Sep. 19--It's decision day for Southwest Airlines Co.
The Dallas-based carrier is set to announce the fate of its open seating policy today after at least three years of testing different options.
Officials were tight-lipped Tuesday.
"Hopefully we've found a solution that will be unique and please all of our customers," company spokeswoman Brandy King said.
Southwest has said the technology to assign seats wouldn't be available until 2008.
Southwest's policy of not assigning seats is derided by critics as a "cattle call."
Fans, on the other hand, say open seating gives customers more control and allows last-minute travelers -- often those flying for business -- to get coveted aisle seats toward the front.
But analysts have said the growth of low-cost competitors could force Southwest's hand because it's the only major U.S. carrier that doesn't assign seats.
Southwest has offered some clues to its intentions.
Last month, the airline tested a boarding procedure in San Antonio in which customers were given numbers based on check-in that saved their places in line.
At the time, Bob Jordan, Southwest's executive vice president of strategy, procurement and technology, said the carrier was "more narrowly focused" on that approach than assigned seating.
"What we've been hearing is that folks love open seating," he said at the time. "What they don't love is standing in line."
Ms. King confirmed Tuesday that the San Antonio test did not hurt the carrier's efficiency.
Southwest president Colleen Barrett first conceded in October 2004 that the airline was giving serious thought to assigning seats after internal tests showed that such a policy didn't hurt the carrier's prized efficiency.
"I know that sounds like heresy coming from my lips," she said at the time, adding that more testing would be necessary.
That testing made its first public appearance in July 2006 in San Diego, in which assigned seats were tried with different boarding practices.
A few months later, company officials said the summer test results were mixed and although assigned seats were "still in play," the testing shifted to boarding only.
Signals of change seemed to take more focus this summer as the carrier promised to announce a number of initiatives aimed at attracting more business customers by the end of the year.
In July, the company tested having families with small children board behind passengers holding "A" passes, instead of letting them on the plane first along with other passengers who require extra assistance.
The testing showed that most families already were in the A group and that boarding any others before passengers in the B group still allowed them to find seats together without giving them greater priority than seasoned travelers who check in early to get a seat near the front.
"In our testing, it was more important for families to find seats together and not necessarily to find seats in a specific area of the aircraft," Ms. King said.
Southwest said Tuesday that starting Oct. 2, it would make the later family boarding part of its regular policy.
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