They are, but you can hardly tell based on what's happening at the gates.
The A1-A15 gap is the critical problem, and this is the one aspect of the new boarding system that was NOT tested AT ALL.
It's pretty clear by now that the Ops Agents will not enforce the sequence consistently. They are just too far away for us to have any realistic hope of, say, 90% enforcement EVER.
I think it's time to try something different: pre-boarding for Business Select passengers. Then issue 45 A's as before, so that the gap is at the end of the A's. Problem solved.
This fix can be implemented overnight once the relatively minor software changes are in place. And it doesn't require even a press release, because the change will be invisible to everyone except the line jumpers.
My thoughts exactly. And this way, the number of BS fares available can be elastic and transparent. And a special BS boarding announcement might actually prod people into thinking they are getting something special for the extra $20 and might actually help this fare survive.
I'm going BS for the first time tomorrow for 2 reasons, I won't be near a PC 24hrs in advance and the planes stopping in Mid America (MCI) are always mobbed with throughs. And the appeal of the extra long haul credit dispite I keep foolishly thinking it might be usable in the future. Hoping I can bury the extra $20...