Major Changes Underway At Southwest Airlines

LOCAL and STATE REPORTS- Southwest Airlines passengers will no longer have to run to the gate to be first in line.

For decades, seating on Southwest Flights has essentially been a first-come, first-served basis. Passengers arriving at the airport were assigned to massive boarding groups, labeled “A,” “B” and “C.”

Now, all passengers will get a boarding group letter and a number on their boarding passes. All of the A’s will line up and board in small groups according to their numbers. The B’s will board after all the A’s boarded and the C’s will board after the B’s.

The new process will eliminate the need to rush to the airport gate to be the first in line, officials say.

“I prefer that, Idon’t like standing in line like we’re in kindergarten- so it’s definitely a plus,” says John Harrison, an airline passenger.

Deena Morales, with Southwest Airlines, tells ABC-a the changes were made allow passengers to improve their experience at the airport. “Now, they’ll be able to work on their laptops longer, they’ll be able to enjoy the restaurants and shops longer – and for their experience, they just won’t have to wait in those long lines.”

Airline officials add that a step-by-step presentation has been set up to outline how the new process works.

———–

Written and reported for broadcast by Martin Bartlett

Written for the web by Joe Villasana