Is boarding really faster?
Jan 31, 2022, 4:49 pm
#32
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: SJC/SFO
Programs: WN A+ CP, UA 1MM/*A Gold, Mar LT Tit, IHG Plat, HH Dia
Posts: 6,284
Southwest's open seating policy isn't just about turning an aircraft faster; it's also about requiring fewer gate agents. It's been mentioned in past threads that WN estimated 2/3 of all customer interactions with GAs at other carriers are about seat assignment changes.
Jan 31, 2022, 5:18 pm
#33
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Blue Ridge, GA
Posts: 5,509
Jan 31, 2022, 6:34 pm
#34
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: St. Louis, MO
Programs: AA EXP, 1MM; HH Gold; IHG Platinum
Posts: 148
When WN went to scannable boarding passes and stopped making pax check in at the gate an hour before departure for a plastic boarding card, they also started combining gate desks at most airports. Now at most stations of any decent size one CSA is at the desk working 2-3 overlapping flights at adjacent gates. Throw in assigned seating and they're back to one CSA per gate to deal with seat requests.
Jan 31, 2022, 6:49 pm
#35
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Blue Ridge, GA
Posts: 5,509
Jan 31, 2022, 8:06 pm
#36
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: St. Louis, MO
Programs: AA EXP, 1MM; HH Gold; IHG Platinum
Posts: 148
At Southwest CSAs work gates (and ticket/check-in counters and baggage service offices). There are no "Gate Agent" employees. I was referring to one CSA working flights at 2-3 gates, not customer service or rebooking counters.
Jan 31, 2022, 9:44 pm
#37
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Blue Ridge, GA
Posts: 5,509
The single-agent model isn't terribly enterprising. The days of manually clearing standby lists are gone. The app alerts and reissues a boarding pass so the gate agent isn't paging 11 people to come pick up a paper one. Any seat reassignment slip just prints automatically on boarding.
Automation marches on unless delays in getting a flight off on time cost more than the salary of 1 agent.
Maybe Bob Jordan inherits a serviceable.IT architecture,
Automation marches on unless delays in getting a flight off on time cost more than the salary of 1 agent.
Maybe Bob Jordan inherits a serviceable.IT architecture,
Feb 1, 2022, 5:53 am
#38
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: CMH, West Coast
Programs: AA Executive Platinum, oneworld emerald
Posts: 2,741
Congratulations! You've found it: the ultimate strawman, the biggest one I've ever seen. I don't like WN's boarding process? I must then, completely fail at life, in every possible aspect. I can't even fathom the fallacious leap of non-logic between "hate WN boarding" and "living a life of complacency." Wow, I am truly floored.
Feb 1, 2022, 9:28 am
#40
Moderator: Southwest Airlines, Capital One
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: California
Programs: WN Companion Pass, A-list preferred, Hyatt Globalist; United Club Lietime (sic) Member
Posts: 21,622
Feb 1, 2022, 5:16 pm
#42
Join Date: May 2012
Location: DCA, lived MCI, SEA/PDX,BUF (born/raised)
Programs: Marriott (Silver/Gold), IHG, Carlson, Best Western, Choice( Gold), AS (MVP), WN, UA
Posts: 8,730
Southwest's open seating policy isn't just about turning an aircraft faster; it's also about requiring fewer gate agents. It's been mentioned in past threads that WN estimated 2/3 of all customer interactions with GAs at other carriers are about seat assignment changes.
Yes really.
When WN went to scannable boarding passes and stopped making pax check in at the gate an hour before departure for a plastic boarding card, they also started combining gate desks at most airports. Now at most stations of any decent size one CSA is at the desk working 2-3 overlapping flights at adjacent gates. Throw in assigned seating and they're back to one CSA per gate to deal with seat requests.
When WN went to scannable boarding passes and stopped making pax check in at the gate an hour before departure for a plastic boarding card, they also started combining gate desks at most airports. Now at most stations of any decent size one CSA is at the desk working 2-3 overlapping flights at adjacent gates. Throw in assigned seating and they're back to one CSA per gate to deal with seat requests.
all airlines have gotten more efficient in staffing because in drop in needing seat changes.
GA are now selling A1-15 available.
Feb 1, 2022, 5:18 pm
#43
Join Date: May 2012
Location: DCA, lived MCI, SEA/PDX,BUF (born/raised)
Programs: Marriott (Silver/Gold), IHG, Carlson, Best Western, Choice( Gold), AS (MVP), WN, UA
Posts: 8,730
that has much more to do with continued routes vs hub and spoke routing. A crew flus a plane with 5 different city stops a day. A delay early cascades. With legacy hub-spoke thry change planes minimizing delayed aircraft.
Feb 1, 2022, 9:18 pm
#44
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2003
Programs: UA 1K 1MM (finally!), IHG AMB-Spire, HH Diamond
Posts: 60,172
