Southwest’s New Boarding Routines: What’s Going On?
Okay, folks, here’s the scoop: Southwest Airlines is shaking things up. Previously, the airline was eyeing a little tweak – offering assigned seating or maybe some extra legroom. But, rather suddenly, they’re diving headfirst into a makeover that’s going to make them look a lot like everyone else in the game. Cue the farewells to no-fee checked bags and the warm welcomes to basic economy tiers, tighter flight credit rules, and, yes, even the dreaded point devaluation in their Rapid Rewards program.
With these changes, Southwest is waving goodbye to its infamous “cattle call” boarding system. You might know it as their unique way of letting passengers grab any open seat they could eyeball. Now the airline’s moving to a more traditional system of assigned seating. We’ve got the lowdown on what this transformation’s gonna look like.
Southwest’s Big Boarding Overhaul
Now, if you caught this week’s Airlines Confidential podcast (hosted by the ever-astute Scott McCartney), you might’ve heard Justin Jones, Southwest’s EVP of Operations, spill the beans on this transition. Though the airline’s not officially announced it yet, Justin shared a few tidbits on how they’re revamping their boarding protocol with the move to assigned seating:
- Nine—yes, count ’em—nine different boarding groups. This is up there with the big leagues like other airlines.
- Executives think chopping the crowd into smaller boarding fractions will make things flow more smoothly, with more order and fewer bottlenecks.
- The hierarchy’s simple: elite members, priority passengers, and those who shell out for priority boarding get in first. The rest will file in from the back of the plane forward.
- Gone are the days of lining up to board early. Adding more boarding groups and aiming for a standard experience at all airports with shared gates make this a no-brainer move.
Honestly, this overhaul isn’t mind-blowing—aside from just how many categories there are. Call me cynical, but packing with people hovering around the gate will likely still happen. Groups or not, it’s the human way when trying to nab those overhead bins first.
Why Assigned Seating Could Be the Best Move Yet
Southwest is infamous for its rapid turnaround times—practically the envy of airlines worldwide. They’ve always been about squeezing every minute, pumping up their flight schedule without needing more planes. So, how might this new boarding approach tweak their quick-turn mystique? According to Jones, every model they’ve run shows a potential save of five to six minutes on boarding time. Notably:
- We might see a decline in pre-boarders, notably wheelchair users, as the race to snag your favorite seat becomes moot.
- The dance of scrambling to the back of the plane for a window or an aisle, only to play musical chairs back to the front, could become a thing of the past.
But Jones’s got worries. He’s wary about how charging for checked bags could gunk up the works. After all, more people will likely try to bring theirs to gate-check—which might complicate those sweet, sweet fast turn times.
Now, picture this. For years, Southwest’s bosses pitched open seating as their secret sauce for swift boarding. Suddenly, they claim assigned seating is shaving six minutes off the clock. It’s like déjà vu, right? Not the only time Southwest did a fast U-turn. Just last year, they were singing about free checked bags being untouchable, all while doing the math on how charging for them would lose them market share.
Guess what? They switched it up with CEO Bob Jordan stating, “In contrast to our previous analysis blah blah blah…new booking channels…” You know the drill. Oh, how these high-flying folks can spin tales when reality rings their doorbell.
The Bottom Line on Southwest’s Boarding Revolution
As Southwest Airlines flips the script to assigned seating, they’re rolling out a whole new boarding routine. Expect to see nine packing groups, and forget about lining up prematurely. Heads of operations assure us: boarding’s gonna be quicker by minutes, despite what they may have insisted before (cue the open seating nickname).
What’s your take on these updates from Southwest?