Oct. 10--Southwest Airlines's gates at Dallas Love Field are undergoing a makeover.
The airline is scheduled to unveil the "new look" for its gates in conjunction with its new boarding process at 5 p.m. Wednesday, but some hints of the makeover were already in place Wednesday morning.
In short, the new gate areas look a lot like the ones that have been under testing in San Antonio since early August, with flat-screen TVs, reorganized seating and a designated kid-friendly area.
Walking through the terminal, the first clue popped up at Gate 2, where the rows of chairs have been reconfigured into square-shaped conversational areas. In other gates areas, the horseshoe-shaped ticket counters have been replaced with a sleeker, rectangular design that's half its size.
You can still see where the old ticket counters were, along with some white patch paint to cover marks in the wall.
Flat-screen TVs have been installed in some of the gate areas, though some of them were still unplugged. (Other gate areas were left with the metal frame skeleton that will secure a future TV.)
Southwest's Gate 11 had most new elements in place, with airline employees still making adjustments. A small crew was on hand Wednesday at round 10 a.m. checking the TVs and the power outlets for the "Power Station" counters. A colorful table and stools for pint-size travelers were also in place, though a TV designated for kid-friendly programming wasn't yet playing.
Christi Day, a Southwest spokeswoman, said the scene Wednesday morning was like moving into a new house.
"Things are kind of where they're supposed to be," she said.
Gary Williams, an Oklahoma City business traveler who comes through Love Field about three times a week, quickly secured one of the new cushy seats at Gate 11 and got to work on his laptop.
Mr. Williams, who tried out the new boarding process in San Antonio on Monday, was excited about the change.
"It's a great improvement," Mr. Williams said. "I've got an hour and a half before my flight and being able to sit down and work is very nice."
The new cushy seats also come with another addition that business travelers like Mr. Williams will appreciate: small side tables with their own power outlets and USB outlets for charging up electronics.
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