Southwest Airlines moves cattle call online

Frequent fliers on budget Southwest Airlines are used to standing in lines. It's the only way you can guarantee yourself a good seat. Even with the coveted "A" boarding pass (which you get by checking in online before lazier people get around to it), you still have to stand in line at the airport to get a good A-class seat. No more.

Your new, more granular boarding pass.

(Credit: Southwest)

Southwest is moving the anxiety and line-jumping from the airport to your home. Now, instead of just hoping for an "A" pass when you check in online, you get a number on your pass, like "A15." That number is your position in the boarding line. New Southwest boarding lines will be segmented into groups of five. When you get to the airport, you stand next to the pylon that has the range of numbers your ticket is in, and board with the five other people in that group. As always, online check-in for your flight opens up 24 hours before your scheduled departure. If you're not going to be near a computer at that time, you can also check in via mobile at mobile.southwest.com.

The new procedure is on-line (sorry) in San Antonio, and will be rolling out in other airports soon. There's a whole "boarding school" on the site.

So set your clocks and watches to the correct atomic time, and be sure to flood the Southwest servers precisely at the appointed hour, minute, and second.

This new process will make the airport more civilized and save on standing-around time, but for control freaks like me, open seating is stressful no matter where the line is. There's a free Webware T-Shirt to the first person who shows me a Southwest Airlines boarding pass sniping service (like they have for eBay auctions) that causes the airline to finally give up this archaic practice.

[iflyswa]

PlaneFast.com

You can use PlaneFast.com to schedule a checkin

[iflyswa]

PlaneFast.com

You can use PlaneFast.com to schedule a checkin

[johnb6597]

You're Always Welcome to Fly On Another Airline

Archaic? I love Southwest's first-come-first-serve flight boarding practices. Early bird gets the worm and so on. It's not by accident they are so popular with travelers (even YOU fly with them!). So, tray tables and seatbacks up, please, and enjoy your flight...or fly with somebody else.

[johnb6597]

You're Always Welcome to Fly On Another Airline

Archaic? I love Southwest's first-come-first-serve flight boarding practices. Early bird gets the worm and so on. It's not by accident they are so popular with travelers (even YOU fly with them!). So, tray tables and seatbacks up, please, and enjoy your flight...or fly with somebody else.

[zlguocius]

do you know what 'archaic' means?

By 'archaic', do you mean old, or do you mean that you don't like it?

[rafe]

I mean old-fashioned, out-of-date

SWA uses cattle call seating for efficiency. It's an old-fashioned method to speed the loading of their planes. I would think that modern technology offers better solutions that don't come at the expense of customer anxiety.

But that's just me.

BTW, best quote re definitions. From Deadwood: "I know what that word means. Prove to me you do."

[zlguocius]

do you know what 'archaic' means?

By 'archaic', do you mean old, or do you mean that you don't like it?

[rafe]

I mean old-fashioned, out-of-date

SWA uses cattle call seating for efficiency. It's an old-fashioned method to speed the loading of their planes. I would think that modern technology offers better solutions that don't come at the expense of customer anxiety.

But that's just me.

BTW, best quote re definitions. From Deadwood: "I know what that word means. Prove to me you do."

[outtanames999]

Rafe, You are spamming

Ever since ZD took over CNET, the quality of the editorial has dropped to the sewer level. A free t-shirt. Please, any idiot can see what you are doing - just look at the ads at the bottom of the page on your southwest posts - they're all for sniping services - take your pick. You obviously wrote this post so those ads would appear on your site. This is pathetic. Write about something real and important, not this Ziff Davis spam crap.

[outtanames999]

Rafe, You are spamming

Ever since ZD took over CNET, the quality of the editorial has dropped to the sewer level. A free t-shirt. Please, any idiot can see what you are doing - just look at the ads at the bottom of the page on your southwest posts - they're all for sniping services - take your pick. You obviously wrote this post so those ads would appear on your site. This is pathetic. Write about something real and important, not this Ziff Davis spam crap.

[mgc6020]

Southwest Airlines moves cattle call...you idiot!

Please fly one of the defective Horizon Airlines planes....

[mgc6020]

Southwest Airlines moves cattle call...you idiot!

Please fly one of the defective Horizon Airlines planes....

[lowtekkie]

Don't we wait enough?

"Early bird catches the worm" is a bad analogy for this situation. The next thing you know, people will be sleeping overnight in airports just to get the best A seat (like the fanatical concert-goers). It is ridiculous to ask people to waste their time getting to airports far ahead of their flights, just in hopes of getting a better seat assignment. The only reason I am flying Southwest next month (for the first time) is because it happens to be the best flight time available at a low price, and is a company trip (always must get the cheapest deal for the business trip). I would much rather choose from what's available when I book. Besides, what is the big deal in choosing your seat first? With flight delays and baggage nightmares, it doesn't really make a big deal to be on or off the plane first.

[lowtekkie]

Don't we wait enough?

"Early bird catches the worm" is a bad analogy for this situation. The next thing you know, people will be sleeping overnight in airports just to get the best A seat (like the fanatical concert-goers). It is ridiculous to ask people to waste their time getting to airports far ahead of their flights, just in hopes of getting a better seat assignment. The only reason I am flying Southwest next month (for the first time) is because it happens to be the best flight time available at a low price, and is a company trip (always must get the cheapest deal for the business trip). I would much rather choose from what's available when I book. Besides, what is the big deal in choosing your seat first? With flight delays and baggage nightmares, it doesn't really make a big deal to be on or off the plane first.