Well never let it be said I won't make a retraction. I was a little harsh on SWA for their temporary boarding poles. I boarded in Oakland last week with the new illuminated boarding poles and screens. Very nice and efficient, you have my praise, well done.
Now will the old poles be on EBay so I can have a set of my own for our office? They would be cool.
TH
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1. Applause to SWA for staying fresh and trying something new.
2. Applause for SWA attempting to help business travellers get to where they are going with less trouble.
3. Applause to SWA still managing to make a PROFIT!
4. No applause for the company who got the contract to make the last minute signage used for boarding. The spinning letters on top and the twenty some odd poles seem like I am in some weird wonka-like bingo stand up board game from Milton Bradley.
It is hard enough to turn a plane in twenty minutes at a gate let alone have 134 people attempt (with three carry-ons mind you) jockey into the correct seating positions based on a numbered ticket and a cramped waiting areas. Hell half the customers just realized they can print their boarding pass on a computer before they get to the airport?
Normally I sit and wait until everyone has boarded in my group then get up board......and pick the most attractive and nicest looking people in the first few rows with an open middle seat, (knowing they are a married couple) ask if it is taken, he of course moves to the middle and PRESTO I am on the aisle. For me nothing has changed with your new boarding system, so it seems like a waste of precious profitability.
I have a MUCH better idea......
Everyone in Group A who has a phobia about flying, needs to be somewhere pronto when we land, has flown before, and or knows how to get on and off an airplane efficiently and knows how a computer works may board now.
Everyone in Group B who obviously refuses to check any luggage of any sort, always takes the window and aisle seat, can't believe they can't sit together on the 45 minute flight, and is always asking is this the "B" line please board now.
Everyone else in Group C who knows you don't need to be at the airport three hours in advance, actually has an A boarding Pass and just got to the gate in order to maximize time, or just sits and reads the paper until the last possible minute and doesn't mind where they sit since it is a 45 minutes flight please.............well wait how about simply all "Rapid Reward members actually board now."
You are free to continue to make travelling easy SWA.....keep doing that first please and put those silly numbered poles on EBay. I'll help.
T Hammer
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