Last week I had my first experience flying Southwest with the new assigned seating and boarding process flying to Sarasota, Florida. As we walked through the terminal in St Louis, it was strange to see all of the numbered posts gone at the gates. Here were some highlights and observations on what to expect:
Boarding Process
I was surprised to see people lined up early, and in the same locations as the previous A, B, C boarding. There were some roped areas facing directly at the gate, much like other carriers. There was even a placard for priority so I assumed everyone would board that way and it would be a mad rush when they called each group. That was used for pre-boarding, but to my surprise, they were not used for general boarding.
Instead, the existing monitors that would show A1-30, A31-60, etc, were used for group number. Overall, this is probably better because Southwest passengers are used to lining up in this type of single file line. Having selected extra legroom seats two days before the flight (thanks to my A-List status or having the Priority credit card), we were assigned group 2.
I was curious to see how many people would be in each group. I suspect group 5 will typically be quite large. In this case, our group 2 was pretty small, probably 15-18 people or just under half of the extra legroom seats. The one thing that struck me was how big group 1 was. There were easily 25-30 people who could have been a mix of the first 3 rows (I was in row 4), exit row extra-legroom seats, A-List Preferred members, and those who had purchased Priority Boarding. I suspect that latter group was significant which was surprising when seats are assigned.
Overhead bin space
I didn’t notice too many issues with people having to go past their seat to find bin space and then fight upstream to get back to their seats, a reported issue since the cutover to assigned seating. That said, I was in row 4 so I can’t speak for the back of the plane.
What I can confirm is that all of the bins for the extra legroom seats up front (rows 1-5) were kept closed and a flight attendant was monitoring the area to make sure people sitting in later rows were not using that space. At some point soon, these are supposed to be marked as reserved for those rows but nothing was present on this 737-MAX8 plane.
I did notice that at least one of the flight attendants had their luggage in these bins, vs in the back of the plane where they are now supposed to go. It wasn’t an issue for us as there was no one in seats 1A, B or C, but I wonder what would have happened if bags for these premium seats didn’t fit?
New snacks, drinks, and service
In addition to the regular Maui onion pretzel snacks, we were offered the choice of roasted and salted or honey roasted Wonderful pistachios. It was a nice sized snack for a 2 hour flight. In addition, we were allowed to select premium drinks at no extra cost. While these aren’t groundbreaking by any measure, nor were they served in actual glassware, it does start to differentiate a premium experience vs a regular economy seat.
In terms of service, I would say it was more attentive than normal as the first 5 rows were served first, vs taking orders for a larger number of rows. The crew was one of the best I’ve had in quite some time and flight attendant Mel was very funny and engaging with her announcements. It’s nice to see the “old Southwest culture” shine through, given all the changes in the last year.
Have you experience Southwest’s new assigned seating yet?
TL;DR: My first experience with Southwest’s new assigned seating and revised boarding process was surprisingly smooth. While the “numbered posts” are gone, passengers still line up in a familiar single-file fashion based on five boarding groups.
Service Perks: Extra-legroom seats now include “premium” snacks and free premium drinks, delivered with more attentive, “old-school Southwest” hospitality.
Boarding Dynamics: Group 1 was unexpectedly large (likely due to premium seat/status holders), but the process was organized.
Bin Space: Flight attendants strictly reserved overhead bins for the first five rows, though some crew luggage still occupied premium space.
AL Preferred here – I’ve flown a few times since the change and it’s been very good. FA’s are indeed monitoring the front row overheads, which is good. Like the pistachios. Not sure how many people really can afford to pay to be in the first rows, but I do notice middle seats are now often empty. Like you, can’t speak to the rear of the plane seating, etc. But we flew on time, and I didn’t see anyone have to check their bags…..
Have noticed less pre-boarders with wheelchairs, but maybe that was just my initial flights.
Fingers crossed on the preboarders. There were several on my flight but on Florida flights it was always common. 2 more segments today so will see if it is any different. Overall though, pretty impressed given the low bar to clear for expectations.