You may have a point there. The cost of paying for preferred seating ads up for a family. On a crowded flight from GRU to ORD, I got in the middle of the problem. Now, I had paid for an aisle seat in basic coach when I booked the flight, though I didn't see why I should pay for a seat that wasn't special in any way, other than I preferred to sit there. As boarding was wrapping up, I noticed the woman across the aisle was giving me a dirty look while she was having a heated discussion with the flight attendant, Apparently the nervous man fidgeting in the middle seat next to me, was her husband and their young daughter was seated about 4 rows back. They were all separated except for the very young son, and this woman seemed to think I was part of the problem - my seat should have been for her family. The FA explained there wasn't a set of seats where they could put the daughter next to her dad. However, the woman wasn't having it. So, the FA turned to me and asked me, "Would you like to sit in a better seat up front?" To which I said yes, the FA and the father thanked me, while the angry mom persisted with her hostile glare. FA put me in Economy Plus, next to a nice Brazilian couple and brought me goodies from Polaris every time she passed by.
I had to wonder, how is it that I can reserve a seat for myself, but the woman couldn't be bothered to reserve seats for their family? I guess money might have been tight or maybe they parents were being short-sighted. If UA can improve this situation, it would make things easier for a lot of other passengers - not just families. If I'm pay for a specific seat, I'm unlikely to swap it for someplace I'd rather not sit and I don't like being put in these situations where I become an obstacle to family unity.