texashoser

It's a shame there is a lack of common sense or courtesy on both sides of this debate...

I can certainly understand the concept of saving seats when traveling with a young family because I've done this quite a few times. However, we've never saved seats in the first few rows or the exit row. That's the courtesy on my part and other seat savers should extend the same courtesy just as those on the other side of the argument should expect some seat saving. The bottom line is WN policy allows seat saving within some reasonable parameters.

It's when the 'open' policy is abused by both sides that the process breaks down. Like the clown in the recent post who was saving all three exit row seats with one seat for a non-existent aunt. Basically, he lied and showed neither common sense or courtesy. That's a shame.

mreed911

You want to sit together on a cattle-call airline, board together. It's really that simple.

pinworm

Yup. Board together...and don't assume the rest of us care if your family sits together. Board with whomever has the higher number.

jamesteroh

As to exit rows, if the family members are that young they need to sit together, they wouldn't be allowed to sit in an exit row anyway since you have to be 15 years old to legally sit there.

If it's a young family and it's that important to sit together, then they should board together with family boarding. If the person with the highest boarding pas insist on boarding with the A group then they should sit in one of the back rows. If I am paying for EBCI or have flown enough for A lsit status it is unfair to ask me to sit further back because a amily was too cheap to pay for EBCI (and in addition if it's younger kids, IME families with young kids usually take a little longer gather up their stuff and getting off the plane which will delay me deplaning).

jamesteroh

+1 VERY well said

shadowbozo

I agree with all of you. Too bad that Southwest lets this behavior go on. I will never save seats at the bulkhead or the exit row. Usually, I save a middle seat for my wife.

nsx

If you board together at C15 you will not be sitting together. That might be considered a bug or a feature, depending.

texashoser

I didn't assume that. The average person doesn't give a sh!t about anyone other than themselves.

texashoser

The point I was trying to make was that I don't save any of the prime seats/rows out of courtesy to those early boarders who covet those seats and, yes, we usually do sit further back in the aircraft.

If saving seats truly pisses off more people than it benefits, then why doesn't WN change their policy?

Honestly, and perhaps it's exactly because we don't save the prime seats, we've never had anyone complain or try to force themselves into the row.

EDIT:
I still find it depressing that there apparently is no common ground here. It's either "there should be no seat saving and I'm going to sit in a saved seat because that's my right" or "seat-saving is my right under WN policy and therefore I am going to save as many seats as I want, wherever I want." If folks on both sides were a bit more considerate, we wouldn't have this problem. As the saying goes, "A few rotten apples spoil the bunch."

texashoser

But you admit you engage in some sort of seat saving, albeit in a courteous manner. I think this is the solution I am support of and WN is counting on instead of both sides taking an unreasonable approach.

jamesteroh

well if you are saving the back row and seats besides middle seats are available the you probably won't have people wanting those seats. but I am not going to hesitate to take an aisle or window seat that someone is "saving" if only middle seats are available. Or if I have a tight 35 minute connection I am going to grab the first aisle seat available so I can be off the plane ASAP.

redheadtempe33

I certainly appreciate that you would want to sit next to your family (especially with young children), but for those that it is important, there are many airlines out there, that allow you to choose your seat assignment ahead of time. Fly them.

texashoser

And I could say the same thing to you. If you don't want to fly an airline that allows seat saving, fly an airline that assigns seats. If you have status with that airline or pay extra money for a certain seat, you are guaranteed that seat.

texashoser

In full disclosure, this is actually what happens. I am AL+ and I usually get A20-A30. I check my wife and daughter in at T-24 and they usually end up with A-40 through A-60. I get on the plane with my daughter and pick a row and save a single seat. My wife gets on 20-30 spots behind us while there are still plenty of empty rows and window/aisle seats left. So, no one complains that I'm saving a single seat when there are plenty of prime seats left. So, I'm a family with young children.

That's a lot different from me saving two prime seats for passengers that are in the late B group who board after all the prime seats are taken.

At one point in time, families with young children got to board before everyone else. Now at least they can board after the A group. I'm taking the hybrid approach!

shadowbozo

Actually, I haven't done this in the past. Now, knowing that Southwest does not have a policy I am going to. When in Rome, act like all the other Romans as the city burns.

If everyone would just show some common courtesy and not be disrespectful, this all would work well. Unfortunately, most people won't do that these days. 25 years ago, that would have been the norm. Not today.