First time here? Check out the site's "greatest hits" or read a random post from the archives. Feel free to ask a question, and consider subscribing to the latest posts via RSS or e-mail. Thanks for visiting!

Upgraded… or is it Downgraded?: Southwest boarding
Southwest Airlines has been test-marketing alternate boarding processes for a few weeks now. (Such as the family-only section test.) Now, in one of the latest tests, they are having passengers line up in the precise order in which they checked in. Not just Group A, B, or C. First person to check in is #1. This makes checking in early all the more important, since getting the last A pass is effectively the same as getting the first B pass. Seems like a major revision of their model (again, it’s only in a market test, not rolled out everywhere.) Reader Eric sent me this photo (I’m not sure of the original source), showing an example of the new lineup procedure. Is this really an improvement?? (Thanks, Eric!)

Downgraded: Ryanair check-in counters
I remember when First Chicago, now part of Chase, started charging a fee whenever bank customers used a real human bank teller. The fee was meant to force customers to use the ATMs. Now, it’s the web: Europe’s WalMart of the sky Ryanair is rolling out a new fee for customers who don’t check in online. Starting September 20, passengers will need to pay £2 or €3 (about US$4) if they check in at the airport. Swank.

Upgraded: The human touch
The counterpoint to the all-automated Ryanair way, perhaps: Scott McCartney has a nice feature on human touches that make the inflight experience more enjoyable. In this case, it’s United pilot Denny Flanagan, who hands out business cards with handwritten notes thanking customers for their business, orders takeout for passengers when there’s a diversion, and phones parents of unaccompanied minors when there’s a flight delay. Wow. Give that man a bonus. (Or maybe just his old pension back.)

Downgraded: Paper tickets
Rest in peace, muchachos. With e-tickets to become the international standard for all air travel on June 1, 2008, the International Air Transport Association placed its last giant order for paper tickets. 16.5 million of them will have to last through next May. Then they’ll be “collector’s items.” Stock up and save?

For the past two weeks, Southwest Airlines has been experimenting with family-section seating for its flights departing from San Antonio.

For those that haven’t flown Southwest: The airline uses an “open seating” model, which means that there are no seat assignments on boarding passes. You get assigned to boarding group A, B, or C, depending on how early your check in. The A’s get to board first and choose their seats from the pick of the litter. (If you want to ensure that you get that “A” boarding pass, see here.)

There have been a few different family-boarding variants: For example, one version has the gate attendants calling up boarding group A to board first, as usual. Thereafter, families are asked to board.

In another model, one section of rows on board is “reserved” for families to sit together. (Perhaps they should call this “Mullet Seating” — business in the front, party in the rear.)

Other experimental boarding models are still pending.

The concept isn’t just designed to appeal to families traveling together. That’s a side effect. The reality is that it’s in the airline’s economic self-interest, and helps them turn planes around faster:

“The goal here is to speed up the boarding process,” [spokeswoman Brandy King] said. […] Families that board with the last groups often are unable find adjacent seats. So flight attendants have to move some passengers around so that families can sit together. It’s a time-consuming process, King said, but it’s necessary.

But individual travelers who played by the rules to get an early-boarding pass might be ticked off that a family of six could trump their seat choice.

So the question is put to you: Is family seating a good idea or not? Should other airlines try something similar, or avoid this like the plague? Vote in the poll below, and hit the comments!

Related:
- Getting the best seats on Southwest just got harder
- Confirmed: Southwest Airlines to test assigned seating; Northwest abandons boarding by rows
- Southwest to maintain unassigned seating (for now)
- Seat selection, highbrow and low: Eos, Maxjet, Southwest
- EasyJet starts charging for early boarding

(image)

When e-tickets first rolled out, they held the promise of paperless travel. For example, Alaska Airlines, the first domestic U.S. carrier to introduce wireless check-in back in early 2001, offered this nugget to the media when they rolled it out: “Once a passenger checks in via a cell phone or another wireless device, he or she can go directly to the appropriate gate, show a photo identification and board the plane.” Ha!

Ah, what could’ve been. I was reminded of the pre-9/11 predictions of how e-travel would be when I read how Northwest Airlines rolled out upgrades to their website, allowing you to perform a greater number of services via wireless devices. If you browse over to their site with your mobile, you’ll be able to buy tickets, change reservations, check in, etc. (Other airlines, such as Southwest, let you check in for your flights, but don’t let you buy tickets wirelessly.) But fully electronic travel, once promised, is a bust. It’s still a paper-trail world. The trees aren’t safe.

You can’t print a paper boarding pass from your smartphone, after all. Even in Europe, where you can use SMS text messaging to check in, you still need to stop at an airport kiosk and choose to “reprint” the pass.

After 9/11, it was no longer possible to go through security without a paper boarding pass. Mind you, the real security benefit of this requirement is highly questionable. Sure, it means that fewer people actually pass through security, but having a slip of paper with your name on it really doesn’t make you any more or less of a threat. (See, for example, the hoopla surrounding the fake boarding pass generator.)

At the end of the day, I’m glad to have Northwest and others on the wireless train. Being able to make changes via the wireless web really is an improvement. But it falls short of the predictions that we could skip the paper boarding passes altogether. Or that gate readers could scan a phone, or swipe a card, at the gate. That would really put the “e” back into e-tickets. Dare to dream.

(image)

Related:
- Forged boarding passes: Fraud, yes, but where is the security threat?

Hell freezes over: Southwest makes its fares more widely searchable
(corrected) It’s a bizarre reversal of their earlier strategy of keeping their fares out of the major online booking systems and travel agencies, and forcing you to go to their website to check their prices. But they’ve opened it up: Southwest Airlines has signed on for a ten-year pact with Galileo, one of the major computer networks used by travel agents and online booking companies to pull up fares. What does it mean for you? Easier comparison shopping. (Some background here, from when jetBlue similarly linked up other sites.) Until now, Southwest has never shown up in airfare searches outside of their own site, so it’s pro-consumer to see their fares head-to-head with other airlines’ offerings. But there’s a catch: They’re keeping some of their lowest fares out of Galileo. Baby steps. (Clarification: Travel agents who subscribed to the Sabre GDS were able to book Southwest flights for their clients previously. But the big online agencies — Orbitz, Travelocity, Expedia, etc. — couldn’t. It’s not clear if the new deal will integrate Southwest into those sites yet.)

Non-news: People aren’t happy with airlines
It should come as no surprise whatsoever that the general public is dissatisfied with the airlines in America. Only slightly more surprising is just how much some airlines’ ratings suck. United Airlines’ miserable showing is worst in the airline sector. But even more telling, the only company (in any industry) in the survey that out-awfuls UAL? Charter Communications. When you’re in a dead heat for last place with the cable guy, you know something is wrong. (As an aside, looking at the trendlines, I’m obviously not the only person who liked bankrupt United better…) Click here for the full ranking — for all companies, not just airlines.

Reason #7,619 to avoid checking luggage
The Today Show’s Peter Greenberg discovers the dark side of European low fare airlines when easyJet hits him with over $500 in excess luggage fees. Each way. He wasn’t transporting an entire apartment across the Channel, either. Flying on Air France, with those same suitcases, would have cost him less in the end. But Peter, why are you traveling low-rent on easyJet in the first place? (via Elliott)

Midwest and Northwest codeshare, but will it matter once AirTran buys Midwest?
Midwest Airlines and Northwest have started codesharing, which lets customers of both airlines earn miles on a lot more routes. Great, but considering that AirTran is launching a hostile takeover of Midwest, and already has nearly 57% of shares, will this deal survive the seemingly inevitable acquisition?

ID required, just not necessarily real ID
You may have to pull out identification in order to pass through airport security, but as a recent undercover investigation proves, the ID doesn’t need to be real. Just plausible enough to look real. That “Official Bikini Inspector” ID you got on the boardwalk in Wildwood, New Jersey in 1985 won’t cut it, tough guy.

(image)

Reader Barbara writes:

I purchased some Bailey’s on a Southwest flight. I got it without a cap in a small bottle. I asked for the cap so I wouldn’t spill it during the flight. The flight attendant grudgingly gave it to me. After I was done, I wanted to take the EMPTY bottle home with me. I showed her it was empty. She required/demanded that I throw it away. No explanation. Is this an FAA regulation, or is Southwest just overly obsessive about alcohol and containers?

Perhaps she really cared about recycling?

I think you’ve got an overzealous flight attendant interpreting “open container” laws in an overly strict fashion. I’m pretty sure there’s no FAA, TSA, ATF, FTC, IMF, or CIA rule banning empty mini-bottles on airplanes. I sure hope not.

Heck, next time, you could always bring your own under-3 ounce mini bottle on board (loaded in a one-quart plastic bag, of course, for security screening). You’re not technically allowed to drink your own alcohol on board a flight in the U.S., but you can argue that the bottle was yours, and you’re keeping it.

But hopefully that was the worst thing to happen on that flight, and you weren’t hitting the sauce to take your mind off the rest of your in-flight experience…

(image)

A common question from readers of this blog is point conversion. How do you convert points from one airline to another? ATA and Southwest just made it a little easier.

In most cases, point conversion is a losing proposition, if it’s possible at all. (Try moving miles out of your Delta account! I dare you!)

As I’ve posted before, you’ll almost always lose points in a transfer, either through a clearinghouse like Points.com, or by moving balances from one account to another to another to another. (See Webflyer’s conversion guide to see what sort of hopscotch your points would need to play.)

So having an option for easy transfer is good news for ATA’s customers. The airline already works closely with Southwest by codesharing. Now, ATA customers can cash in 7,250 Travel Awards Points for 16 Southwest Rapid Rewards credits, which equates to one Southwest Airlines roundtrip. No partial conversions.

But is it a good deal? A roundtrip on ATA costs only 6,000 points.

In contrast, Southwest Rapid Rewards customers have been able to cash in their points on ATA for some time, at the same rate (16 credits) as redeeming points for an all-Southwest trip. (Flights to Hawaii cost double.)

So ATA customers are being charged a 20.83% premium. For that premium, they’re freeing their points from capacity controls — the “limited seats available” jargon which most airlines use for their frequent flyer programs, but which Southwest eschews. For some folks, that premium may still be worth paying.

Related:
- Reader mail: Can I transfer points from one airline to another?

(image)

More like the long-haul edition… Round ‘em up!:

Airports feeling more like the post office
It’s not because of the lines. It’s the signs reading “WANTED” with photos of criminals. But airports won’t display run-of-the-mill criminals. Oh no. They’ll feature wanted-posters for terrorists. But honestly, why limit the posters to terrorists? Why not seek out a whole range of wanted criminals? After all, will Osama really be catching the 10:30 flight to Pittsburgh?

Free jetBlue tickets
Buy a ticket to London on Eos Airlines, get a free ticket on jetBlue. Membership in jetBlue’s True Blue frequent flyer program required. (Via the Cranky Flier)

Halfway to a free ticket on Southwest
Register by January 31, 2007 for Southwest Rapid Rewards and get 8 credits, halfway to a free flight. The promo is aimed at the Washington, DC market but seems to be open to anyone. (Via View from the Wing)

The War on Margarine proceeds apace
Loews Hotels are banning transfats, phasing in various bans over the coming months. No margarine will be used their kitchens, or available for your morning toast. Will a foie gras ban follow?

What’s in a name?
Brazilian airline Varig, a shell of its former self, is renaming itself “Nordeste.” Will they remain in Star Alliance? Will anyone care?

Speaking of Brazil…
It’s both a good day and a bad day for the pilots of the Embraer jet that survived the mid-air collision over the Brazilian jungle. They were finally allowed to leave Brazil and head home to the United States, where they were held (but not under arrest) since the incident over two months ago. However, they’ve been formally charged with involuntary manslaughter in the accident and have promised to return to Brazil for the trial. Blaming the pilots for the failures of the air traffic control system appears to be the Brazilian government’s m.o. Shame on them. For near-daily updates on this affair, Joe Sharkey’s blog is the place to go.

EU expands “borderless” travel
The European Union is expanding the number of countries that fall under the Schengen Treaty’s rules for travel between states. Under Schengen rules, you don’t need to undergo passport controls when you move between participating countries. If you’re flying in from outside the Schengen zone, you’ll be fully screened. Of EU members, only the UK, Ireland, and Cyprus will NOT participate in Schengen. Non-EU members Iceland and Norway participate; Switzerland joins next year.

Helicopter service to Newark Airport
US Helicopter is adding Newark to its roster of airports served from the heliport in downtown Manhattan. Service begins at $159 each way, with a scheduled flight time of 8 minutes.

Richard Branson calls for electric tugs at airports
As part of its re-entry into the Chicago market, Virgin Atlantic called for O’Hare Airport to employ electric tugs, to pull planes from the gate to the runway. Doing so would apparently cut aircraft emissions on the ground by 18%. Da Mayor is intrigued…

Reader John asks:

Is it just me, or does it seem like they’ve been restricting each and every year how far the seats can recline?

It’s not just you. But it’s not every airline, either. Yet.

Scott McCartney reports in the Wall Street Journal that Southwest Airlines is standardizing recline across its fleet to 3 inches. Previous recline had been anywhere between 2 and 4.5 inches. Compare this to American, Delta, and jetBlue with 4 inches, United with 5, and Continental with 5 to 6 inches.

I’m always wary of these generalizations, since it seems that the recline, pitch, and width of the seat differ by aircraft type within each airline. A 737 might give you, say, four inches, while a 757 might give you three. (I’m pulling these numbers out of thin air.) On Southwest, however, with their all-737 fleet, it may be easier to standardize.

Whether or not you should recline is a matter for debate. Always look before you lean to avoid crushing any laptops.

Frankly, I’d guess it’s not really necessary for most people to lean back on short flights, say, sub-two hours. As the flight gets longer, the more permissible it is. If you’re sitting in an economy seat with extra legroom, such as Economy Plus or in front of an exit row, go for it. (The irony: Most seats in front of the exit row are locked in the upright position.)

But having one standard recline angle across an entire plane may be inappropriate. I agree with this sentiment:

How close the seats are to one another, measured in “seat pitch” at airlines, should determine how much recline is allowed, seat manufacturers say. “The bigger the pitch, the more recline is possible,” says a spokeswoman for Recaro Aircraft Seating GmbH, a major airline seat company based in Germany.

In any case, it’ll be interesting to see public reaction to Southwest’s reduced recline. Will the masses be upset? Or will they even notice?

The Cranky Flier points to an innovation of sorts in the world of airline seating: airlines charging for early boarding.

For some time, European discounter EasyJet has operated on effectively the same principle as Southwest Airlines in the United States: No assigned seats, first-come-first-served. But now, EasyJet passengers willing to pay between £2.50 and £7.50 can be assured of being among the first 20 passengers to board. The longer the flight, the higher the fee.

In the United States, Southwest passengers can still assure themselves of a good chance of getting a desirable seat by checking in early and thereby receiving a “group A” boarding pass. (See here for a list of services — some free — which virtually guarantee you a boarding pass in boarding group A.)

European travelers are accustomed to paying for every little thing on the budget airlines, so this won’t be any shock. Asian low cost carriers are right there with them. And most people won’t pay the fee, but for those that are willing to pay, this will be a welcome change.

When Southwest first experimented with assigned seating, I proposed that the airline might able to profit from a compromise, offering assigned seating to a small percentage of flyers who want it (perhaps for a fee), but retaining open seating for the majority of passengers. EasyJet is effectively doing something very similar.

I assure you that Southwest is watching EasyJet’s experiment very closely.

Related:
- A modest proposal for Southwest
- Getting the best seats on Southwest just got harder
- Opening day jitters? Southwest’s assigned seating gets mixed reviews

(image)

Fans of unassigned seating, rejoice: Southwest is keeping the “cattle call.”

For now.

The airline won’t make any changes in the coming months, but may tinker some more in the future.

This past summer, Southwest experimented with assigned seats for flights departing San Diego, with mixed results.

As I’ve suggested before, why not allow those who WANT an assigned seat to get one? If you really “like seeing what’s available and choosing a window or an aisle depending on [your] mood,” as one flyer opined, then go for it.

My “modest proposal” for the airline:

Let anyone who WANTS a reserved seat get one. Guarantee reserved seats to full-fare tickets. (It’s not like you can upgrade on an all-coach flight.) Heck, even charge a couple bucks for a reserved seat, a la European discount carriers or rail companies. Maybe even limit the number of reservations to, say, 60 of the 137 seats on each plane, but let the last-minute full-fare folks override this limit. Board people with seat assignments first, and make only one call for that group. Then do open boarding for the rest.

Related:
- A modest proposal for Southwest
- Opening day jitters? Southwest’s assigned seating gets mixed reviews
- Confirmed: Southwest Airlines to test assigned seating; Northwest abandons boarding by rows
- Getting the best seats on Southwest just got harder

(image: mo husseini)

Southwest has set up a poll on their website, soliciting customer feedback on whether assigned seating is a good thing or not. RapidRewards members (only!) can participate in the poll by clicking here. If you’re not already a member of their program, your opinion is clearly valued less — but you’re invited to write to them via snail mail.

Go hit the polls. (It’s also Election Day in several states… go vote, too, if you live in one of them.)

Related:
- Opening day jitters? Southwest’s assigned seating gets mixed reviews
- A modest proposal for Southwest
- Confirmed: Southwest Airlines to test assigned seating; Northwest abandons boarding by rows
- Getting the best seats on Southwest just got harder

(via WaPo; image)

Flying Maxjet or Eos?

Looking to choose the best seats on the plane?

SeatExpert now covers the two all-business class airlines. Seats are color-coded for good, bad, and so-so seating, but annotated comments are yet to come. See here for Eos, and here for Maxjet. (The odd shape of Eos’ seats on the map reflects their use of ottomans and privacy partitions in their seating units.)

Flying Southwest?
Savvy Southwest flyers have been checking in online 24 hours before their flight, to get that boarding pass in group A and assure themselves of early boarding. Many use automated check-in services that guarantee an A pass, since they’re cheap, or even free.

But legitimate “A” holders may be fighting for space with cheaters. Someone posted a method of hacking your boarding pass to change the B or C to an A. It’s astonishingly simple, and it’s frankly an embarrassment to Southwest that their boarding passes are so easily manipulated. (No, you can’t create a boarding pass willy-nilly and fly around the country for free… the barcode still contains the information about you and your itinerary.) A similar trick could be used to change the date and print yourself a boarding pass for security, if you wanted to accompany a friend to the gate. (It won’t let you on a plane.) This latter trick I have no problem with, since you’d just be using the boarding pass to enter security, not cheating your way into better seats.

I wonder how long it will take before the company changes the HTML of the passes to prevent this sort of hack. When 137 people line up with “A” passes, with no one in “B” or “C”? Start the clock. (Via digg, thanks to reader BJ!)

(images: Maxjet, ladygypsy)