New "dynamic pricing" for Early Bird
#93
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: SoCal
Programs: AA EXP, HHonors LTDia, Marriott Plat
Posts: 639
#94
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Los Angeles, Chicago
Programs: WN A+/CP, UA 2P, National Car Exec, Hyatt Platinum, HH Diamond
Posts: 26
Well, the benefit of boarding with the B group is that you get to sit in a row in which Jabba will not sit (assuming there are two passengers already seated there when you choose to take a seat ).
#95
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: RNO
Programs: AA/DL/UA
Posts: 10,745
Most normal people I see just move on and find an open seat.
Seat saving may not be totally right, but creating an argument with others is more wrong. I'm sure you pass by open seats with nothing on them just to try to sit in a saved seat. I'm pretty sure you're just looking for an argument to prove your point, rather than being 'normal' and just taking another seat.
Seat saving may not be totally right, but creating an argument with others is more wrong. I'm sure you pass by open seats with nothing on them just to try to sit in a saved seat. I'm pretty sure you're just looking for an argument to prove your point, rather than being 'normal' and just taking another seat.
#96
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: RNO
Programs: AA/DL/UA
Posts: 10,745
Allow all the groups of 2 or more to board first (before the singles). (Most of) the twos, fours, and fives will leave an aisle or window seat open. The singles will then fill in the holes and almost everyone will get a seat together.
For example, assume a plane with 138 seats (46 rows - I'm ignoring the missing exit row seat on purpose to make it easier). The breakdown of parties might be:
The triples and quint will take up 10 full rows. The doubles, quads (assuming they sit 2+2) and leftover quint will take up 2 of the seats in 34 rows (25 + 4*2 + 1). That leaves those 34 rows with one open seat, and 2 rows (46-10-34) that are completely empty. All of the singles except 2 will get an aisle or window, and no party is broken up. (And yes, I'm ignoring through pax, late boarders, bickering couples, single medical pre-boarders, and lots of other exceptions).
They could still sell EB and give priority, but only within the two groups. In other words, EB or A-list or BS would get you closer to the front of the "party" or "solo" groups, but solos couldn't advance into the party group.
I think WN might get a side benefit of a little faster boarding, too.
Of course, A-list typically singles (like me) would not like this too much....EB would go down to near zero for the party groups, but might actually go up for the solo travelers.
For example, assume a plane with 138 seats (46 rows - I'm ignoring the missing exit row seat on purpose to make it easier). The breakdown of parties might be:
- singles: 40 (40 people)
- doubles: 25 (50 people)
- triples: 9 (27 people)
- quads: 4 (16 people)
- quints: 1 (5 people)
The triples and quint will take up 10 full rows. The doubles, quads (assuming they sit 2+2) and leftover quint will take up 2 of the seats in 34 rows (25 + 4*2 + 1). That leaves those 34 rows with one open seat, and 2 rows (46-10-34) that are completely empty. All of the singles except 2 will get an aisle or window, and no party is broken up. (And yes, I'm ignoring through pax, late boarders, bickering couples, single medical pre-boarders, and lots of other exceptions).
They could still sell EB and give priority, but only within the two groups. In other words, EB or A-list or BS would get you closer to the front of the "party" or "solo" groups, but solos couldn't advance into the party group.
I think WN might get a side benefit of a little faster boarding, too.
Of course, A-list typically singles (like me) would not like this too much....EB would go down to near zero for the party groups, but might actually go up for the solo travelers.
Making solo flyers (which would be me 95% of the time) get bottom of the barrel seat choices will greatly anger me and probably send me to another airline.
#97
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 595
DTW-SAN, DTW-LAS, and returns, all $25. DTW-SLC, $20. Looks like T-24 for me. At $30 RT, EB was barely worth it. It's very rare that I cannot check in at T-24. And in cases where we're traveling with the family (SAN, SLC), we get family boarding anyway, so no worse than A-61 (effectively). WN just priced this out of the realm of what the convenience is worth.
#98
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Atlanta but Washington DC will always be home.
Programs: Marriott LTP, Hilton Diamond, Accor Gold, Hyatt Explorist,, Delta Plat,
Posts: 2,064
DTW-BWI and BWI-DTW in $20 each way. As of now, my work will pay for early bird if the fare still comes out cheaper (fare + taxes + EB) than our contract fare on Delta. Which is good, because I'm not available to do T-24 for either of these flights.
#100
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 48
I saw $20 each way from HOU to FLL in early December. And $25 each way from HOU to LAS in early January. I used to always get early bird, but I'm passing on this. It's always a hassle to make changes, because we have a companion pass, and I guess $30 per trip was my mental limit. I will go back to checking in at T24, and having my A Lister husband save me a middle seat. I always sit by him anyway, he'll just have to get a little more forward about the seat saving, since he is leery of a confrontation over it. He tends to sit by the window, which draws couples to ask for the extra seats. I think he should sit in the middle, and tell anyone that asks that he's saving the window seat. If someone really wants to be a jerk and force themselves over him into the seat, he should have plenty of time to just switch rows.
#101
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: San Diego, CA
Programs: Southwest A-List; Alaska MVPG; Hilton Diamond; Avis PreferredPlus; Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite
Posts: 911
I saw $20 each way from HOU to FLL in early December. And $25 each way from HOU to LAS in early January. I used to always get early bird, but I'm passing on this. It's always a hassle to make changes, because we have a companion pass, and I guess $30 per trip was my mental limit. I will go back to checking in at T24, and having my A Lister husband save me a middle seat. I always sit by him anyway, he'll just have to get a little more forward about the seat saving, since he is leery of a confrontation over it. He tends to sit by the window, which draws couples to ask for the extra seats. I think he should sit in the middle, and tell anyone that asks that he's saving the window seat. If someone really wants to be a jerk and force themselves over him into the seat, he should have plenty of time to just switch rows.
To that end, if my wife is traveling with me, I’ll grab a middle seat and save her the window seat. She’s usually not far behind me in the boarding order, and if she were, I’d just move further back in the cabin. I’m not a small guy, so that window seat isn’t really attractive to most people. We used to pay the EBCI for her, but I think Southwest just priced themselves out of that additional revenue. With the new CC, we can upgrade her to A1-15 a couple of times if needed
#102
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: SEA
Programs: WN A+, AS MVP75K, Marriott Platinum, National EE
Posts: 114
I saw $20 each way from HOU to FLL in early December. And $25 each way from HOU to LAS in early January. I used to always get early bird, but I'm passing on this. It's always a hassle to make changes, because we have a companion pass, and I guess $30 per trip was my mental limit. I will go back to checking in at T24, and having my A Lister husband save me a middle seat. I always sit by him anyway, he'll just have to get a little more forward about the seat saving, since he is leery of a confrontation over it. He tends to sit by the window, which draws couples to ask for the extra seats. I think he should sit in the middle, and tell anyone that asks that he's saving the window seat. If someone really wants to be a jerk and force themselves over him into the seat, he should have plenty of time to just switch rows.
When we fly together she either boards in family with our kid or we do T-24 check in and I save a seat for her. We are about 18 flights in that way without any issues. I also see people saving seats on every single flight and never have seen a confrontation. Normally a bag or coat in a seat is enough for people to know it is being saved and to move on, so your husband shouldn't be concerned, especially if you aren't doing it for a premium seat.
#103
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 921
The slowness in boarding often comes from a 90 pound person trying to lug their 90 pound crate into the overhead bin, or asking if they can sit in the middle/window seat if the aisle is occupied (and the person needs to unbuckle their seatbelt, which they shouldn't have buckled yet if there was still empty seats towards the window). A group of people boarding near the end of the boarding process isn't slowing too much up, unless they insist on sitting together.
#104
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: FSD
Programs: AA CK, DL SM, UA PS, HH Diamond, Bonvoy Titanium , Hyatt Globalist, Global Entry, CLEAR
Posts: 457
#105
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Blue Ridge, GA
Posts: 5,492
The Military Boarding Policy was tweaked to welcome "all active-duty and retired military" to board with families. If memory serves, it had been only "uniformed military personnel" given the courtesy.
No one was carded or questioned. Could be a one-off ad-libbed gesture.
Last edited by LegalTender; Sep 7, 2018 at 3:02 pm