eng3

No need to be so dramatic. People can be apart for a few hours, it's not that long. I remember years ago, WN would advertise the lack of assigned seating a feature because kids could get together and sit away from their parents. "parents in front, kids in back", something like that.

Families will book BE knowing they may be seated apart because they assume that the GA will still seat them together. This is further validated by GA's usually doing this even though they don't have to. If this doesn't happen, it's highly likely a passenger would rather sit next to an adult vs a "screaming toddler". So I don't have a great deal of sympathy for people who ask to switch seats. Again, it's not that long, no need to inconvenience everyone else. If it's an equiv seat, I'll still typically swap, but I won't go out of my way. Though in my experience, most kids I've sat next to are well behaved, especially with electonics these days. It can be far more comfortable than sitting next to one who needs a belt extender.

As for the boarding process, Yes, it's annoying, but I doubt it makes a significant difference in when you arrive at your destination.