jamesteroh

And if an an aisle exit/window is being "Saved" or the only window/aisle left up front is being "Saved" yoiu better believe I am going for it. Two people wanting to sit together that are too cheap to pay for EBCI is not my problem.

If a group of people can't sit apart for a couple hours they should pay for EBCI or fly a real airline that assigns seats.

If the FA and their superior would back up a seat saver, I wonder if anyone has contested the charge with their credit card company. I know if I was ever iuni that situation I would be on the phone with Am Ex right away contesting the charge and demanding it be reversed. THat could be another way for WN to start enforcing a policy. If everyone that is declined their desired seat contests the charge, it might make WN look at the situation more seriously.

You can have that problem though with assigned seats as well if upgrades are involved. There have been plenty of times on Delta where someone has been upgraded after me (I had my seat selected because I paid for first class or was a higher level elite and got the seat choice first) that have asked me to siwtch seats so they could sit with their travel mate. I used to be very accomodating but lately I'm not. I figure I either paid for the seat or fly more miles to get the seat choice first so I shoudlnt' have to move.

mile ho

There are no guaranteed seats on WN. Period.

You can be A-list pref or buy BS or buy EBCI and you might still have to sit in a middle seat. That's the truth. I'm sure it's happened plenty of times.

So then, if I paid for my wife to have EBCI and you happen to still board before her and you want the seat I'm saving for her, would you then relent? Because I'm now not so cheap?

I doubt it.

The problem is not with me saving a seat. It's not prohibited in any way by WN. Furthermore, I refuse to pay WN a ridiculous 10.00 for something that I can do that is not against the rules (even more ridiculous, buying it doesn't guarantee she would sit by me anyway, esp if someone wants the seat next to me before she gets on the plane, assuming I'm not saving her seat).

jamesteroh

Most people aren't going to ojbect to one middle seat being saved if it isn't a prime seat. What most people are complaining about is when peopel are saving entire rows or exit rows or bulkheads. I am sure an a-lister would have a problem with me boarding before them and getting a better seat, and I think a person with a higher boarding pass number has just as much right to be upset if they can't have the empty seat of their choice.

Fortunately I have never run into any conflicts on WN. They window and aisle exit rows are either taken when I board or if they are free I have never had a poroblem grabbing it. But if someone told me the seat was saved and the FA backed them up, I would be going above their head and if I was still not allowed to sit there I would be contesting the charges with Am Ex and pprobably be writing southwest and the BBB an email the second we hit 10K feet (oh yeah, forgot I was on WN and probably wouldn't be able to...).

Have had that problem on Delta a couple times though and the FA has always backed me up this year. Once someone wanted to sit with his wife when I was in the 2nd row aisle (I REFUSE to switch seats when I have second row aisle) so he could sit with his wife who was seated in 1. I refused and the FA asked a couple people to play musical chairs with no luck and he lost (don't ask to be upgraded if it's the improtant to sit with your spouse). Another time someones teenage son got upgraded and he wanted me to switch seats so they could sit together and the FA backed me up again for refusing to move. I always said if WN would assign seats they wouldn't have these problems, but I guess in my case the seats were assigned and they still had them.... Of couse I am sure the people were assigned seats together in Y and could have just declined upgrades and still sat together in the back.

ILovetheReds

Why would one want to try to obtain A-list "status" if they would be stuck in a middle seat? There have been times on Delta where I have confirmed into an earlier flight at the three hour window or booked same day travel and have received an exit row or bulkhead. I have never been placed in a middle seat. Mrs. Reds has Gold status on Delta and American and also has never been placed in a middle seat.

I don't fly Southwest very often, but last month flew with a friend with A-list "status". I paid for the EBCI and received boarding pass A-52. Was no issues with us sitting together, but he did not save an exit row and was seated a couple rows behind there. I can't imagine anyone boarding before me on that flight would have wanted that seat. I took the window however since no one was seated in the row and we ended up having an empty middle.

On that flight I was able to use my Delta Platnium card to get through the same priority line my friend used and my bag came out well before his at baggage claim. The only advantage he had over myself was a slightly faster checkin line.

On the subject of saving seats, if Southwest truly doesn't have a problem with it, they should allow everyone in the group to board with the lowest number.

dillspearpaddler

As an A+ that always scores an A-16, I feel in some ways (and within reason - no exit row or bulkhead - usually within rows 3-6) that I have earned the right to at least save a seat for my CP traveler (usually my wife) and do so frequently. IMO, WN should allow the CP traveler to board with the card holder anyway. I can and have sat separately before but I spend enough time flying around by myself and quite enjoy the novelty of sitting together on a leisure trip. To ease the process I will sometimes purchase EBCI for the companion but only for flights where I think they would be out of the A group without it. This ensures that my companion is not to far behind me anyway. On other flights I simply check them in at 24hrs and it works out just fine.

When we travel with one kid it really does not matter since the middle seat will not likely be taken until the end of boarding anyway if at all. When we travel all together I save a seat for my wife and allow one of the kids (if they want) to sit with us in the middle seat and let the other two (or all three) decide for themselves where they want to sit - row to themselves, all separate, I don't really care. Of course, they are now old enough (and well behaved enough) that it works.

jamesteroh

I am surprised that WN doesn't allow A+ members to board with with a companion. Only drawback I can see is then couples would be taking bulkhead and exit rows, where most people saving seats wouldn't take away that inventory for someone paying for EBCI. Also means taking away bin space from a passenger with a lower BP number. If I am flying Delta, the people on my reservaiton can board with Zone Sky which is nice, but OTOH they are always going to be on a paid ticket not a free companion pass. I would definitely chose to board with zone 2 or 3 and have a ticket

All this talk about saving seats and having to board early for a good seat has me thankful I don't have to deal with their boarding process anymore and usually have an exit row seat (or at least an aisle towards the front) if I don't get upgraded.

jamesteroh

If your profile is current and you still live in MSP and fly enough miles to be PM with Delta, it wouldn't make any sense for you to switch over to WN to try for A-list status. I could see someone that uses an airport like MDW, BUR or BNA on flights that WN has direct service to wanting A-list status.

The priority bag service (when the baggage handlers do it correct) and the 70-lb weight limit on a bag (on the rare occassions I check a bag I usually pack heavy) are great, but I am thinking yellow tagging bags on WN would be hard with their business model.

IIRC, for a-listers you have to book the flight at least 36 hours in advance to be guaranteed an a-group boarding pass, so if you someone that books same day travel, a-list status won't be much of a benefit.

There are some airport where you won't be able to use another airlines premium card to access the a-list line for WN. At DTW, most of the agents you be flying an airline in that concourse. If it's an airport where WN shares the same security entrance iwth other airlines, I have never had a problem such as at MDW and DEN. At airports like LAX and DTW where it is a different enterance I haven't always had good luck.

InkUnderNails

Responses to several posts:

1. If they are going to call it a Companion Pass, the system should assign boarding order based on the holder's position with the companion next. These are either WN's highest volume fliers or at least people that use the CC a lot, so give them this privilege. It is a Companion Pass not a Ride On The Same Plane Pass. Gee, WN. Fix this.
   
   
2. There is no WN rule, so you can do what you want. We get it.
   
   
3. There is common courtesy, however. If you want to save, avoid the exit rows and the bulkhead, save only one seat, and if someone asks for it kindly say your companion is coming later, and if they insist, find another pair of seats.
   
   
4. Finally, and this to the WN CS folks that hang out here every so often. Can you get your marketing people to come up with a $15 or $20 linked EBCI, one per A-List or BS ticket, that allows a one time consecutive boarding assignment? Just put on there, "With this one time advance boarding it is assumed you are expected to be sitting with the person holding the linked reservation." (Oh, I know what will happen. Mom and Dad buy the pair and hold two rows for the kids boarding later.)

jamesteroh

Number 3 is common sense.

Number 4 makes a lot of sense for a-lister. Not sure howit would work with BS though since only the first 15 numbers are for BS. And in all honesty I would have an issue paying a BS fare and getting a-8 to find out that a-6s CP companion had a-7 for a $15 or $20 EBCI charge. And if people won't pay $10 now do you think they will pay $15 or $20 instead of continuing to save a seat.

If people would simply save a middle seat that is not an exit row or in the first few rows I don't think it would be that big of an issue. WN needs a policy in place and to enforce it.

I wish some of the WN staff would join in on this thread. Seems like you hear different things from different people. Some people are told they can't save seats and some are told they can.

DontCallMeShirley

redacted.

LegalTender

Open seating means you can sit anywhere there's an open seat.

Saving seats is discretionary. No one and nothing provides any grace for the petitioner.

jamesteroh

So then it makes no sense for an a-lister or more than one person to pay for EBCI.

I do feel sorry for an FA that would have a person paying for EBCI not able to sit in an exit row seat that was unoccupied because a person was saving the 2 empty seats. I am impressed as to how well the FA's have handled a couple arguments I have had with people over refusing to change seats so they could sit with their spouse kid and gotten the situation under control fast, but theother PAXreally didn't have a complaint since the seat was assigned and I was able to select that seat first.

DontCallMeShirley

agreed. but cabin crew can't do anything about it. Unless you ask for a sup to act as a referee. Cabin crew are not the enemy. They cannot enforce a rule that does not exist.. Inconsiderate people (obliviousness) are the problem. If you wanna challenge, one would not blame you.

InkUnderNails

This is good to know.

Bad that it is the case, but good to know.

It allows the aggressive, rude, anti-social, me-only attitude folks to have their way without recourse while those of us that try to establish a fair and equitable process to be rebuffed in our attempts at such.

If this is the attitude on the aircraft, it explains a lot of the acceptance of line breakers, excessive pre-boarding and other shenanigans in the process leading up to getting on the plane.

I am what one would consider a loyal WN passenger, logging almost 50 RT's per year. This unwillingness to control the most basic functions of boarding procedure in a way that benefits and protects your the highest revenue generators gives truth to the persistent perception of the boarding free-for-all on WN. It is perceived to be that way because, in the final analysis, it is that way.

It also pushes me to look more seriously at what are now WN's equally priced competitors.

jamesteroh

And I wouldn't blame the cabin crew. That is why I said in prevous posts if someone was saving a seat I wanted and the FA wouldn't do anything about it (and the only time I would complain would be if I was paying for EBCI and someone was saving an entire exit row or one of the first few row aisles when I had a tight conneciton or only middles were available and someone was saving that last empty aisle or window). If the FA wouldn't handle it after one request I would ask for a higher up. Not because I was trying to get the FA in trouble or acting like a DYWKIA but because I know the FA's can't do much more about it and I also don't want the FA to be in the middle of it when s/he has to fly with me and the other party.

You are right it is due to people being just plain incosiderate.