earlybird check in SWA

[mrsstats]

I still dont understand why they just dont do assigned seating. I still dont buy that open seating allows them to turn the plane around any faster. Why not just allow you to pick your seat when you buy your tickets.

I do buy the EBCI. I just dont want the hassle of having to check in at the 24 hour mark either coming or going.

 

[goofy4tink]

Due to the increased popularity of EBCI, the sole advantage for me at this point is to not have to worry about checking in 24 hours ahead for my flight home. Pre-EBCI, I used to be panic stricken on that second to last day of vacation, worried I wouldn't be at a computer or printer at the 24 hour mark to check-in and I'd get the last C boarding position. Of course that's silly, but I did end up with some high B's and low C's due to not being able to check-in at the 24 hour mark. Now at least with EBCI, I don't have to scramble to be at a computer checking my watch and my odds of getting a decent boarding position are still good, even if I am in the low B's. That alone is worth the $10. There's still plenty of open rows if you get a low B, you just won't be in the first row of the plane or an exit row.

And this is pretty much why I buy EBCI. I hate worrying about being in a certain place, at a certain time while on vacation. Drives me nuts. The way I figure it is thus.....the price I paid for my fare is probably pretty good, otherwise I wouldn't have booked it. I am not paying to check a bag, so I don't much mind paying $10 pp in order to not worry about where I have to be at the 24 hr window.
I don't really care where I sit on the plane. If I care about it, I'll book another airline, but it hasn't been a factor yet.

 

[vacationclub]

I still dont understand why they just dont do assigned seating.

That's the million dollar question. While some may say it helps turn the plane around faster (though riders of multiple airlines may question any time advantage) or that it saves manpower by having less people making last second re-arrangements if needed (though they still staff the gates and the check-in counters either way).

I believe it's more of a corporate culture thing. SW's marketing and corporate philosophy has always been to be a little different, sort of like Apple. Many in the business and marketing world say that SW does this to say to their customers "we are different....we are simple"....and let you pick your own seat. Many do like this. However others find issues with it. Many, like me, simply grit our teeth and prepare for the worst when we decide their fares or route availability is the best for any particular trip.

 

[goofy4tink]

I still dont understand why they just dont do assigned seating. I still dont buy that open seating allows them to turn the plane around any faster. Why not just allow you to pick your seat when you buy your tickets.

I do buy the EBCI. I just dont want the hassle of having to check in at the 24 hour mark either coming or going.

Simply because it's their 'business model'. They can run their business any way they want to. It would seem to be working for them, so they must figure why change it?

 

[mossy1]

Even though you may have the "choice" not to purchase EBCI, The truth is they have found a way to make a little extra money at their price point. This is great for their shareholders but an added expense for us the consumer. I think they should just add it onto the ticket price and announce.."You will be seated in the order you have purchased your tickets". Because in reality this is what it comes down to anyway. I do like the fact I don't have to check in on the return flight thou...as others have mentioned. It is one less thing to do on a travel day.

 

[yrdlyprincess]

Ok, I am going to vent too...just flew back on Thursday night. DD and I had EBCI (A22-23) and DH and DS didnt (A56-57) I checked them in at 24hr mark. No big deal. It was a full flight back and they even asked if 2 people would be willing to stay overnight...hello I would have (if they would have told me b4 I left the park!!) Anyhow....the woman in front of me with 3 kids with her (ages12-7) asked her what # she was said 21 ok fine got in behind her...annoucement that everyone 2 or 92 must have their own boarding pass in their hands...she gives the tickets to her kids...2 of the littler ones have A42-43 (Seriously ?) they go over to Grandma-who is in A40 show them to her and she tells mother---the need to be over here...mom says they are fine the are with her....they board--guy says NOTHING to them...then when I get there and say "I should have had my family move up with me" his response...they had A seating....I said SO DOES MY HUSBAND AND SON" what the heck! should have moved them up with me...grrrr! THANKS FOR LETTING ME VENT!! xoxo

 

[nkereina]

Ok, I am going to vent too...just flew back on Thursday night. DD and I had EBCI (A22-23) and DH and DS didnt (A56-57) I checked them in at 24hr mark. No big deal. It was a full flight back and they even asked if 2 people would be willing to stay overnight...hello I would have (if they would have told me b4 I left the park!!) Anyhow....the woman in front of me with 3 kids with her (ages12-7) asked her what # she was said 21 ok fine got in behind her...annoucement that everyone 2 or 92 must have their own boarding pass in their hands...she gives the tickets to her kids...2 of the littler ones have A42-43 (Seriously ?) they go over to Grandma-who is in A40 show them to her and she tells mother---the need to be over here...mom says they are fine the are with her....they board--guy says NOTHING to them...then when I get there and say "I should have had my family move up with me" his response...they had A seating....I said SO DOES MY HUSBAND AND SON" what the heck! should have moved them up with me...grrrr! THANKS FOR LETTING ME VENT!! xoxo

That is frustrating. It's SWA policy that if people in your party have higher boarding positions than you, you can go and board with them but not vise versa. The employee who let them through with the thought that they had an A boarding position anyway was wrong. Irritating!

 

[LisaS]

I still dont buy that open seating allows them to turn the plane around any faster.

It gets people to the gate area well ahead of departure time. If you go to the trouble of checking in 24 hours prior or purchasing EBCI, you're going to make sure you don't miss the chance to board with your group by wandering around the gift shop and showing up at the last minute. Having everyone in the gate area ready to line up and board helps them turn things around faster.

An assigned seat is not a guarantee. I've been reassigned due to flights being merged (DH and I lost our seats towards the front and ended up in the last row with non-reclining seats) and I've had the flight attendant give my assigned seat away on my connecting flight when we were the last to board due to our originating flight arriving an hour late. Got on the plane, there was someone in my nice window seat and the flight attendant barked at me to "just go find a seat or you will make us late for takeoff!"

After those bad experiences, I find I really like SWA's seating policy. I just get on the plane and take any open seat.

 

[mb187143]

personally, i now fly SWA almost every time. The open seating on SWA never bothers me, because I've been re-assigned on US Air so often i wonder why they even bother to allow me to pick a seat ahead of time. If i never had a window seat, i'm not going to be mad that i no longer have that window seat. Just my way of looking at it, and my personal preference is SWA. In addition to this, i have found boarding took MUCH longer on US Air and Delta both times i didn't fly SWA last year because so many people are flying with carry on bags - on US Air, we didn't even board until 1/2 an hour after the plane was schedule to push back last year because we were in zone 4 of 5 for boarding and they were gate checking all of the carry ons at that point. took forever just to get on the plane. By contrast in September, our SWA flight was delayed by 5 hours in Orlando. The plane pulled up to the gate at 10:15 PM, and we were back out before 11:00PM. No issues, no hiccups, no gate checking carry ons, and no seat re-assignments. If anything, these threads in the past few days have illustrated that no airline is perfect, and what works for some of us causes stress for others. The last thing i want is to start out a vacation stressed out, which is why I choose SWA whenever I can, because I, personally, like the way they operate. Different strokes for different folks, i guess.

 

[vacationclub]

It gets people to the gate area well ahead of departure time. If you go to the trouble of checking in 24 hours prior or purchasing EBCI, you're going to make sure you don't miss the chance to board with your group by wandering around the gift shop and showing up at the last minute. Having everyone in the gate area ready to line up and board helps them turn things around faster.

Is this really a problem on other airlines? Are they all slow because people aren't there when it's time to leave? It seems to me no matter what, either zoned boarding or SW boarding, eventually people are backed up in the jetway, regardless of which method they called you to get backed up in the jetway.

An assigned seat is not a guarantee.

No, but it usually gives you a much greater chance that your party will sit together, even if they move you to another part of the plane for some reason. Usually single riders are the ones getting bumped around to accommodate the parties that they are trying to get together.

personally, i now fly SWA almost every time. The open seating on SWA never bothers me, because I've been re-assigned on US Air so often i wonder why they even bother to allow me to pick a seat ahead of time.

Did you pay for the assignments? Were you flying with anyone else, and if so did you still get to sit together?

If i never had a window seat, i'm not going to be mad that i no longer have that window seat. Just my way of looking at it, and my personal preference is SWA. In addition to this, i have found boarding took MUCH longer on US Air and Delta both times i didn't fly SWA last year because so many people are flying with carry on bags - on US Air, we didn't even board until 1/2 an hour after the plane was schedule to push back last year because we were in zone 4 of 5 for boarding and they were gate checking all of the carry ons at that point.

What size plane was it? US Air has a lot of smaller jets and prop planes that require gate checking, so this happens more often. I don't think people decide to not bring personal bags just because a checked bag is free, although they may bring smaller bags on board. My carry-on routine is the same regardless of which airline I fly or if they happen to charge for checked luggage, and sometimes I fly two or three airlines in one trip, so I'm not changing my luggage configuration mid-trip just because SW or JB might be one of the airlines.

Also, when it takes longer to board on other airlines, is the plane ever late to arrive because of it? If not, it's really a moot point, as they've already factored this in.

By contrast in September, our SWA flight was delayed by 5 hours in Orlando. The plane pulled up to the gate at 10:15 PM, and we were back out before 11:00PM.

That's a typical turn-around and is routinely achieved by other airlines as well. Part of SWs quick turnaround is due to their not taking as much time between the last person leaving the aircraft from the last flight, and the first person entering for the next flight. Perhaps less clean up....not sure. Any through-passenger on SW can tell you that it takes very little time for the new passengers to start arriving, so you have little time to take the best seats!

No issues, no hiccups, no gate checking carry ons, and no seat re-assignments.

Excessive gate checking carry ons is usually on smaller planes, or for the few unlucky large bag carrying passengers on full size sold out planes that can't find a spot.

Seat re-assignments would have happened long before the plane rolled up to the gate, especially since it was 5 hours late. It wouldn't have affected the actual boarding process once it starts. I suspect that because that plane was so late, people were especially quick to board to get things moving.

 

[mb187143]

Is this really a problem on other airlines? Are they all slow because people aren't there when it's time to leave? It seems to me no matter what, either zoned boarding or SW boarding, eventually people are backed up in the jetway, regardless of which method they called you to get backed up in the jetway.

No, but it usually gives you a much greater chance that your party will sit together, even if they move you to another part of the plane for some reason. Usually single riders are the ones getting bumped around to accommodate the parties that they are trying to get together.

Did you pay for the assignments? Were you flying with anyone else, and if so did you still get to sit together? I did not pay for the seat assignments, I was traveling with my fiancee and my sister, and none of us ended up together or near where our original seats had been assigned. We all ended up at the back of the plane, as opposed to the front, and my sister and I ended up in middle seats, 8 rows apart. My fiancee was in an aisle seat 4 rows in front of me.

What size plane was it? US Air has a lot of smaller jets and prop planes that require gate checking, so this happens more often. I don't think people decide to not bring personal bags just because a checked bag is free, although they may bring smaller bags on board. My carry-on routine is the same regardless of which airline I fly or if they happen to charge for checked luggage, and sometimes I fly two or three airlines in one trip, so I'm not changing my luggage configuration mid-trip just because SW or JB might be one of the airlines. same size as the SW planes, a 3 and 3 boeing 737. It was Philly to MCO, so not a commuter jet like i use to go from philly to boston or DC, and YES, many of the people on this flight had 2 full sized carry ons, despite the policy, and much of the gate conversation was to the effect of not caring if their bags got gate checked because that was free, but they didn't want to pay to check them in the first place.

Also, when it takes longer to board on other airlines, is the plane ever late to arrive because of it? If not, it's really a moot point, as they've already factored this in. we arrived at MCO 2.5 hours after we should have, because we pushed back late and then waited on the runway for over an hour for clearance to take off, then waited to land at MCO

That's a typical turn-around and is routinely achieved by other airlines as well. Part of SWs quick turnaround is due to their not taking as much time between the last person leaving the aircraft from the last flight, and the first person entering for the next flight. Perhaps less clean up....not sure. Any through-passenger on SW can tell you that it takes very little time for the new passengers to start arriving, so you have little time to take the best seats! this turn around time was not what i experienced on US Air returning home from MCO. The plane arrived at 7:00 PM and we, in zone 4, boarded at 8:10 PM. Didn't even cross my mind to try US Air again to see if that was a one off or not.

Excessive gate checking carry ons is usually on smaller planes, or for the few unlucky large bag carrying passengers on full size sold out planes that can't find a spot. again, not a small plane, it was a 737

Seat re-assignments would have happened long before the plane rolled up to the gate, especially since it was 5 hours late. It wouldn't have affected the actual boarding process once it starts. I suspect that because that plane was so late, people were especially quick to board to get things moving.

I would agree, except every single SW flight I have flown has boarded and turned right back around within 45 minutes. The exception to this is when I take the first flight out of Philly in the AM, in which case the plane is already at the gate, and from the beginning of boarding to push back has taken, at times, less than 30 minutes. I was contrasting this to the US Air experience, in which we had to wait for everyone to gate check bags, find their seats, and then wait on the tarmac to take off.


All of this is really a moot point, because you've got your experiences with SWA that make you feel one way, and I have mine. If your experience with SWA stressed you out, or if you feel as though it would, I can see why you wouldn't want to start a vacation off that way. For me, it doesn't, so I happily patronize them, and am thankful that I have the option to do so at my home airport. I fly 2-3 times per month for work, and about 8-10 times per year for vacation. I find that for me, which is really all I'm concerned about at the end of the day, SW works best.

 

[vacationclub]

All of this is really a moot point, because you've got your experiences with SWA that make you feel one way, and I have mine. If your experience with SWA stressed you out, or if you feel as though it would, I can see why you wouldn't want to start a vacation off that way. For me, it doesn't, so I happily patronize them, and am thankful that I have the option to do so at my home airport. I fly 2-3 times per month for work, and about 8-10 times per year for vacation. I find that for me, which is really all I'm concerned about at the end of the day, SW works best.

Actually my experiences with SWA are mostly fine except for having to deal with the policy of seating, something I can't control no matter what I do or how much money I throw at the situation (unless I choose business). It's always something to worry about and manage, as opposed to every other airline where I show up and sit where I picked to sit or was assigned to sit, either at purchase, or check in or at the counter. And yes, you have your experiences and conclusions, I have mine. I was just asking for clarification on those situations you had to understand them fully. Thank you for clarification.

It's unfortunate you had that separation of seating on USAirways after choosing seats earlier, I think that's a very rare occurance due to unusual circumstances. I'm curious what their explanation was....was there an equipment change or something? Since you didn't pay for the seat assignment (assuming you had that option) I believe they do say that your seat choice isn't guaranteed, just a preference. If you had paid for a seat assignment perhaps the situation would have been different, not sure.

In the case of the late flight, it sounds like you had ATC issues so long boarding times would not have mattered. There would have been SW planes waiting on the tarmac with you and SW planes waiting in the air to land with you as well.

You said you didn't try USAir again to see if it was a one-off (or if that happens all the time) but earlier said you've used USAir quite a bit. Did this happen on other times you flew with them?

I agree, as a single rider when working, SW is much less stressful. I'm really not as concerned, I simply would like to get a non-middle. For families, different deal.

Congratulations on taking 10 vacations (on a plane, no less) per year.

 

[mb187143]

Actually my experiences with SWA are mostly fine except for having to deal with the policy of seating, something I can't control no matter what I do or how much money I throw at the situation (unless I choose business). It's always something to worry about and manage, as opposed to every other airline where I show up and sit where I picked to sit or was assigned to sit, either at purchase, or check in or at the counter. And yes, you have your experiences and conclusions, I have mine. I was just asking for clarification on those situations you had to understand them fully. Thank you for clarification. for the record, i do understand this sentiment - even if your seat assignment changed, you still know before you get to the gate where you're headed. I understand the comfort in that. My priorities are, I'm assuming, different from yours when it comes to choosing an airline to fly, so to me, i don't worry about where I sit, because even when I've selected my seat ahead of time, I've been switched. Even if you pay for it, you're never actually guaranteed that particular seat on the plane. So I prefer choosing a less expensive fare, and free checked bags, and either buy ECBI if i'm not going to be able to check in or make sure I'm there at T-23:59 to do so. I'm also not traveling with children, so if I end up in the "B" group, and we have to sit in the back of the plane or apart, i'm not worried about it.

It's unfortunate you had that separation of seating on USAirways after choosing seats earlier, I think that's a very rare occurance due to unusual circumstances. I'm curious what their explanation was....was there an equipment change or something? Since you didn't pay for the seat assignment (assuming you had that option) I believe they do say that your seat choice isn't guaranteed, just a preference. If you had paid for a seat assignment perhaps the situation would have been different, not sure. I'm not really sure either - honestly it wasnt even fully explained to us - we had selected our seats when we booked our tickets, and when we printed our boarding passes they were different. When we asked the agent, they said that seat assignments aren't guaranteed, which we knew, and for us, not a huge deal. It would have been nice to sit together, but not a make or break for the trip. We all got there on the same plane, so there was no real impact on my day, other than to be further back from the door than I prefer. We never got an explanation beyond that, and to be honest, I didn't push it either. I was more annoyed about gate checking my carry on than not sitting with my sister or my fiancee for 2 hours. US Air didn't charge us to select our seats when we booked as an additional fee, i think they build that into the ticket cost - or at least did last February.

In the case of the late flight, it sounds like you had ATC issues so long boarding times would not have mattered. There would have been SW planes waiting on the tarmac with you and SW planes waiting in the air to land with you as well. who knows, i certainly have no idea if this affected other planes on the runway or trying to land, as I wasn't on them. My basis for comparison is that I've never waiting in line to get off the ground at PHL when on Soutwest, or circled the airport to land for an hour. I've had that happen on US Air back and forth to MCO, and at LaGuardia, and at Philadelphia.

You said you didn't try USAir again to see if it was a one-off (or if that happens all the time) but earlier said you've used USAir quite a bit. Did this happen on other times you flew with them? I guess I should have said we haven't tried them since last February. Didn't even price them out over the summer or in September, nor for our trip next week. We flew US Air all the time when i was a child because it's the main airline that flies out of Philadelphia. When i was a child, i probably never noticed. We've been flying Southwest since i was a teenager, whenever possible, on the flight to Orlando. If I fly another airline for work, which is also rare nowadays, such as Delta, I still prefer Southwest. I dont really care about where I sit on a business trip because i'm not traveling with my fiancee or my sister or any other member of my family or friends.

Congratulations on taking 10 vacations (on a plane, no less) per year.

those annual passes need to pay for themselves! we like to take advantage of those $89 southwest flights when we can get them

 

[nkereina]

It gets people to the gate area well ahead of departure time. If you go to the trouble of checking in 24 hours prior or purchasing EBCI, you're going to make sure you don't miss the chance to board with your group by wandering around the gift shop and showing up at the last minute. Having everyone in the gate area ready to line up and board helps them turn things around faster.

Is this really a problem on other airlines? Are they all slow because people aren't there when it's time to leave? It seems to me no matter what, either zoned boarding or SW boarding, eventually people are backed up in the jetway, regardless of which method they called you to get backed up in the jetway.

True. Only time I've ever had a plane wait for someone is if they were coming off a connecting flight that was running late. I've never heard of a plane wait for someone who was in the bathroom or the gift shop. Those folks would be SOL. So I guess I also don't buy that the open seating allows them to turn over planes faster.

 

[vacationclub]

those annual passes need to pay for themselves! we like to take advantage of those $89 southwest flights when we can get them

Wow, let me just say I'm jealous of 8-10 Disney vacations per year...not that you can find the cheap flights, or deal with the associated costs...but you can find the time!

Just a few quick responses...

because even when I've selected my seat ahead of time, I've been switched
Every single time you fly? This has happened a grand total of once for me, and it was a parallel move. You're having some really bad luck, or Philly airport USAir really sucks, or both.

I prefer a less expensive fair too....I think we all do. Just wish it didn't come with the running with the bulls mentality that we have with SW. Luckily they haven't destroyed, uh, I mean assimilated Airtran yet, which is very comparable in cost to SW and has direct flights to MCO from lots of cities, plus they have first class and cheap upgrades to it.

My basis for comparison is that I've never waiting in line to get off the ground at PHL when on Soutwest, or circled the airport to land for an hour. I've had that happen on US Air back and forth to MCO, and at LaGuardia, and at Philadelphia.
OK, this has nothing to do with an airlines seating procedure, or how fast it pushes from the gate. It's just chance. Once the plane calls to the tower to take off or land, they don't care how that plane decided to seat it's passengers, so those late arrivals or departures are purely because of ATC. It only matters if they pushed from the gate late due to the seating procedures (something I rarely see on any airline) and then also arrived late with no other delays like ATC getting in the way. Then, and only then, does the seating method matter because it was the one single thing that caused them to be late. Your examples don't really show this.

I dont really care about where I sit on a business trip because i'm not traveling with my fiancee or my sister or any other member of my family or friends.

Me neither, well except I try to avoid the middle. Being this is a Disney/family forum, I would think many people's concern may be about seating their familiy together, regardless of exactly where on the plane they are. That's the entire crux of this issue with SW.

True. Only time I've ever had a plane wait for someone is if they were coming off a connecting flight that was running late. I've never heard of a plane wait for someone who was in the bathroom or the gift shop. Those folks would be SOL. So I guess I also don't buy that the open seating allows them to turn over planes faster.

Nope. They turn planes around faster because they have to. Their schedules are tight. And, their schedules are tight because they need to fly more to make more money to then offer lower rates. They get people boarding just moments after the others have left because they have to do this all the time, so they've gotten very good at it.

For any time advantage you get in the open seating process you have just as many disadvantages. If it was that much faster....I would think other airlines would also try it. But they don't because either A: their customers would freak out, or B: they just don't need to...they don't see any advantage.

I believe it's simply part of their identity....they want to be different, and appeal to others who just like to do it on their own.

 

[mb187143]

Me neither, well except I try to avoid the middle. Being this is a Disney/family forum, I would think many people's concern may be about seating their familiy together, regardless of exactly where on the plane they are. That's the entire crux of this issue with SW.

This I agree with, and I would certainly concede that not knowing where your seat is located may cause a family planning their trip some stress. However, I have seen too many threads about other airlines, including AirTran and Delta, where families were upset that they were split up, despite having paid to select their seats before their flight. Pre-paying for the seat, or purchasing ECBI is simply never going to satisfy that particular need, because the airlines, every single one, cover themselves in the fine print that all you're getting is a seat on the plane, not necessarily the one you select next to your 7 year old. For me, personally, I would be MORE stressed out if I had paid $6 to select seats, and found out late in the game that our seat assignments had been changed and my family was split up. But again, that's how I, personally, would feel. Which is why I prefer Southwest, where I have the ability to either purchase a business select fare, purchase ECBI, or be at my computer 24 hours ahead of my flight, and improve my chances of an earlier boarding position. Is it a guarantee? No, absolutely not. I may purchase ECBI, and everyone else on the plane may have as well, at which point any advantage of boarding early on may be gone, but I know that is a possibility when I purchase, and personally have never boarded below B5 when buying ECBI, so for me, it's $10 well spent...

 

[LisaS]

True. Only time I've ever had a plane wait for someone is if they were coming off a connecting flight that was running late. I've never heard of a plane wait for someone who was in the bathroom or the gift shop. Those folks would be SOL. So I guess I also don't buy that the open seating allows them to turn over planes faster.

In interviews I've heard, SWA execs have said they improve the bottom line by maximizing the time the plane is in the air and minimizing the time it's parked at the gate. If you can encourage your customers to get to the gate area (due to anxiety over sitting together for example) and you can make the boarding process as efficient as possible, you can reduce the amount of time you need to allow for your planes to be parked at the gate.

 

[goofy4tink]

Ok, I am going to vent too...just flew back on Thursday night. DD and I had EBCI (A22-23) and DH and DS didnt (A56-57) I checked them in at 24hr mark. No big deal. It was a full flight back and they even asked if 2 people would be willing to stay overnight...hello I would have (if they would have told me b4 I left the park!!) Anyhow....the woman in front of me with 3 kids with her (ages12-7) asked her what # she was said 21 ok fine got in behind her...annoucement that everyone 2 or 92 must have their own boarding pass in their hands...she gives the tickets to her kids...2 of the littler ones have A42-43 (Seriously ?) they go over to Grandma-who is in A40 show them to her and she tells mother---the need to be over here...mom says they are fine the are with her....they board--guy says NOTHING to them...then when I get there and say "I should have had my family move up with me" his response...they had A seating....I said SO DOES MY HUSBAND AND SON" what the heck! should have moved them up with me...grrrr! THANKS FOR LETTING ME VENT!! xoxo

And this continues to be an issue. For some reason, SW gate attendents tend to change the policy based on the situation. I once bought EBCI for myself, and allowed dd and dh to 'fend' for themselves to see what would happen. This was a few months after SW offered EBCI. Well...I got A23, dd (then 14) got A40, and dh had A43. I asked the gate attendent if they could board with me. Nope, they couldn't but I could move back to their area if I wanted to. So, for them to change up the policy for someone else is beyond irritating. And it causes a ton of angst. What works today, should work tomorrow and a year from now...as long as the existing policy is still in force. You can't just go around changing the rules....does not make for happy passengers.
This is what happened when they allowed 'families' to board first. Pretty soon it went from mom, dad and the 2 kids (3 and 5), to mom, dad, the 2 kids, grannie, grandpa, aunt joan, uncle rick, the 3 cousins and the nanny!! And it was infuriating to those passengers who were doing the right thing.
So...either enforce the policy or do away with it altogether.

I highly doubt that SW has implemented EBCI as a nice perk for us, the flyiing public. I'm pretty sure they are making up for those '2 free checked bags'...and I don't have an issue with that. I wish all airlines would tack on $10 to their overall fare, and then give you one free checked bag, and you pay for addtl checked bags. Or charge for carryon bags that go in the overhead. But, for those who buy EBCI to get a low A slot, that time is quicly going away. There are so many people buying EBCI now, you are lucky if you actually get an A slot...anywhere in there. I buy it soley for the convenience of not having to check in the day before my flight home...it's worth the $10 pp, one way.
But other than that? Don't much care. But I have no issue with the way SW boards either.

 

[nkereina]

Nope. They turn planes around faster because they have to. Their schedules are tight. And, their schedules are tight because they need to fly more to make more money to then offer lower rates. They get people boarding just moments after the others have left because they have to do this all the time, so they've gotten very good at it.

In interviews I've heard, SWA execs have said they improve the bottom line by maximizing the time the plane is in the air and minimizing the time it's parked at the gate. If you can encourage your customers to get to the gate area (due to anxiety over sitting together for example) and you can make the boarding process as efficient as possible, you can reduce the amount of time you need to allow for your planes to be parked at the gate.

Sure they may turn planes over faster but I still don't think that has anything to do with open seating. People still mosey onto the plane, take their sweet time stowing their bags and picking out the right seat, etc. If planes with assigned seating take off on time whether or not everyone is at the gate, then it's no different than SWA who wrangles everyone to the gate earlier due to their seating situation. That was my point in saying I've never heard of another airline waiting for someone who was not at the gate - they are leaving with or without you, and so is SWA. It just so happens most people are probably on time for their SWA flights due to the seating.

That being said, the open seating doesn't bother me. It's probably one less thing for SWA to worry about - not having to swich seats around and making sure families are together, etc.

 

[Lewisc]

Open seating results in passengers getting to the gate early. There is a line of passengers waiting to board as soon as the GA is ready to start boarding. Passengers with assigned seats might linger over their cup of coffee and wait until closer to the final call before boarding.

Historically open seating was a main reason why Southwest was able to turn over the planes quickly.

Other airlines now charge for checked bags. Passengers line up early in order to ensure bin space. Open seating may not have the same significance but it's still a factor.

Sure they may turn planes over faster but I still don't think that has anything to do with open seating. People still mosey onto the plane, take their sweet time stowing their bags and picking out the right seat, etc. If planes with assigned seating take off on time whether or not everyone is at the gate, then it's no different than SWA who wrangles everyone to the gate earlier due to their seating situation. That was my point in saying I've never heard of another airline waiting for someone who was not at the gate - they are leaving with or without you, and so is SWA. It just so happens most people are probably on time for their SWA flights due to the seating.

That being said, the open seating doesn't bother me. It's probably one less thing for SWA to worry about - not having to swich seats around and making sure families are together, etc.