I certainly can appreciate that frustration. However, even though I am AL, in my case, you would have boarded before me anyway. My point was I did not save a seat. I took my companion aboard with my in my A## slot. If you ask nice, seat saving should never have to be an issue. WN would be well advised to articulate a policy so that people flying together can take the earliest assignment. JM2C

I thought A list boarded before EBCI. If someone is sitting towards the back of the plane and saving a middle seat I don't think anyone is going to have an issue with. If someone is sitting in aisle and saving the window, then I can see people having an issue with it (especially seeing the two people won't be able to sit together or talk at all during the flight anyway since a stranger will be in the middle seat) or if someone is saving a middle seat in the first few rows of the plane or an exit row for someone boarding in C, I can see there being an issue. Or saving an entire row or two, in those cases everyone should pay for EBCI.

As someone that flies solo a lot for work, I find it cheapening the product if someone else travelling with another person also pays for EBCI before me and gets a lower number and his spouse or friend that was too cheap to pay for EBCI is allowed to board with him and before me.

Maybe a good solution would be allow those to board with family boarding. If someone is in the A list and their companion has another boarding group, allow A to board first and then allow those people with companions in a higher boarding group to board with family boarding. The people that are A-list or paid for EBCI would still have first shot at their seats and boarding with family boarding you could still find two seats together.

What I REALLY hate is when people with kids aren't at the gate for family boarding and board with C and can't find two seats together and the FA will ask someone with an empty seat beside them to move (which will mean moving from an aisle or window to probably a center seat that late in the boarding procedure). I can totally understand if someone is on a connection and the first plane was delayed and they are go right to the gate. But last year I did a MDW/LAX flight and had a long layover at MDW. There was a couple with two kids that were one of the last to board and the FA was having a huge problem finding people to switch seats so that couple could sit with their kids, and who is going to want to take a middle seat for that long of a flight. She offered to buy people a drink for switching seats and I know one guy offered to move seats if she would comp his drinks the entire flight and the FA ended up agreeing to it and not sure how they got the other person to move. But the thing was when I landed at Midway and went to McD's that family was there. I remember them because they were at the register beside me and they were asking for all kinds of modifications to their sandwiches. I managed to eat the food and go to Harry Careys for at least one drink and made it on with my boarding group (first half of A). In cases like that people are totally out of line for asking others to move (and I realize the FA had no way of knowing they were in the airport for at least 2 hours).

Scale is different and rules are different in this example but the economic principle is the same:

Someone buys an FC ticket for themselves and a Coach ticket for their companion on a proper airline. FC guy boards, and holds the empty FC seat next to him (he knows it's empty, he checked on his PDA at boarding time)for his Coach companion.

No airline would allow this...why? Because the coach pax didn't pay for those added benefits, and is therefore not allowed to take them.
Class jumping is considered "Theft Of Service"

So if somone pays EBCI or BS to get a shot at better seating, and then doesn't get the seat they want because someone is holding it for a pax who did not pay those fees, it is like trying to sneak another pax into a class of service to which they are not entitled. It takes away the benefits of being AList, BS or EBCI.

The only thing keeping it from being "Theft Of Service" under color of law is that WN doesn't really offer different service tiers based on seats..but the result is largely the same. They are STEALING SERVICE BENEFITS although WN has a few clever legal dodges.

The operable word in the above paragraph is the FA requested people to change for the benefit of the family. No one was required to change, and if no one agreed, the family would not have been able to sit together.

True, but it's pretty sad if no one actually will move. Are people that selfish? I realize in the case of the above example it was completely the parents' fault, and while not the exception certainly isn't the norm either.

I realize people are going to say, "But, but, I paid for EBCI or BS." Or, "I checked in at T-24 why did you?" Or "I'm AL+." Well guess what, so am I. But paying for those tickets or having status doesn't give you the right to be completely lacking of any compassion toward fellow human beings from time to time.

Yes, it does. Just because it is a family, does not mean I should move.

Regrettably, WN has created a more or less classless society, where everyone is equal except for the price they pay. Paying more does not make you a different class -- just moves you up the totem pole a little. For me, it's a bit of a turn off. Would I move for a family? Personally, I would. Traveling with kids is a hell unlike no other. I feel sorry for the family. I would not want to set next to them though :p. JMHO

Every time I hear this request I think about it just a moment and say to myself, nope, ain't swapping my nice window for a middle. Let somebody else be the nice one. Now try to bribe me with a LUV voucher and maybe we can get some action.

Yes, but that family had the same opportunity to purchase EBCI as everyone else on that plane. I refuse to reward a cheapskate who's gaming the system.

+1

I get thoroughly annoyed when the FA makes requests for people to move to accommodate a family who failed to take responsibility. They have lots of options if they must sit together. I take responsibility because I have seat preferences (and like my carryon stored over my seat). I have moved from my aisle seat into a middle once to accommodate a family, but only because the folks in the row I moved into were traveling with me AND at least I was offered a better seat for the exchange (passenger in the middle seat with my friends moved up to the front aisle). I pay for EBCI and I detest a middle seat and don't want a window. The family in question really needs to take responsibility and live with the consequences. Holding up a flight to accommodate them is insane and unfair to everyone.

Agreed. It's $10 a ticket. Pay for it.

This seat saving bull is one reason I avoid Southwest. If I have to fly them and someone is saving an exit row, I get the FA involved. It isn't my job to enforce the rules. I'll also pay for the EBCI to avoid the stress of the T-24 game.
Recently I used EBCI for my father-in-law, who took his favorite near the front seat and a "person-of-size" had to take the middle seat. Actually, that person ended up taking his and my father-in-law's seat, so my father-in-law had to move to another seat, which was the last row. He no longer wants EBCI so that he can board late and sit next to someone who isn't "of size". But the "size" issue is another thread.....

And a family can board after A during family boarding. I will not take a middle seat for a family that isn't at the gate on time

Lots of hard hearts on the board. God forbid you guys ever need a little courtesy extended your way. Don't be surprised when it isn't.

I'll end with this: if you don't like FA's doing the whole 'can you move to accommodate a family' thing or 'saved' seating (for those that remember, I think folks who save a row [or two] at the front of the plane, the exit row, etc, are equally discourteous), don't fly WN. Find some other airline to hold sacred your little piece of real estate. Or, if you care this passionately about the subject, call up WN and let them know how feel, tell the gate agents, tell the FA's, tell the pilots. If enough customers complain and WN feels their policies are hurting the bottom line and driving away customers, they'll change them.

I once changed out of a United Economy Plus aisle seat for someone who claimed to be claustrophobic. As I took my back of the bus mini-seat I was a little annoyed with myself - thinking it was probably a scam. The FA came by after take-off and handed me a "thank you" card. When I logged on to claim my token of esteem, I choose the $400 voucher. Paid for a nice mid-January trip to San Juan.

Karma - it's a wonderful thing.