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Southwest Is Trying To Get You In Your Seat Quicker — Here’s How

The airline is still reeling from some major missteps last year. Southwest Is Trying To Get You In Your Seat Quicker — Here’s How Giphy

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It’s safe to say that Southwest Airlines had a less-than-stellar 2022 from a customer service perspective. Although the entire industry saw major delays, staff shortages, and canceled flights, Southwest was by far the biggest contributor to this major problem.

Now, the carrier is trying to refine its boarding process with a focus on getting you and your stuff on the plane as fast and efficiently as possible. While it won’t fix all of the company’s problems, executives are hopeful that the customers who didn’t abandon the airline last year will start to remember why they liked flying Southwest in the first place.

Welcome to the “innovation zone”

While some of these changes are sure to be implemented at all of the airports that Southwest serves, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has been selected as the testing ground. The airline is calling this destination in Georgia its “innovation zone” and customers will encounter a few significant concepts that will help it reach its goal of shaving five minutes from every flight’s boarding process.

Some of the changes aim to get passengers moving faster — from playing upbeat music to utilizing flashing lights in the boarding zone.

Other concepts, like a new group chat system, seek to streamline communication between employees on the ground and aboard jets.

A unique approach to boarding

Southwest has gained a lot of fans by ditching assigned seats. The approach also prioritizes allowing families to sit together. But it comes at the cost of speed, with some flights taking as long as 50 minutes to board on average.

By using self-serve kiosks and providing relevant information on conspicuous displays near the gate, Southwest hopes that it’ll be able to maintain its current boarding system while making the process less hectic for everyone involved.

Chris Agee
Chris Agee March 6th, 2023
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