2026年2月12日 / 美国东部时间上午11:45 / CBS新闻
在廉价航空公司西南航空（Southwest Airlines）改用指定座位两周后，其登机流程中的问题仍在逐步解决中。
西南航空官员告诉CBS新闻，该航空公司正在排查的主要问题之一是头顶行李舱空间。在某些情况下，航空公司会员计划成员以及为额外腿部空间付费的其他客户发现，由于早班机乘客占据了飞机前部的头顶行李舱，他们的座位上方没有储物空间。这迫使他们往后走几排才能存放行李。
这一问题可能会减缓登机和下机速度，已引发忠实西南航空客户的愤怒，一些人在社交媒体上表达了不满。
一名X平台用户周一写道：”我因为工作乘坐西南航空航班，体验非常糟糕。新流程太糟糕了。我在第4排，登机组5，直到第20排才有头顶行李舱空间。简直荒谬。@SouthwestAir”
一些乘客还对座位分配方式表示不满。西南航空2024年7月宣布，将取消实行数十年的政策——允许客户按先到先得的方式选择客舱座位。该航空公司现在提供指定座位，同时让乘客选择支付特定座位的费用，包括提供更多腿部空间的座位。
一名X平台用户周四表示，他两岁的孩子被分配到一排没有其他家庭成员的座位。”我妻子和两个孩子（5岁和2岁）今天乘坐@SouthwestAir航班。因为我拒绝支付座位费用，他们的座位被自动分配了，”他写道，”我两岁的孩子独自一人坐在一排，旁边没有妈妈或姐姐。”
西南航空表示，其自身研究发现80%的乘客更喜欢指定座位。该航空公司花了数年时间使用计算机模拟和模拟真实世界条件的实地测试来测试登机流程。
西南航空一名官员告诉CBS新闻高级交通记者克里斯·范·克利夫，该公司正在调整以解决出现的一些问题。这些调整预计将在不久的将来推出，可能包括让高级和精英乘客更早登机。
“我认为我们应该预期会有一些小问题——这是不可避免的，” Atmosphere Research Group的旅行分析师亨利·哈特维尔德特在1月份接受记者克里斯·范·克利夫采访时表示。
“这将是一个巨大的变化，”他说，”该航空公司正在放弃50多年的业务惯例，采用美国其他所有航空公司都经过验证的方法，希望能顺利运作。会有一些初期阵痛，这是可以预料的。但西南航空表示他们已做好准备。”
编辑：艾米·皮基
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/southwest-airlines-launches-assigned-seating-new-boarding-process/
Southwest says its has “some kinks we are trying to work out” after launching new boarding process
February 12, 2026 / 11:45 AM EST / CBS News
Southwest Airlines is still working out kinks in its boarding process two weeks after the discount carrier switched to assigned seating.
Southwest officials told CBS News that one of the main issues the airline is troubleshooting is overhead bin space. In some cases, customers who are part of the airline’s loyalty program and others who paid for extra legroom are finding they don’t have storage above their seats because early boarders are taking up the overhead compartments at the front of the plane. This is forcing them to walk back several rows to store their bags.
The issue, which could slow boarding and deplaning, has sparked ire among loyal Southwest customers, with some taking to social media to voice their complaints.
“On a Southwest flight for work and it’s actually awful. New process is terrible. I’m in row four. Boarding group 5, no overhead bin space until rows 20. Actually insane. @SouthwestAir,” one X user wrote on Monday.
Some flyers are also expressing frustration with how seats are assigned. Southwest announced in July 2024 that it was scrapping its decades-old policy, which allowed customers to choose cabin seats on a first-come, first-served basis. The airline now offers assigned seats, while giving passengers the choice to pay for certain seats, including those offering more legroom.
One X user said Thursday that his two-year-old was assigned a seat in a row without any family members. “My wife and two kids (5 and 2) are flying @SouthwestAir today. And because I refuse to pay for seats, their seats were auto-assigned,” he wrote. “My 2 year old in his own row without his mom or sister.”
Southwest says its own research found 80% of its flyers preferred assigned seats. The airline spent years testing the boarding process using computer simulations and in-person tests meant to mimic real-world conditions.
Southwest is now making adjustments to address some of the issues that have cropped up, an airline official told CBS News senior transportation correspondent Kris Van Cleave. The changes are expected to be rolled out in the near future and will likely involve having premium and elite flyers board earlier.
“I think that we should expect some hiccups — that’s inevitable,” Henry Harteveldt, a travel analyst at Atmosphere Research Group, told correspondent Kris Van Cleave in a January interview.
“It’s going to be a huge change,” he said. “The airline is abandoning a 50-plus-year-old business practice and adopting something that is tried and true by every other airline in the U.S., so hopefully it works well. There will be some teething pains; that’s to be expected. But Southwest says that they are prepared for it.”
Edited by Aimee Picchi
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/southwest-airlines-launches-assigned-seating-new-boarding-process/
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