Southwest joins the "fee brigade", though still optional

[FlyerTalker]

Southwest has announced a new program, where for $10 one way, you get a priority spot ahead of those checking in at the 24 hour mark. It's called Early Bird Check-in.

 

From the WN website:

What is EarlyBird Check-in?

EarlyBird Check-in is a new, low-cost option that gives you the benefit of having an automatically assigned boarding position, allowing you to board earlier than Customers using our traditional checkin procedures. As an EarlyBird Check-in Customer you will have a better opportunity to select your preferred seat and have greater access to overhead bin stowage for your carryon luggage than our general boarding Customers. This affordable option automatically reserves for you the next best boarding position available, allowing you to board the plane after Business Select Customers and Rapid Rewards A-List Members.

 

Will EarlyBird Check-in Customers get an "A" Boarding Pass and be among the first to board?

Probably, but not always. It depends upon how many Business Select, Rapid Rewards A-List, and EarlyBird Check-in Customers are on a given flight. However, as an EarlyBird Check-in Customer you will definitely get a better boarding position than Customers in the general boarding group.

 

Details can be found HERE.

[loveJake]

Just read it, there went some of my respect for them.

Always try to fly SW and would tell anyone how great I thought they were. But as long as I can keep getting $49 one way tickets to Florida from BWI I will still fly with them, have been paying this price for years.

[gargoyle999]

Finally moving in the right direction! Not as good as assigned seating but now I'll consider booking a flight with them.

[steve20832]

Just read it, there went some of my respect for them.

Always try to fly SW and would tell anyone how great I thought they were. But as long as I can keep getting $49 one way tickets to Florida from BWI I will still fly with them, have been paying this price for years.

 

I just got $59 each way from PBI > BWI in October. I prefer PBI over FLL. Never takes more than 10 minutes from the time I enter the airport to the gate.

[steve20832]

Finally moving in the right direction! Not as good as assigned seating but now I'll consider booking a flight with them.

 

Southwest will start flying from MSP > STL in January so that makes 3 cities Southwest flies to from MSP going to focus cities. If you haven't flown them before, give it a try. Delta fought with the MAC (and lost) because they wanted to shut down MSP as a hub. Delta now has to keep 10,000 jobs until 2012 then Delta can do whatever they want to. More than likely Lindbergh will be a ghost town then.

[kenish]

WN is definitely in a good position to add optional services for an extra fee. Since they haven't offered a lot of things in the first place they can now add them while keeping their "value proposition" intact. That contrasts to legacy carriers who offered the services as part of the fare and are now charging for them (even though the base fares have dropped substantially).

 

I think there will be more to come from WN. Fuel hedges are expiring, they showed red ink for the first time in ages, and they will need to find new profit sources.

[Toto2Kansas]

Sounds good to me after reading all of those boarding nitemares. I just putchased the Earlybird check in. Will see at the end of the month if it was worth it or not. ;) Thanks for the heads up!

[steve20832]

WN is definitely in a good position to add optional services for an extra fee. Since they haven't offered a lot of things in the first place they can now add them while keeping their "value proposition" intact. That contrasts to legacy carriers who offered the services as part of the fare and are now charging for them (even though the base fares have dropped substantially).

 

I think there will be more to come from WN. Fuel hedges are expiring, they showed red ink for the first time in ages, and they will need to find new profit sources.

 

Most airlines have stopped fuel hedging due to the instability of oil pricing right now.

I applaud Southwest for having 'optional' fees instead of mandatory fees like most airlines. No one is forcing you to pay the $10 fee.

[Keith1010]

If you don't pay the $10.00 but just check in 24 hours in advance we are always board around 30th in the first grouping. They have always had spots ahead of everyone else for their frequent flyers. So, we'll either pay the additional $10.00 or just see if we end up around where we were anyway.

 

I actually like there system. I find that it is more orderly than most airlines.

 

But for those who worry it's probably good for them.

 

I am still waiting for all of the airlines who do assigned seating to start charging more for a windown or aisle seat and less for a middle. It's coming. Give it another couple of years.

 

Keith

[tada]

I'm starting to feel optional will become mandatory. A lot of people's complaints about Southwest is that they have to remember to check in 24 hours before the flight to get an "A" boarding pass. I fly in a market where Southwest dominates and provides much less expensive flights than other carriers. So I am very religious about checking in 24 hours ahead of the flight. I set reminders on my phone and calendars to remind myself. Now, on every flight, Southwest will advertise this service. And many people who didn't want to go to the trouble to remember to check in early will pay the extra $10 each way to eliminate the need to. So to me, the price of the ticket just went up $10 each way. If you will pay $79 for a one way ticket, why wouldn't you pay $89? I have to catch a flight on Friday of this week, which is the labor day weekend, with heavy airline traffic and I am debating whether to pay the extra $10, just so that I don't get bumped farther back. And the real reason for me to board only is to get a little overhead storage. I carry one small carry-on, and I don't check my bag. So getting bumped to a "B" boarding area can mean I sit with the bag under the seat in front of me.

[6rugrats]

I am still waiting for all of the airlines who do assigned seating to start charging more for a windown or aisle seat and less for a middle. It's coming. Give it another couple of years.

 

Keith

 

I know of at least one airline that already does. US has what's called "Choice Seats", that are selected aisle and window seats, for which there is an additional charge.

[Keith1010]

I know of at least one airline that already does. US has what's called "Choice Seats", that are selected aisle and window seats, for which there is an additional charge.

 

That's good to know. I am amazed that the rest haven't gone that route. Don't get me wrong, I hope they don't but who would have guessed ten years ago that they would be selling food on flight, charging for luggage, etc,. etc., So, I can believe anything these days.

 

Keith

[Keith1010]

I'm starting to feel optional will become mandatory. A lot of people's complaints about Southwest is that they have to remember to check in 24 hours before the flight to get an "A" boarding pass. I fly in a market where Southwest dominates and provides much less expensive flights than other carriers. So I am very religious about checking in 24 hours ahead of the flight. I set reminders on my phone and calendars to remind myself. Now, on every flight, Southwest will advertise this service. And many people who didn't want to go to the trouble to remember to check in early will pay the extra $10 each way to eliminate the need to. So to me, the price of the ticket just went up $10 each way. If you will pay $79 for a one way ticket, why wouldn't you pay $89? I have to catch a flight on Friday of this week, which is the labor day weekend, with heavy airline traffic and I am debating whether to pay the extra $10, just so that I don't get bumped farther back. And the real reason for me to board only is to get a little overhead storage. I carry one small carry-on, and I don't check my bag. So getting bumped to a "B" boarding area can mean I sit with the bag under the seat in front of me.

 

I have a feeling it won't be so bad. I think many will just go with the price the way it is figuring they will be fine. Let's see what happens.

 

Keith

[tada]

I have a feeling it won't be so bad. I think many will just go with the price the way it is figuring they will be fine. Let's see what happens.

 

Keith

 

I'm going with what I have this weekend, just to see the reaction. Most people don't know about it yet. But it will be advertised heavily.

[sand piper]

I think I will do this for my flight after my cruise. Tht way I won't have to worry about checking in while criusing.

Salley

[megr1125]

That's a fee that I would pay. It isn't forcing anyone to do it, and your bags and their little bag pals still can ride for free....

[Toto2Kansas]

I think I will do this for my flight after my cruise. Tht way I won't have to worry about checking in while criusing.

Salley

 

That was my problem. Flying from Tahiti to LAX and trying to figure in the time change and run to the internet cafe that last day onboard to try to print boarding passes just didn't sound too great to me. This way, they will check me in and I can print our boarding passes anytime during that final day onboard the ship. ;)

[kelmac]

I'm a big WN fan, but I have mixed feelings about this "EarlyBird" thing. We have three flights booked and I did the EarlyBird on two of them (longer flights); the short flight to Tucson (50 minutes) is not a big deal.

Seems like many people will hit the 24 hour online boarding window only to find themselves with a "B" boarding pass.

I guess it may be worth the $10 just to be able to bypass that game??

 

On the other hand, I booked an American flight, an Alaskan Air flight and a Delta flight and was forced back in the plane because of all the "Premium Seats" in the front area of coach.

 

We all have to do our part at helping these companies make a profit??? Who was it that said, " the best way to become a millionaire is to start will a billion dollars and buy an airline" Kind of a tough business!:rolleyes:

 

Kel:)

[kenish]

Steve20832- I was agreeing with you in a sense if you re-read my post. :) It pointed out adding a new service for a fee was a better marketing position than charging for a service that used to be free.

 

Southwest took out new fuel hedges but this time on the "wrong" side of the equation...the good news for them is crude is starting to rise so their losses on their misjudged hedges will decline.

[Beth_55]

So I wonder will they have an additional line just for early birds ?

[steve20832]

So I wonder will they have an additional line just for early birds ?

No, you will get an A pass if you pay the $10 (unless more than 50-60 people pay the $10)

[Keith1010]

So I wonder will they have an additional line just for early birds ?

 

It will be as you do today. You check in on line starting 24 hours before. If I do this today and am the first one I still don't get the first place as those who are frequent fliers get that. The key is to check in on line.

 

Keith

[UpstateCruizer]

I recently read a thread debating the saving of seats on SouthWest and the lack of flight attendants enforcing a no saving rule. When I first read this post my first thought was great followed by what a nightmare this could actually end up being :eek:.

You know without a doubt there is going to be people that figure they will just pay for one person in their group to get an A and save the seats next to them for the rest of the family. If seat saving issues were a problem in the past this will most likely be an even bigger issue when this program starts. Think about it if you paid the $10 for you and your spouse and you board in the last part of the A group only to find several seats being "saved" how ticked off are you going to be??

 

I do love the idea that I won't have to actually check in for flights when I'm on a cruise ship. That alone is well worth the extra $10 for me. I will wait and see how this all goes before jumping to add it to my October flights.

[Keith1010]

I recently read a thread debating the saving of seats on SouthWest and the lack of flight attendants enforcing a no saving rule. When I first read this post my first thought was great followed by what a nightmare this could actually end up being :eek:.

You know without a doubt there is going to be people that figure they will just pay for one person in their group to get an A and save the seats next to them for the rest of the family. If seat saving issues were a problem in the past this will most likely be an even bigger issue when this program starts. Think about it if you paid the $10 for you and your spouse and you board in the last part of the A group only to find several seats being "saved" how ticked off are you going to be??

 

I do love the idea that I won't have to actually check in for flights when I'm on a cruise ship. That alone is well worth the extra $10 for me. I will wait and see how this all goes before jumping to add it to my October flights.

 

I rarely have seen people saving seats on SW. I do not deny that this happens because but on all of our flights it has never been a problem. We just check in 24 hours before, board early and it's a piece of cake.

 

Too often everyone overeacts to change. Why not see what happens before people worry about it.

 

Keith

[karenh1127]

I know there is a thread somewhere here about "seat saving" on SWA so I wanted to post that this morning on the local news the announced that the airline will charge $10 to board early and snag a better seat. You will have up to 25 hours prior to flight to do this if I understand it correctly. Just FYI...:rolleyes: