New "dynamic pricing" for Early Bird

Old Aug 30, 2018, 3:37 am
  #91  
 
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I’m really really good at T-24
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Old Aug 30, 2018, 8:39 am
  #92  
 
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$25 Each way for EBCI MSP/MCO. We have a nonstop at 6:30 am so I may suck it and pay the $50. $20 more but I'll save that and then some as we usually eat in the airport on a layover
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Old Aug 30, 2018, 9:22 am
  #93  
 
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Originally Posted by NextTrip
Or, what happens on United if Jabba the Hutt’s favorite seat happens to be the one next to your favorite seat?
It seems like Jabba the Hutt always boards last, whether it's on WN, UA, or AA.
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Old Aug 31, 2018, 5:50 pm
  #94  
 
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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 ).
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Old Sep 3, 2018, 12:33 am
  #95  
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Originally Posted by jeffandnicole
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.
Actually, the last time I boarded a Southwest plane, I picked a window seat in an empty row. Fortunately no one around was trying to save eleven seats.
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Old Sep 3, 2018, 12:34 am
  #96  
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Originally Posted by SWSNA
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:
  • 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.
Assigned seating would make far more sense than this. This is just ridiculously complicated.

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.
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Old Sep 3, 2018, 8:04 am
  #97  
 
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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.
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Old Sep 3, 2018, 5:19 pm
  #98  
 
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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.
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Old Sep 6, 2018, 5:19 pm
  #99  
 
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$25 for a presumable emptier 3 hour ISP-TPA Sunday morning flight costing $107 all in.
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Old Sep 7, 2018, 7:34 am
  #100  
 
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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.
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Old Sep 7, 2018, 8:44 am
  #101  
 
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Originally Posted by betsifur
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.
I agree with you, and have found success with this strategy. My position is that it’s OK to (try to) save a seat as long as: a) it’s not a premium seat (bulkhead/exit row/first 2 or three rows), and b) you’re willing to yield the seat if someone challenges you on it. In other words, I don’t mind if someone tries to save a seat, as long as they realize that someone else may want that seat and say “Southwest has an open seating policy.” The seat saver can ask nicely, but be prepared to move if they tried to save a highly desirable seat.

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
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Old Sep 7, 2018, 9:04 am
  #102  
 
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Originally Posted by betsifur
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.
Agreed, I wonder if they are really going to increase revenue with this. I just booked a bunch of flights for my non status wife solo, and chose to do T24 for all of them instead of EBC which i would normally have done in the past. Frankly the difference between T24 and EBC is only 20 or 30 spots so she is still getting an aisle seat if she wants.

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.
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Old Sep 7, 2018, 11:21 am
  #103  
 
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Originally Posted by SWSNA
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.
Really? Most 2s I see take the window and aisle, hoping no one will sit in the middle. Or they take 2 aisles next to each other. Or they just sit wherever. This would apply to 4s and 5s as well.

Originally Posted by SWSNA
I think WN might get a side benefit of a little faster boarding, too.
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.
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Old Sep 7, 2018, 12:59 pm
  #104  
 
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Originally Posted by jeffandnicole
Really? Most 2s I see take the window and aisle, hoping no one will sit in the middle. Or they take 2 aisles next to each other. Or they just sit wherever. This would apply to 4s and 5s as well.
This
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Old Sep 7, 2018, 2:19 pm
  #105  
 
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Originally Posted by dabeags
Iwonder if they are really going to increase revenue with this. I just booked a bunch of flights for my non status wife solo, and chose to do T24 for all of them instead of EBC which i would normally have done in the past.
Had an interesting ATL gate announcement yesterday that may boost EBCI sales.

​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
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