Jaimito Cartero

Why? Pretty simple.

No need to assign seats. Ability to charge Early Bird numbers for extra revenue. Supposedly quicker boarding process, especially if they use a front and rear boarding.

Chamor

I’m skeptical about the faster boarding process. But in any event if all of these advantages are real then why have other US airlines not moved to the WN system?

justhere

You know that the cost of the ticket has very little to do with whether or not a carrier is an LCC, right?

They do have a policy. Their policy is that you can save seats. Whether or not that works out for any given passenger is dependent on many factors. It's really not as pervasive of an issue as people make it out to be.
Why do YOU think they have passengers line up while other airlines assign seats? You are entitled to your opinion but clearly many people have no issue with lining up nor with saving seats as both happen multiple times a day.
Perhaps they don't like to be as profitable as WN? Probably should ask them.

djp98374

it’s not any different than other carriers with everyone bringing their luggage overhead space is important so people boarding in different groups jam the line.

djp98374

sone PAX prefer having FC and having assigned seats rather than say being stuck in a middle seat on a XC flight.

I actually understand the math behind this modeling of waiting in line. There is no optimal way.

southwest allows people to check their bags for free so most check the large bags so boarding is usually faster because peop,e aren’t stopping a line to lift and load bags. With other carriers charging check bags those PAX are now bringing bags so boarding actually takes longer because of the situation I said above, and they need to bring bags down to get loaded.

EAJuggalo

No, that is not their policy. Their policy is that you can sit in any open seat. What you define as an open seat is up for interpretation. Some people think that saving seats means the seat isn't open, other believe unless there is a butt in it, the seat is open. WN does not, to the best of my knowledge, I'd be very interested if you find it somewhere, give what their definition is.

NoStressHere

NOBODY and I mean NOBODY has been able to find the perfect boarding system. For those that have been flying for many years, we have seen all kinds of attempts at improvement. Always some sort of issues.

WN has been using their system for years. Most people are just fine with it and it seems to work okay. We will never see a 'great' boarding process - just ones that seem to work pretty good. WN still has some of the quickest turns for planes for what that is worth.

nsx

On other airlines you can avoid a middle seat by buying in advance, although for the cheapest fares that might mean months in advance or that you have to pay extra for a seat assignment.

On Southwest you can avoid a middle seat by checking in exactly 24 hours before the flight, although IROPS will cost you your boarding position.

Pick your poison.

MSPeconomist

On narrow body aircraft, front and rear boarding would mean a hard stand and stairs (perhaps buses too but using a bus takes more time) rather than a jetway. No thanks. Another reason to avoid this airline.

Besides, given that seats toward the front are generally more desirable, do you expect many passengers to voluntarily go toward the rear to board?

NoStressHere

Front and rear boarding is not going to happen - jetway cost would be prohibitive. And of course you would have to man that jetway as well.

Funny story. Flying Peoples Express through Newark 30 years+ ago. Time to board using stairs for front and back. I had wife and 2 little kids with me and quickly figured out there were too many people and yelled to family to sit down NOW. About 20-30 people had to get back off the plane since it was full.

willywilkes

WN actually does do front and rear at some airports: https://www.southwest.com/html/trave.../dualdoor.html I have used it myself at BUR, but yes I certainly know it is not going to happen at MOST airports.

Tanic

I miss PE. No one would check if you had a reservation or not when boarding, and ticket payment was with a credit card cruncher that came down the aisle with pay-per-drinks. Quite a few pax just didn't pay.

envgeo

This is what i used to do. A-List Pref, family boarded with family boarding. I did the quick math that if everyone took and aisle and/or window, there would be 15 rows filled and choose a row just before exit row. there are only 4 of us, so i didnt reserve the whole row.

There must have been a changed that i missed, because now my family gets a similar boarding card/# as me.

swaluvr

If I needed, or wanted, the seat, I'd sit down.

PotomacApproach

I would just say this is Southwest, not Delta, and there's open seating, which you'll hear/you heard the flight attendant say. Might offer that there's plenty of three seats together in the back as well. I'd then sit down and not move.

The equivalent on other airlines is people asking for E+/C+ seats so their families can sit together when they have one person up front and 1-3 others way in the back, possibly on Saver fares. I've been asked to swap seats in these scenarios and clearly stated that they could have also paid for the seats. One lady tried to guilt trip me and I reiterated my point firmly.

A lot of tension in these situations is actually made worse by people being passive/aggressive or just passive. The more assertive you are as the recipient of these requests the less likely there is to be any trouble.