jeffandnicole

If they offered seat assignments, it would have to be all-or-nothing. How would someone getting on a plane know which seats are already assigned?

I've never really heard of EBCI failing. And you're not really checking in...you're simply seeing what boarding number you received.

justhere

Think about what you are saying. Logistically it doesn't make sense. First, you would have to keep track of everyone that preboarded and then have their connection information (or are you just going to take their word that they have a tight connection?). Second, if someone, not the preboarder, is sitting in the middle and/or the window seat, are you going to tell them that they have to get off last because the person in the aisle seat was a preboarder and they have to get off last?

I have no doubt that some people abuse the preboarding thing. There isn't a whole lot WN or any airline can do about it. However, just because someone uses a wheelchair to get on the plane and doesn't to get off, doesn't mean that they are abusing the system. Several times someone I travel with who uses a wheelchair to get down to the plane has requested a wheelchair for when they get off. But on a few occasions when they get off, the wheelchair wasn't there. While not easy, it was just the lesser of two evils to walk up to the gate area and sit down rather than stand in the jetway waiting for a wheelchair that might not show up for a while.

Also, sometimes it depends on the airport. Get off the plane in MCI and it's not that far to walk from the plane to the curb. Get off at other airports and it's quite a hike to get to the curb.

All I'm saying to all posters is don't presume to know how someone is affected by their disability unless you have the exact same disability or travel with someone who has the same disability.

jamesteroh

They would have to assign seats for everyone and wish they would go to assigned seating. And it would be a good way to reward their A-list plus members by reserving exit row and other premium seats for them and be a good way for WN to make money by offering the coveted seats for something like a $20 buy up fee. I love knowing I will have a C+ or exit row seat guaranteed if I don't get upgraded and waiting to board at the end if I don't need bin space.

Assigned seating wouldn't cut down on the abuse of preboarders. Whenever I fly Delta to LAS I always see people that preboarded pushing their way through the front of the plane trying to get off, they need extra time to preboard yet when they get to Vegas they suddenly don't need their wheelchairs and can't get off the plane fast enough to get to the slot machines and witness it on almost every Delta flight to Vegas to Phoenix and back when Spirit was a decent airline and I would fly them to Vegas it was the same thing.

I don't remember seeing anyone preboard on intra-Europe flight on KLM or Airfrance. Not sure if they don't preboard or if they do there just aren't people abusing it like in the US.

rickg523

Seat Preboards in the front rows, so it's clear to the FA who's who (though most preboards are pretty easily recognizable).

Close connections in that group can show the FA their BP. This kind of accommodation for any passenger is announced all the time on delayed flights. And those are the flights I'm referring to. People who need extra time negotiating airports and boarding shouldn't be playing fast and loose with MCTs. On time arrivals should expect the occasional bumped passenger who is now forced to run to the next gate. Able-bodied or not, FA's should be trying to get these people off the plane first. I know this is a very dicey proposition and is ignored by lots of other pax trying to deplane, but in that case, the preboards up front have an advantageous position.

You're right, the difference in wheelchairs boarding and deplaning can be attributed to a number of reasons, but if you don't think gaming WN's preboard policy is a big contributor to the disparity, you're fooling yourself. Two or more WN flights a week, 50 weeks a year, for 5 years in a row gives me enough data points to come to that conclusion. Would delayed deplaning reduce this annoyance? I'd be willing to bet it would.

nsx

Not for me. The current system offers me a MUCH higher probability of securing an empty middle seat because it gives me real-time control of where I sit based on aircraft load (which is visible on the ops agent's boarding screen). Assigned seating systems force the customer to guess the aircraft load.

I'm definitely not the only one who prefers open seating. Any system can be worked to your benefit once you learn it, but open seating has more room for such improvement than assigned seating.

justhere

But even on delayed flights, how are you going to deal with the window or middle person that needs/wants to get off quickly but cannot because you are not allowing the preboarder to get off until the end because they don't have a tight connection?

As you noted, it doesn't work now when FA's ask people to wait so what makes you think it would work then? Especially as you are potentially inconveniencing non-preboarders by making them wait till the end.

I'm sure that the ability to preboard is abused. I'm not doubting or questioning that. I'm simply asking how you think delayed deplaining could actually be implemented without having a detrimental effect on some of the passengers who didn't preboard.

jamesteroh

I know there are people that prefer open seating. If you have access to the Ops agents boarding screen showing the loads and are on a flight that isn't full you can probably work it to your advantage (flights that only have more than a couple empty seats are very rare for me but I fly peak times most times)

Assigned seating has worked to my advantage so far unless I SDC to an earlier flight (and even then in most cases I'll talk to the GA before they clear the upgrade list and they will move me into a decent seat they upgrade someone out of). I can't remember the last time I didn't have an aisle C+ or exit row seat when I was on my originally ticketed flight. I was on a free ticket last month that wasn't eligible to upgraded to first class and two of the segments the planes weren't very full and on the one flight the lounge agent blocked out an entire row of three seats in C+ for me and on another flight the gate agent blocked out the middle exit row seat for me so assigned seating definitely worked to my advantage then.

I hate the way Airfrance and some other Europe carrier handle intra-euro flights. They don't assign seats until t-24. I've always ended up with an aisle exit row or other decent seat but I can imagine it being a pain for someone without status who doesn't like their seat assignment on a full flight

airplanegod

Spirit definitely does it the right way, boarding people who need extra time/others issues at the end of boarding.

nsx

Southwest does it right too: boarding people who have extra money first.

Orange County Commuter

While it's not a SW city for years we did not get a wheelchair in Knoxville, which is a small easy to navigate airport and did get one in Atlanta which is far from small and easy to navigate! I am sure the "judgement" team made snide comments when she got off the plane in Knoxville.

jeffandnicole

In other words, get a list of stuff that everyone hates about other airlines and bring those ideas to Southwest. And then just change the name to American or Delta, because that's all we're doing here.

While they're at it, to make more money, maybe they should charge for luggage too!

jamesteroh

Why would someone that frequently flies an airline hate getting an aisle or other guaranteed great seat as opposed to having to board a plane and be at the gate early (and if they are on a tight connection end up with a lousy middle seat if they board the plane last). I like knowing I have an aisle C+ or exit row seat if I don't clear the upgrade list. I'd rather enjoy another soda or cocktail and wait to get to the gate towards the end of boarding instead of having to be one of the first people on a plane to get a seat I want which might already be occupied.

No legacy charges their premium customers to check luggage and in fact has a much more generous luggage allowance than WN. I rarely check a bag but if I do I get three 70-lb bags instead of 2-50 lb bags like on Southwest. Southwest also requires you to buy up to a full fare ticket to same day confirm on an earlier flight something the legacies don't charge for to frequent flyers.

BerenErchamion

Yeah, your experience with a short-term broken arm totally gives you special insight into the needs and preferences of people with long-term limitations to the parts of the body that are actually used to move around.

A lot of people have difficulty standing for long periods of time, which is a part of the normal boarding process; but getting off the plane requires standing for a much shorter period of time (you can get up, walk up the jetway, and then take a seat as soon as you get into the terminal if you need to). Your ignorance of their situation doesn't mean their situation doesn't exist.

rsteinmetz70112

We just had some temporary experience with a disability, my wife had a knee replacement and we were concerned about her first flight which required exiting the Atlanta airport, a pretty long haul so I ordered up a wheelchair for her and accompanied her.

She probably didn't really end up needing the wheelchair but I felt it was better safe than sorry. We ended up pre-boarding and her major reaction was she missed out on her favorite LUV seat, but then she didn't have to walk all the way from Gate C3 to the parking shuttle.

toomanybooks

You ever get stuck next to a huge fat smelly guy in your reserved seat on your legacy with 0% of improving? I have.

I board in the low Bs on WN and if it's going to be full I look for an aisle seat next to a child or small Asian woman in the middle seat. Problem solved.

To each his own.