On a recent SW flight, early B boarding, I sat with the kids on one side of the aisle and DH sat in the other aisle seat. As the flight starts filling, the flight attendant asks if the seats next to DH are open, to which he says yes. She tells him to put the tray tables down, then she walks away. As passengers are coming down the aisle, they're asking my husband if they can sit in the seats. He's like, I don't know, the FA said to put these down. So now he's stuck on seat management. Well turns out there's a mother and child who need to sit together, so the FA is holding the seats for them. Mother, child and husband arrive and the FA directs the mother and child into the seats next to DH. DH steps out to let them in and the husband steps into my husband's seat. To which DH was like, um no, this is my seat. Random husband "No, my family" And has his foot in the space of my husband's seat, stepping on my husband's bag. The FA tells random husband he has to find another seat. "No, my family." This goes on for a bit and then DH says, I'll just find an open seat. He grabs his bag from under the guy's foot while the FA is still insisting DH keep his seat. DH is like, no, this is silly, I'll just be the bigger person. He gets a seat with a lovely couple in the last row who watched the whole spectacle.
Anyway, FA is super apologetic and insisted on DH's name. He's like, no, I'm fine, that's not necessary. After more insistence, she supplied him with a $100 LUV voucher. That was so generous and very kind of her.
I too think the new changes will take the heart and soul out of SW. But there's still so many good things, like CP, the ability to use RR for any seat, the ease of changing a flight and getting money/points back, and the incredible rebooking flexibility if there's even a minor change to one's flight. Until those things change, and I know they probably will, SW will at least be the airline I look at first when looking at prices.
