Southwest debuts new boarding system at Love

Oct. 16, 2007
Airline to spend $38 million nationwide

Flying Southwest Airlines?

Starting today, there will be a new boarding process at Southwest Airlines Co.'s gates at Dallas Love Field.

Under the old system, passengers were assigned a letter with their boarding pass, then waited in line with others holding that group's letter for up to 45 minutes in hopes of boarding soon enough to snare a good seat.

Now, passengers will instead get a number that saves their place in line.

The new approach leaves intact the company's much-loved - and much-derided - open seating, which has earned Southwest's boarding the nickname "cattle call."

The project is expected to cost up to $38.4 million, which includes upgrades to the gate areas throughout its system.

The renovated gates will feature lounge-style chairs, a kid-friendly table and chairs, and dozens of power outlets and USB ports for travelers needing to refuel their electronics.

Love Field and San Antonio International Airport, where the new process has been in dress rehearsal since early August, are the first to switch to the new process.

So if you have a flight from Love to someplace other than San Antonio, you'll use the old boarding method on the way home.

Southwest's other 62 airports will implement the new system early next month.

Here's a peek at the new boarding drill:

* Passenger boarding passes will have a group letter (A, B or C) and a number (1 to 60), based on order of check-in.

*In combination, the letter and number reserves passengers' places in line, leaving them free to relax or get something to eat.

*Groups A and B contain 60 passengers each; those remaining are in Group C.

* Families with young children must now wait until the A group has boarded, unless they hold A passes.

*At the gate, six stainless steel columns divide passengers into groups of five on each side. For example, the first column has passengers holding 1-5 passes on one side and those with 31-35 on the other. The second column has spaces for those holding 6-10 and 36-40.

*Electronic monitors indicate which group is boarding. Those with A passes standing on the first side of the column will board, followed those on the other side. As the second half boards, Group B will assemble.

*Seats are still unassigned.

How it worked before:

*Each passenger's boarding pass was assigned to Group A, B or C, based on check-in.

*A and B groups had 45 passengers, with everyone else in Group C.

*Families with young children boarded before the groups were called.

*In the gate area, passengers in each of the groups lined up, often 30 to 45 minutes before boarding, in either the A, B or C line.

*Passengers boarded by group letter.

*Seats were unassigned.