Further expansion. tangible asset improvements, and technology upgrades continued between 1999 and 2006, Southwest expanded to serve locations such as Long Island and Raleigh-Durham. It teamed up with IBM to introduce approximately 250 self-service check-in kiosks.This project was "part of a nationwide effort to reduce the amount of time Southwest customers spend in line and to improve the airport experience By 2004, Southwest was offering online boarding passes via its Web site, allowing passengers to go directly to the departure gates without having to stop at the ticket counter. Customer convenience increased even more in 2005, when Southwest "extended online check-in to 24 hours prior to departure. By 2006 Southwest was ranked number one among airlines in customer satisfaction