Originally Posted by Allan38103

Besides the obvious entertainment value, one benefit of studying FT threads like this is to learn something in the event something goes wrong.

WN has a different seating system; you either like it, or you don't. The "entertainment" part of reading FT is like watching two kids arguing about who's sitting in the other's space in the back of the car. (See Chevy Chase in National Lampoon's movie Vacation.) It will never end. Unfortunately, seating issues like aisle, window, bulkhead, exit row, IDB/VDB, etc., cannot be fixed after the flight lands. All that WN can do then is throw some LUV $$ your way and hope you go away less unhappy. But some issues CAN be handled. Like COS.

Assuming all the facts are correct as posted (I know what happens when you "ASSume"), WN policy is for COS to buy two seats. He/she is the only one who gets to be guaranteed two seats next to each other. No one else. And, in order to make this work, the COS gets to board earlier. Again, you either like this policy, or you don't. If the flight has at least one empty seat, in addition to the COS's extra seat, the COS gets his money back after the flight lands. If the flight is completely full, the COS ends up paying. (Someone correct me if I'm wrong)

So, assuming correct facts, it looks like OP had the window bulkhead seat; the other two in the row must have been empty initially. COS sits down in the two empties - his purchased seat plus the extra one he paid for. OP moves to the empty aisle seat on the other side of COS, which also doesn't work. FA can't help. Whether the COS ever got reimbursed for his extra seat isn't relevant to this discussion, except that if there was another seat somewhere in back the OP would have had the option to move. WN can't force anyone to sit next to a COS, but they will not prohibit it either.

OP says he had already stowed his bags in the overhead. Not relevant.

Customer service failure on the part of WN? Only if there was an empty seat in back and they didn't tell the OP that he could move. OP gets a LUV voucher for his trouble.

Final note. Maybe someone from WN is reading this. Unless they get it directly from the GA, FA's have no way to know if the flight is going to be completely full until it's completely full. They will say it's full in order to get people out of the aisles and into the (middles) only seats left.