It’s just one of the ways Southwest continues to embrace its roots as the Company that democratized the skies. Other airlines have attempted to imitate the Southwest low-fare, economy-only, no-frills model, but Southwest remains the only major airline in the United States to offer open seating. The Company has also grown to incorporate some add-on services to better meet the needs of business travelers, including Business Select and upgraded boarding options. When an Operations Agent called a boarding group by letter, Customers took their place in line, in numerical order. Instead, it assigned letter and number combinations that were printed on boarding passes. By 2007, Southwest had said goodbye to the first-come, first-served boarding approach and eliminated the need for Customers to camp out at the gate for a shot at a coveted aisle or window seat. The tests proved that assigned seating increased boarding time by one to four minutes.Īlthough open seating remained, Customer feedback pointed to frustrations that warranted some big changes. And if Customer preference wasn’t convincing enough to keep open seating alive at Southwest, the efficiency factor sealed the deal. The airline surveyed Customers, including frequent fliers, and the outcome of the “great seating experiment,” said CEO Gary Kelly, was clear: Customers like having the freedom to choose their own seats. It tested assigned seating on 200 flights out of San Diego and repeated the experiment in San Antonio. In 2006, Southwest toyed with the idea of abandoning open seating. They loved the low-cost flights but hated the thought of being stuck in a middle seat if they got stuck in a traffic jam on the way to the airport. Faster boarding meant more on-time departures, and cost savings that led to lower ticket prices.Ĭustomers-even Southwest’s most devoted fans-developed a love-hate relationship over the years. Numerous studies showed that open seating enabled Southwest to get Customers on planes more quickly and efficiently than its competitors. The open-seating policy has been a Southwest hallmark since its first flight, and the benefits were immediately clear. “Conventional wisdom put a hell of a lot of airlines out of business,” he said. Even when conventional wisdom suggested the airline could make more money by offering first-class tickets, Herb let his values and passion for fairness drive business decisions. Titles and positions meant little to Herb, who had a reputation for making himself just as available to Mechanics and Reservations Agents as to the Board of Directors. ![]() ![]() The Company’s egalitarian operating philosophy was driven largely by Founder Herb Kelleher, who deplored the class mentality and treated everyone he met as an equal, whether it was a Supreme Court justice or a hotel concierge. Everyone had the same snack and drink choices. The people sitting up front weren’t enjoying gourmet meals and champagne. Nobody had priority in boarding: The first person in line was the first person on the plane. Low fares gave everyone a chance to travel.įirst-class cabins were nonexistent at Southwest. After your drop off your bags then you can take your boarding pass and proceed through security.Most other commercial airlines were assigning seats and experimenting with cabin layouts that gave them the opportunity to create more cabin classes and more fare structures.In either case, have your ID ready for all passengers in your party. At other airports, you will be directed to talk to an agent to drop your bags. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |