Seat saving brouhaha
Mar 31, 2011, 4:18 pm
#16
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: STL
Programs: Hhonors Diamond, Southwest A-list Preferred, Delta Million Miler
Posts: 362
Recently was dumb enough to pay $387 one way BS fare to snag a LUV seat or exit row. 2 thru PAX were saving both exit rows for boarding friends. FA stood by and smiled while I took my $387 row 8 window seat.
Mar 31, 2011, 4:33 pm
#17
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 206
Now there's a great reason to book an airline that offers seat assignments. (I know...this is a common complaint of mine! For us, SWA has tipped the scales in favor of JetBlue and booking decisions will be made with more care than in the past.)
Mar 31, 2011, 4:49 pm
#18
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: SJC and ONT
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Posts: 2,082
I'm afraid I don't understand your logic. You say it's fine to save a middle seat, because no one person is going to want a middle seat. But... you obviously want it, otherwise you wouldn't be saving it. You want it - for your travelling companion. So doesn't it stand to reason that another pair of passengers might also want it? Ie, they want it and the seat next to it, just like you do? Except both of them are on the plane before your travelling companion is onboard?
Mar 31, 2011, 5:35 pm
#19
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Evergreen Park, IL
Posts: 1,384
Mar 31, 2011, 5:40 pm
#20
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: MCO
Programs: Southwest Rapid Rewards
Posts: 791
Mar 31, 2011, 5:48 pm
#21
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: USA
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Recently boarded the plane for a three hour flight that the gate attendant stated would be totally full. So, first available row with two seats together was the first row. Except that the man in the aisle seat had placed various random personal items across both seats. While my daughter fit our carryon bag in the overhead bin, I attempted to sit in one of the two seats. The man grumbled loudly, but moved items off one seat only, stating that "my wife is sitting here." We asked where she was, and he said "she's coming." Meanwhile the flight attendant is observing, but saying nothing. My daughter tries to sit in the middle seat and asks him to pick up his random items. She asks the flight attendant to help. He then states, "you are a b **** " and refuses to move them. Flight attendant looks wide eyed at us, then repeats to him that he can't save seats. He moves his stuff to the aisle seat across from him, to save that seat now.
We are now both seated. Still no mystery wife. Finally, at the very end of the C group, the wife boards and sits in the saved aisle seat.
Gate agent boards plane, motions to man to accompany her to jetway to speak to her. We never saw him again. The wife remained on board and kept his personal items, opting not to take a "later flight" with him.
Apparently he was not drunk, but had "space issues" , we were informed.
We are now both seated. Still no mystery wife. Finally, at the very end of the C group, the wife boards and sits in the saved aisle seat.
Gate agent boards plane, motions to man to accompany her to jetway to speak to her. We never saw him again. The wife remained on board and kept his personal items, opting not to take a "later flight" with him.
Apparently he was not drunk, but had "space issues" , we were informed.
Now, I mean no disrespect to the OP but why on earth would you let someone call your daughter that word he used without severely hurting him?
Mar 31, 2011, 6:19 pm
#22
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: SJC and ONT
Programs: WN A-List/CP, HHonors Diamond, CX J with AA miles, US Gold/*G
Posts: 2,082
You know, in practice and in real life, saving a middle seat is a non-event. In at least 50 flights with my hott companion, no one's ever even hinted at making an issue out of it...even when the seat I was saving was 11B. ^
Mar 31, 2011, 7:36 pm
#23
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: LAS
Posts: 1,323
I was going to bring that up. It would be nice if more posted on their 'worthless' EBCI boarding pass. IE, FA implied tough sh*t, I'm letting them hold seats for someone who didn't pay the $10. I'm using my first EBCI on my LAS->MDW trip next week as traveling bud had no sense of adventure in pot luck check in from an internet kiosk. Yeah, he talked me into it also
PhlyingRPh quoted, "Now, I mean no disrespect to the OP but why on earth would you let someone call your daughter that word he used without severely hurting him?"
Because I am also female and because the flight attendant seemed to be aware of what was happening, apprarently having already said something to the man about not saving seats PRIOR to us boarding.
We were told that he had purchased EBCI also, but, according to the FA, was "too cheap" to also buy it for his wife.
What surprised us the most about this incident was that we had no idea the FA had contacted the gate agent, who called the supervisor.
Last edited by Amicus; Mar 31, 2011 at 7:42 pm
Mar 31, 2011, 8:59 pm
#24
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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If someone wants to save a seat then they should sit in the back of the plane, not in the front and certainly not in an exit row. If it is that important for 2 people to sit together during a flight then fly a legacy.
Apr 1, 2011, 4:00 am
#25
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: STL
Programs: Hhonors Diamond, Southwest A-list Preferred, Delta Million Miler
Posts: 362
I was on a flight recently on WN where I paid for the EBCI (luckilly I have always gotten in the A group with it but have had issues when my first flight was late and C was already boarding but that isn't the fault of EBCI) and was waiting to board at DTW in the line and her husband was in line talking to her and noticed he had a C group pass. After they made the boarding call for BS he left and she told me she was glad she used EBCI because he got in the C group. I was telling her that I hated paying $20 RT to just get a decent place in the boarding line and she said when she travels with her husband and sometimes daughter, they just pay for one EBCI and then just save 1 or 2 seats, so apparently some people not only save 1 seat they save the entire row.
Y
If someone wants to save a seat then they should sit in the back of the plane, not in the front and certainly not in an exit row. If it is that important for 2 people to sit together during a flight then fly a legacy.
Y
If someone wants to save a seat then they should sit in the back of the plane, not in the front and certainly not in an exit row. If it is that important for 2 people to sit together during a flight then fly a legacy.
Apr 1, 2011, 4:55 am
#26
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 206
I was going to bring that up. It would be nice if more posted on their 'worthless' EBCI boarding pass. IE, FA implied tough sh*t, I'm letting them hold seats for someone who didn't pay the $10. I'm using my first EBCI on my LAS->MDW trip next week as traveling bud had no sense of adventure in pot luck check in from an internet kiosk. Yeah, he talked me into it also
Apr 1, 2011, 12:01 pm
#27
Moderator, Southwest Airlines and Choice Privileges
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Central Texas
Posts: 3,039
In real life I have seen the situation described by mritty. A couple wanted the last two seats together (around the 17-20 row range, IIRC; it was the row immediately in front of me), but a saved middle seat forced them to take two widely separated middles. It probably doesn't happen often, but it does happen.
Apr 1, 2011, 12:42 pm
#28
Join Date: Dec 2005
Programs: HIlton Diamond, Marriott Gold, IHG Platinum, Southwest
Posts: 312
My spouse and I always purchase EBCI, but I'm beginning to wonder if only one of us should do so since there seems to such lax enforcement of the seat-saving rule. Why should we continue to play by the Southwest's rules when there is such obvious and widespread disregard for them by both passengers and employees alike?
Apr 1, 2011, 12:49 pm
#29
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: SJC and ONT
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My spouse and I always purchase EBCI, but I'm beginning to wonder if only one of us should do so since there seems to such lax enforcement of the seat-saving rule. Why should we continue to play by the Southwest's rules when there is such obvious and widespread disregard for them by both passengers and employees alike?
And you're not breaking any "rules" by saving a seat.
Apr 1, 2011, 1:17 pm
#30
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 158
My spouse and I always purchase EBCI, but I'm beginning to wonder if only one of us should do so since there seems to such lax enforcement of the seat-saving rule. Why should we continue to play by the Southwest's rules when there is such obvious and widespread disregard for them by both passengers and employees alike?
if you're mean looking, ugly and stinky enough, you can save all the seats you want. if somebody sits in one of those seats, and you wanna make a scene over it, then southwest does have a policy of removing disruptive passengers from a flight. southwest only says you may choose any open seat.