My thoughts on Southwest

[DebbieB]

I wonder why it takes so much more time when you have assigned seats... I would think it would be faster. You could board from the back to the front and not have as many people standing around while that really slow person puts up there carrier on while they are waiting to get to the back.

Actually ^ is why I love Albany airport. Its tiny but is the only one I have ever been to that uses the rear of the plane to board and deplane too. So you can get everyone on and off twice as fast. I really wish more airports did this.

I think with assigned seats, people stand there looking at their boarding pass and looking for their seats. Then you get to your assigned seat and someone else is sitting in it either by mistake or intentionally. With Southwest, just get on and find a seat. One time I was at the gate in Orlando and the flight leaving our gate before us had not boarded yet. So I was sitting there reading a magazine and it only seemed like 5 or 10 minutes when I looked up and everyone was gone!

 

[LisaS]

I wonder why it takes so much more time when you have assigned seats... I would think it would be faster. You could board from the back to the front and not have as many people standing around while that really slow person puts up there carrier on while they are waiting to get to the back.

Just a guess but I think it's because without assigned seats, passengers make sure they get to their gate well in advance of boarding time so that they don't miss their boarding position. With few stragglers Southwest can get everyone on the plane quickly. During boarding people tend to grab seats quickly, taking the first acceptable seats they find. As the last of the passengers are boarding, the flight attendants usually make an announcement about it being a full flight and that passengers should grab the first available seat they see. The whole process encourages people to get there early and take their seats quickly.

 

[Mkrop]

I did not mean to offend anyone with my OP. I was just stating my experience and preference. It is just not for us, not a huge deal.

FTR - I have never had my seat changed by a different airline. I must be lucky?

Sorry Southwest wasnt for you.

We love SW BECAUSE we can control where we sit.

We did have our seats changed by an airline once, they put DS who was 2 at the time sitting by himself, and DH and I sitting in seats no where near him or each other. They would not change any of this on the phone, we had to get to the gate super early. It was stressful, they did switch all 3 of us, but since that happened my preference is SW.

Also in regards to the boarding, several times we have gotten A59 and B1 or B2, we have never had a problem all just lining up with the end of the As. I have asked at the gate and the SW personnel said of course, no problem. So just ask and I betch they will let you board with the As if that ever happens again.

 

[dawnball]

FTR - I have never had my seat changed by a different airline. I must be lucky?

It probably depends on how often you fly, how far in advance you book, and the route and class of your flights.

My husband has a business trip, so he's flying SJC->SLC(San Jose to Salt Lake City). They've changed the plane for that flight at least three times. There aren't the same number of seats in each row, let alone the same number of rows. His seat gets changed every time they change the plane.

Another of his flights, they dropped one of the two flights that day between destination airports and combined the planes. His seat changed.

It hasn't happened to my DD and I, but the last few times I've flown I was recovering from a knee injury and called to reserve specific seats. They offered me two sets of seats, and said that if the first set was acceptable, they'd rather I took it, because it meant they didn't need to re-seat another party.

Sometimes, seats just change (or become unselected) for no apparent reason. Like most other things you hear about for air travel (oversold flights, involuntarily denied boarding, go-arounds on landing) - it's not commonly an issue, but if you fly much, you'll come across it.

 

[anonymousegirl]

I booked Virgin America for myself and my sister's family of 5 to MCO. I choose a row of six seats 3 and 3. Then when I went to check in all our seats were gone and any remaining seats were under airport control. All three of my sister's kids are special needs. She and I barely slept a wink that night worrying about the flight.
I made sure we got to the airport early and we did end up being seating somewhat together 3 in one row and 3 in another row slightly farther back. Perfectly acceptable! But boy were we worried.

 

[dawnball]

I fly on Virgin America in 8 days, and I'm checking my seats every couple of days. It's pretty unlikely that we'll be reseated, and my DD is 8, so she'd be just fine if we were seated at opposite ends of the plane, but I still check!