I dont know nor do I care. SWA has collected the data and the results were reported to its employees. The data does not reflect what you as an individual feel. Sorry, but a lot of other passengers feel differently than you do.
No, you argument is not correct and SWA has the data to prove it.
I don't know nor do I care. Maybe it is because it is a high price city with more affluent Pax?
Again, I dont know nor do I care.
Again, I don't have the data. I dont know and I dont care. SWA management is a lot smarter than me, and I can guarantee you that they are better and smarter than you are.
If you think you can do a better job at this why dont you go to
www.southwest.com and apply for an exec position?
People care where they sit. However, many would rather get to the airport early to get the seat they want vs paying for it.
It's not a very hard concept to grasp. Really, it's not all that hard to understand. I promise.
Any interesting read from Skybus pax (an excerpt from another post on the Majors board that is related) - you will note the similarities with your operation and the direct comparisons about boarding, etc.:
Skybus passenger reviews flight...
SkyBus from RIC to CMH - Worth the $10 and not a penny more.
My wife and I recently flew from Richmond, VA to Columbus for business. While we were optimistic that the experience would be pleasurable, we quickly realized that we got what we paid for.
We checked in on-line 23 hours and 5 minutes prior to our departure - and were placed in boarding group 3.
For those of you who have flown Southwest Airlines, Skybus' groups 1-3 are identical to that of SW's A, B, and C groups. I'm assuming that boarding groups were assigned on a first come, first served basis - which means that the other 156 passengers must have been even more eager than I to check in on-line well in advance. I paid for our two bags during the on-line check in experience and printed the boarding passes...everything seemed to be, well, normal.
We arrived at RIC some 90+ minutes prior to departure and proceeded to the SkyBus counter, decorated with orange and yellow balloons. There were two lines - one for passengers who had already printed boarding passes, and one for those who had not yet done so. We stood in line with others who had already checked in and immediately felt that sinking feeling in our stomachs. After ten minutes, our line had not moved an inch. Four counter agents, dressed in their t-shirts, appeared to be receiving the epitome of 'on the job training.' Blank stares, numerous "hrmmmmm's", and lots of questions, but enough about the desk clerks! After standing in our spot in line for 15 minutes (we were numbers 9 and 10 in our line), we began to wonder if it would have been quicker to check in at the airport - to our dismay, the answer was a resounding 'yes.' In the 28 minutes it us to move from spots 9 and 10 to the actual counter, THIRTEEN customers had walked to the kiosks, checked in on the touch-screen, paid for their luggage (which can ONLY be paid AT THE KIOSK!!! Counter staff was directing customers who had yet to pay for baggage BACK to the kiosk to pay as "they could not accept payment individually) checked their luggage with a clerk, and proceeded to gate B-15. One of the counter clerks left her computer monitor, and approached the folks in our line. Expecting to hear something like, "Good morning!!! Welcome to SkyBus! Be patient with us, please, we have a, uh, computer glitch this morning," we became increasingly perturbed when she came to us with a handful of skybus luggage tags and asked, with a scornful tone, "Need one?"
After finally getting to the counter, the clerk (not the before-mentioned tag lady) made us feel even more unsure as she took our boarding passes and drivers licenses, matched them up incorrectly (my license with wife's pass, and vice versa), smiled, and said "Ok, you're all set." She kept my driver's license - which I had to ask for to get back.
We went to gate B-15 and noticed the roped-off isles for groups 1, 2, and 3. About 5 minutes before the incoming flight landed, the gate clerk (the tag lady from before, who was now stationed at the gate) announced that boarding would begin shortly. Just like with Southwest, hordes of people moved to the three lanes, some trying to nudge out others to get a better spot. 22 minutes after this announcement, the plane had landed, de-boarded, and was ready for new passengers.
Not too bad, as you can easily stand in a similar line on Southwest for upwards of 35 minutes or more.
Doesn't sound very popular. Read the Skybus post for more...
