Business History Books » Business Plans » SWA going to preassigned seating?
SWA going to preassigned seating?
Question:
>Saw this on a flyertalk.com forum….I’m guessing if the seat assignments >are at the gate, and not when tickets are purchased it may be OK. On the >other hand, how would one get seat assignments at the kiosk? If seat >assignments are given at ticket purchase time, I most likely would be SOL on >exit row seats. >Head em out, round ‘em up – Southwesstttttttt
If you can purchase tickets on line you’ll probably be able to pick your seat on line, just like with the rest of the airlines. As for exit rows seats, the airline wants to know if you are physically able to do what is required. That means you have to talk to someone when you check luggage or check in at the gate. Most likely you wouldn’t be able to get them at the kiosk. The earlier you arrive and check in, the better chance you have of getting an exit row seat, assigned seating or not. Skip
Response:
They might be considering it but I doubt it. Their corporate site still says "Once onboard, of course, the Customer has the freedom to choose any available seat." Using assigned seats would slow down boarding and probably require longer turn around times. Not in the SWA image. FFM – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Saw this on a flyertalk.com forum….I’m guessing if the seat assignments > are at the gate, and not when tickets are purchased it may be OK. On the > other hand, how would one get seat assignments at the kiosk? If seat > assignments are given at ticket purchase time, I most likely would be SOL on > exit row seats. > Head em out, round ‘em up – Southwesstttttttt > http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/business/2003/oct/07/515711… > l > Southwest considers assigned seating > Airline bullish on Las Vegas > By Richard N. Velotta > LAS VEGAS SUN > NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Southwest Airlines, the busiest commercial passenger > carrier at McCarran International Airport, is considering implementing > assigned seating, a departure from its first-come, first-served system it > has had in place for years. > John Jamotta, director of schedule planning for Southwest, said at an > aviation conference that technology has advanced enough that it is no longer > cost-prohibitive for the Dallas-based airline to consider allowing > passengers to choose in advance where they sit on flights. > Southwest, which serves about 1 million passengers a month at McCarran, > boards passengers in groups of 30, with the first people to the airport > getting boarding passes designating them as the first on the plane. Once > aboard, passengers can sit in whatever open seat is available. > The airline has had the policy in effect for years, boarding passengers with > plastic numbered cards until last year when the airline switched to boarding > passes marked A, B and C. > In an aviation forecast conference presented by The Boyd Group, Evergreen, > Colo., Jamotta said airline executives plan to discuss changing the policy > to enable passengers to select seats in advance. > "It’s not a cost question anymore," Jamotta said. "It’s a customer service > issue." > Jamotta gave no details on how or when such a system would be implemented by > the airline. > "As the technology has rolled forward, we have found that this is something > we may be able to do," he said. > In his presentation on the state of the industry and the airline since the > Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Jamotta said Southwest has embarked on a > slow-growth strategy, but that the carrier expects to return to a more > aggressive growth mode next year. In an interview after his presentation, > Jamotta said Las Vegas figures prominantly in the airline’s growth plans, > even after recent flight additions at McCarran have made Las Vegas the > largest operation the airline has. > "We’re bullish on our opportunities in Las Vegas," Jamotta said. "It’s a > powerful part of our system." > Jamotta attributed Southwest’s success in Las Vegas to the airline’s low > fare structure and customers’ expectations of value when visiting the city. > An advertising campaign airing on Nashville television stations encourages > people to buy tickets to Las Vegas on Southwest so they can have more to > spend after they arrive. > Southwest later this year plans to announce a new city on its route map and > begin service in 2004. But as far as Las Vegas is concerned, Jamotta said he > expects the airline will continue its "connect-the-dots" strategy of adding > more point-to-point flights to locations already served by Southwest, and > also adding flight frequency. > "On Friday nights, you can’t get get a seat out of Los Angeles to Las > Vegas," Jamotta said. > Southwest already offers 15 nonstop round trips a day between Los Angeles > International Airport and Las Vegas, the sixth busiest route in the > airline’s system. > McCarran is now the busiest airport in Southwest’s system. By Southwest’s > count, the company has 185 flights a day in and out of Las Vegas, counting > operations that run five or six times a week as a daily flight. McCarran, > which uses a different method to count, says Southwest has about 170 flights > a day.
Response:
> > Saw this on a flyertalk.com forum
> whats your name on FT? > I am fromYYZ_flyer
=== I’m not a poster, in fact I just discovered the forum(flyertalk.com) today. I see A from A posts there. Now, to keep this some what on topic, my flight (MDW->LAS) leaves in the afternoon, so I’ll hop the El during my lunch break, get my boarding pass (4 hours before flight), back to work and back to airport after work for the flight. 10 minutes on the El, nice short hop.
Response:
whats your name on FT? I am fromYYZ_flyer
> Saw this on a flyertalk.com forum….I’m guessing if the seat assignments > are at the gate, and not when tickets are purchased it may be OK. On the > other hand, how would one get seat assignments at the kiosk? If seat > assignments are given at ticket purchase time, I most likely would be SOL on > exit row seats. > Head em out, round ‘em up – Southwesstttttttt
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/business/2003/oct/07/515711… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> l > Southwest considers assigned seating > Airline bullish on Las Vegas > By Richard N. Velotta > LAS VEGAS SUN > NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Southwest Airlines, the busiest commercial passenger > carrier at McCarran International Airport, is considering implementing > assigned seating, a departure from its first-come, first-served system it > has had in place for years. > John Jamotta, director of schedule planning for Southwest, said at an > aviation conference that technology has advanced enough that it is no longer > cost-prohibitive for the Dallas-based airline to consider allowing > passengers to choose in advance where they sit on flights. > Southwest, which serves about 1 million passengers a month at McCarran, > boards passengers in groups of 30, with the first people to the airport > getting boarding passes designating them as the first on the plane. Once > aboard, passengers can sit in whatever open seat is available. > The airline has had the policy in effect for years, boarding passengers with > plastic numbered cards until last year when the airline switched to boarding > passes marked A, B and C. > In an aviation forecast conference presented by The Boyd Group, Evergreen, > Colo., Jamotta said airline executives plan to discuss changing the policy > to enable passengers to select seats in advance. > "It’s not a cost question anymore," Jamotta said. "It’s a customer service > issue." > Jamotta gave no details on how or when such a system would be implemented by > the airline. > "As the technology has rolled forward, we have found that this is something > we may be able to do," he said. > In his presentation on the state of the industry and the airline since the > Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Jamotta said Southwest has embarked on a > slow-growth strategy, but that the carrier expects to return to a more > aggressive growth mode next year. In an interview after his presentation, > Jamotta said Las Vegas figures prominantly in the airline’s growth plans, > even after recent flight additions at McCarran have made Las Vegas the > largest operation the airline has. > "We’re bullish on our opportunities in Las Vegas," Jamotta said. "It’s a > powerful part of our system." > Jamotta attributed Southwest’s success in Las Vegas to the airline’s low > fare structure and customers’ expectations of value when visiting the city. > An advertising campaign airing on Nashville television stations encourages > people to buy tickets to Las Vegas on Southwest so they can have more to > spend after they arrive. > Southwest later this year plans to announce a new city on its route map and > begin service in 2004. But as far as Las Vegas is concerned, Jamotta said he > expects the airline will continue its "connect-the-dots" strategy of adding > more point-to-point flights to locations already served by Southwest, and > also adding flight frequency. > "On Friday nights, you can’t get get a seat out of Los Angeles to Las > Vegas," Jamotta said. > Southwest already offers 15 nonstop round trips a day between Los Angeles > International Airport and Las Vegas, the sixth busiest route in the > airline’s system. > McCarran is now the busiest airport in Southwest’s system. By Southwest’s > count, the company has 185 flights a day in and out of Las Vegas, counting > operations that run five or six times a week as a daily flight. McCarran, > which uses a different method to count, says Southwest has about 170 flights > a day.
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I was thinking out loud on the kiosks. Remember this is Southwest – they > could come up with some goofy way of doing it. I wouldn’t mind assigning > seats at check in time only, in fact I prefer it. > Of course you remember the days when there was a seat map for the flight set > up behind the checkin desk with removable chits for each seat. When seats > were assigned the chit was pulled off the map and stapled to the person’s > boarding pass.
no chit ??!
Response:
> Saw this on a flyertalk.com forum….I’m guessing if the seat assignments > are at the gate, and not when tickets are purchased it may be OK. On the > other hand, how would one get seat assignments at the kiosk? > What do you mean? Some airlines let you choose seats at the kiosks.
Sure, why not? I’ve made seat selections and changes on the Alaska system.
Response:
> Saw this on a flyertalk.com forum….I’m guessing if the seat assignments > are at the gate, and not when tickets are purchased it may be OK. On the > other hand, how would one get seat assignments at the kiosk? If seat > assignments are given at ticket purchase time, I most likely would be SOL on > exit row seats.
I was thinking out loud on the kiosks. Remember this is Southwest – they could come up with some goofy way of doing it. I wouldn’t mind assigning seats at check in time only, in fact I prefer it.
Response:
> I was thinking out loud on the kiosks. Remember this is Southwest – they > could come up with some goofy way of doing it. I wouldn’t mind assigning > seats at check in time only, in fact I prefer it.
Of course you remember the days when there was a seat map for the flight set up behind the checkin desk with removable chits for each seat. When seats were assigned the chit was pulled off the map and stapled to the person’s boarding pass.
Response:
>> Saw this on a flyertalk.com forum….I’m guessing if the seat assignments > are at the gate, and not when tickets are purchased it may be OK. On the > other hand, how would one get seat assignments at the kiosk? > What do you mean? Some airlines let you choose seats at the kiosks.
It’s a lot better than having to get them from the people at the desk, since the kiosks show you a map of the plane indicating free and taken seats. You can strategize to maximize your space: In 3-3 seating, make sure to pick a row that already has one person in it, preferably in the middle of a cluster of such rows. miguel — Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world: http://travel.u.nu Site remodeled 10-Sept-2003: Hundreds of new photos, easier navigation.
Response:
> Saw this on a flyertalk.com forum….I’m guessing if the seat assignments > are at the gate, and not when tickets are purchased it may be OK. On the > other hand, how would one get seat assignments at the kiosk?
What do you mean? Some airlines let you choose seats at the kiosks.
Response:
Saw this on a flyertalk.com forum….I’m guessing if the seat assignments are at the gate, and not when tickets are purchased it may be OK. On the other hand, how would one get seat assignments at the kiosk? If seat assignments are given at ticket purchase time, I most likely would be SOL on exit row seats. Head em out, round ‘em up – Southwesstttttttt http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/business/2003/oct/07/515711… l Southwest considers assigned seating Airline bullish on Las Vegas By Richard N. Velotta LAS VEGAS SUN NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Southwest Airlines, the busiest commercial passenger carrier at McCarran International Airport, is considering implementing assigned seating, a departure from its first-come, first-served system it has had in place for years. John Jamotta, director of schedule planning for Southwest, said at an aviation conference that technology has advanced enough that it is no longer cost-prohibitive for the Dallas-based airline to consider allowing passengers to choose in advance where they sit on flights. Southwest, which serves about 1 million passengers a month at McCarran, boards passengers in groups of 30, with the first people to the airport getting boarding passes designating them as the first on the plane. Once aboard, passengers can sit in whatever open seat is available. The airline has had the policy in effect for years, boarding passengers with plastic numbered cards until last year when the airline switched to boarding passes marked A, B and C. In an aviation forecast conference presented by The Boyd Group, Evergreen, Colo., Jamotta said airline executives plan to discuss changing the policy to enable passengers to select seats in advance. "It’s not a cost question anymore," Jamotta said. "It’s a customer service issue." Jamotta gave no details on how or when such a system would be implemented by the airline. "As the technology has rolled forward, we have found that this is something we may be able to do," he said. In his presentation on the state of the industry and the airline since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Jamotta said Southwest has embarked on a slow-growth strategy, but that the carrier expects to return to a more aggressive growth mode next year. In an interview after his presentation, Jamotta said Las Vegas figures prominantly in the airline’s growth plans, even after recent flight additions at McCarran have made Las Vegas the largest operation the airline has. "We’re bullish on our opportunities in Las Vegas," Jamotta said. "It’s a powerful part of our system." Jamotta attributed Southwest’s success in Las Vegas to the airline’s low fare structure and customers’ expectations of value when visiting the city. An advertising campaign airing on Nashville television stations encourages people to buy tickets to Las Vegas on Southwest so they can have more to spend after they arrive. Southwest later this year plans to announce a new city on its route map and begin service in 2004. But as far as Las Vegas is concerned, Jamotta said he expects the airline will continue its "connect-the-dots" strategy of adding more point-to-point flights to locations already served by Southwest, and also adding flight frequency. "On Friday nights, you can’t get get a seat out of Los Angeles to Las Vegas," Jamotta said. Southwest already offers 15 nonstop round trips a day between Los Angeles International Airport and Las Vegas, the sixth busiest route in the airline’s system. McCarran is now the busiest airport in Southwest’s system. By Southwest’s count, the company has 185 flights a day in and out of Las Vegas, counting operations that run five or six times a week as a daily flight. McCarran, which uses a different method to count, says Southwest has about 170 flights a day.