Southwest Airlines ticket agents have to go through several different programs just to check in a customer. Agents have to memorize codes, use cheat sheets, and use pen and paper to do the simplest things. Soon, however, all they have to do is point and click.
Southwest has been testing a new computer system, called the CS2, in Midland, Tex., Amarillo, Tex. and Tulsa, Okla. The system ties information together under a single platform and uses intuitive icons and drop-down menus instead of thousands of cryptic commands. As a result, the most important passenger information is displayed on one screen. No longer will the agents have to jump back and forth between several different programs.
Even processing standby lists will become easier. Previously, the process would take at least two minutes per person as the agent would have to call each passenger separately, take their old boarding pass and collect fees. The new system will allow the agent to print 10 boarding passes at a time.
Henry Harteveldt, an analyst with Forrester Research, said that the new system will support Sabre Holding Corporation’s electronic ticketing system, which will give Southwest more flexibility to form alliances and code-sharing agreements.
Agents, like Sandra Travis, who have been testing the new system give it rave reviews. She said that on the old system, the agents “were just flipping back and forth all the time…The new system has safeguards to keep you from making a mistake.”
What surprised her was how fast she became accustomed to the new system. She mused, “How did I ever do this before?”
