Bad Seat Assignments at 24hrs
Jan 22, 2022, 5:48 pm
#16
Join Date: May 2005
Location: PHX
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False equivalency (very common in arguments defending WN). On other airlines, if there are no available seats you want, you know that before you buy the ticket. If there's not seats you like, buy a different flight or fly a different airline. WN is completely opaque (in a few different ways), so you don't know whether or not you have the seat you want until you've spent money and are already on the plane.
Jan 22, 2022, 5:55 pm
#17
Join Date: May 2005
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it's only less stressful because you don't seem to want to pay anything to guarantee that your family sits together. On AA or DL for example, you can pay extra and guarantee that you all sit together. That's not less stressful that just hoping at the airport and on the plane that you'll all get seats together?
At least on WN, you can buy tickets last minute and you can put yourself in a position where paying extra will almost guarantee, or at least give you very good odds, that you can sit together.
Jan 22, 2022, 8:43 pm
#19
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 182
it's only less stressful because you don't seem to want to pay anything to guarantee that your family sits together. On AA or DL for example, you can pay extra and guarantee that you all sit together. That's not less stressful that just hoping at the airport and on the plane that you'll all get seats together?
Jan 23, 2022, 12:26 pm
#20
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 5,813
There are a number of recent factors causing higher boarding numbers. First SWA is now placing people on the same confirmation as a Alister in order and doing the same with companions. Other considerations include the number of passengers connecting with your flight, they may have checked in earlier since the could checkin at T-24 of their first flight. I've had numbers that high at t-24 but even as A-List O have noticed ,my boarding position is higher than it used to be,.
Jan 23, 2022, 1:17 pm
#21
Join Date: May 2005
Location: PHX
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There are a number of recent factors causing higher boarding numbers. First SWA is now placing people on the same confirmation as a Alister in order and doing the same with companions. Other considerations include the number of passengers connecting with your flight, they may have checked in earlier since the could checkin at T-24 of their first flight. I've had numbers that high at t-24 but even as A-List O have noticed ,my boarding position is higher than it used to be,.
Jan 23, 2022, 2:43 pm
#22
Join Date: Feb 2006
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Boy is this an over reation...added my comments in bold
Hope this helps and you actually sit together.
Regarding boarding, here's a quote from a study. Most studies assume assigned seats so can lead people to think assigned seats are fastest:
Surprisingly, only one airline is known for using the scientifically-proven, fastest method of passenger boarding: Southwest airlines. For decades (since 1971), Southwest has held to the method of not giving passengers assigned seats.
I already hate having no assigned seats on Southwest, it is very unprofessional an unorganized-.no. The most disorganized gates are legacy airlines with 9 boarding groups and people circling not knowing where they belong. I fly AA and WN. WN gates are much more organized I was in a situation where I had to use southwest I have a group of 2.
I checked in exactly at 24hrs and it gave me B49 and B50 with no chance of being seated next to each other. Because others in front of you are flying together-no doubt-in parties-you are almost guaranteed to sit together. Unless one buys Bus Select, boarding positions start at A16.
Is Southwest doing this on purpose? No. With connecting passengers, A List and others on A list itineraries, that's where you are. You mentioned being offered upgrade to Business Select. That means A 1-15 has openings I cant believe that everyone is paying $20 extra per person per flight for the early bird.
The funny part is when I checked in, it gave me the option to upgrade to the A 1 to 15 for $109 per person. They are insane.
I cant understand why they dont have assigned seating. Because its much faster. They turn planes faster than nearly any other airline. You load the plane faster with assigned seats and then you dont have people stuck in seats they dont want. Incorrect. Many studies show planes board faster without seat assignments. Google it. Their customer satisfaction has to be very low. They are one of the most popular airlines in the US.
I checked in exactly at 24hrs and it gave me B49 and B50 with no chance of being seated next to each other. Because others in front of you are flying together-no doubt-in parties-you are almost guaranteed to sit together. Unless one buys Bus Select, boarding positions start at A16.
Is Southwest doing this on purpose? No. With connecting passengers, A List and others on A list itineraries, that's where you are. You mentioned being offered upgrade to Business Select. That means A 1-15 has openings I cant believe that everyone is paying $20 extra per person per flight for the early bird.
The funny part is when I checked in, it gave me the option to upgrade to the A 1 to 15 for $109 per person. They are insane.
I cant understand why they dont have assigned seating. Because its much faster. They turn planes faster than nearly any other airline. You load the plane faster with assigned seats and then you dont have people stuck in seats they dont want. Incorrect. Many studies show planes board faster without seat assignments. Google it. Their customer satisfaction has to be very low. They are one of the most popular airlines in the US.
Regarding boarding, here's a quote from a study. Most studies assume assigned seats so can lead people to think assigned seats are fastest:
Surprisingly, only one airline is known for using the scientifically-proven, fastest method of passenger boarding: Southwest airlines. For decades (since 1971), Southwest has held to the method of not giving passengers assigned seats.
Last edited by Mr. Vker; Jan 24, 2022 at 7:01 pm
Jan 23, 2022, 9:25 pm
#23
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 311
I agree with the OP that flying WN is a crappy experience, in many ways.. Probably not as bad as G4 or NK, but definitely not a good experience -- having no assigned seats, being forced to play the silly line-up-by-the-numbers game to board, dealing with various idiots "cutting in line" by saving seats, no lounges, no F or J, no interline agreements, and a primitive website. But even with all of that, on occasion I find they are the best option -- because of the schedule. For me, the solution is to pay the $20 per person for EBCI. Seems like a small price to pay to not have to deal with some of the nonsense.
Jan 24, 2022, 4:54 am
#25
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Jan 24, 2022, 9:14 am
#27
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Jan 24, 2022, 9:23 am
#28
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Jan 24, 2022, 9:25 am
#29
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When the premium Citi card included full AAdmiral's Club access, I had a good year flying mostly WN and using those lounges. It's a little harder to pair PC lounges with WN but it can be done in some of the larger airports.
Jan 24, 2022, 10:44 am
#30
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