porshe1015

I have been looking for an answer to this. My husband is 6'0 and weighs 345 pounds. He is worried he won't fit. How can I be sure? Does anyone know the seat sizes? I already bought our tickets. Southwest Airlines leaving Dallas going to Washington DC.We are going with our 16 year old daughter she is debating in DC. Any help would be appreciated.

lougord99

http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Sou.../fleetinfo.php

darrenpb

I'm 6'1 320 pounds and book an extra seat as a customer of size. The seat widths are only 17" and I fit pretty tight in it myself with both armrests down. It's not a big deal to book an extra seat and the fare for it is refunded after the flight.

Here's the link for the COS guidelines.

http://www.southwest.com/html/custom...R-CUSTOMER-COS

If the orignal fare is already booked, the easiest thing to do is to book the extra seat with CS. They will match the original fare for the extra seat (if you remind them) and cross-reference the extra seat reservation to the original reservation. He will have a separate confirmation number for each seat. You can also book the extra seat online at the current fare per the instructions but you will still have to call CS afterwards to cross-reference the two seats.

When you go to the counter to check luggage, get into the full service line and tell the CS person at the counter he has an extra seat included on his reservation. They will issue him a "SEAT RESERVED" paper to place on the center seat when boarding to prevent others from sitting. At the gate, show the "SEAT RESERVED" paper to the gate agent. they will issue him a preboard authorization that allows him to board prior to the A group to insure he gets two seats together. Because of this, it's pointless for him to pay for earlybird check-in. As far as you go, I'm not sure if they will allow you to preboard with him. I usually travel alone. When your flight is complete, call CS and ask for a refund of the extra seat fare.

After all that the three of you can still sit together in the same row if you choose during the flight.

Doc Savage

Do you still get the fare refunded if the flight is sold out?

darrenpb

Yes. The policy was revised about a year ago. A refund is given now regardless of whether the flight is oversold or not.

farnlc

you won't have any problems. the arm rests are movable, so since you're traveling with him it shouldn't be a problem to lift the arm rest and snuggle a bit. I'm a little bigger than your husband and I always choose a window seat so I can cram myself against the wall and not intrude on my neighbor.

lougord99

Do not forget that the first 2-3 rows have narrower seats because the fuselage narrows.

InkUnderNails

Brief update and I hope it is an anomaly.

First the physical, 5-10, ~300 lbs m/l, been traveling as COS for 4 years, paid for with my CP. Most of that is on record here in various posts.

Yesterday, the OA wanted to know if I was a walk up COS or had paid for my sea. I said I paid for it, as technically I did. I also never ask for the $5 or so back. He asked out front why I bought an extras seat. I said "Because I am fat." The conversation moved to the Jetway and he said I was not large enough for the extra seat. My final remark was that if there was me at the window and another of me at the aisle, would he want to sit between us?

On the plane I did a test. Evolve seating, 700, Seat 5A. Armrests squeeze past to my waist and rest on the top of my legs. I can squeeze my legs together, twist them a bit to the left and the arm rest goes all of the way down. This is the way I used to travel. One hour is fine, sort of. Over that and my aging frame and the permanent twist do not work. On a three hour flight I was a cripple and it took several minutes of stretching to be able to walk to baggage claim. I could not stand up straight for a nearly a minute.

Then the worst. Someone larger than me sat in the middle for a 1.5 hour flight. Now I am sitting with my legs twisted left and my torso leaned left. I thought I could take it for an hour and a half. By the end of the flight I was in physical pain. I said no more and started my COS/CP journeys.

So, it is not just me. It is the people WN allows to board that they should have stopped. The combination is lethal.

If this is a change in policy implemented at the boarding level, then I will have to let WN know that the only reason I use them is for this perk. If I am going to be jammed in a seat and twisted, it might as well be DL.

I fly WN for several reasons.

Low fare: gone
NS to where I travel: mostly gone
Directs to where I travel: mostly gone
Seat spacing: gone
COS policy for CP: questionable
Free baggage: DL CC and I get it there.
Preboard Privilege: Technically deaf so I can board early DL anyway
Same day change policy: DL wins
Change fee: DL loses

I am slowing down my travel. It was 3 times a month and down to 1. I am struggling to make A-list and only got CP for next by getting a new Personal Card.

DL is beginning to look OK.

sleasure

It's surprising to me that the ops agent working a flight would have the "authority" to make the call not to honor your COS purchase, whether through status or purchased. Does WN still print out the placard that is placed on the seat that say the seat is reserved? What if you paid the fare for an seat for an infant? Would WN take the position that the ticket wasn't going to be honored since it would be possible for the infant to be a lap child?

Doc Savage

Ink, you really need to inform WN about this rogue agent.

normalone

Unfortunately I don't think the was a rogue agent. I started having the same experience starting about a year ago (several confrontations of "you aren't big enough to use the second seat policy) and once actually had to demonstrate that the arm rest did not in fact go down.

I got tired of being called out and dealing with the embarrassment of it all and have moved 90% of my flying elsewhere.

I don't know if this is related to the new policy (more people trying to "take advantage" of getting a second seat), a lack of training for newer employees, or what, but it lost WN a customer that used to preach the WN koolaid to all their friends.

nsx

My guess: the new policy allows marginal and lazy COS people to request a second seat. The new policy is much more easily abused than the old policy which required much forethought. Now we see the backlash against the abusers who weren't a problem before Southwest caved and became too generous. Apparently the Ops Agent cannot see any difference between passengers who paid for the second seat in advance and those who got it free at the gate. That needs to be fixed.

Another interesting case study for business schools.

InkUnderNails

Well, it gets even more interesting. Since that first OA interaction I have had 5 boardings, and 2 check ins with nothing said. For now, it seems to be an anomaly for me.

But, I have a new anomaly. I have never asked for the CP security fee to be refunded. I think I get more than that value out of the perk and it is really a bother to ask for the few bucks, but several have said it is really easy. My travel has slowed, so this is even less of a huge deal.

At my last check in, the agent asked if I paid for my extra seat with points. I said no. She asked if it was CP and I told her it was. I am ready to be challenged. "I can refund your fee now, if you want." She then immediately refunded my security fee and handed me a receipt for the transaction.

Surprises never cease.

Bonehead

What is the rationale for refunding the second-seat fare even for full flights? When I read that I was amazed. Talk about a policy that is begging to be abused...

trouble747

Yeah this just seems unworkable to me.