Replies

Thanks for your detailed post. So I would assume that Southwest would stick with the 737 and eventually migrate over to the "next-generation" version of the same plane? I do not like the older 737s but the newer versions are much improved. Although the 737 I flew out of Manchester a couple weeks ago had more room than I was accustomed to on a 737. I think it was one of the "500" series.

The only thing I didn't like about Southwest was their "cattle car" boarding system. They line you up in three groups ("A", "B", and "C") on a first-come, first-serve basis but an hour before flight time, people were already lined up so that they could get a good seat. I think Southwest ought to assign a numbered boarding pass so that you don't have to line up in this way. So for example, if you are the 32nd person to check-in for that flight, you get boarding pass #32. Then they can board the plane by groups of numbers rather than letters. This will allow everybody to sit down and chill out instead of jostling for position at the gate.

SamAdams76,

Yes, I'm sure Southwest will probably stick with the 737. Flying just one fleet type is the most economical way to go, and has worked well for them.

There have actually been 3 or 4 "generations" of 737's (see "737 Info" below, after the end of my message). I am not sure which generation of 737 Southwest flies. As far as I know, they may already fly 737's from multiple generations. Maybe there is a "Southwest fan" out there who could tell us. Either way, if I were a guessing man, I'd guess that you were correct about Southwest's plans to keep buying increasingly newer "generations" of 737's. They come in all sizes nowadays (737's, that is!!).

I agree with you about Southwest's "cattlecar" approach. I flew Southwest from Las Vegas to LAX last October. I got there early enough (about 30 minutes in advance) to get into the back of the "A" group, so I was basicly happy. However, just before boarding commenced, they announced that anyone who had a "checkerboard" pattern on the bottom of their boarding pass would have to step out of line for a "random" bag search. Yes, you guessed it, I had the dreaded checkerboard on the bottom of my boarding pass. I raced over to the security search area, and asked them to search me quickly, so I could get back my spot in line. They informed me that they could not search me until boarding actually commenced, and told me to sit down and wait. I was NOT amused!!! The other people who were also selected for the random molestation also showed up, expressing sentiments similar to mine (what a surprise!!). I made sure I was the first one searched, and then I just worked my way directly onto the boarding ramp the moment they were done with me. Although unhappy, I still managed to get a decent seat. That was probably my worst experience with Southwest. Other than that, I have no complaints about them (I have only flown them twice). Now the FAA has done away with the random searches at the gate, so that shouldn't be a problem anymore.

I agree with you about giving out numbers when you check in. That would be a better approach than having the "A, "B", and "C" boarding lines, and forcing people to stand in line for an hour just to get a good seat. When I flew ValuJet back in 1995 (before the fateful crash into the everglades over by Miami, which forced them to change their name to AirTran), they did exactly what you suggested. They gave out cards with numbers. Whoever checked in first got card number 1, and got to board first. It worked out quite well. That would be a good improvement for Southwest to make. Instead of handing out cards with numbers, they could simplify the process even more by simply printing the numbers right on one's boarding pass. That way, no one from SW would have to keep track of the numbered cards. Someone drop that into their suggestion box!!

Interesting to read the other posts about why Southwest makes a profit while others don't. Hopefully, the upper management types at the various airlines are reading this thread, and taking notes!!

737 "generation" info for those who are interested:

The first generation 737 came out back in the 1960's: the 737-100, and the 737-200. If I recall correctly, someone told me a few years ago that the last of the original 737-100's was recently disassembled and scrapped at an airport outside of Miami. Some 737-200's are still flying today, although many of the "mainline" airlines are retiring them, and they are being bought by smaller airlines, or charter and cargo operations.

The second generation 737 was the 737-300, 737-400, and the 737-500. They are essentially identical, the main difference is their length. I think of them as the "middle-aged" 737's. United Airlines flies a lot of these.

The third generation is the 737-600, 737-700, and 737-800. These represent the youngest generation. The -600 is the smallest, and each higher model number gets progressively longer. Continental and Delta, among others, fly a lot of these.

The absolute latest model 737 is the brand new 737-900. I am not 100% sure, but it might be an extension of the -600, -700, -800 family. In any event, it is the largest 737 to date. Someone told me that these largest 737's are starting to get to be almost as big as the 757.