United Airlines is offering Southwest passengers a special service in three hotly-competitive markets: A reminder phone call to check in on Southwest "so you don't end up in boarding group C."
The campaign, offered in the Houston, Chicago and Denver markets for now, plays on the fact that United flyers can choose seats in advance, while those on Southwest are assigned to A, B and C boarding groups in the order they check in, and with numbers assigning places within the group. Lowest letters and numbers have first shot at any seat that's open when they board. Only elites and business ticket flyers are guaranteed Group A.
United is calling its prompts 'Courte-C Calls,' and is advertising the program with online ads inviting Southwest passengers to sign up at NotGroupC.com for the calls. The ads don't, of course, mention that for many United tickets, choosing a seat is an extra-fee item.
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