Southwest loves freedom so much that it wants to channel you into twenty different seat corrals
Southwest is advertising their (new?) no-seat-assignment as a feature of “freedom.” Fans of Southwest Airlines are happy with their new seating process apparently. You now have a seating zone on your boarding pass that also includes a breakdown of zones within that zone. So now you don’t have to wait in zone A for hours to make sure that other people in zone A take the good seats. They are assigning you zones within zones. This is an improvement?
People who hate Southwest will see that they have gone from having four or so lines to having many more, but it’s such an improvement that they’re advertising it by saying that people actually like not having seat assignments.
WHO?
If you have ever gone with a companion or family on Southwest, you know exactly how hard it is to even get people to give up their seats so that a five-year-old doesn’t have to travel next to a total stranger ten rows away. It’s still a crappy system that allows Southwest to do its, highly profitable, business model of herding people into the corrals by telling them that they’re providing them with the freedom of movement. I’m not buying it.
The people who are buying it are not buying it for “freedom” but because the tickets are cheap. And nobody’s holding that against them if that’s what they’re willing to accept. Consumer choices wins. Airlines seats are still commodities.
You can see the ad here at AdForum (for free for a limited time).
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Posted on October 26, 2007
Filed Under Advertising, Commercials, Travel |
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3 Responses to “Southwest loves freedom so much that it wants to channel you into twenty different seat corrals”
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The only difference between SW and the other guys is that on the others you already know that your seat ASSIGNMENT sucks when you buy the ticket. And families have the same problem on any carrier whether the seats are assigned or not. Unless of course you buy the most expensive ticket or purchase them one year in advance! Get real and quit giving us your opinion and instead some worthwhile travel information.
Andrew, thanks for your comment. I agree with you that it is difficult to travel on any airline with or without a family. I’m hoping that with the new aircraft from Boeing (the Dreamliner) and maybe even from Airbus (the 380) that the airlines might give us a little more room to breathe.
If you want advice on getting better seats, well, you can do what I do and only fly one airline enough that you attain “preferred” customer status. Or you can check back every day online after you’ve made a reservation to see if better seats are available (I usually get the seats that I need this way if I’m not on my preferred airline). There are few other options unless you find the last nice person in the world who will move so that you and your child can have a seat together. Or you could do what my uncle did and give your child up for adoption. Only kidding.
As for opinions, this site isn’t a travel advice site. It’s about the ways that images of escape and paradise are used to manipulate us into doing things. I believe, therefore, that it is warranted that we all share opinions on Southwest’s “no seat assignment” spin as “freedom.” You have said that the system isn’t any worse than the others, but putting all other airlines aside, is it “freedom”? I still view the new system as the demoralizing corralling of human beings. Some people don’t mind this approach because they get cheap seats.
I make no judgment on those who fly Southwest. My family and I simply have had bad traveling experiences with their seating system. But I can say that we have almost always been on time or ahead of schedule with them (that’s a plus).
[...] This plane at the moment seems to please only one portion of one side of the travel equations: the long-haul airlines who would love to be able to pack a ton of people in. Boeing, in contrast, took bigger, more visible design steps with their Dreamliner and focused on both the business side and the passenger side of the equation. For example, the idea that the air quality can be improved because humidity levels can be increased thanks to the composite materials will mean a lot to frequent travelers (could reduce jet lag!). Does it use less fuel too? Great! And if they also follow through on wider seats, I’m 100% sold. And so, too, might the angry man who commented on the Southwest Airlines post. [...]