever row it is) is different and better than "now boarding group A"? I just don't get it.

Anyway, we pretty much exclusively fly SWA....just got the email poll this morning. I much prefer the way it is now, we've never really been a fan of assigned seating.

I agree. I don't think it's the airline that makes it feel like a cattle call it's the people in what ever group you are in that feel like they have to stand for 2 hrs just to be the first on the plane. If you checked in 24hrs in advace and got an A or B you will be fine, SIT DOWN! It's the same as having an assigned seat and it being a middle seat in the back anyway.
The airline in general, including their safety rating, low fares and relaxed atmosphere that keeps me flying. I don't need no stinkin' assigned seat!

 

[Rajah]

Either way works for me. I like assigned seating, but I also like SWA. I'm not fond of the cattle call, but I still like them

 

[4greatboys]

As long as the fares stayed the same I dont care. If they are going to go up with Asssigned seating Im fine with the current boarding.

 

[hpygrll]

We only fly SWA - I love the fact that the unassigned seating seems to make people get there on time because they want a seat. They have such a quick turn around that the flights are rarely late or delayed..I will be dissapointed if they change that.

Jenny

 

[RadioNate]

I got the email too. I need to find my rapid rewards account number so I can fill out the survey.

When DS was younger and we got to preboard I didn't mind at all. But now that he is older I do find it stressful. I'm glad you can now check in multiple person reservations online. I was VERY stressful when that wasn't possible.

There are problems with assigned seats too. Once I was flying alone with DS to Chicago on American. We were assigned in different rows. I got to the airport and asked the gate agent to seat us together. She called up the people around us and asked them to move. We had 2 middle seats (last minute trip) and everyone around us refused. The gate agent said sorry and that I should talk to the flight attendant about it.

So we board the plane and I tell the flight attendant what happened and she tries to move people, again they refuse. DS was less than 3 years old at the time and I had been planning to use his car seat on the plane so I started to buckle it into his assigned seat. Well the flight attendant told me I couldn't use the car seat because it would block the person in the window seat. So I handed her the car seat and sat DS down between 2 strangers and then went to my assigned seat. We, as well as the people around us, we already causing a scene so of course this made it worse! DS was screaming and crying, unbuckling his belt and climbing over these people to get to me. It was only after THAT did anyone on the plane offer to give up their seats!

And it still wasn't the people in our assigned rows. The flight attendant brought back the car seat, everyone moved around and the flight took off about 15 minutes late. I"m sure people blamed it on me but I don't care. You can't tell me those people would have rather sat with my less than 3 year old DS than give up their seats. It was a mess, and the last time I flew American.

 

[Nancy]

I have rapid rewards and didn't get the e-mail, but maybe it's because I haven't flown at all in the last year?

I love Southwest just the way they are, why change something that works? I would fly SW over any airlines anyday.

 

[kpm76]

We love SWA. We find the process to be smooth and the attendents to be very friendly and accomodating. I actually prefer the no assigned seating policy. I have more control over where I sit. If I get to the airport early and wait in line, not a probelm or inconvenience for us, we are almost always guaranteed the seats we want....even on the MCO flights that have lots of pre-boards.

 

[gshumaker]

The assigned seating that SWA is trying is "You get what they give you!!"

There are no options for window or aisle and they will not change your seats at the gate!!

Not a very good idea in my opinion!!

I got the e-mail and voiced my opinion on the matter this morning!!

 

[onyx8]

Here's the link, anyone can respond to the poll if you have an RR#.

http://www.southwest.com/rapid_rewards/rr_survey.html

I also prefer non-assigned seating.

 

[inaminute]

We used to fly SWA all the time--had a number of free tickets and free drink coupons. UNTIL Delta dropped their rates. We flew Delta once, and they're now my first choice. It's great being able to select our seats before we get to the airport. Sometimes we get better rates than with SWA. AND, because DH flies so much, we can sometimes get upgrades to first class.

I flew SWA last month for the first time since they instituted the new boarding passes. It was horrible. I had no computer access on the return flight, so was unable to print out the boarding pass ahead of time. I wasn't too concerned, though, as I had to be at the airport four hours early. DH was flying out on a different airline. I got assigned the B group--four hours ahead of time! So, in order to make sure I got to sit by a window (a necessity for reasons I'd rather not go into here) I had to stand in that stupid line for nearly two hours. Not because I felt it was necessary, but because as soon as the flight before ours left, people started lining up! It was ridiculous!

I won't fly SWA unless it's an absolute necessity. The new boarding pass system has done it for me. It gives people with computer access an unfair advantage.

 

[ktglads]

You really don't need computer access personally to check in at the 24 hr mark. You can use the internet on your cell phone and do it very easily (it took me all of 2 minutes to check in while waiting in line) to do it or give your number to a friend/family member/coworker at home and have them check you in. You can reprint your boarding pass at the airport no problem.