A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: MCI
Programs: AA Gold 1MM, AS MVP, UA Silver, WN A-List, Marriott LT Titanium, HH Diamond
Posts: 52,575
WN's boarding process itself is the most civilized of any U.S. carrier. The numbered BP's completely eliminate the gate lice problem.
We can disagree on whether the process is good or bad for elites, whether EBCI is worth it, what type of specific policy Southwest should provide re: seat saving, etc.
But the boarding process itself works marvelously. They often don't even start loading a plane until 20 minutes prior to departure, yet they have everybody seated to push back on time.
After a few WN flights, I find it jarring to fly a legacy carrier with their crush of people at the gates, many trying to board early and GA's (sometimes) trying to control the mob.
Even on Emirates - an otherwise awesome airline - a few days ago, the boarding process was chaos because passengers did not have explicit instructions, a clearly-marked place to queue, and a well-defined sequence for boarding. (ex-HYD. ex-DXB from the J lounge was markedly better, although it could have been a mess for Y pax and I didn't see it.)
Other airlines could learn something from Southwest's numeric BPs, even those that have assigned seats and multiple cabins.