A Good Argument Against Assigned Seating, and it was accidental
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Nashville, TN
Programs: WN Nothing and spending the half million points from too many flights, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 8,043
A Good Argument Against Assigned Seating, and it was accidental
I was reading the Wall Street Journal this morning and found this article:
What a Gate Agent Can (and Can’t) Do For You
(May be behind a pay wall. You might be able to see the article by using the title in a Google search and finding the article is available.)
No, it is not about assigned seating. It is an interesting article about (mostly) UA gate agents and what they endure. Near the end is the following long quote. Imagine WN managing this every day with their passengers. Open seating is a breeze.
What a Gate Agent Can (and Can’t) Do For You
(May be behind a pay wall. You might be able to see the article by using the title in a Google search and finding the article is available.)
No, it is not about assigned seating. It is an interesting article about (mostly) UA gate agents and what they endure. Near the end is the following long quote. Imagine WN managing this every day with their passengers. Open seating is a breeze.
Flight 1214 to New York’s LaGuardia Airport is more of a challenge. Gate agents can predict conflict based on destination. “Any flight going to New York—it’s a rough crowd,” Mr. Tariq says. He and other agents add that Las Vegas flights get a close eye for intoxicated passengers and flights to Beijing and other destinations in China can be difficult to handle because customers like to board all at once.
About 40 minutes before the 5:05 p.m. departure, Flight 1214 has one seat open and three customers on the standby list. Agents wait until 30 minutes before departure to close check-in on domestic flights and begin filling empty seats.
The one open seat was 12F, a window seat in the Economy Plus extra-legroom section. Just before clearing the standby list, a gold-level frequent flier with a middle seat, 23B, shows up at the counter seeking a trade. He gets 12F.
Minutes later, Sarah Thrift, a management consultant booked on a later flight that already has been delayed, runs up to the gate. She is No. 1 on the standby list—after paying $75 to get there. On the phone, a United representative who sold her the standby list had said an Economy Plus seat was available.
Gate agent Leonardo Gonzalez gives Ms. Thrift a boarding pass for the new lone available seat, 23B. She protests strongly and Mr. Gonzalez apologetically offers to refund the $75 and put her back on her original, delayed flight. She decides the bad seat is better than the delayed flight.
“The misinformation is really frustrating,” Ms. Thrift says.
Boarding is almost complete and two customers are no-shows. One has an Economy Plus seat. Mr. Tariq, the supervisor, goes onboard to confirm the seats are empty.
Ms. Thrift is switched to 10C, an aisle seat in Economy Plus. The two other customers on the standby list get seats. But before they get their boarding passes, another woman from the later LaGuardia flight runs up saying she wants to get on Flight 1214. Too late, Mr. Gonzalez says. When he pages the two standby passengers to give them seats, the woman grows angry.
“Don’t you go by status? You’re still calling people. Are you going to take my name or not?’’ she yells at Mr. Gonzalez.
She stomps off, shouting, “It’s the same mess every week.”
About 40 minutes before the 5:05 p.m. departure, Flight 1214 has one seat open and three customers on the standby list. Agents wait until 30 minutes before departure to close check-in on domestic flights and begin filling empty seats.
The one open seat was 12F, a window seat in the Economy Plus extra-legroom section. Just before clearing the standby list, a gold-level frequent flier with a middle seat, 23B, shows up at the counter seeking a trade. He gets 12F.
Minutes later, Sarah Thrift, a management consultant booked on a later flight that already has been delayed, runs up to the gate. She is No. 1 on the standby list—after paying $75 to get there. On the phone, a United representative who sold her the standby list had said an Economy Plus seat was available.
Gate agent Leonardo Gonzalez gives Ms. Thrift a boarding pass for the new lone available seat, 23B. She protests strongly and Mr. Gonzalez apologetically offers to refund the $75 and put her back on her original, delayed flight. She decides the bad seat is better than the delayed flight.
“The misinformation is really frustrating,” Ms. Thrift says.
Boarding is almost complete and two customers are no-shows. One has an Economy Plus seat. Mr. Tariq, the supervisor, goes onboard to confirm the seats are empty.
Ms. Thrift is switched to 10C, an aisle seat in Economy Plus. The two other customers on the standby list get seats. But before they get their boarding passes, another woman from the later LaGuardia flight runs up saying she wants to get on Flight 1214. Too late, Mr. Gonzalez says. When he pages the two standby passengers to give them seats, the woman grows angry.
“Don’t you go by status? You’re still calling people. Are you going to take my name or not?’’ she yells at Mr. Gonzalez.
She stomps off, shouting, “It’s the same mess every week.”
#3
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: San Diego, Ca
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Posts: 3,501
So help me understand: Elites not only are given priority standby, but preferred access to priority seating - meaning that we are not subjected to the purgatory of a middle seat in the back of the bus, which occurs with open seating. WHAT IS WRONG WITH AIRLINE STAFF MAKING EXTRA EFFORTS TO ACCOMMODATE ELITES?
Sure, it makes more work for the gate agent, but THAT IS THEIR JOB - PROVIDING SERVICE TO THEIR BEST CUSTOMERS - something Southwest could learn a few things about.
I for one will continue to resist all efforts by Southwest to lower service expectations - particularly for elites.
Sure, it makes more work for the gate agent, but THAT IS THEIR JOB - PROVIDING SERVICE TO THEIR BEST CUSTOMERS - something Southwest could learn a few things about.
I for one will continue to resist all efforts by Southwest to lower service expectations - particularly for elites.
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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Location: DEN
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#5
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: ORD, MDW or MKE
Programs: American and Southwest. Hilton and Marriott hotels primarily.
Posts: 6,458
Many people hate WN style boarding and most of them don't fly the airline. Many others ( such as myself ) far prefer WN style boarding.
#6
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: San Diego, Ca
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#7
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Phoenix, AZ
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Posts: 225
Aside from the problems illuminated by the WJ article, catering to "elites" in such nuanced circumstances requires a huge amount of time and effort. The time is paid by all of the passengers who sit or stand through the extended boarding process, and they (or their employers) pay the cost of having planes sit on the ground and crew and ground agents are paid while a few engage in DYKWIA trivia.
Assigned seating takes time to administer; and it's really expensive.
#8
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: MCI
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Posts: 2,007
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Nashville, TN
Programs: WN Nothing and spending the half million points from too many flights, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 8,043
In an attempt to be brief, my "breeze" comment may have been misunderstood. My analysis was from the perspective of the GA and the time and resources needed to accommodate all requests for specific seats. From this perspective, open seating is easier: Line up. Get on. Want to get on early? Give me $12.50. Even earlier? $40 at the gate.
From the perspective of the passenger, it is highly variable.
From the perspective of the passenger, it is highly variable.
#12
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Blue Ridge, GA
Posts: 5,501
Other carriers preclude such amenities.
#13
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: San Diego, Ca
Programs: AA 2MM LT PLT; AS MVP Gold75k; HHonors Diamond; IHG PLT
Posts: 3,501
#15
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Orlando
Programs: AirTran Elite, Southwest A-list
Posts: 46
So help me understand: Elites not only are given priority standby, but preferred access to priority seating - meaning that we are not subjected to the purgatory of a middle seat in the back of the bus, which occurs with open seating. WHAT IS WRONG WITH AIRLINE STAFF MAKING EXTRA EFFORTS TO ACCOMMODATE ELITES?
Sure, it makes more work for the gate agent, but THAT IS THEIR JOB - PROVIDING SERVICE TO THEIR BEST CUSTOMERS - something Southwest could learn a few things about.
I for one will continue to resist all efforts by Southwest to lower service expectations - particularly for elites.
Sure, it makes more work for the gate agent, but THAT IS THEIR JOB - PROVIDING SERVICE TO THEIR BEST CUSTOMERS - something Southwest could learn a few things about.
I for one will continue to resist all efforts by Southwest to lower service expectations - particularly for elites.
Amen.