I'm guessing you purchased a fare above basic for it to only be $40 ?

MSP/BNA/RSW in mid March would be $130 per leg for 2 ELR seats.

$260 to upgrade to ELR from basic for both passengers.

If the ELR fill we are good in row 6.

I had purchased a choice flight and was able to choose choice plus at booking. Then paid to upgrade to ELR. So that, plus a short flight probably made it fairly cheap. When the new classes and pricing started, I originally thought it was a great deal to upgrade after initial booking since it was cheaper than booking ELR to begin with. Then I found the catch … although you now have the ELR seat, it’s not refundable like if you choose that at original booking. Makes sense but deflated my bargain euphoria.

I’ll get to experience the new seating/boarding next week but in general are finding fares so expensive now that I won’t take some leisure trips in the future. I used to be a big fan of SW but now ….eh. Also can fly Delta at about the same price now.

First assigned seating flight (only have one first time!). Seems they caught on about the front bins. FA was situated in row 2 and had all bins up to row 6 closed. If someone put a bag in there he�d close it back up. Told people to �put large bags in overhead bin closest to your assigned seat.� Told me it was particularly because this Max8 didn�t have the upgraded put-bag-on-side bins. A lot of work for him frankly.

At the gate interestingly there were zero announcements about new boarding process or assigned seating. Just �pre-boarders� �priority� �group 1� etc. Actually a lot less talking than the numbered boarding process.

Not going to say I like assigned seating but it was smooth. Flight only about 50% full so will be interesting how it runs on a more full flight. (They did move a couple people for weight and balance)

Adding this DP here but perhaps flying SDC or SDS warrants a separate thread.

Yesterday morning and this morning, I flew same day standby (cheap Basic fare so no SDC) as an ALP. The GA was able to put me in the front row ELR seat 1C (my choice) for both flights. Flights were maybe at 80% full, several front row ELR seats open. No issues with bins as I flew with a backpack for an overnight trip.

I guess that�s still one tangible benefit of AList - SDS even on Basic fare. If only Priority card would add that too.

I have the Priority card and was able to book a basic fare using points and pick assigned seats when we booked , row 6 which is the first row behind ELR.

If ELR isn't available at T-48 we are fine in row 6.

Since we used points even the basic fare is fully refundable as we have repriced multiple times as prices dropped.

As far as Delta, make sure you price main classic.

DL pricing shows up as basic main which means they assign your seat at the back of the plane and you can't change.

You need main extra if you want a fully refundable fare

Here is the pricing for my upcoming Vegas trip

Thanks!

I can't say I was particularly thrilled to pay for earlybird, only to have 20 wheelchair people board in front of me, most just working the system and not actually needing the preboard.

Again, it was a real problem, but not nearly as large an issue as it was made out to be online.

Since Friday 1/30 I've done 6 segments. First pair, I'd booked 6D (or 5D, I forget) when I bought 'em, for the first flight out SAN-DEN-MKE. About to get off the parking shuttle bus and realize I'd left my wallet in the car. While heading back to the garage I get online and book the next flight (now via LAS-MKE) and see that this close out, the only available aisle seats are 1C, and then 1D. Crap, as I hate bulkheads (no seat-pocket to store my stuff). I keep checking, no dice. This wouldn't have been a problem at all with the old WN, I'd just get on at "A-61" and grab an aisle somewhere in the back.

I boarded, and quickly realized that some of y'all are nuts. Between the fixed bolster and I'm guessing the "pointy end" of the plane narrowing the seat width, 1C on a -700 was the single most uncomfortable seat I've been in other than being on a TPAC in an E- middle 11 hrs to NRT on a 787 I got stuck on a decade ago- and some of you pay extra for this seat?

Thank God it was only a ~1H flight, but I was still dreading 1D for 3.5 hrs to MKE. Get to LAS, and since we were < 1H out, couldn't change my seat (NOR see what was still available, which I think should WN should still make available) in the app. Kept having to pester the CS agent hoping for a CX or something, when YES! 28C came available.

I board, and turns out that I have the entire row to myself, but the best news was somehow WN didn't mess with the seat pitch back there (at least on the Max-8s) to make room for the ELRs up front.

The other 4 segments (back from MKE, then SFO and back) I'd had 6D/6C (and I think 2 out of 4 Max8s). These flights must not have been full, as IIRC I had empty rows/middles on all of them, and I think boarding G1 each time (and sometimes all by myself- gee, ain't I special 🙄 ). Personally, I don't get the hype about the ELR seats; on old WN the seat-pitch was good enough everywhere that my just-under-6'3" frame could fit in the back (where I would always sit; a free middle or row was more valuable to me with that seat pitch) and now I have ... more room than I need?

NGL, if I see the seat map and the ELRs have neighbors but the back has an empty row I'll probably just go for 26+; let WN collect some ELR revenue for those who'd pay for it 🤷🏾‍♂️. I did ask an FA if the pistachios were given out by seat location and/or by status, and was answered only the former, so I guess I'll have to hit up a Hudson's beforehand if I want some in the back 😁

For those of you on light-load flights, is there any patrolling of self-upgraders?

From what I have heard and in this video you "MAY" be able to change seats but you have to notify the FA and stay in the class of seat you purchased.

5:30 of video

Four legs so far. Nobody tried to self upgrade to ELR or put stuff in forward bins while assigned to the rear.

I know of one person (me) who upgraded to an empty ELR row at the gate counter shortly before takeoff.

Only a few flights so far, but I'm wondering if Southwest's boarding process does a better job of preventing gate lice than the other carriers. By lining up one group while the other is boarding and alternating between the two lanes, you don't have people hovering trying to jump in as soon at their group is called. The other airlines put their "priority" groups sequentially in one lane and everybody else in another lane which is wholly ineffective.

I've never liked lines and standing around; with old WN I would wait 'til either "A-X to 30" was called and line up at the end of that one, or at "A-61". Sometimes when this happens some people from the B-Group would also file in behind the As and I'd have to go around them.

Well, twice now (in just 6 segments) I've joined the end of G1 and had G3 people filing in behind them, so essentially the same thing happens as before.