justhere

With apologies to Rush and their Freewill song, if your policy is that you don't have a policy, then you still have a policy. Is that what you are saying? The de facto policy is that there is no policy prohibiting it. Take that any way you want.

I'm not assuming that Southwest Vacations is posting anything wrong, willfully or otherwise. I simply stated that it would be better to use Southwest's own website as a source rather than a third party's. In other words, if you can get the info from the horse's mouth, why wouldn't you? I know I'm not relying on a website that talks about vacations booked prior to June 2011 (especially when the airline doesn't even let you book 1 year in advance, let alone 4.5 years)or redirects you to Seaworld's website when you click on its banner logo.

nsx

The de facto policy is that the more assertive person wins unless the pilot or police get involved.

LegalTender

Because he/she may be unqualified to sit there and waiting too long to verify status would delay the departure.

steved5480

THIS.

In a nutshell completely explains it all in one sentence (which until now took 540+ thread postings). Rightfully or otherwise, NSX's observation pretty much explains how life works.

Carry on.

satman40

I put on a surgical mask and no one even looks at me.

Now I would never try that in an exit row,

ursine1

FYI: This point has been made before, by NSX as well as others. Months ago. Years even.

It didn't stop the discussion.

steved5480

STOP the discussion!!?? I would NEVER suggest that

If we didn't have this general topic (and spin-offs) to fuss about, the whole Forum would be close to a ghost town (other than the annual Christmas CC/CP Churner Last-Minute Panic Season of course)

danielonn

Oh I completely agree with you. While its nice to seat next to your loved ones I can survive a flight seating next to someone else if that is the case. If I happen to see my Parents coming up the aisle then I would politely ask if they can sit next to me. But heck why would I want my Mom in a middle seat anyways if there are plenty of window/aisle seats available?

If you really wanted assigned seating well then go ahead and book AA and pay more. For me I am totally fine with Southwest's open seating as I don't have to pay for a window seat and 9 times out of 10 I get my window seat without a problem . In all my years of flying WN I have never had a middle seat as I check in at T-24.

By checking all parties in 24 hours in advance we usually get the same Boarding Sector number well maybe off by 2 or 3 numbers but not enough to not allow us to sit together if we so chose to do so.

For me personally on flights with my Parents I allow them to sit separately so that way they can talk to each other and I can listen to my music and watch the scenery.

twenty2er

Agreed... really the only person that's right.

TheBS

In life, you can choose to make little things a big deal ... or just not care. Policies are also the result of people not working together to resolve things on their own (before we even visit what lawyers cause beyond that).

Maybe it's because my home has been KMCO and, to a lesser extent, KSFB ... so I constantly see families "broken up," even with assigned seating. I'm a single traveler most of the time, so I always look at myself as someone who should be "flexible" in helping families stay together. I remember one flight where I moved no less than 4 times.

If anything, it's just the simple desire for Karma ... that others might think similarly, for the few times my wife flies with me per year. It's also because the flight crew appreciates someone who is not a problem, and better yet, flexible. I also try to keep in mind that they aren't getting paid until that door closes, and that doesn't happen until everyone is settled.

I also ran into a few cases of people hoped they could sit in Business/First Class on AirTran, Continental and others in the past, and were sitting in my seat. Most of the time, they were just hoping the person assigned to that seat would not show, and moved when I just showed them my ticket. A few other times, it was a couple or friends that had different classes, and I offered to switch ... yes, switch to coach. It was then up to them, and most fought the "guilt," while others felt the need to make a "case," of which I honestly didn't mind.

Only in a very select, few cases, it was a problem, including one person just putting their headphones back on (serious "talk to the hand" type). I would just then go to the back coach, and waited for the seats to get free, and then I'd take it. If anyone with the flight crew asked, I'd just tell them, "I'm just going to be flexible for you."

I don't mind giving up my seat to the elderly, couples who are broken up, and definitely the military. So when someone acts entitled to my upgrade, especially if I paid for it (usually out-of-pocket, as my company will not, no matter how small), I just let them be. It's honestly not worth it. If I let it bother me, then it defeats the purpose. In fact, one of the reasons I stopped paying for "Economy Plus" and other, similar "extra leg room" type coach is because people will squat those seats ... far more than I've run into in Business Class.

So, in the end, the single class arrangement in WN isn't really that bad. And if people want to add to their blood pressure, I try not to not let them add to mine as well ... much more not to the flight crew's either. I've seen some flight crew have a "really bad day," and I honestly don't know how they handle it sometimes. Especially when there's the added pressure of one passenger trying to get them to do something about another passenger, and it's hard not to upset either.

I mean, no one really does "First Class" any more. I think the last time I had such a great experience was on an upgrade in Continental nearly 4-5 years ago. And AirTran's very affordable Business Class is now dead. There are bigger things to worry about in life than the value of the $29-69 upgrade I paid for, if I didn't already get it for free.

pinniped

But couldn't I just turn it around and use the same logic to say that whether you sit together or apart for a very short airplane ride is a little thing and people shouldn't care?

Jarvisd1015

No, you couldn't.

chuckkD

I LOLed reading this thread. I VERY often will save a seat for my wife since I am always A30 or better and since she's flying on a companion pass could be as far back as B's. Never had anyone say anything accept "hey is this seat taken" and then move on when I explain my wife will be there shortly.

Honestly, if you were so concerned about getting stuck in the middle you should have coughed up the $30-40 or whatever it is to upgrade to A1-15.

pinniped

Yes, that's the solution. Other people should do that...but you shouldn't, because you're special.


(And no, I don't particularly care if you seatpoach a middle seat. But you do see how your logic is unsustainable if *everybody* does it, right? )

chuckkD

Agreed ^ and if I were travelling with someone else and we're both or myself at risk of poor boarding position I would and have purchased A1-15. Kind of a damned if you do and damned if you don't situation here. What I can say is that if OP tried to take the seat I had saved for my wife, I would certainly be upset.