Southwest Airlines plans to start assigning seats, breaking with a 50-year tradition

Описание: (25 Jul 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

++MUSIC CLEARED FOR EDITORIAL USE++

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Dallas - 25 July 2024
1. Various of Southwest airplane at airport tarmac
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Kena Aguzzi, Southwest Passenger:
“It’s kind of a pain having to, you know, wait till that last second to check in so we can try to not be the last ones to board.”
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Kena Aguzzi, Southwest Passenger:
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“We did get Group B this time, but we had alarms set on our phone so that we could check in.”
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Kena Aguzzi, Southwest Passenger:
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“It did not keep me from flying southwest. I would prefer knowing what seat I'm going to get. I do like being able to choose my seat.”
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Kena Aguzzi, Southwest Passenger:
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“I think it would make things move a little faster and then you're not, you know, people aren't arguing over seats or anything.”
6. Various of Southwest airplane at airport tarmac
7. Wide of Southwest airplane taking off
8. Medium of Southwest airplane at airport tarmac with crews nearby
9. Close of Southwest sign at airport check in counter
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Joe Townsend, Southwest Passenger:
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“I don't see an issue with it. I think it would just keep flowing. That means people knowing where they’re going when they get in there, instead of trying to wait for people to sit down. Now that you know, I think it’ll be less traffic. Smoothly”
11. Wide of passengers checkin at Southwest airline counter
12. Close of Southwest airline kiosk.

STORYLINE:
Goodbye, cattle call.
Southwest Airlines said Thursday that it plans to drop the open-boarding system it has used for more than 50 years and will start assigning passengers to seats, just like all the other big airlines.
The airline said it has been studying seating options, running tests and surveying customers. Southwest discovered that preferences have changed over the years and the vast majority of travelers now want to know where they are sitting before they get to the airport.
Southwest’s unusual boarding process started as a fast way to load passengers and limit the time that planes and crews spend sitting idly on the ground, not making money. It helped the airline operate more efficiently and even squeeze a few more flights into the daily schedule.
It was one reason that Southwest alone among U.S. airlines remained profitable every year until the coronavirus pandemic.
Here’s how it works: Instead of being assigned a seat when they buy a ticket, Southwest customers check in exactly 24 hours before departure to secure their spots in boarding lines. In the beginning, the first 30 to check in were put in the coveted “A” boarding group, guaranteeing them a window or aisle seat. Dawdlers landed in “B,” which was still OK, or “C,” which would often result in a middle seat.
The system became less democratic over time as Southwest let people pay extra to guarantee a spot near the front of the line. Despite that, many Southwest loyalists still love open seating. The airline thinks they will adapt.
“I know there are going to be customers who say, ‘I want to stay with open seating.’ It’s a minority,” Southwest CEO Robert Jordan told CNBC, “but we had the same thing when we switched from plastic boarding passes. We had the same thing when we took peanuts out of the cabin. I’m convinced we can win them over.”
Some Southwest passengers reacted with sadness and disappointment to news that open seating is going away.
There are a number of tricks that passengers use to game the system.



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