Southwest, don't ask "Is this seat taken?"

ArmchairDetective · Mar 2, 2015

kamik86 said:
I'll board with A list, My husband will board wherever his 24 hour check in puts him. However I'll sit up front... we have a tight connection in midway. I'm sure I'll be able to once again get my husband next to me, or worst case between my parents.

Prepare to feel the wrath.

I have run into the same. It's never even been an issue. Happy travels!

ArmchairDetective · Mar 2, 2015

goofy4tink said:
I mean seriously, how often do you think someone is going to bypass empty seats in order to go the rear of the plane to take a middle seat between people they don't know? Just isn't going to happen.

This is what we do and this was my whole point. I always go to the 2nd to last row. My wife has never boarded later than the mid B's and we've never had an issue with "saving the seat."

I'd rather sit together than get off the plane first.

supersnoop · Mar 2, 2015

An interesting byproduct of this boarding process, you are more likely to have an empty middle seat near the front than at the back. Many people have mentioned going to the back of the plane in an effort to hold a middle seat, but that's probably a bad idea. People keep moving to the back of the plane hoping there will be an aisle or window, and then get stuck with a long line of people behind them, so they have to take that middle seat at the back of the plane. You'll be better off holding a middle seat near the front where's he rest of your party can join you quickly without fighting to the back of the plane.

kamik86 · Mar 2, 2015

LisaS said:
Where did the satisfaction scores come from, from the people participating in their experiment or from surveys taken in the real world? I fly Southwest almost exclusively now and am very satisfied with the boarding process. If I was experiencing it for the first time as part of an experiment, with a group of other people who were also unfamiliar with the process, it might not feel as orderly and efficient.

It was with the people being boarded in the experiment.

There were a few other problems with the experiment. The same people were used for every method. The first method tested was the worst time and worst satisfaction... maybe because many of the people (like many people when you are at the airport) hadn't boarded a plane in a while, if ever. However by the third or forth method they were all pretty experienced.

They also didn't take into account how happy people were/were not with the seat assignments for the methods where people had assignments, because it wasn't a real flight. So no one got seperated after selecting seats together when the plane configuration was changed.

There were no issues with children or the disabled to complicate things. ONe method with a great score was to board everyone in at the window, then all the middles, then all the aisles... but how then do you handle children parents aren't going to send their 5 year old to board first or leave them in the terminal when they board first.

lost*in*cyberspace · Mar 2, 2015

kamik86 said:
......
There were no issues with children or the disabled to complicate things. ONe method with a great score was to board everyone in at the window, then all the middles, then all the aisles... but how then do you handle children parents aren't going to send their 5 year old to board first or leave them in the terminal when they board first.

This isn't an issue. I don't know of any legacy airlines which do not allow families or people traveling together to board together when they use Window-Middle-Aisle or Zone type boarding.

LisaS · Mar 2, 2015

kamik86 said:
It was with the people being boarded in the experiment.

There were a few other problems with the experiment. The same people were used for every method. The first method tested was the worst time and worst satisfaction... maybe because many of the people (like many people when you are at the airport) hadn't boarded a plane in a while, if ever. However by the third or forth method they were all pretty experienced.

They also didn't take into account how happy people were/were not with the seat assignments for the methods where people had assignments, because it wasn't a real flight. So no one got seperated after selecting seats together when the plane configuration was changed.

There were no issues with children or the disabled to complicate things. ONe method with a great score was to board everyone in at the window, then all the middles, then all the aisles... but how then do you handle children parents aren't going to send their 5 year old to board first or leave them in the terminal when they board first.

Thanks for the insight. When I posted the question I never imagined I would get a response from someone who was actually there! Cool!

kamik86 · Mar 2, 2015

LisaS said:
Thanks for the insight. When I posted the question I never imagined I would get a response from someone who was actually there! Cool!

I wasn't there... I just saw the TV episode... Mythbusters is a TV show that does alot of myth testing for entertainment purposes and a LITTLE bit of education. But the experiments aren't always completely scientific since its mostly for a TV show

lost*in*cyberspace said:
This isn't an issue. I don't know of any legacy airlines which do not allow families or people traveling together to board together when they use Window-Middle-Aisle or Zone type boarding.

That was my point... no airlines really do this, yet since the mythbusters experiment was all adults they boarded as if every person WOULD board individually. So all the groups were even, no one was hanging back or trying to board early.

MaryKatesMom · Mar 2, 2015

kamik86 said:
I haven't read all the posts, only the first two pages but it may not have been an EBCI situation.

I board WAY before my husband all the time. I fly alot for work and am A list preferred. He flies only when we go on vacation and then doesn't get status because he is flying on my points.
Due to this I save the middle seat next to me for my husband (and then sometimes move to it so he gets the aisle) although I have never actually had to tell anyone the seat is taken. I almost always end up with a solo traveler taking the window (or even better sometimes choose a row where the solo traveler is already at the window) and he boards soon enough that the middle seats aren't all being taken yet.

In May I will be doing a flight where there are 4 of us. Mom and Dad will preboard (Mom had double knee replacements and wouldn't be able to walk down with luggage and board at a pace that is at all reasonable to anyone else. Then she would feel flustered because she is holding people up and get worse... easier to preboard her so she doesn't feel rushed) I'll board with A list, My husband will board wherever his 24 hour check in puts him. However I'll sit up front... we have a tight connection in midway. I'm sure I'll be able to once again get my husband next to me, or worst case between my parents.

I know you can purchase ECBI when you use point and I'm pretty sure you can purchase ECBI when you use a companion ticket.

vrajewski10513 · Mar 2, 2015

Idk why more airlines dont adopt assigned seating.. it definitely gets rid of alot of headaches! :confused3

Pooh2 · Mar 2, 2015

I was thinking about trying Southwest but after reading this thread, not so sure!
I saw a few people post about "Business"category.
Is that Southwest's equivalent to "More Leg Room" on jet blue? Are the seats for business assigned at purchase time?

sam_gordon · Mar 2, 2015

LisaS said:
Where did the satisfaction scores come from, from the people participating in their experiment or from surveys taken in the real world? I fly Southwest almost exclusively now and am very satisfied with the boarding process. If I was experiencing it for the first time as part of an experiment, with a group of other people who were also unfamiliar with the process, it might not feel as orderly and efficient.

They had the people participating "grade" each boarding with "great", "neutral", or "terrible". http://mythbustersresults.com/airplane-boarding

I would be surprised if at least some of the people participating hadn't done SW boarding before.

kaytieeldr · Mar 2, 2015

Pooh2 said:
I was thinking about trying Southwest but after reading this thread, not so sure!
I saw a few people post about "Business"category.
Is that Southwest's equivalent to "More Leg Room" on jet blue? Are the seats for business assigned at purchase time?

Nope. Pay more for your fare, get to board first. Makes bulkhead and exit row seating more likely, but other than that, the sears and the pitch are the same.

sam_gordon · Mar 2, 2015

vrajewski10513 said:
Idk why more airlines dont adopt assigned seating.. it definitely gets rid of alot of headaches!

I think SW is the only one that DOESN'T have assigned seating. Some people like it. I don't really see it as the much of a headache.

I've never flown SW (they don't serve my "home" airport), and primarily fly Delta (with assigned seats). However, Delta has their own headaches... a change in schedule or equipment (which can happen up until the flight) can cause issues with your assigned seats being changed.

This is really not that big a deal.

kamik86 · Mar 2, 2015

MaryKatesMom said:
I know you can purchase ECBI when you use point and I'm pretty sure you can purchase ECBI when you use a companion ticket.

Yes he can get EBCI (not ECBI). Often he does. He still boards no where near as early as I do with EBCI as other A list preferred customers, A list customers, and then anyone ahead of him in the EBCI queue which I'm not sure anyone really knows what order the those go in. He generally gets low B if he does have EBCI and high Bs if he checked in at 24 hours. I rarely board later then A 25.

kamik86 · Mar 2, 2015

sam_gordon said:
I think SW is the only one that DOESN'T have assigned seating. Some people like it. I don't really see it as the much of a headache.

I've never flown SW (they don't serve my "home" airport), and primarily fly Delta (with assigned seats). However, Delta has their own headaches... a change in schedule or equipment (which can happen up until the flight) can cause issues with your assigned seats being changed.

This is really not that big a deal.

I almost always fly SW, but have had a few trips where I didn't either due to scheduling or locations. The last time I flew delta I think there was more seating drama then on SW. I don't know if the plane configuration change (the reason I was flying delta is my trip had a less min reschedule, I booked less then 24 hours before I flew) but there were several peole trying to get others to move so they could sit with kids or other family members, people that just sat in others seats... boarding took forever.

LisaS · Mar 2, 2015

kamik86 said:
I wasn't there... I just saw the TV episode... Mythbusters is a TV show that does alot of myth testing for entertainment purposes and a LITTLE bit of education. But the experiments aren't always completely scientific since its mostly for a TV show.

Ah, you wrote "It was with the people being boarded in the experiment." and I read that as "I was with..." Oops!!

I was thinking "how cool was that" that you were there. Oh well.

I'm familiar with Mythbusters. We no longer get the channel it's on so I didn't see this episode. I agree their experiments aren't always completely scientific but they are usually interesting and thought provoking. I'm sorry I missed this particular episode.

sam_gordon · Mar 2, 2015

kamik86 said:
I almost always fly SW, but have had a few trips where I didn't either due to scheduling or locations. The last time I flew delta I think there was more seating drama then on SW. I don't know if the plane configuration change (the reason I was flying delta is my trip had a less min reschedule, I booked less then 24 hours before I flew) but there were several peole trying to get others to move so they could sit with kids or other family members, people that just sat in others seats... boarding took forever.

That was my point... seating "headaches" can happen on any airline... with or without assigned seats.

seashoreCM · Mar 2, 2015

kamik86 said:
Mom and Dad will preboard (Mom had double knee replacements and wouldn't be able to walk down with luggage and board at a pace that is at all reasonable to anyone else. Then she would feel flustered because she is holding people up and get worse... easier to preboard her so she doesn't feel rushed) I'll board with A list

The purpose of preboarding is to benefit the airline, not the passengers. In the event you are traveling together again in the future and are denied preboarding (at least take the initiative to ask if not asked via an announcement), it might help if you be the person following your mom and dad. Maintain a gap of about 30 inches ahead of you and behind them and avoid making comments, both of which I believe will reduce their being flustered.

maxiesmom · Mar 2, 2015

bride03 said:
I can't side with anyone ticked about this. I sat apart from my husband on the way to Disney for our honeymoon in 2003. (This was before early bird) I lost a little faith in humanity that day as no one would move and there were at least 2 dozen single flyers.

Well as someone who has been a single flyer, they may have had their reasons for not moving. I always pick or pay for an aisle seat, as I get clausterphobic if I have to sit by the window, or between 2 strangers. Yet for some reason when I have been asked to switch, they always want me to trade my aisle seat for a middle seat near the back. No one has ever offered to give me the seat closer to the front, or an aisle seat.

MaryKatesMom · Mar 2, 2015

maxiesmom said:
Well as someone who has been a single flyer, they may have had their reasons for not moving. I always pick or pay for an aisle seat, as I get clausterphobic if I have to sit by the window, or between 2 strangers. Yet for some reason when I have been asked to switch, they always want me to trade my aisle seat for a middle seat near the back. No one has ever offered to give me the seat closer to the front, or an aisle seat.

Same with me. But in my case I am usually "single" across the aisle in the same row as my family and I won't move away from my family. It's only happened twice but I just gesture, I don't want to move from my family but I have seen others say exactly that. I'll give up my aisle for an aisle but not for a middle.

I love SW. Especially no change fees. I wanted to change my DH and DD on a direct flight from New Orleans to PHL on UNITED and it was cheaper with the change fees and additional fare to suck it up and buy SW but they have no direct flights.

Southwest, don't ask "Is this seat taken?"

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