toomanybooks

There must be 800 threads here on this same damn topic. Why WN cannot follow my suggestion from years back is unfathomable to me:

"You may save 1 middle seat behind the exit row."

10 words. Problem solved for most cases, in an instant.

C'mon WN, for God's sake, ACT on this. And I'd be happy to take some consulting money, or a CP good for a few years.

InkUnderNails

Why are the daughter and parents different? It could be SEB, but I would guess they possibly decided to upgrade one ticket for that person to hold seats for the other two. Of the two, it seems sort of cowardly to send ones daughter to do this, and I suspect, none of us can know, that they said "Wow! A21. You can save seats for us." Ergo, SEB.

Why is open boarding superior to seat assignments?

1. I don't think you realize how hard it is to get three seats together with assigned seating. With WN, it is not that hard if one plans ahead. T-24 or EBCI x 3 works pretty good.
   
   
2. I often check other airlines and look at the seat map before I decide whether to buy there or stay with WN. Many times the only seats available to me, Mr. No Status, are middles or every seat is blocked out. There are no seats, forget multiples together. I can buy 1st. OK. On most RJ's that is the same stinky little seat just closer to the front or with a bit more leg room. (I fly to small cites domestically from a small city. RJ-RJ out and RJ-RJ back. I ain't paying 1st for that.)
   
   
3. Even with no WN "status," a person has a good chance to get a good seat with EBCI, T-24, and the ultimate buy-up, Pseudo-BS.
   
   
4. If one wants to self-assign an adjacent seat for a later arrival, as this thread shows, piece of cake. Can't do that with assigned seating.

There are a certain number of people that want to know their seat location at the time of purchase. I get it. There are also those that sense a bit of adventurism in getting on a plane and finding a seat that may be an improved seat than would have ever been available picking from a seat map with no status. Then there is the game-playing or the T-24 speedy fingers in multiple tabs. It is a cheap thrill (sort of), but a thrill nonetheless. Maybe "thrill" overstates it.

Let me restate it. We FT'ers learn all of the little tricks to get the seats we want and use them skillfully and often with treachery. We get on, sit in the seat we want and look upon all of the following passengers knowing that this time we beat them, we got that seat. Ha! Get your middle in the back, sucker.

Seat savers beat us at the game in what many of us believe to be an unfair or even unethical manner. Darn them. I played this game. I played by the rules. How dare you win without challenge. They played a card that was not in the deck, and the dealer (FA) awards the pot over our objection. We throw our cards on the table and complain. House make the rules, even the ones that are not written. House declares the winner.

Game. Set. Match.

Checkmate.

(OK, mixed metaphors from three games. That is just wrong. T me up, two shots and ball out of bounds. That is four if you are counting.)

bwicoplat

i've actually heard WN unformed personnel in the gate area tell families to go upgrade ONE family member, who can then save seats for everyone. I remember one time the WN employee actually said, "Don't waste your money by upgrading everyone, just pay for one." I just stared at the employee and shook me head. He looked at me and said, "do you have a problem?" I replied, "nope, I'm A2, I'll get the seat I want, regardless of how your scam screws over everyone else." He just walked away.

rsteinmetz70112

Ink:

Since you're you're own CP and since you get to pre-board what is you're experience with seat pirates?

I don't have that much myself since I am A-list and usually travel alone except for the few times a year I travel with my wife. who actually outranks me on status. We are usually able to sit together in good seats.

camaross

Who gets really gets up in a FA's face about a kid saving a couple seats for her parents? Jesus. And the kid's parents were right there and OP still wanted to take the seat? What a joke. Have a little common courtesy and let the kid sit with her parents. There are plenty of things in this world to get upset about, and if seat saving on a plane is one of those for you, I'm really sorry.

Orwaid

First, thanks on your second post in over 1.5 years.

Second, I did not get in the face of an FA or anyone else. I DID ask calmly what the policy of WN is on being able to choose any open seat or if they now formally allow seat saving.

When I did not get a concise answer, I started to take an open aisle seat on a sold out flight with no aisle or window seats left. When dad (who was a few people behind me) started yelling, the FA that could not give me a straight answer found me another aisle seat, in the process moving someone else out of the exit row, no less -- I assume a non rev.

And mom or dad could still have sat with her in the still-open middle seat. Next time they can buy A1-A15 for every one in their party and not have to worry that someone else will just follow official company policy.

bobunf

Southwest does have a policy - they're laid back. Try to avoid hassles. Get along, and don't make fusses over nothing. Let people save seats within reason.

Shame on OP for wanting to shove grandma under the bus.

medichill

Unnecessarily harsh.

If OP was on an airline with reserved seats and the same thing happened, would he not have the right to claim his seat? Doesn't boarding first on WN give you the right to claim any seat not already occupied?

Why are some people flaming the OP but not the seat saver? If she put her bags across two rows of seats, would you still be bashing the OP? And how would that be any different?

I have been in the OP's position and sometimes haven't argued with the seat saver and sometimes have asked them to move their stuff. Either way, I'm following the boarding rules set by the airline of which everyone is aware in advance.

(steps off soapbox but reserves the right to climb back up)

InkUnderNails

Good question. Short answer: Medical condition, treatment related, and fairly new situation. It has not been that long that I was like everybody else. A-list Preferred since there was one and CP for longer than I can remember, so lots of flying time. While I have always been on he large side of average, I am carrying about 40 more pounds. Anyway, I have never hidden the fact that I am a marginal COS, not the typical "Please, no, don't sit here!" kind of COS, just the slightly overhanging, uncomfortable kind.

And since I preboard, I see all of the tricks up close and personal. It is interesting watching the set up of some of the ruses. When boarding gets into the C group, the breakdown of the ruses is a bit comical.

pinniped

Yes, except when they aren't. The old laid-back Southwest would honor their commitments, such as their own drink coupons. The new one? Not so much.

Then they should specifically and precisely define what constitutes allowable seat-saving within reason. I mean, jeez, airlines blog and tweet and Facebook about everything under the sun and are well-known for constructing the most detailed rules about every little thing imaginable. This is an area where their customers and employees desperately need clarification - a common set of rules we can all understand and abide by - and they're silent. It's totally irresponsible, IMHO.

If it were me, I'd either write the rule as "no seat saving - period" or (if I was feeling nice) "an aisle or window occupant may save one middle seat aft of the exit row, provided the other aisle or window occupant isn't already saving it." No mass saving. No prime seat saving. Easy to enforce, easy for FA's to communicate from their usual boarding-time perch at the exit row. Saving a single middle in the back can't really deprive another passenger of anything, yet it does allow for, say, an A-lister traveling with one companion to get seats together.

joshua362

+1. And it would be even sadder if we find out the flight was all of an hour.

jamesteroh

On a full flight I am surprised WN allows NRSA's to sit in the exit row. Seeing Southwest is selling things like Business Select and EBCI, shouldn't a NRSA be the last to board instead of the first?

Getting back on topic, the are a lot of things the OP left out.

Was it a 45 minute flight or a cross country flight? Was it matter of the daughter paying for EBCI and the parents being too cheap to pay thinking she could save the seats. I'm assuming if only middles were avialable that the OP was boarding with the C group. Did he have a C group boarding pass or did he PAY for EBCI or BS or is he an A-list that had a tight connection and didn't get to his gate until C was boarding (I had that happen before).

If it was a cross country, I don't blame the OP for taking the aisle seat. The girl was still able to sit with one parent. If the OP was AList or paid for EBCI and his connection was tight and he had an A BP and got to the gate when C was boarding I don't blame him. He paid for that A boarding pass (either via EBCI or from flying WN a lot).

If it was a short 45 minute DTW/MDW flight and I had a C Boarding Pass, I probably wouldn't say anything. If I had paid for EBCI or BS or it was a cross country trip, I would make a big deal out of it, and not take a middle seat.

I'm at the point now, were I refuse to switch seats with people on Delta. It seems like the people that want to sit with their families want you to give up a better seat for a worse seat. A couple week I was in 2b (my favorite seats are 2b or 2c) and someone asked me to switch with him in 1a so he could sit with his wife and got nasty because I refused. I figure I am getting my choice of seats first because I have a higher status and/or higher fare code and will only switch if it's to a better seat and a short flight. There have been times I haven't been upgraded and people with no status will ask me to switch out my seat so they can sit with family because they weere too cheap to pay for EC or a premium seat and had the seats assigned at the gate.

If it's that important to sit with your family for a flight, cough up the money for the fees so it can happen

Nirvana91

Slightly off-topic, and I am mooching this idea from a previous thread (can't remember who said it first)... But if you are willing to pay the $40 at the gate for a good boarding pass, you are probably better off just offering $20 or $30 to a passenger once you are are on the plane itself. I'm not sure about you all, but if my wife and I are in the LUV seats, and somebody offers us $30 to move, we're moving. I'm 6'3", and if somebody offers me $30 to move from the infinite legroom seat, I'm still happily moving (maybe an exception if I'm flying cross-country).

jamesteroh

I'd do if it was for another aisle seat and short to mid-haul flight. I would be asking for more than $30 if it was a middle seat or cross country.

I had something similar happen to me on Delta a year or two ago. I was on a short haul DTW/EWR or DTW/LGA flight that was a little over an hour and my seatmate boards and was in the doghouse with his wife because he split the PNR and was either upset he took the upgrade or they weren't sitting together and told me his wife was upset and was in an aisle EC seat (was directly across from the one I was assigned to before I got the gate upgrade) and asked how much it would cost him for me to switch with her. I thought he was joking and I said since she's in an EC aisle I would do it for $100 and he pulls out two $50 bills LOL.

I already had my PD beverage in hand and still had the free drink voucher from my coach boarding pass in my wallet so I just used that during the beverage service. Easy $100 since it was only an hour flight and seeing it was an RJ the bags were planeside checked and I had to wait on the jetway for my bag anyway.

I had to laugh at his comment. He said he noticed I didn't have a wedding band on and asked if I was single. He told me to stay single because being married was too expensive. He said he just spent $100 to get to listen to his wife b**ch for another hour and half

Orwaid

Bobunf - I did not shove Grandma under the bus. I took an unoccupied aisle seat and then moved to another aisle seat in the exit row that the FA found for me.

I do not know that a non-rev was sitting in the exit row, I am only guessing.

And the flight was a 3+ hour midcon-west coast.

I like the idea of moving out of my seat for a fee -- although Southwest can't be too happy about that. Lost revenue for them, added boarding time for flights.