seat saving
Oct 5, 2018, 9:11 am
#31
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 5,813
The fact of the matter is that seat saving rarely affects anyone. In all of my flights I have never seen a confrontation. I am often asked courteously if someone is sitting in the middle seat next to me. A few people seem to want to make it into a bigger issue than it is.
Oct 5, 2018, 2:23 pm
#32
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 6,607
The fact of the matter is that seat saving rarely affects anyone. In all of my flights I have never seen a confrontation. I am often asked courteously if someone is sitting in the middle seat next to me. A few people seem to want to make it into a bigger issue than it is.
Oct 7, 2018, 7:55 pm
#34
Formerly known as billinaz
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Goodyear,AZ for now then FL Spacecoast
Programs: US Airways Dividend Miles, American AAdvantage, Avis Preferred, Budget Rapid Rez, Hilton Honors
Posts: 1,145
There are also no seat assignments and thus no need for a policy prohibiting the conduct.
Bottom line is that nothing prevents another passenger from saying that that they are saving a seat for another and nothing prohibits some other passenger from occupying the seat despite the request of the original passenger.
While there are however many threads about this, WN does not get into the middle of the issue and only intervenes when the situation gets out of hand.
While it would be nice if WN dealt with the issue by simply announcing that passengers with non-adjoining positions who wish to remain together are free to board with the lowest number in the group, that will never happen.
All of this means that meek people shuffle off to their second or third choice while those who don't fall for poor behavior get to sit where they want. Pity.
Bottom line is that nothing prevents another passenger from saying that that they are saving a seat for another and nothing prohibits some other passenger from occupying the seat despite the request of the original passenger.
While there are however many threads about this, WN does not get into the middle of the issue and only intervenes when the situation gets out of hand.
While it would be nice if WN dealt with the issue by simply announcing that passengers with non-adjoining positions who wish to remain together are free to board with the lowest number in the group, that will never happen.
All of this means that meek people shuffle off to their second or third choice while those who don't fall for poor behavior get to sit where they want. Pity.
Not all the time. There is a thread on the southwest forum where a passenger was denied a seat in the exit row because the FA said the one person sitting there had saved the seats.
Oct 8, 2018, 5:45 am
#35
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Peoria
Programs: Southwest, Best Western Gold, La Quinta, Dollar
Posts: 819
As a single flyer, I feel I'm almost totally unaffected by seat saving. On another thread, though, I was told I was wrong. How about that! All these years, I've been a victim, and didn't even realize it!
Oct 8, 2018, 10:54 am
#36
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: SFO
Posts: 3,881
The fact of the matter is that seat saving rarely affects anyone. In all of my flights I have never seen a confrontation. I am often asked courteously if someone is sitting in the middle seat next to me. A few people seem to want to make it into a bigger issue than it is.
Oct 8, 2018, 11:13 am
#37
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Blue Ridge, GA
Posts: 5,512
But it frequently results in online rumble. There's less urge to go to war if you can spout off anonymously. It's what corporate calls a lasting truce.
Oct 9, 2018, 12:27 pm
#38
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,808
WN doesn't have a formal policy either way, because they lack the courage to implement something that would preserve the value of extra revenue products like EBCI, BS and A-List. Their policy is to not take a side.
However, it is ostensibly first come, first served. So you can take any seat that doesn't have someone sitting in it and ignore someone claiming to save it. That person is only entitled to the seat they are in, not any of the others.
I run into this quite a bit with exit row seats. I just take the seat and let the other person stew in it. Nobody has tried to get the FA to move me yet. But I have witnessed it between other pax a few times, and the FA usually says something along the lines of not getting involved or "any open seat". And a seat intended for someone who has yet to board, or who is behind you in boarding order, is OPEN, despite what their companions say.
However, it is ostensibly first come, first served. So you can take any seat that doesn't have someone sitting in it and ignore someone claiming to save it. That person is only entitled to the seat they are in, not any of the others.
I run into this quite a bit with exit row seats. I just take the seat and let the other person stew in it. Nobody has tried to get the FA to move me yet. But I have witnessed it between other pax a few times, and the FA usually says something along the lines of not getting involved or "any open seat". And a seat intended for someone who has yet to board, or who is behind you in boarding order, is OPEN, despite what their companions say.
Oct 10, 2018, 7:59 am
#39
Join Date: Oct 2001
Programs: LTP, PP
Posts: 8,700
I think the no-policy policy was in effect then too?
Oct 10, 2018, 8:08 am
#40
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Peoria
Programs: Southwest, Best Western Gold, La Quinta, Dollar
Posts: 819
Since I don't get anywhere near the perks I'm entitled to (no pre-boarding, no family boarding, no CP... Its rough being a single flyer!) maybe I'll start saving the middle seat next to me on every flight. That way, no one will ever claim it if the flight is anything short of 100% full. Maybe if I feel lucky, I'll save middle AND aisle.... Was the flight crowded? I dunno: I had a whole row to myself!
I'm a genius!
I'm a genius!
Oct 10, 2018, 8:08 am
#41
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 921
The great news is that as a victim you now qualify to take your emotional support monkey on board with you.
Oct 10, 2018, 8:16 am
#42
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: STL
Programs: Hhonors Diamond, Southwest A-list Preferred, Delta Million Miler
Posts: 362
I boarded a flight from LAS to MCI last week. A woman in the aisle was saving 2 seats next to her in the front of the plane. I asked to please allow me to grab the window seat. She said her friends were “both” in the restroom in the front of the plane (she pointed frontwards). I educated her that the forward lavatory has only one stall and that 2 people both couldn’t be in the lavatory. She ignored me. As much as I wanted to sit down anyway, I moved on, at least 10 rows further back. Towards the end of the C Group her friends boarded the plane and sat down. Really burned me, but I didn’t want a confrontation at 7:30am. Arrggghhh!!!!!
Oct 10, 2018, 9:18 am
#43
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Chicagoland, IL, USA
Programs: WN CP, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 14,192
Oct 10, 2018, 9:54 am
#44
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,808
Then it only amounted to a kind of line cutting. While the system was still first come, first served...it wasn't as if someone had shelled out 40 bucks for a better boarding position which was knocked back several numbers by a handful of seat savers on each flight.
Oct 10, 2018, 9:56 am
#45
Join Date: Oct 2001
Programs: LTP, PP
Posts: 8,700
I boarded a flight from LAS to MCI last week. A woman in the aisle was saving 2 seats next to her in the front of the plane. I asked to please allow me to grab the window seat. She said her friends were “both” in the restroom in the front of the plane (she pointed frontwards). I educated her that the forward lavatory has only one stall and that 2 people both couldn’t be in the lavatory. She ignored me. As much as I wanted to sit down anyway, I moved on, at least 10 rows further back. Towards the end of the C Group her friends boarded the plane and sat down. Really burned me, but I didn’t want a confrontation at 7:30am. Arrggghhh!!!!!