Occupying Seats for Friends - Worse for Long Haul? Solution?
 

I don't fly WN that often any more. When I did a lot of short hauls a few years ago, the "occupying seat for a friend who has a higher number" thing was not so bad.

On Friday, on a long haul flight (4h45m), it was really bad. I probably had to go back 5-6 extra rows because of these friend-occupied seats.

Has anyone noticed this? It almost seems to me that GAs/FAs should somehow many some announcements to discourage that practice. If you really want to sit together, board with the lower number :D Thoughts?

Thanks.

As long as its not the very front or exit row AND there are plenty of seats still available AND its not a blatant attempt to keep it open with a fake friend, I don't mind people doing this.

I might be in a similar circumstance some day and why not help out your fellow man if possible...

WN has no rule against seat saving. It has gotten worse now that people buy one EB and save seats for people traveling that did not buy an EB.

It's WN and their model has gone downhill in the last year.

I keep my middle seat saved for my imaginary friend. But at least I pay for it. Sort of.

But of course you are excluded, as always. :cool: Hope to grab the aisle seat next to your imaginary friend someday...

Sorry but that is complete BS. People like myself and wife play by the rules and buy EBCI for each of us. We paid to select the "seat of our choice that is vacant", These people are NOT my fellow man. They are cheats, rude, manipulators, obnoxious, and dishonest, period. We do not recognize a seat being held by someone who has friends that are to friggin' cheap to spend $10 for an earlier boarding place as a seat that is taken.
Did you ever notice that in today's society the people who end up getting rewarded are the people who think that they are the exception to the rule, it doesn't apply to them? The folks who play by the rules get screwed everytime. I guess that is enough of a rant for now.

I wonder how this will work for us. I used a RR1 for two one way tickets. I bought two EB but we have two different conformation numbers. Will our EB numbers be together when I check in or should I call Southwest and try to get them together?
Thanks
Mike

The EB will be automatically processed. They should be fairly close in number but no guarantee. Calling SW will do nothing as they can't manually process the EB, it is automated.

What if on the other hand they really are saving it for a friend / family?

I do 90% business travel, but 10% of my travel is with my family. I would want them to sit with me, and you wouldn't enjoy sitting next to me by making my wife / kids sit else where.

As long as the plane's not full, who cares? Move on to another aisle / window seat of your desire.

Thanks, I thought it would work that way.

Wow, moving back 5 rows may be OK, but 6?

Oh, the horror.

Then their friends/family should pay for EBCI and they would be one of the first ones on board. If it's that important for people to sit with their friends and family then they should either pay for EBCI or sit towards the back of the plane. A person paying for EBCI shouldn't have to move back six rows because someone is too cheap to pay for EBCI.


If someone is saving a seat towards the back of the plane (or a middle seat any where but the exit), I don't think it's a big deal. If someone is saving an aisle or window seat towards the front of the plane or the exit row, then I could see someone paying for EBCI having an issue with it. When I took WN to LAX I would have a 35 minute connection at DEN so I wanted the first available aisle seat and was willing to pay for EBCI to help insure I could sit up front.

I agree it is BS. Why should you and your wife who are BOTH PAYING for EBCI, have to move back a few rows because someone else is saving a seat for someone too cheap to pay for EBCI?

The problems related in this thread, and the seemingly endless similar ones before it, have a simple solution that remains mysteriously without implementation.

The solution is a policy, stated clearly and succinctly, in a place where it is easily found, and summarized in the boarding announcement. It makes no difference if the policy is sharing is prohibited or not. Decide. Write it. And use it. This not knowing is ridiculous.

My personal choice is a no sharing policy. It makes revenue and customer service sense. If WN thinks sharing is fine, they should say so. As it is they try to make everyone happy and end up antagonizing many and encouraging unsociable behavior.

If a person has a friend and they want to sit together, board together using the highest boarding number or shell out the $10.

If you and your family want to sit together, pay $10 for EBCI for each one. If you are too cheap to do that, you can all board together with the person who has the highest boarding number. Your attitiude is exactly what I am talking about. It is OK for everyone else to move to another seat to accomodate your family, but you do not recognize the fact that they paid to have a choice of seats ahead of you. Why wouldn't I want to sit next to you? We would have time to discuss the fact that you are too cheap to pay so that you and your family can sit together, the fact that you feel you are worthy of being an exception to the rule, and that everyone else should acquiesce to your wishes because you are with your family. A wonderful way to spend a few hours on a plane.