Often1

Doubt that they try food or change fees, although BE has become wildly successful on the legacies and there may be some demand for it on WN, e.g. a "use or lose" product with a late boarding order.

The idea of selling the aisle and window in the first four rows and exits and reserving those so that purchasers, largely an enticement to business travelers who would not need to be at the gate until the last minute is interesting. The question is whether people would pay a $50+ premium for that on a long-ish flight. Goes without saying that this moves the person holding A-1 down below preboards and roughly other 20 others, so perhaps to what would have been A-25 to 30 or worse in the past.

ehallison

+1.
I don't think they can add change fees or baggage fees. They'd really lose their customer base over this. I've seen threads on the board before asking "why is Southwest more expensive than other carriers?" and the answer is usually, "it's not" if you factor in baggage fees, seat fees to get your family together, change fees, etc. I used to think AA was a more premium product than Southwest. The truth was that I was a more premium passenger level (Platinum) so I was immune to baggage fees and seat fees and boarding last with no overhead bin space. Now that my husband has dropped to Gold, and I've dropped to nothing on AA - I discovered why SW has such a fan base.

Often1

Always possible that WN goes to one bag included (nothing is free), but given the fact that more and more business travelers do not check bags and, if they are elite, get an included bag on a mainline carrier, WN really won't suffer that much in terms of real net revenue loss if it did trim the bag benefit back.

DenverBrian

Maybe it's a hybrid of boarding order and blocking the front half of the cabin. For instance, families can preboard if they wish, but only to the rear of the plane. Otherwise, board in your issued order.

Visconti

This makes sense.

Not sure if it was just SFO, but when I had A List, even when A1 - 16 were empty, the odds of getting the first bulkhead rows were slim to none, since the pre-boarding entourage always had first dibs.

WestCoastFlyer

DenverBrian

It would still be this way - except for preboarding families. For them, it would be "Take any seat behind the exit rows, or wait until your assigned boarding number is called." Easy peasy.

I could imagine boarding this way:

1) Families with small children may preboard now if they are OK with any seats behind the exit row. If you prefer not to preboard now, you may board in your normal order as shown on your boarding pass.

2) Disabilities, military, A-List Titanium, if your name has more vowels than consonants, whatever "regular" preboarding occurs now.

3) Everyone else, in A/B/C order.

Simple. The only real change addresses the family/preboard issue and gives them the choice: Board first but only to the back half; or board according to the number on your boarding pass. Everyone else boards as they do now.

The FAs would only need to "police" the family preboarders.

WestCoastFlyer

DenverBrian, I’m not certain what people are paying for to generate incremental revenue in that scenario, although I do like the family preboard behind the exit row idea. If I’m paying extra for first 4 rows or exit row I’m going to expect it to be there for me if I board first or 100th.

BarryPeters

I'm not sure about the viability of the "preboarding families" practice. Last week when I boarded a flight at LAX, the gate agent told preboarders: "You can board with only one family member or companion, maximum."

kennycrudup

As long as it takes advantage of folks' front-seating fetishes- and ONLY that- I won't care.

Often1

That is the entire purpose of the leaked Chase concept. Those first 4 rows + exit are reserved for people purchasing BS+ or whatever WN would call it. Those people could board at any time and would presumably choose to board last and skip the whole lining up thing. OH space for those rows would be held for them as well.

The other feature I can see is an inflexible product comparable to Basic Economy on the legacies. A step below WGA and for that you get the same service level, but no changes for any reason. The breakage on those tickets is apparently quite high, but it's also a choice people make.

smmrfld

mcflytfc

I am primarily a business flyer on Southwest, Anytime or BS fares make no difference to me, BS falls in to an unspoken gray area of within the expense policy since it does not get flagged. I would like more seat pitch so I could comfortably use my laptop. Even if the person in front doesn't tilt their seat back, my laptop is usually resting against the seat back and i'm typing like with my T-rex arms. If they decide they need to tilt back for that hour or four, i'm resorting to using my legs.

Would like to see something like this, opens the door to true multi class though, on the fence about that.

Daze

Tanic

How would WN accommodate ACAA pax that required specific seating?