New Southwest boarding policy pits business travelers against families

ByABC News
October 29, 2007, 2:21 AM

— -- Ask a random group of fliers about Southwest Airlines' open seating policy, and you're certain to hear strong opinions on both sides of the issue. But the airline's recent decision to eliminate pre-boarding for families with small children has alienated many loyal customers, while many others are openly (or secretly) applauding the move.

Since early October families with small children are no longer allowed to pre-board the aircraft before other customers. Now families must board along with the A group or after that group if they are unable to secure an A priority boarding pass at check-in. For those families now sandwiched between the A and B groups, this new "A-and-a-half" boarding status means that 60 regular passengers may board the flight ahead of families with small children.

This change precedes Southwest's forthcoming numbered boarding system scheduled to commence November 8th, where all passengers will receive a boarding priority number within their respective A, B, or C group. The numbered boarding priority will eliminate the need for all customers to stand in line but will not improve the boarding status for families with small children.

These new boarding procedures are aimed at streamlining the boarding process and allowing passengers to shop or grab a meal instead of queuing up at the gate an hour before the flight according to Southwest spokesperson, Brandy King. But the elimination of pre-boarding for families actually increased the boarding time and precipitated a tense and chaotic situation on my recent Southwest flight from Kansas City to Oakland.

Usually, boarding anywhere in the A group assures a wide selection of available aisle seats. But on this flight most seats on the aircraft were already filled when I boarded because 60 through passengers from Baltimore to Oakland were already enthroned in their seats before the Kansas City A group ever set foot on the plane.

I managed to snag the last open aisle seat near the rear of the airplane, but when families with small children followed the A group on to the airplane the mayhem began. With 120 passengers (the through passengers and the A group) already on board, all that remained for those families with small children were a handful of middle seats.