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Airways say they exist to move you, pamper you and, sure, love you. And I exist to inform you this is not solely true.
Today, certainly, airways exist to make cash for senior executives — and hey, possibly pilots — in addition to shareholders. And the way in which they do it’s by supplying you with as little as they’ll get away with.
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Often, in fact, they attempt to do some good. Who cannot be transported by the likes of American Airways and United immediately discovering technological methods for folks to sit down with their kids with out having to pay further?
And now one other airline is experimenting with one thing so passenger-friendly that I can barely avert my eyes. Or shut down my ears. You see, Southwest Airways is not resting on its laurels. You would possibly observe that, after its Christmas debacle, it has not a leaf to relaxation on.
However the airline is plowing ahead, dedicating its ingenuity towards getting you there a little bit extra shortly. Certainly, Southwest is conducting experiments which will boggle your thoughts and switch your ears into vessels of disbelief.
As The Wall Road Journal reported, the airline is stunning passengers on the very busy Atlanta airport with ingenious touches. Passengers know these touches are ingenious as a result of there is a huge signal that claims: “Innovation Zone.”
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Your creativeness is already operating amok, I really feel. Is Southwest making its seats 5 inches wider? Is the airline giving free ice cream on each journey? Is Southwest even ensuring its Wi-Fi works?
Oh, it is not fairly any of these issues.
For a begin, there are posters explaining the airline’s seat coverage — first come, first served-ish. Fairly revolutionary, that. Then there are the video screens that present essential data, dynamically introduced.
There’s even “a roving worker with a cellular machine [who] additionally checks oversize baggage or registers pets lengthy earlier than boarding begins.” However this all sounds fairly mundane. That is as a result of I have been saving the large one for the very subsequent sentence.
Southwest goes to play loud music as you slowly stagger down the jet bridge. There, wasn’t that price ready for? Music blaring in your ears as you stand there, questioning why the road to get on the airplane is not shifting any sooner.
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Wait, what is that this music purported to do? Effectively, Southwest’s analysis exhibits that while you play fast-tempo music at folks, they transfer extra shortly.
To get away from the music, maybe?
Oh, I do not know. However the airline has three musical settings: EDM, hiphop, and what The Wall Road Journal describes as “youngsters’ music.” Which is probably going one thing from the 70s. Or the theme tune to Dumbo, I suppose. It is all being performed on moveable audio system, one in all know-how’s nice innovations.
Please keep in mind that, though it seems Southwest is enjoying together with your psyche, that is all being carried out in your profit. If the airplane is rotated extra shortly, you allow extra shortly and Southwest will immediately regain a status for being sprightly — which suggests you may love Southwest once more.
There’s, although, one different side. If Southwest can flip its planes round extra shortly, it could actually fly them extra typically and make more cash.
However that is simply an incidental profit, you perceive.
Southwest needs to make you cheerful, by interesting to your dancing ft and your very delicate ears.