Southwest introducing new boarding groups

[wdwluver]

Hi,

I don't know if anyone has already posted this, but I wanted to let everyone who uses Southwest airlines know that they are phasing in a new boarding process.

Beginning November 2007, when you check in online, not only will you be assigned a boarding group A, B or C, but you will also be assigned a boarding number. So your boarding pass will say A2 to mean you are the 2nd person in group A to board or A35 to show you are the 35th person in group A to board, etc.

I am so excited about this! It will mean an and to the "cattle call" and having to wait in long lines 30-60 minutes before a flight just so you can improve your chances of getting the seat you want.

According to their website, they will start this new boarding process in San Antonio and expect to have it in place at all of the airports they serve by November. Yea, Southwest! Check out their website for info. http://www.southwest.com

 

[goofy4tink]

Yep, we've heard, and most are eagerly looking forward to giving it a try!!

 

[tjmw2727]

I am flying SWA from Philly 11/2 and returning 11/6, should be interesting

TJ

 

[Laxmom]

I'm really glad to hear this. This is the main reason that we haven't flown with them. We want to give them a try but then chicken out at the last minute. I'll be anxious to hear how this plays out - our next flight would be next September.

 

[PrincessHeart]

A small clarification, you will not line up exactly by your individual number, but in small groups of numbers - Ex A1-5, A21-25. We'll see how this works. It will be great if it reduces the lines, but it may result in some chaos at first.

 

[grimley1968]

Honestly, although I'm glad they're doing this, I have never, ever waited in those boarding group lines. What's the point? If you have A passes, no one from the B or C groups could move past you, unless they were pre-boarders for medical or family reasons, which is usually a very small number of people. It's not like all the good seats were taken on a Boeing 737 by people in the A group. I just waited until they announced that my group was boarding, and then got in line. I always got a good seat, assuming I was early enough in the online check in to get A or B passes.

I always sat there (in a nice comfortable chair at the gate area) befuddled by all the people in the A group who would sit there on the floor waiting for the boarding process to begin. In the end, I was well rested, my butt didn't hurt, I got just as good a seat as the people who sat on the floor for an hour in that line, and got to my destination just as fast.

I guess I could see getting in that long line and camping if they had C passes, since they are literally running out of the good seats by then, but no way for A or even B passes.

I'm still betting there will be tons of people who still camp out on the floor in those lines, even after the numerical addition to the lettered sequencing makes such squatting completely unnecessary. But as I said above, I think it has always been unnecessary.

 

[Jestocost]

I am flying SWA from Philly 11/2 and returning 11/6, should be interesting

TJ

You may or may not experience it. SWA has said it will implement the new boarding procedure in "early November," which may mean Nov. 1 or Nov. 12, I suppose.

 

[talulabelle]

Honestly, although I'm glad they're doing this, I have never, ever waited in those boarding group lines. What's the point? If you have A passes, no one from the B or C groups could move past you, unless they were pre-boarders for medical or family reasons, which is usually a very small number of people. It's not like all the good seats were taken on a Boeing 737 by people in the A group. I just waited until they announced that my group was boarding, and then got in line. I always got a good seat, assuming I was early enough in the online check in to get A or B passes.

I always sat there (in a nice comfortable chair at the gate area) befuddled by all the people in the A group who would sit there on the floor waiting for the boarding process to begin. In the end, I was well rested, my butt didn't hurt, I got just as good a seat as the people who sat on the floor for an hour in that line, and got to my destination just as fast.

I guess I could see getting in that long line and camping if they had C passes, since they are literally running out of the good seats by then, but no way for A or even B passes.

I'm still betting there will be tons of people who still camp out on the floor in those lines, even after the numerical addition to the lettered sequencing makes such squatting completely unnecessary. But as I said above, I think it has always been unnecessary.

Me too! I always just chalked it up to the "heard mentallity". I have small kids so have been lucky enough to pre-board. It really cracks me up that people stand in the pre-board line! Parents carrying babies, people pushing wheelchairs! I always just sat there comfortably wondering what the deal was. When they would pre-board, I would get up, walk on the plane and be in the 5th row instead of the 1st. big deal. What is really funny to watch is how sometimes everyone is sitting in chairs and all the sudden one person walks up and stands in a line and all the sudden there are 50 people jumping up like they missed the boarding announcement or something.