I’m afraid that this is the last of the queue stories from my inbox. And although I thought just two weeks ago that I’d be back in the land of queue, it seems that I’ll be staying here in Congo after all. You will find snapshots of life here over on Stood in the Congo.
In the beginning of July I received an email from a Catherine Gibson who comes from the state of Texas. Despite it’s lack of photos, this is a rather good queue story and definitely worth posting:
Howdy from the states and Texas. After a delightful lunch hour browsing your blog, I just wondered if you have ever had anyone send in the completely amazing image of a Southwest Airlines Triple queue?
In case you’re not familiar, Southwest Airlines, true to it’s egalitarian spirit does not offer proper reservations, with assigned seats. Every traveler, upon queuing up at the check-in desk obtains a color coded boarding card. Each color represents the first, second or 3rd group. Your location in any one of these groups is completely driven by how early you arrive. Get there early, you’re in group A, manage to come running up at the last minute, you’re in group C.
Once the plane is seen to be on the ground and driving up to the building, the queuing starts. But here’s where it gets surreal; each person goes to the queuing area marked A, B, or C, carry-ons in hand, and lines up. It’s ages before the flight crew even makes the announcement that it’s time to line up. Line jumpers are not tolerated and large amounts of scorn are heaped upon those who either wait in the wrong line, or simply though their oblivion, block the line with their person, bags, or bass viol. You’d be amazed at what goes for carry-on luggage these days.
There is a formal screening process by the check in staff for authorized line jumpers. That would be those with physical limitations, children traveling alone, or parents with small children, which makes it prudent for them to be boarded before the cattle stampede begins. They usually get to wait in an area set aside at the front.
The pre-boarders go first. The A’s go next and on down to the C’s. There are only a handful of seats that are worth getting at all excited about having. And usually, the preboarders get dibs on those anyway. Mostly the issue is the coveted overhead bin space. It’s all completely civilized, in a sort of perfectly organized melee kind of way that usually feels as if someone is just about too, but never quite starts, throwing punches, kicking and spitting.
Next time I’m at the airport in Austin or Houston, I’ll snap a few photos for our friends across the pond.
Thanks,
Catherine Gibson
August 12, 2007 at 1:54 pm
Last of the queue stories? But you only just got started again.
By the way, I like the new Standing in the Congo Blog -keep it up, I’ll be back for more.
August 24, 2007 at 9:16 pm
Your readers will either be glad or sorry to learn that the era of Southwest’s colored plastic boarding cards ended a few years ago. After all the post-9/11 security upgrades, they had to have boarding passes with the passengers’ names printed. They still use the A/B/C system, now with paper boarding cards – and with online check-in. If you want to be in the “A” queue, you have to check in precisely 24 hours before departure. But the aptly-named “organized melee” for boarding is still very much in effect.
October 8, 2007 at 3:53 am
I fly out of El Paso regularly and relate totally to this story from Catherine Gibson. I hate all airlines — yep, I’m an airline hater — but Southwest is usually the lesser of the evils. Except two weeks ago, when I stood in the C line for 45 minutes waiting to board, and then at the very last minute they sent us all to another terminal nearby. All my time in line was lost, and I ended up at the very end.