Go Back  FlyerTalk Forums > Travel&Dining > TravelBuzz
Reload this Page >

Do preassigned seats make sense for regular economy class?

Do preassigned seats make sense for regular economy class?

Old Sep 21, 2017, 4:04 pm
  #31  
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: PSM
Posts: 69,232
Originally Posted by hi55us
This is what I love about B6. They have assigned seating, let everyone board from back to front behind Mosaics and people in their extra legroom seats.
Which isn't really all that different from the legacy carriers with F and elites.
Originally Posted by pinniped
Somebody actually tested this and found that random boarding order beat pretty much all forms of "organized" boarding.
Those tests also assume that all the passengers are in the boarding area when the gate opens, that they follow instructions, that bags are the right side, etc. There's enough variability in reality that I'm not so sure any of it matters.
sbm12 is offline  
Old Sep 21, 2017, 4:22 pm
  #32  
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Programs: LH SEN; BA Gold
Posts: 8,400
Originally Posted by pinniped
Somebody actually tested this and found that random boarding order beat pretty much all forms of "organized" boarding.
Passengers are too chaotic to make the random boarding order work. If airlines wanted to speed up boarding, they would start by doing preboarding (have people queue in their respective block, gate check big items, scold the passengers that arrive with 8 carry-on) and give incentives to passengers to check their bags.
WorldLux is offline  
Old Sep 22, 2017, 3:26 pm
  #33  
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: MCI
Programs: AA Gold 1MM, AS MVP, UA Silver, WN A-List, Marriott LT Titanium, HH Diamond
Posts: 52,497
Originally Posted by sbm12
Which isn't really all that different from the legacy carriers with F and elites.

Those tests also assume that all the passengers are in the boarding area when the gate opens, that they follow instructions, that bags are the right side, etc. There's enough variability in reality that I'm not so sure any of it matters.
Originally Posted by WorldLux
Passengers are too chaotic to make the random boarding order work. If airlines wanted to speed up boarding, they would start by doing preboarding (have people queue in their respective block, gate check big items, scold the passengers that arrive with 8 carry-on) and give incentives to passengers to check their bags.
The chaos and the fact that pax don't do what they're told is precisely *why* random boarding worked in these tests.

If people are really well-coached, then an orderly process would work better.

150 Flyertalkers could load a 737 in five minutes if we had 1 hour to practice and enough incentive to care.
pinniped is offline  
Old Sep 22, 2017, 11:28 pm
  #34  
 
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: MidSouth
Programs: AA; Delta GM
Posts: 728
Originally Posted by tjl
If you are a non-elite passenger flying economy on most non-WN airlines, it may require an extra fee to get a preassigned seat, if any are even available (and available together if you are in a group who wants to sit together).
I'm not sure if we're talking about the same thing here.

I fly multiple non-WN carriers, although I prefer the legacy carriers. To sit in economy, you pick economy at check out and select a seat unless you are flying in that airline's version of ultra economy where seat selection is not available. I would not fly any airline's ultra economy version of seating because it matter to me where I sit as well as sitting next to my travel companion. But regular economy seating seems to be easy enough and comes with an assigned seat.
aquamarinesteph is offline  
Old Sep 22, 2017, 11:52 pm
  #35  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 12,551
Originally Posted by tjl
Paid first, business, and premium economy passengers, and frequent flyer elites who get premium economy automatically would still get to preassign their seats in the premium sections,
There isn't really any premium economy on US domestic flights.

I fly WN and I fly assigned seating carriers. WN is fine for regional flights, but I wouldn't want to fly a transcon with them. I much prefer an assigned E+ seat.

The issue of getting decent seats on tight connections is also there with WN, while with a reserved seat I can get on the plane with the door closing behind me and still get my assigned aisle in E+.
chrisl137 is offline  
Old Sep 24, 2017, 5:27 am
  #36  
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 56
I find these arguments are generally not about boarding efficiency, but overhead space as in non-status passengers want the same access to overhead binds as status first-boarding passengers do (As non-status, usually travels at the back of the BUS).

Okay we, will board from the back, the first 1/3 to board from the back get ZERO overhead space and no-carryon luggage Still want this style of boarding?
Nhilar is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.