Seat Assignment

[Blue0ctane]

Just curious octane...you're not an employee and you are not a frequent flyer. You are 13 years old. What could you possibly find interesting on this board? Shouln't you be doing your homework?

I like flying. And I realize that your remark wasn't meant to be taken literally, but school ended May 31st.

 

[KCFlyer]

I like flying. And I realize that your remark wasn't meant to be taken literally, but school ended May 31st.

YOu still have a lot to learn. Bet you don't fly Southwest because their liveries ugly. You should really check out airliners.net...they're custom made for you.

 

[I'mRayFlyMe]

It really has to do with the turnaround

BINGO!!! We have a winner here!

It might not be readily apparent on the first flight of the day, but next time you're on a continuing flight on SWA, observe the time from when the plane pulls into the gate, the deplaning passengers disembark, new passengers board and then pushback and you'll see the real reason why Southwest continues to go with unassigned seats. These planes average a turnaround of approx. 25-30 minutes, and assigned seating would slow that process down considerably, not to mention cause tons of flights to be rescheduled throughout the system.

Granted Southwest needs to look at all possible options (including assigned seating), but what it all comes down to, ladies and gentlemen, is what Herb Kelleher has said all along... "Our aircraft does not make money sitting on the ground."

 

[Dont call me Shirley]

In addition to turn around time, another consideration is just the amount of agent time spent dealing with seat assignments. While I have no hard data, I think it is safe to say that it does take up a lot time.

 

[SharoninSAT]

In addition to turn around time, another consideration is just the amount of agent time spent dealing with seat assignments. While I have no hard data, I think it is safe to say that it does take up a lot time.

You're right.There are a lot of considerations having to do with time.Personally I hope WN does not go to assigned seating.

 

[Tanker]

You're right.There are a lot of considerations having to do with time.Personally I hope WN does not go to assigned seating.

I've been told that WN has done a poll of their frequent passengers and the large majority of them agree with you and don't want assigned seats.

 

[hp-csr-phx]

Southwest to test assigned seating in SAN.

 

[Dave]

Southwest to test assigned seating in SAN.

Wow.

I guess Gary Kelly didn't get the memo that all his employees on this message board are against assigned seating.

How can he be so stupid?

 

[whlinder]

I think the bigger news is that the res system is being updated to handle international flights (from the article).

Mexico? Canada? Latin America? Caribbean? ATA flying transatlantic?

 

[Dont call me Shirley]

Southwest to test assigned seating in SAN.

Wow....whatever happened to "if it ain't broke, don't fix it???

OTOH, I think a major problem with seat assignment is advance seat assignment and no shows. Seat assignmnet cause fewer problems is only issued on the day of departute...i.e. US Airways Shuttle.

 

[Skymess]

In addition to turn around time, another consideration is just the amount of agent time spent dealing with seat assignments. While I have no hard data, I think it is safe to say that it does take up a lot time.

Seat assignments aren't the problem.Most of the so called problems can be eliminated in the boarding area if the agents and FAs boarding the flight just looked at the people, the ticket, and trusted the machine and their computers.

Don't let too many people deal with seat assignments.

The problem at AA is that too many people have access to the seating pie. You have one agent blocking one row one second as some other do gooder in the admirals club is unblocking it. Then when the first one goes back in the seats she had just blocked are full and she has to backtrack to see when they are assigned and find other seats or she just assumes the seats are still empty and reissues the same seats for different people. Don't let too many people deal with seat assignments.


Too many boarding groups.
Southwest can assign seats and just fit them into the usual A,B,C groups. They just have to make sure the A,B,C's are big enough for the passenger to notice. Not a problem as long as the letters are big enough for even the most myopic person to see. Like they currently are.

Holding off seat assingments Don't hold aside different seats for special needs people, families, and frequent fliers too late into the boarding process. Just assign the seats you need to give and if someone else shows up who needs the seats more reassign the ones you gave away.

Exit rows Make sure the exit row people who are given the seats are not missing limbs, wearing neck braces, or drinking out of sippie cups. It's a flight attendant pet peeve when the agents somehow not only assign these people the exit row, but let them board after the machine beeps **** exit row**** when they run their tickets.

LISTEN to what the ticket reading machine is telling you. If you swipe a 29D and the machine beeps says seat dupe and the name being flashed is Gonzales when the one on the ticket says D'Angelo than don't let D'Angelo on the plane unless he/she wants to sit on Gonzales' lap. The machine will let you know when you mess up.

There are more problems but those are the most prevalent.
There's also nothing wrong with giving assigned seats, moving people around, and telling the stragglers that they have to sit in whatever's left. You snooze you lose. It's the price you pay to be on time.

 

[WNrforlife]

Q: Will Customers be able to pick their seats?
A: No. Any customer caught picking their seat will be denied boarding. It's a bad, disgusting habit that will not be tolerated.

 

[SharoninSAT]

Q: Will Customers be able to pick their seats?
A: No. Any customer caught picking their seat will be denied boarding. It's a bad, disgusting habit that will not be tolerated.

"FUNNY"

 

[markkus757]

I asked an employee that at least likes to think he is in the know and he says the people that are polled are not regular fliers and the major reason they don't fly on or don't fly more often on southwest is the lack of seat assignment. If this does change, I bet it will be a few years to get it right. Southwest has a cultural thing to change with their employees. Most employees will resist any changes that are not simplified as much as possible. I also don't think Southwest will do this until they get it right. Day of departure would be my vote. You check in for the flight and you get a seat assignment.

 

[Dont call me Shirley]

Press storie:



http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews...ia/15008053.htm

Southwest Airlines tries telling passengers where to sit
THOMAS WATKINS
Associated Press
SAN DIEGO - Southwest Airlines Co. began assigning seats to some passengers Monday, a first for the maverick carrier that for 35 years has let travelers choose where to sit on a first-come, first-served basis.

It's only a test - for now. The Dallas-based airline wants to know if assigning seats will slow down its ability to unload incoming planes and board passengers for the next flight. It takes the carrier 25 minutes on average to turn a plane around, and any delay can add to the airline's costs.

Southwest carries more domestic passengers than any other airline, and it is the only airline in the United States to have what it calls "open seating," said spokeswoman Marilee McInnis.

"Open seating has been a big part of our success in allowing quick turn times," said McInnis, noting that a new reservation system is being installed to handle assigned seating and international flights. "But times are changing, and we have technologies we didn't have before."

------------------------------------------------
http://blogs.usatoday.com/sky/2006/07/southwests_seat.html


Southwest's seating experiment is underway
Monday marked the first day of Southwest's assigned seating trial, and the media turned out in force. Baltimore Sun reporter Meredith Cohn took the first flight, Southwest 2444 from San Diego to Phoenix, reporting that "a Phoenix truck driver became the first test subject in a trial that could change the 35-year-old company's cultural identity." Passengers for the trial flight were only notified 48-hours before departure to see a gate attendant for their seat assignment, but in a move that "die-hards found very un-Southwest," The Sun said that passengers had no choice in seat assignment.

USA Today focuses on how the experiment played with Southwest's loyal following, including the aforementioned Phoenix truck driver. Donald Cloo told the paper, "If I wanted assigned seats, I would go to one of the other airlines." An airport expert supervising the seating experiment acknowledged that the process yielded "many disappointed passengers."

The San Diego Union Tribune reports that "passengers leaving from San Diego should expect more surprises" as Southwest "plans to test a variety of boarding options over the next eight weeks on two to three flights a day." That article also indicates that while "typically allowing passengers to self-organize through open seating is the quickest" way to board, Southwest 2444 still took off a few minutes early.