HookemHorns

Obviously you don't understand. First, I never said that I expect the WHOLE family to sit together, and I never said it was a RIGHT. I was conveying my experience on how the process might work if someone is relying on the generosity of strangers so that EACH young child may sit next to ONE known adult. How is it that FT used to be a forum for folks to exchange useful travel info, but so many threads get dragged down with assumptions, and become food fights over why someone's perspective is wrong?

So, from my recent experiences, I would rather let my 6 year old run around alone anywhere within a few miles of my house rather than sit next to a stranger on a plane. Here are my personal experiences from the past year or two:

1. Decompression...had it happen, 90% of you would probably help my child, 10% wouldn't.
2. Emergency evacuation by slide...again, most of you would help my child, but some of you would just trample them on the way out.
3. Laptops and iPads - hey, I don't care if you are watching porn, but my kid better not see it.
4. Couples nearly having sex in the next seat (no, not just "making out")...sorry, if you wouldn't do it in the grocery store, don't do it on the plane.

I could go on, but until my kids are 10 or 12, I feel the need to be around to deal with these kinds of situations. These are my views...deal with it.

awayIgo

Hookemhorns--I NEVER said that your 6 year old should sit alone, I specifically said he shouldnt. My whole post wasnt' really directed at your but at the poster who indicated families 'deserve" to sit together AND went as far as to explain how he boards early (A list) and saves all those seats!--threatening to put his large frame next to anyone who dares sit in one of 'his" seats! I wonder if the family that "deserves" to sit together on a plane also ever sits down together for a dinner!

jamesteroh

I totally understand a parent wanting to sit with their kid. But I also think it's unfair to ask a person that has earned A-list status or paid for EBCI to be asked to move to a middle seat for a family, especilaly on a long flight.

A few years ago I flew DTW to SFO connecting at MDW. Had a long layover of like 3 hours at MDW and decided to grab McDonalds. In the line there was a couple with two young kids that were both acting bratty (the one was yelling they didn't have something from the regular menu they didn't have on the MDW menu). I ended up eating and then having a drink at the Halsted bar with a friend from Chicago that happened to be in the airport flying out on Delta for work and was at the gate before boarding time.

It turned out the family of four was on my flight and were either the last or one of the last to board and it was a full flight. The FA went over to people sitting in rows with empty middles (which one of them was a row I was in) and asking if they would mind moving. I said no and luckilly so did the person in the window seat (I was scared she would volunteer and I would get stuck with the loud kid next to me the whole flight). She made a PA announcment and no one moved. She then said she would provide a free drink and no one moved.

Finally some guy rang his button and said something to her and then another guy said something to her. She went up front and not sure who she talked to but came back and said said something to them and they moved and the one guy sat beside me. I asked how she got him to move for such a long flight to a middle from an aisle and he said he told her that if she gave him a book of four drink coupons or comped his alcohol the entire flight he would move and another guy in front of him heard him and made the same offer. I noticed she didn't ask him for payment on any drinks that flight and I think he drank four or five double bloody marys. It was unfair for WN to have to comp alcohol and for him to sit in a middle seat on such a long flight because someone couldn't get to the gate on time, and they had PLENTY of time to make family boarding.

I have been on flights before with that problem with late connections and can understand it in that case, but again if I am paying for EBCI, I am not going to move. Since WN charges $10 for EBCI to get a good seat, in the case of asking people to move to a middle seat who boarded on time, I think they should also offer a voucher for at least that amount for moving to a middle seat and they may have more volunteers, especially on an hour long flight.

And I understand you not wanting your kids sitting next to strangers. No offense to anyone with kids on here, but as a childless adult, I can assure you most childless adults don't want a small child sitting beside them either.

GottaLuvCruising

I have children and a precious grandchild (whom I adore and would never let her sit with strangers on a flight). But I totally agree with jamesteroh and see it as the parent's responsibility (not SWA's). For goodness sake people, you know SWA has *&&%$@#!$% open boarding (which I detest), but if you are going to book a flight with them, buy the EBCI already. That's the option I take. Before it was available, I stood at the front of the line to secure seats. It's not rocket science.

Since SWA does choose to take responsibility for some parents who don't, I completely agree that they should refund the EBCI AND include free drinks for the folks who graciously agree to move. I would expect both benefits if I am to give up the seat I took responsibility (and expense) to obtain.

Flying with my granddaughter in September. Paid total of $80 for everyone to have EBCI.

nsx

The alternative is to complain that sitting together is essential, although not so essential as to be worth $10 per person.

diablonhn

Also while you're at it, don't let them go to school because of the dangers.

InkUnderNails

I rather like sitting next to a child. I will even ask to sit in the window if a parent and child are in aisle and middle, with the child in the middle.

My ignore function works pretty good and 33 NRR earplugs are helpful. I am less distracted by a child kicking the row in front of me than the row behind. They do not take up as much room as a COS. They generally do not try to sell me insurance. Most of them do not smell bad. Little ones will usually sleep. That is better than the odds of the middle seat roulette that I usually play. I also find that if I order a WT 101, neat, the parent will make sure that I am left alone.

Some of the best conversations I have had have been with youngsters. I once turned on my GPS and I had fun with a twelve YO boy as the two of us watched our altitude, speed, and the map of the cities as they flew by. I took the opportunity to teach him about places that I had been, and his mom got a needed nap.

I even like lap babies. (Note for reference the NRR 33's above.) I do not like car seats.

DEADF15H

I had the miserable experience of watching a saved seat confrontation and was appalled by the FA's lack of enforcement.

An earlyborder was having none of it, he sat down in the "SAVED for a wife without EB" seat and refused to move, the Saver got quite verbal and I thought I was going to have to break up the fight. It ended up delaying the plane for a few minutes, as these guys would not quit arguing.

As a customer, I was flabbergasted that SWA was going to let these 2 sit side by side from FLL to LAS and not expect fists to fly when a "Sir you cannot save that seat" would have ended the whole thing 15 minutes earlier.

plagwate

Perhaps Southwestgabe, Southwestwhit and SouthwestVerity would be willing to advance this issue to someone at HQ. It's disingenuous for Southwest to charge a premium for EBCI that is devalued every time passengers are allowed to circumvent the system by cutting the boarding line and/or saving seats. To be honest, this is the number one apprehension I have with flying Southwest when they move into the ATL market.

lougord99

If you read any FT board without having flown the airline, and take what is written to heart, you will never fly that airline. We, in FT land, love to complain.

As much as I have come to dislike WN, the seat saving / line cutting / false handicap boarding issues just are not that big of a deal.

Boraxo

Then you should complain to WN about the current system, which creates the problem. It is often not the family at fault - they may be on a late connecting flight (this has happened to us when we had A cards) - how is that the fault of the family? And I've never seen anyone force the A-lister or EBCI to move - it is always voluntary.

See above - there are circumstances where it is not the fault of the parent. And it may not be "rocket science" to you, but many people do not fly frequently and have no idea that they need to buy EBCI, particularly when family boarding is offered. Again your beef is with WN, not with the clueless infrequent family flyer who may have last flown another airline where the seating process was not an issue.

I don't see the problem. Again if WN wanted to enforce the "policy" they could - but clearly they don't so it must not be a real policy.

a91996

I was on a flight from SNA to PHX yesterday and a BS passenger was allowed to save a seat for a non BS or a list colleague. I called them on the saved seat and the FA said that is now policy that seats can be saved. I am AL+/CP with and A-20 boarding pass and I lost my seat to a B group pass. Sent complaint to SW.

This was a work colleague with a window seat saving an aisle seat- no true interest in sitting together just helping his friend out and I get screwed

normalone

I honestly don't know why anyone would buy EBCI unless they absolutely were not going to have internet/cell phone access the day before the flight.

Based on the posts here basically everyone who pays the money in hopes of a "better" seat ends up feeling screwed by something - line cutters, seat savers, pre-boards, or through passengers.

Justin026

As a newcomer from AirTran, the main things we seem to be worried about on this board are (a) boarding early and (b) getting to the seats with a little extra room or that are up front in the plane.

I think what SWA should do is set aside maybe three or four rows in the front of the planes and give them some extra room. Possibly, they could improve on that with some service perks, like some free drinks en route. Then work out a way for your frequent flyers to have first crack at getting those seats by boarding first.

If you need any ideas about how that part of the plane could look, you already have 130 of them in service with green stripes on them.

pinworm

"As much as I have come to dislike WN, the seat saving / line cutting / false handicap boarding issues just are not that big of a deal."

This largely depends on the airport, flight and time you are flying. I hate WN with a passion but frequently have to fly it for routing. When I do, I try very hard to avoid the usual circumstances in which those things are more likely to happen. If I cannot, I buy BS, even as an A-lister.

Generally speaking seat saving/line cutting/fake handicaps, and I would add "extra kettleness" where C's and B's line up with As etc, happen at busy WN hubs, at "Business Travel Light/Kettle travel heavy" airports (TUL,ABQ, LAS, MCO etc) on holidays, and on weekends. Almost always in the morning. For that reason I try to fly mid-week, late nights, and avoid WN altogether if I have to go to MCO, SNA, LAS, SAN, or MCI.

A few years back one flight I took regularly, PHX to TUL, had this happen ALL THE TIME. The vast majority of the pax were over 50 or were casual travellers. There was always confusion at the boarding system, there were always line cutters (mostly out of ignorance), and there were frequently seat savers especially for the exit row seats and the LUV bird seats. There were also alot of genuine handicapped pax. Another flight I regularly took had almost NONE of this, it was the Tues morning flight PHX to SNA during non-holidays (no mouseketeers), everyone is business dress, most solo, nearly all well travelled.

LAS is generally a crapshoot. MCO is the 7th circle of hell.

It all depends.