You are so right. I'm sure the FAs don't want to add "Seat Police" to their job responsibilities!

Of course I'm not privy to management's information. I simply answered the question you asked.

Let's just agree that we completely disagree on this topic.

Yes, amazing isn't it?

Kudos to the FA for defusing a volatile situation. No sympathy whatsoever for OP. If you wanted an aisle seat you should have paid for EBCI instead of boarding in the C group and then stealing a saved seat that many others had politely passed up.

I wonder if the parents will pay for EBCI in the future:) Good job for the OP for not getting bullied.

OP-Did the daughter chat with the parent in the window seat or was she busy playing with her phone, etc? Most flights I am, if I have to walk past a teen to use the restroom or have one sitting beside me, they are usually playing on their phone or IPAD or using the IFE to watch TV or movies or play games. I never see them talking to their parents (and I see this a lot with married couples as well) so I am not sure why they make a big deal about sitting together.

It's not so much that we disagree with each other, it's that you disagree with WN's policy. I'm simply playing devil's advocate and assuming they've studied the issue and determined that the cure was worse than the disease.

That doesn't mean everyone is going to agree with their decision.

Have you called up the folks in Dallas to file a complaint and got a ticket number for follow up? That's your best bet to make your voice heard and get any feedback.

Love open seating. Want to save one seat (not including exit row) go ahead. However, be prepped to give it up if your partner is boarding late. Last legacy flight I took with the family we got assigned to 4 different rows. I'd take WN any day.

It's pretty simple, if you don't was the sit in the middle, buy EBCI. If you refuse to pay a few bucks, check in at T-24 and you still have a very good shot at a decent seat. Don't complain if you checked in late and got a crappy seat as we all know what the process is. It's the system, work with it.

Lastly, a FA told me a few weeks ago (while I was sitting in exit row aisle) that the flight was 100% full and to start recruiting a seat mate now as (exactly as she put it) most people that board last are lazy: sort if insinuation that many of the last to board are the dregs of society (maybe a little body odor, etc.). I got a chuckle out of this.

OP-If you paid for EBCI complain to southwest about the seat saving. Sounds like they will refund it:
http://www.chicagonow.com/a-city-mom...my-money-back/

Oh, sorry -- good to hear that you also disagree with the policy.

As was mentioned by another poster, I also doubt very much that they've studied the issue in depth since the boarding system change in 2007. The expense incurred at that time was huge, and with the current focus on all things bottom line, I suspect issues like this one, that they perceive -- rightly or wrongly, only time will tell -- to be unrelated directly to financial performance, and costly to study, are simply neglected.

I have previously let the folks in Dallas know about specific issues related to the boarding policy and seat-saving non-enforcement. Each time I was told they would include my concerns in their monthly summary, which is distributed to Senior Leadership. More than once I was also given a token voucher, so at least it wasn't a complete waste of time.

Really??? 'Bullied' by the seat savers?

http://50.57.108.162/meaning.jpg

Not a complete waste of time unless your objective was to obtain a policy change... :p

As others have mentioned, even if Southwest wanted to remove the ambiguity, the FA's union would demand something in return for adding seat policeman to the duties of every FA. The cure to this minor annoyance might be unaffordable.

I regard this level of nuisance as similar to impolite driving on the freeway: I figure karma will take care of the miscreant and I don't let it faze me. I also figure that once in a while I may turn out to be the miscreant, in which case I have paid my dues!

I'm really ambivalent about the policy. I've been on both sides and I see both sides.

No worries.

I agree re: the FA's union; right now is not the best time for Southwest to ask the FAs to do more. ;)

To be clear, I'm not completely against open seating. I more often than not travel alone, and have over time learned how to exploit WN's system to my benefit. I generally get the seat I want, but have experienced unpleasant problems on occasion.

I do however find it unconscionable that Southwest has monetized early and priority boarding but refuses to address the resultant onboard issues this creates.

IMHO, just like road rage incidents, customer altercations over seat saving will continue to increase until the policy is addressed in some form or fashion.

Unless there is a fistfight breaks out because of this(which I've never seen or heard about one), again, I highly doubt Southwest will lose sleep over this.

You're absolutely right. Southwest cares about nothing except the bottom line at this point.

I suspect the point at which the issue is "addressed" is when they roll out assigned seating, with associated fee opportunities.