Southwest to try out brilliant “New Coke” ploy
If I were Herb Kelleher, I’d be smacking my dumbass subordinates upside the head. Despite my protest, Southwest is trying out assigned seating.
Southwest Airlines will test assigning seats to travelers, another indication the maverick carrier may get in line with other U.S. airlines by junking its first-come, first-served seating system.
Passengers will be assigned seats on about 200 flights from San Diego starting July 10 and continuing for several weeks, an airline spokesman said on Tuesday.
The airline wants to know if assigning seats will slow Southwest’s ability to unload incoming planes and board passengers for the next flight.
Yes, you dumbasses, it will.
[Hat-tip: Loren Steffy]
The one thing that always kept me from wanting to fly Southwest was the thought of having to get to the airport 2 hours ahead of time to avoid getting stuck in the middle seat between two gigantosaurs with killer B.O. Since I am not small in the shoulders and I don’t do well trying to show up anywhere 2 hours early, getting that aisle seat is pretty critical for me. I thought they had fixed this problem with online checkin since I could easily get my A pass online the night before. I don’t really see assigned seating as such a huge deal though. I really doubt that it will take much more time to board the planes than having all the people holding C cards wandering up and down the aisles looking for the mythical middle seat between the two 4′2″ 85lb gymnasts heading home from training at Bela Karoly’s place.