Southwest Seats?? Not yet......

I am slightly disappointed that Southwest decided not to put a pre-assigned seating feature into place, however I also believe that what they've proposed will certainly be a huge improvement. Basically, Southwest had been contemplating going to the advanced seating program, but they decided against it. Your best and only chance of getting a decent seat on Southwest is to check in online, no more than 24 hours prior to the flight departure time and get an *A* card. Southwest has now fine tuned that program and the alpha character will now be assigned a number after that so that you will no longer see lines forming or people camped out at the *A*, *B*, or *C* podiums at Southwest to be first in line to board from that row. From a travel agent's standpoint, who really appreciates everything about Southwest, I'm seriously hoping they do lose that "cattle car" title and I think this is a very good move on their part. I'm just an ole country gal who has spent 20 years in the city, so I can hang with the best of them, but I do have to say that I love Southwest!! There are so many good points about them and certainly an easy sell. The big thing is no penalties, just difference in airfare if you change and you can transfer your unused ticket funds to other passengers if you wish. They make my life as a travel agent so much easier from a monetary standpoint. OK, so now you know I like Southwest and the way they function, but read on if you want more details about their most recent seating game plan.

Here is what their newswire said:

Southwest Streamlines Its Boarding Without Assigning Seats

DALLAS, Sept. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Our Customers have spoken! Southwest Airlines embraces and celebrates its unique open seating heritage, announcing today that Customers will continue to choose their favorite seat while onboard the aircraft. The airline does plan to make changes to its boarding; however, saying goodbye to the perceived "cattle call" and eliminating the need for Customers to "camp-out" in their boarding line at the gate. The boarding transformation will enhance Customers' Southwest
experience, while maintaining the carrier's core values and Maverick character.

"Our open seating has served us exceptionally well throughout our 36-year history, and, after much research, deliberation, careful evaluation, and significant feedback from our Employees and Customers, we've decided that it is here to stay," said Gary Kelly, Southwest Airlines' Chief Executive Officer. "When we began our extensive exploration into the way our Customers board the aircraft, we set out to accomplish two things: improve the Customer Experience and increase Customer productivity. The new boarding delivers on both accounts and complements our legendary open seating."

Beginning in early November, Customers will be assigned a letter and a number on their Southwest boarding pass when they check in for a flight (for example: A32). This unique combination represents the Customers' reserved spot in their boarding group-boarding positions are separated into groups of five. When a Customer's boarding group is called, they simply find their designated place in line to board the aircraft. The A group will queue first in two lines: A1-30 on one side of marked columns and A31-60 on the other side, followed by two groups of B, and then the remaining Cs.

"After testing assigned seats in San Diego last summer, we quickly learned that the majority of our Customers did not want us to abandon our open seating but they did challenge us to enhance the way we board our aircraft." Kelly said. "Through innovative thinking and a lot of long hours, I am confident that our Employees have successfully built a solution that answers our Customers' direct request, while protecting and even improving our aircraft efficiency. All the while, I am proud to say, preserving our out of the box thinking that makes us different."

The airline began experimenting with several boarding processes last year at San Diego International Airport. Based on encouraging results, a new boarding option emerged using frontline Southwest Employees and Customer feedback. Next, Southwest began
constructing technology for a 2007 implementation in response to the initial San Diego results. In August 2007, the airline performed a "dress rehearsal" at San Antonio International Airport to confirm the carrier's preliminary findings and fine tune the process.

"Feedback from our San Antonio Customers and Employees has been overwhelmingly positive," Kelly said. "One of our primary goals with the new boarding is to give Customers back what they value most -- time. All of our research proves that this new way to board does just that."

The carrier plans to introduce the new boarding at every airport it serves by early November 2007. Over time, Southwest also plans to modify its gates with columns and signage that reflects the new boarding groups.

Southwest Airlines announced a plan to enhance its product in late June 2007. Today's announcement is the first step in a laundry list of items the carrier will introduce over the next several months. The new style of boarding opens the door to future enhancements for the carrier, allowing for product customization and additional incentives for the business and leisure traveler.

Southwest Airlines is one of the most honored airlines in the world. Among Southwest's recent honors was being named to Business Week's first ever list of "Customer Service Champs," which ranks the best providers of Customer Service. For eight years in a row, Southwest Airlines was named to Business Ethics magazine's list as one of America's "100 Best Corporate Citizens" for excelling at serving a variety of stakeholders and for leadership roles in corporate citizenship. And, for an impressive 11 consecutive years, FORTUNE magazine recognized Southwest Airlines as one of America's Top Ten most
admired corporations.