Previous leg passengers taking exit seats before Business Select can board
 

This has happened a few times to me. I wish Southwest would stop this problem by not allowing existing passengers to move into the exit row before the new leg's A group boards first, or something like that.



I pay an extra $150+ for Business Select flights with the assumption that I will have a very good chance of getting an exit row seat. Several times now I board a plane to find all the exit row seats filled up by passengers who were on the previous leg - because Southwest allows them to move seats before the next people have a chance to board.



This always ticks me off because I wouldn't have paid for Business Select or an upgraded boarding position if I knew that passengers from a previous leg would just take up the good seats before I had a chance to board.



My complain isn't going to change Southwest's process. Is there any way I can tell if there will be previous passengers on the flight that will be taking all the good seats before I board, so I don't waste my money on Business Select or upgraded boarding?



Thanks

Yes it's open seating but Southwest has pretty strict boarding group and order policies. In my opinion, just because you were on the first leg of a flight doesn't mean you should have a chance to change your seat ahead of any priority boarding customers. Just like pre-board can't sit in exit rows.


In this case, I know that the other passengers didn't buy BS because they told me they changed seats for the extra legroom.


I'm wondering if there's any way to check that a flight will likely have passengers on it, so that I don't waste money on BS like this. My suggestion to Southwest is to make existing passengers stay in their seat until at least the "A" group boards for the next leg flight. Otherwise, if there is indeed no way to check whether passengers will be on-board or if Southwest won't implement this policy - then yes, I am considering either an airline that has assigned seating and gives upgrades to frequent fliers instead of paying SW $$$ and having elite status for an early boarding # that is pointless for hacks like this.

They're commingled with deplaning passengers. Who would enforce this?

And calling a time out to allow "existing" passengers to switch seats after 65-75 people have boarded would be bedlam.

This has been a long standing practice on WN. They were allowing this back when there was no Business Select. Before there were boarding line numbers even. It can also affect forward row seat selection.
It's unlikely to change. If the value proposition for BS isn't working for you, you have to reserve its use for originating flights.
Besides, how are we sure these aren't through pax who took the exit row at origination when they purchased BS?

If you don't like the fact continuing passengers can take the aisle seat then don't buy a BS ticket. Not sure why that would be the motivation to pay up to BS since even with that ticket there's no guarantee you'll get the seat you want (if other BS passengers in front of you want it).

Lol, Tie all thru passengers to their seats, with alarms and monitors.

Your assumptions are wrong.

If a specific seat is desired, you might want to consider using a carrier who offers assigned seating.

There is no practical way to enforce a policy that kept pax from moving up. Often that pax in your way would be someone like me, who is moving to claim an exit row having missed it on an earlier flight. And unless you have higher boarding rights than I do (and good luck designing rules for that!) any policy change is meaningless.

It is an issue that frequent WN fliers face. To answer your question, unless your flight ORIGINATES at whatever airport you are flying from, expect through pax. To check to see where your flight originates use a site or app like FlightAware.

Pop in your flight number and examine the route. Here is a flight that I take often:

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/SWA4

Flight 4 originates in Houston, flies to Dallas, Albuquerque and Phoenix before that route terminates.

Oh, did I mention that routes change? In October that flight #4 originates in DAL and goes to DEN and then to parts as yet unknown.

So if your home port is HOU, DAL, MCO, BWI etc, one of the "major" hubs for WN, then you may get an originating flight.

Home ported in ABQ or MCI? Good luck. I often see 80+ people flying through those airports, funneling their way to Dallas etc. Was there a special event like a major sporting event? Then the pax flight patterns change.

If you buy BS to get a window seat then change carriers. WN really isn't your airline. If you buy BS to get closer to 110,000 miles every year, then enjoy your miles.

WN is a very well run airline (except maybe IT ...) but they have their strengths and weaknesses. Like assigned seating, it just isn't here.

Like friendly FA, two checked bags for free, clear fare rules and a mostly on time airline? Then WN is perfect for you.

Just don't expect that you fly so often that you will have more status than some dude like me. ;)

It has been this way forever.

They won't even stop seat saving when they are selling EBCI. Why would they start watching a bunch of throughs and where they are sitting/moving?

The solution is to stop buying Business Select. Or fly another airline.

If I am staying on the plane, if I don't have the exit row already, I am moving to the exit row.

You can look for flights that originate at your airport of choice. That way there would be no thru pax already on the plane when boarding begins.

Thanks for the laughs. Glad to know all the DYKWIA flyers aren't on Delta.

And the fact that you quiz the passenger. Hysterical. Trust me I'm going to tell you I have a $29 airfare just to watch your imitation of a 5 year old

This is why I don’t fly southwest very often.

1. Book an originator

2. Book a flight where the inbound is a different flight number. Then nobody will be staying on.

Thru flights are the same flight number from AAA-BBB-CCC

In my experience, the big problem with WN boarding situation is that no matter what kind of ticket you're on or what kind of status you hold, you're doomed to a middle seat on heavily booked flights if your first flight arrives late with an even sort of tight connection. To me this is a much bigger problem, with no realistic fix.

Not being able to get bulkhead or exit row isn't a dealbreaker for me - any window will do me just fine. If those are the only acceptable seats for you, I completely understand not flying WN. Even having BS on an originating flight isn't a guarantee of getting them if preboarders take the bulkheads and you are late to the checkin game.

Only somewhat relatedly... Everyone hates on Spirit, but those big front seats are pretty glorious for the price you end up paying.