By Mark Huffman
ConsumerAffairs.Com
September 3, 2009
Southwest Airlines grew at a time its competitors were falling by
the wayside, offering cheap fares, no-frills service and lots of
flights. If there was one knock against the airline, it didn't offer
reserved seating, forcing passengers to arrive at the gate early to
secure a decent seat.
Now that's changed, if you're willing to pay an extra 10 bucks. Southwest this week launched EarlyBird Check-in, which allows passengers to begin boarding the plane after Southwest's Business Select and Rapid Rewards A-List Customers.
"With EarlyBird Check-in, you no longer need to watch the clock or set your alarm to be one of the first customers to check in for a Southwest flight. EarlyBird Customers can relax, and let us do the work for them," said Kevin Krone, Southwest's Vice President of Marketing, Sales and Distribution.
The airline says the early boarding position provides customers with the opportunity for a better seat selection and earlier access to overhead bin space. Southwest says it gives customers the option to enhance their travel experience while creating incremental revenue opportunities for Southwest.
But some Southwest customers ask why Southwest doesn't go to a reserved seating system like other airlines. Rhonda, of Rosamond, Calif., says Southwest's system of boarding passengers in groups, with three different classifications of boarding passes, can lead to angry encounters between passengers.
"Obviously, people do not understand why they have a letter/number on their ticket. And southwest does not explain this system to the customers," Rhonda told ConsumerAffairs.com.
She said that while waiting to board a flight from LAX to Las Vegas, a large group of people with B-55 on their tickets walked to the front of the line where one member of their party was waiting.
"After five people had joined him in the group, they motioned for more members to come forward. As we had B-20 tickets and were standing in the correct area, I kindly asked this group to notice their line number and stand in the appropriate place. This led to one member of the group yelling and screaming at me with foul language," Rhonda said. "The airline employees did nothing to prevent or help this situation."
The early boarding pass may help this situation, or make it worse, as it will leave fewer - and presumably less desirable seats - for everyone else.
Southwest says early boarding privileges are already included in the purchase of a Business Select fare and are a benefit of being on the Rapid Rewards A-List. All Customers are required to print their boarding pass prior to their scheduled departure.
Customers can purchase EarlyBird Check-in through a link in the Travel Tools section of southwest.com. They also can select EarlyBird Check-in from their southwest.com confirmation page online and from their confirmation e-mail. EarlyBird Check-in can be purchased up to 25 hours prior to the scheduled departure time of the customer's flight.
