nsx

It does on a 737-800. On a 737-700 it's 20 minutes.

rickg523

Boarding Passes A line up and board 20 minutes early. They call A group, then let preboards on. Because you have an actual Boarding Line Position Number, you don't have to line up until boarding for your group begins. There can be some jumble within the groups of 5 (who cares), but nobody's cutting lines beyond 5 positions.
Assigned seats or not, WN's boarding system - the one they've been using in this century - is the most efficient and best one out there. In fact I'd say it's the only 21st century system around. And it could easily be adapted to assigned seating planes.

Kevin AA

My favorite setup was the one that Allegiant used to use (now they sell seats like Spirit).

At the time of booking and at check-in, you had the choice of whether you wanted to pay for a seat assignment, or save the ten bucks or whatever it is, and take "open seating". You get a boarding pass that says: "seat assignment: OPEN"

When they start boarding, they board people with seat assignments. Then they board people without seat assignments. Obviously the people without seat assignments just take whatever open seats there are. It's about half-full at that point as I recall.

It was the best of both worlds -- your choice of paying for a seat assignment, or taking your chances with open seating for free -- and as an added bonus, you CANNOT save seats with this setup ^ . It was a rule that when people without seat assignments board, and this includes people with seat assignments that didn't board when they were supposed to (i.e., your seat assignment disappears once open seating beings), they take any open seat. A saved seat costs money to get a seat assignment, and the person who bought it would already be sitting in it, ergo no seat saving is possible. If you want two or three seats together, then either buy them or take your chances.

envgeo

Lifetime plat on as and a list plus on swa

southwest's process is so much less stressful for me, I line up next to my mark and then walk on. It's orderly

American has a crush of a crowd trying to figure out when to board and I have to fight through the gate lice get on. And I want to be on early to make sure there is overhead space. If all I have is a backpack, then I agree wth another poster that I can wait to be the last on and relax. But not true if i need overhead space. The new boarding groups on aa helps, but they still need a board to show what groups are boarding at what time.

family board generally means I'm in row. 15 or so and can get 3 across easily.

Most of my travel is point to point

dinanm3atl

This is one thing brought up and if you have low travel needs I think this applies. When it doesn't is people that earn the top tiers but choose Southwest. In that case I don't think it makes sense. The only time it does is if you constantly are changing flying times a lot(and not just same day) the savings ind dollars there would be worth it.


It does work well. No doubt about that.

The others WOULD work well if the actual process was enforced and altered slightly. The biggest problem is none of the legacies with any type of frequency enforce their boarding rules. Where as Southwest will tell my wife to wait when trying to board in A zone. Delta I have seen people with Zone 2 or 3 board during PREM(FC and Diamonds). Right on their boarding pass. They scan and walk on. No one says a thing.

Then they should board SKY and then board back to front. Zone 1 is all AMEX holders and Silver Medallion. It means a LOT of people and they are going all over the plane. This is a huge slow down.

LegalTender

I'd be surprised if "low travel needs" is the coming wave. Posters here becalmed by any aisle seat did not drive WNs $500 million IT upgrade.

Corporate, if logic has any sway, is about to become more creative in generating revenues beyond just the ticket fare. The low hanging – and very profitable – ancillary fruit of advance seat reservations, extra legroom seats and last-minute upgrades are now in their headlights.

Passengers want options for more comfort at a time when seat density is increasing and load factors are high.

Open seating handcuffs that.

Proudelitist

The advantages are numerous. Not all seats are created equally, and I like to know where I am sitting before I even get on the aircraft. It eliminates the competition of 24 check in and jockeying for position, as well as the tendency for groups travelling together to line jump in the WN line. And the seat saving issue becomes moot as well.

No status? Get some. .....ing about it is like complaining when others have a nicer car than you because they can afford it an you can't.

You may think you get a wide variety of seats to choose from, but the variety of seats available is different for each pax. Many on the flight..EVERY flight..get very little to choose from.. there are always people at the tail end who board to find a choice between the port middle seat near the lavs or the starboard middle seat near the lavs. One day it may be you.

And Even when I have had an A pass, I have boarded to find a huge number of Thru Pax and pre-boarders taking up a significant number of seats, reducing the availability of them.

toomanybooks

"I'm dating a marathon runner. I can't stand that she is skinny with no curves."

dmbolp

I'm an analogy person; this one is great!

pinniped

I'd suggest that most of those people aren't making the decision based solely on open seating: they're probably doing so because Southwest has the nonstops they fly at the times they want them. Add in the fact that they do it in full-sized jets and have pretty straightforward processes across the board and I can see why people would fly them every week, even if they could theoretically reach EXP or 1K by connecting at ORD and riding a bunch of RJs in the process.

When I was top-tier, I slogged it on United because I wanted those long-haul F awards on SQ and LH. But I paid for it in terms of hours spent on lovely CR2s and E145s. These days, with access to the best F awards being more expensive or unattainable at all from partner miles, I can see why people just stick to WN and its general predictability.

For WN's model, I hope they don't change anything. Open seating works.

Peoriaman1

And that bothers you.... How?

Maybe they chose to get up and stand extra early because they know they're stuck in their seats for the next several hours? There's really no reason to get up and stand early; I usually get a BP under A-30 and if I get in line while BS is boarding my wait time is about thirty seconds.

I got tired real quick of all the seat poaching and sob-story seat-swap requests I used to get on AA and Delta. Good riddance. Assigned seating does nothing to stop that kind of drama; I think it only encourages it.

LegalTender

Open seating is a different argument than the MCI situation.

WN has a cult-like following of loyal fliers. Tossing elements which make flying on its jets unique would jeopardize that to some degree. But it can't take advantage of a bankable revenue stream if it cannot guarantee certain seats in the first place.

I believe demand for comfort in the cabin will break the tie.

40% of WN flyers surveyed a decade ago wanted open seating gone. Given seat density and load factors of today, it's hard to think that disposition shrank.

rsteinmetz70112

All of my Boarding passes say 30 minutes before departure and even though it often doesn't start until 20 minutes before departure sometime if starts earlier.

dinanm3atl

There are some advantages at certain airports sure. If you don't do any international travel ever I could see going with all those direct flights.

How often were you actually seeing 'seat poaching' or seat swap request? I was in Seat 3D IND-ATL on Saturday this week on an upgrade. The first time in at least two years I was asked to switch(to seat 2D). The guy wanted to sit next to his business partner.

And I haven't had someone trying to 'seat poach' in years if at all.

I was replying to the person saying someone had not flown WN in 20 years if he thinks people are lining up early. They are. From 5, 10 or 30min early. Whatever their reasoning is they are doing it.

Putnik

I fly about 5 times a month or more, and I could probably get status on UA flying out of ORD. Both MDW and ORD are about the same distance away from where I live. But on Monday mornings, it would take me almost an hour to get to O'Hare as opposed to 20 minutes to get to Midway. That is why I fly Southwest.