My experience with SWA COS seating

[Hannathy]

I understand what the other poster is saying. You knew you would not be paying for the seat and you were just using the card to save the seat, just like people do with lap children. I can understand their point of view if you were going to ask for a refund you should have been willing to move over or let another person sit in any seat they wanted and was open in this case it would have been the middle. When using the card to save the seat I can see the side that says then you should not have recieved a refund because you did use it.

IMO there should be no refunds empty or not if you need 2 seats you pay for 2 seats and if it is an empty flight you get even more room- otherwise can everyone buy 2 seats and get a refund if empty? It really is getting it both ways.

 

[CarolA]

Then your just jumping on HER bandwagon takeing her word on the rudeness of the JERK .You have no idea he may have been late because the toddler may have been a special need and they didn't want to distube the plane until the last minute possible. He may have nicely asked for her move but she was so self centered on getting her free seat she became defensive and called him a jerk ( how dare someone else have problems) .

Bottom line at that point she DID not fit the guildlines of COS and bought the seat as a conveinecne to herself So she should not get a refund under the policy.


This will be my last post on the matter my point has been made.

It's just another example of someone abusing a policy put in place to help those who really need it.

I cannnot believe this post... OP plays by the rules, but YOU KNOW she was trying to abuse the system by publicly admitting she was worried she might be a COS to allow folks like you to abuse her.. YEAH I am sure that was her plan... (Scarasm intended)To OP. Most of us think you did the right thing, there will always be few on the DIS who have this attitude...

If this "caring" father was REALLY caring WHY didn't he BUY a seat for that child. Instead he decided to SAVE money and ENDANGER his child's life. I realize the airlines will allow you to sit with the lab child but study after study shows that children held in your lap are NOT safe in the event of an emergency.....


(Not to mention that being a "special needs" child still does not entitle you to a SPECIFIC seat on SW! The man got his seat... did you miss that???)

 

[GEM]

And, as for knowing she wouldn't need the extra seat on the way back because she didn't need it on the way down - that's totally not true. There have been many reports of people who were required to buy the extra COS seat on one leg of their trip and were not on another. I specifically remember a trip report a while back from someone who had no trouble on the way down and was shocked on the return flight when she was required to purchase an extra seat.

Being singled out like that at the airport would be humiliating, and might come as a nasty financial shock to someone who hadn't figured buying an extra airline seat into their vacation budget. I certainly can't fault the OP for trying to avoid a potentially awful situation by being prepared in advance - and I can't believe that anybody else would either. But, I guess it takes all kinds . . .

 

[Marseeya]

I understand what the other poster is saying. You knew you would not be paying for the seat and you were just using the card to save the seat, just like people do with lap children. I can understand their point of view if you were going to ask for a refund you should have been willing to move over or let another person sit in any seat they wanted and was open in this case it would have been the middle. When using the card to save the seat I can see the side that says then you should not have recieved a refund because you did use it.

IMO there should be no refunds empty or not if you need 2 seats you pay for 2 seats and if it is an empty flight you get even more room- otherwise can everyone buy 2 seats and get a refund if empty? It really is getting it both ways.

I will repeat this -- NO, I did not know I would be getting a refund until the flight was finished. At the time of that flight, that seat was completely paid for. SWA has no way of knowing whether or not a flight will oversell until that flight has boarded. I originally said there were 5 seats for the man to choose from, but I was wrong -- he had 7 seats to choose from. There were 5 open seats left after everyone had boarded.

So, let me get this straight. Those 7 empty seats weren't fair game, but my purchased seat was?

Gotcha.

If you don't like SW's refund policy, take it up with them. Don't blame me for following their policies.

 

[Marseeya]

And, as for knowing she wouldn't need the extra seat on the way back because she didn't need it on the way down - that's totally not true. There have been many reports of people who were required to buy the extra COS seat on one leg of their trip and were not on another. I specifically remember a trip report a while back from someone who had no trouble on the way down and was shocked on the return flight when she was required to purchase an extra seat.

Being singled out like that at the airport would be humiliating, and might come as a nasty financial shock to someone who hadn't figured buying an extra airline seat into their vacation budget. I certainly can't fault the OP for trying to avoid a potentially awful situation by being prepared in advance - and I can't believe that anybody else would either. But, I guess it takes all kinds . . .

I'm not surprised at all by this attitude. This is what obese people have to face from a certain segment of society every day of their lives. Fat is the last acceptable prejudice.

 

[nuke]

I'm totally on your side OP. Also how completely rude of they guy to ask you to move over in the first place. He didn;'t want to sit in the middle seat, what makes him think you would?

You followed the rules to a T. I really don't see the controversy. It's not like you made up the policy, you just followed it.

 

[Marseeya]

I'm totally on your side OP. Also how completely rude of they guy to ask you to move over in the first place. He didn;'t want to sit in the middle seat, what makes him think you would?

You followed the rules to a T. I really don't see the controversy. It's not like you made up the policy, you just followed it.

No, and that was the other thing. COS issue aside, I got to that airport 2 hours early and got myself an aisle seat. Even if that middle seat hadn't been purchased, I would have been more than willing to let him take that middle seat, but he didn't want it. I also pointed out the aisle seat next to the girls, but he wouldn't take that one either. Nobody else behind us gave them their aisle seats either, so they ended up being stuck with the middle seats anyway. Nobody is obliged to move over for two adults to sit together! If it had been a matter of a parent separated from a small child, I think it would have been a different story.

I just want to add:

I hope that anyone reading this who might be worried about their own COS issues isn't scared off by the couple of attitudes here. Ignore it! Before this flight, I had myself all worked up and worried after reading things like this on message boards, and the actual experience turned out to be FINE. The issue with the guy wanting my seat lasted all of a couple of seconds, and it's just getting blown out of proportion here. SWA couldn't have been more accomodating and professional, boarding was smooth, and getting seated with my family was easy. One of my biggest fears was that I'd have attention drawn to myself and that wasn't the case at all. I almost let those worries ruin my trip, and the whole reason I posted this was to put other people's minds at ease.

DON'T WORRY!!!

 

[rigs32]

BUT THE OP ADMITTED SHE DID NOT FIT THE GUIDELINES OF COS on the filght down so she should have nopt used the Policy for the return trip knowing that.

It's not like she could just ask for her money back on the return leg of the trip. She would get a credit (NOT a refund - important difference) had she done that. And if the return flight was oversold, she would not have gotten then refund nor had the seat to herself. While I buy your argument for future travel by OP, it just doesn't fly, logically, for me in the context you describe.

Are all lap babies made to stay on laps if there are empty seats? No. Must I sit in my assigned row of three between two strangers when there are extra aisles free? No. OP followed the policy. Whether or not she was a "true" COS would have been up to the airline to enforce/question/deal with, not OP.

 

[gigi1313]

thank you for sharing your experience w/the COS policy... i've flown SWA a zillion times to various places and was completely unaware of the policy 'til i read about it here on the disboards, and once i've been made aware of it, i've been a nervous wreck worrying about it! i'm considering buying the extra ticket as well... thanks again!

 

[Kimberlyfamilyfv]

I can tell you from our flight in may that not all seats are equal in the width of the seats. In my flight down my seat was roomier than the one on the way back. Therefore in my opinion she had the right to preboard to get the two seats she purchased. It is totally possible that the on the return flight she may have absolutely needed the extra seat and therefore preboarding was necessary.

kimberly

 

[seashoreCM]

, she would not have gotten then refund nor had the seat to herself. .

Huh?

If a POS purchases two seats he is entitled to make himself comfortable within two seats including using the baggage allowance associated with them, otherwise the airline owes a refund, without charging the POS for baggage already on hand.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[kaytieeldr]

I will repeat this -- NO, I did not know I would be getting a refund until the flight was finished.

Don't let it get to ya, Marseeya - the adults here know what you did was the correct procedure PER SOUTHWEST'S POLICIES.

 

[buzz2400]

I too am of pooh size. I have watched the show airline where they humiliate people of pooh size. I always steered clear of southwest because of this. Then one day I went to a concert where southwest was there and when I told them about my fear of being humiliated, the people reassured me that I would not have a problem. So I did try southwest.

I understand why the OP decided to buy the extra tickets in advance. People who have never been overweight do not understand what it is like to be overweight. I know for a fact that I am judged by my weight. Anyway if I was boarding a plane or anywhere where there is seating and I see a sign that says reserved, I would just walk on. I guess the father just did not know how to read.

 

[robinb]

Oh, and one other thing. I got brave and went up to the gate agent at MCO to ask her if she thought I really needed that second seat. She looked me up and down and said NO. Even as a size 22, I didn't have any problems lowering the armrest, and my butt didn't spill into the next seat.

{{hugs}} I know how much you were stressed out about the whole COS thing. I'm glad that everything worked out for you . I am not surprised that you fit easily into the seat. A size 22 isn't all that big, IMO. Now you'll be able to fly next time without even worrying about it! Of course, you may have to sit next to a cranky lap-child .

 

[rigs32]

Huh?

If a POS purchases two seats he is entitled to make himself comfortable within two seats including using the baggage allowance associated with them, otherwise the airline owes a refund, without charging the POS for baggage already on hand.

It makes sense in the context of my reply to the poster giving the OP a hard time.

 

[ducklite]

What if on the return trip a family of six wanted to buy seats and were denide because of your extra seat that you knew by then you didn't need but knew you were getting a refund for anyhow.

Uh, they could have wither bought their rickets sooner or taken another flight. Not sure there's any rocket science behind that.

Anne

 

[ducklite]

I had absolutely no way of knowing I'd get a refund until the day of the flight, actually. SWA can't guarantee a refund if they oversell the flight, and they seem to do that quite frequently. So I went into this thinking that the money was gone. That seat was paid for at the time I was using it.

I'm not sure where you're getting "smugness" from. Someone came and wanted my seat, when there was a clear sign on it stating that it was reserved. I was put in an awkward and embarrassing position of having to tell this man that I purchased the seat, and he got angry. There were at least 5 other seats on that plane for him to choose from, so the only inconvenience to him was to find one. If it was so important to him to sit next to his wife, then he should have made sure to get himself to the airport with enough time to preboard. I didn't see anyone else in that plane jumping to offer the guy their aisle seat either.

Amen Sista! He had nobody to blame but himslef for his late arrival. And for all the bleeding hearts who will say he came in on a connection, possibly, and he also had the choice to choose a flight scedule that allowed more time between flights.

Anne

 

[ducklite]

Well I was going to let it go but you asked.

COS is one that the armrest doesn't come down or spills into the other seat.

YOU knew on the return trip that that was not a problem from the flight down.So you at that point KNEW you did not fit the guidelines of COS and yet you still took preboarding ,You still took the seat and you still took the refund .

Thats all I'm saying .So the Policy is broke in my opinion .I like to strech my legs so thats a size issue for me but I wouldn't think of tying up a seat to do this .But the policy says that I could in fact do this for comfort.I could just do it for $79 opening fares or even secure a ding.

Go ahead and rally around the wagons but this is not what the policy was intended for and in my opinion it's open to abuse.

Listen up dude. ANYONE can buy two seats next to each other for ANY REASON on ANY AIRLINE. And once that seat is purchased, it's THEIRS. The airline guarantees the two seats next to each other. So for whatever reason she had the second seat--and NOT knowing for sure she'd be getting a refund, a group of late arrivals could ahve boarded just before they closed the doors and taken up every last seat on the plane--she was well within her rights to tell that guy to keep going. There were plenty of other seats on the plane, it might not have been as convenient for him. Anyone who shows up after a flight is almost done boarding expecting two aisle seats is just outside their mind.

Anne

 

[tink2dw]

I watched Airplane [SWA reality show,cough, cough free self premoting advertising] for 2 years.

What it showed me is that they will allow anyone to board any fight having purchased only 1 seat for themselves Any size BUT on the return trip they make EVERYONE over size 2 buy an extra seat without any mercy, and especially if they don't have any money, they SWA makes a HUGE DEAL of it.

One guy they made call all his relatives for money, THEY HAD NONE, he missed 4 flight in LAX had to spend the night in the airport, then the next morning they tell him that they wooould board him but he STINKS?? He heads to the restroom to wash up. Then he finally pleads with them that if he doesn't get home he will lose his JOB And they make him call his boss to get the money for the extra seat. The boss said yes he would advance the guy the money for the seat. BUT now there are no more flights out and he has to sleep in the Airport again. Next morning, Day 2 Now they tell him He STILL STINKS!! He says I washed up, but my luggage went back home on his 1st missed fight!! What do they want him to do?? They go to some rag bag they JUST happen to have for such occasions And give him a ugly wrinkled shirt. And THEN he has to wait till the last flight out to get on a plane to his home.

That was the day I stopped watching Airport. And I vowed I would NEVER FLY SWA EVER for any reason!!!!

DID the OP do the right thing?? YOU bet she did!! She pre-planned!! Avoided any awkward situations that would put her or her family in undue stress. And saved herself added expense at the last minute.

Would I fly SWA even with COS, NO BLOODY WAY!!!

 

[Lewisc]

Almost all the posts I've read from COS, on DIS and other internet boards, report getting a refund virtually 100% of the time. I'm surprised more COS don't do what the OP did.

Anne is right, any passenger can pruchase an extra seat. SW decides under what cirumstances a passenger is entitled to a refund. I've read a few posts where a passenger who obviously wasn't a COS was given a refund on the spot instead of being given a card for a second seat.