APPLIED ECONOMICS: A year ago this week we talked about Southwest Airlines' announcement of a $10 earlybird check-in option, with no one here expressing much interest.
In the past year, I've found that by doing online check-in 24h in advance (thank you, Outlook calendar), I wind up in Group A, #40-50 anyway, and that A #1-15 for Business Select rarely has more than a handful of claimants. First five rows, window-or-aisle every time. What has your experience been?
[The Five Years Ago This Week archive is also interesting -- much Katrina talk, obvs, including an optimistic post Alex might want to take back, but also the 8-30-05 announcement that an "iPod cellphone" was on the way.]
That's usually my experience as well, but I have ended up in B, around 15-25, a couple of times. I can't figure out why those experiences were different, either. (I've also totally missed my 24h checkin a couple of times, getting to it a couple of hours late, and still ended up in the back third of the A group.)
ReplyDeleteMy feeling (backed up by experience) is that as long as I'm in the first half of B, I'm still going to get a decent window or aisle seat in the front half of the plane. That's good enough for me to pass on the extra $10.
Jenn's comment on what would become the Motorola Razr cracked me up: "<span>Are you supposed to use the ipod to supply a variety of hold music?"</span>
ReplyDeleteI have no qualms about paying the $10 per person. With a family of four usually having at least one layover each trip, it's worth the piece of mind to get low A numbers to get seats in the front to change planes faster. That extra money is easily worth it considering the baggage fees on other airlines.
ReplyDeleteI use it primarily when I'm doing a 24 hour turn around and will be literally still be traveling at the time I need to check in again. That way I don't worry about it, and I only pay $10 for the way back rather than both ways.
ReplyDeleteI love Southwest. I would pay them $10 just for being so awesome. They're always cheerful, friendly and helpful, and they are the only airline of which I am aware that doesn't suck. If only they flew directly to Boston, I might never fly another airline ever again.
ReplyDeleteThey do to Philadelphia and other markets now. Knocked down the one-way price from USAir's original $500+ down to $120 or so.
ReplyDeleteThe Southwest app (available for free on the "iPod cellphone") is great for early check in as well. I set an alarm, then check in with the app right at the 24 hour mark. I routinely get mid level A passes.
ReplyDeleteLurve Southwest, even though I haven't flown on them in nearly 10 years (though they're coming to Newark in the spring), but they are so committed to the hub/spoke model that it can get problematic for longer flights unless it happens to be a non-stop route. No, I don't want to stop/change in Chicago to go to Phoenix. Their strange gaps in service are also problematic--no Memphis, Atlanta, National, or Miami--though they have alternate airports in a couple of those markets.
ReplyDelete(Also, when flying transcontinental or internationally for business, travel policy is we're allowed to fly first class. Lurve SWA, but I'll take the extra leg room and actual food for those longass flights.)
I fervently wish SWA would come to the Atlanta market. At a two hour drive, Birmingham really isn't an alternative for me, especially since I live in Atlanta and can MARTA to the airport here. But I miss it- I flew almost exclusively SWA when I lived in Texas. I'm glad to see that they are still as awesome as I remember. I'm still a rewards member for SWA, even though I haven't flown them in almost 10 years.
ReplyDeleteAm I the lone dissenter? I had a horrible experience with Southwest and now refuse to fly them. They claimed I was on a watch list and refused to let me buy tickets online and wouldn't let me check in online or at the kiosk (I ended up a high group B after my interrogation at the front desk when I was finally able to check in.) I've never had this problem with any other airline, and they claimed, "It's the TSA, ma'am, and gave me a photocopied "notice" about contacting the TSA that didn't even have a correct website address on it. It was seriously something like "tsa.security" or something.
ReplyDeleteAnd the A&E show "Airline" made me hate them even more. I find the "aw, shucks" singing flight attendant business annoying.
My cold, black heart is perfectly willing to pay the extra money to fly JetBlue.
I may have been flying with a bunch of luddites (or highly economical people) but I got into the first half of A going and leaving Orlando by checking in the morning of the flight. So, it was entriely worth it to me particulalrly since I was not at the airport either time early enough to have achieved that on my own.
ReplyDeleteI'd be happy if Southwest even came to Charlotte or GSP, since I'm fairly sure they're never going to wedge their way into ATL. I also drool over the idea of JetBlue in Atlanta. They ARE in Charlotte already.
ReplyDeleteUsing regular check-in (Chicago to Philly) = A45 and A53. Using Early Bird check-in (return trip) = A39 and A40...meh. The only complaints I have are w/my fellow passengers (you really expected to carry-on two bags and you have a C boarding pass, or 'lap kids' means they sit in your lap, not a seat you cheapskate)...
ReplyDeleteYou're not the only one -- I hate Southwest -- although it sounds like you've had some bad experiences. I have had nothing bad happen to me. I just hate the democracy of it (if that's what you call it). I make good money. I should be able to pay more of it to get benefits that others may not feel compelled to pay for. If I want more legroom, early check-in, extra bags, premium spirits, etc., I should be able to buy them. There is ONE good thing I can say about Southwest: they still serve peanuts, unlike almost every other airline that has submitted out of fear to the angry vocal minority members of the peanut allergy parent mafia.
ReplyDeleteWhile I haven't been "made" yet, I do have a daughter with a serious nut allergy. Her first significant anaphylactic reaction, before we knew what we were dealing with, required a rather frightening ER visit. So I don't like it when she has an anaphylactic reaction, and I'd venture that you probably wouldn't either if you were our aislemate (particularly if she vomits) or even just our planemate if something worse were to happen and the ol' EpiPen Jr. didn't do the trick. I do like it when environments that you can't get out of once you're in 'em have policies that account for her. SWA actually does -- if you notify them in advance about an allergy, they'll suspend service of peanuts for your flight; they suggest earlier flights for folks like us so the plane is relatively clean.
ReplyDeleteSo we tend to find SWA pret-tay, pret-tay good among our local choices -- sorry for the inconvenience we may cause nut-bertarians. Live and let live, I say -- but a little consideration during the time we'll be sealed in together in a giant aluminum tube breathing the same recycled air isn't a lot to ask.
Ummm, yikes.
ReplyDelete