Kudos to Southwest Airlines for finally announcing that it would install in-seat power onboard its massive fleet of Boeing 737 MAX jets. But you really should temper expectations, as the installation process will be gradual and there will only be USB power available. That strikes me as a great missed opportunity for a carrier that has “matured” beyond its low-cost roots in the U.S. market.
Half-Hearted: Southwest Airlines Will Add In-Seat USB Power Ports To Some 737 Aircraft
This is big news. So much so that I first heard of Southwest’s announcement from Jack Spear during NPR’s hourly news update last night (I can’t ever recall hearing an industry announcement like that on NPR News before…).
By the end of 2023, Southwest plans to offer USB power on 250 Boeing 737 MAXs. Ports will include both USB-A and USB-C and be located on the seatback. The first 737 MAX delivery with this in-seat power will not occur until early 2023. Southwest’s non MAX aircraft are not slated to be retrofitted.
A few thoughts:
- Without disparaging this very good news, why would Southwest Airlines not go all the way and add AC power ports? Surely it cannot be that much more expensive during an initial seat installation or retrofit?
- A traveler flying from Baltimore to Maui with a quick connection in San Diego is not going to have time to charge and without a very modern and efficient laptop, will find it dead well before reaching Maui (and perhaps before even reaching San Diego)
- Southwest is not just a leisure budget carrier, but an often pricey airline that appeals to business travelers across the country for its general reliability, cheerful service onboard, and expanded route map
- While many computers now offer USB-C charging, it remains to be seen whether those ports will be able to actually charge the computer, help it avoid losing battery power but not charge, or be of little help at all (most laptops take a lot more juice to power than a mobile phone)
- It will be more than a year before we really start to see this rollout, so the announcement strikes me as premature
- Southwest’s decision not to add power to its older subfleet of non-MAX jets is not without reason, but will create an inconsistent experience, which may end up undermining customer satisfaction
Just like with any airline, I would never rely upon their power to charge your device. While it is nice when it works, I always bring a back-up charging brick along that can charge both my laptop and phone.
Southwest also announced it would improve internet speeds onboard by upgrading existing equipment. Expect expanded bandwidth with new hardware from Anuvu and greater speeds with Viasat. This is particularly important considering Southwest Airlines does not have seatback monitors on any of its planes.
CONCLUSION
Southwest Airlines will be slowly adding seatback power to its 737 MAX feet, but only USB A and C ports. While I applaud the move from Southwest to add power (and increase wi-fi speeds), I do view this as a half-hearted approach for the “LUV” airline and a great missed opportunity.
The USB-C ports in the mockup say 60W, which should be enough for just about any laptop to charge while working on it, save for hardcore gaming laptops.
Most laptops nowadays come with USB-C charging. My work laptops for the last 5 years have all had them as well as my $200 Chromebook I got 2 years ago (it actually has 2 USB-C charging ports, 1 on each side). I can’t imagine that by the end of 2023 there will be many laptops brought onboard that don’t accept USB-C charging.
From a price perspective, it may not be much more to add AC charging per seat, but it’s still almost 45,000 seats they’d need it for, probably adding 10s of millions of dollars to the cost for what they likely expects to be diminishing returns with fewer people needing it over time.
My laptop uses USB-C, but I would need to buy an adapter or charger that’s USB on both ends, and I imagine that’s the case for most folks with similar laptops. Not super great from a laptop perspective.
Lame. The downside no one is mentioning is the loss of space in the footwells.
Given their inexpensive cost and ease of transporting, if you’re traveling without a power pack these days, you deserve to have a deal phone or tablet.
Do you really lose any significant space?
I usually carry a power stick in my purse when I fly, as not all airport waiting areas have power and the phone will occasionally run close to empty on a longer flight.
USB may actually be better if it has enough current. Lately, on 90% of my domestic flights on UA 737-900s and A320s, the A/C power outlet is so worn that my charger will fall out, or I have to twist it around to actually find the “hot” contact. I’m going to bring a European adapter with me to see if that helps since it probably gets used much less.
I always carry a European adapter exactly for that reason.
I do as well. Thanks to you, in fact. You mentioned it on here a while ago – a couple of years, I think – and a few weeks later I happened to be in the exact same situation but has my international adapter handy by coincidence. Haven’t taken it out of my cord bag since. Has gotten me and my row mate(s) out of a couple of jams in the last couple of years. Plus I actually need it for some of the lounges in Europe. Such a smart idea.
This will be especially annoying because their Max and non Max aircraft are interchangeable so at an airport like MDW you’ll never know for sure which you are getting until you are boarding
I’m no expert but suspect that there’s a huge difference (electrically and regulatory) between a 5 volt, low power cable throughout the aircraft, than a similar 120/240 installation. They’re offering USB because, for now, that is the only thing possible possible
Because from a safety POV there’s a huge difference between VAC and VDC……you can touch a VDC wire and not feel much of anything, if you touch a VAC Line wire you’re maybe dead and maybe on fire….or maybe both….now you get it??
With all do respect. do any of you even fly Southwest?
I due not.
I fly SWA only when I have to. UA is my preferred, but home being San Diego, I MUST fly through a UA hub to get anywhere. So, to fly SAN-PHX/LAS/SMF or anywhere on the west coast, I’ve got to connect in SFO or LAX. That, combined with the 0630 takeoff curfew, makes it hard to get to a morning meeting without spending an extra night. Also, UA has reduced their schedule so much that SWA is practically my only choice for an evening flight home from certain smaller markets Like ABQ, ELP, and LIT.
A few reasons (but I write this as a A-List preferred flyer):
* Lots of flexibility on routes if you fly mainly in US (read: they fly to a lot of cities, and in quantity)
* Much easier to get compensation for operational screw ups
* Awards plan at the A-list preferred level is pretty darn good
* …not to mention the companion pass
* Very few or zero hassles with going standby on earlier flights
I’d rather take Alaska cross country, but for everything else SWA fits the bill.
I forgot – my experiences on AA (Exec Plat)/United (Gold) in comparison:
* Compensation really stinks, esp. AA. AA is really blunt as they admit in their contract rules: If we cancel you from a flight, too bad. No compensation. In return, I say – to h3ll with them.
* United is delayed (it seems like) quite a bit in major cities. My on time rate is about 30%. I always have to schedule a few extra hours with them
* Seeing Dr Dao beat up is a constant reminder how cold-blooded United can be
* Neither airline is known for good customer service, and I sure haven’t seen any from either of them when flights get disrupted for whatever reason (which is about 2 out every 3 trips).
I get the complaints about not having an AC port–although my computer does have USB-C charging. I think the bigger oversight here is not adding it to their 737 NG aircraft–they have over 400 -700s and 200 -800s that will never have power. Especially those -800s, they’re all 10 years old or less, so they’ll be around for a while!
I don’t see why it can’t be done. Criticize the AA Oasis retrofits all you want, but they now offer in seat power (USB and AC) across their entire mainline fleet. If they can add power to all those ex-US Airways aircraft, WN can definitely add it to their older fleet (at least the 800s…)
Good point.
How many people fly from Baltimore to Miami via San Diego?
That’s an absurd example to try to prove your point.
Maui, not Miami.