Southwest and large customers

[brettb]

Things no one will tell you. Some people equate your "customer" c with "circle" and "size" s with "sarcasm" and of simply is of.

Google may be your friend.

Huh? Neither google (at least in the first three pages) nor Urban Dictionary listed the definition NotUrsula so kindly communicated. Multiple other online slang dictionaries do not list this definition, either. And I don't see how to get from Circle of Size to that. Or is "Circle of Size" literal and something you think would be on the naughty list?

I appreciate NotUrsula clearing it up for me - but it's still pretty far out there IMO and used far more often for its benign meanings. (I've never seen in used naughtily.)

 

[Iamthequeen]

I have actually had the experience of being the third person in the row where my row mates were both people who wouldn't have been able to sit comfortably with the seat divider down. Had I been in the middle seat, I would have been obliterated. But, I had the aisle seat, which gave me some breathing room, although the person next to me was sort of on top of me, just a little. At least I didn't bounce around in the turbulence. Now, the very first thing I do when I get onto the plane is put down the seat divider.

Not sure what to do in that circumstance. I don't think that there was an extra open seat on that plane, and I needed to get home to go back to work on Monday.

This happened to me, except I was in the window seat. The passenger in the middle took up a bit more than her own seat and I was squished against the wall - she tended to encroach more as the flight went on. Not really much I could do at that point since the flight was full. I also have a problem with my body parts touching body parts of a complete stranger - doesn't matter how many layers of clothing there are between us. ewwww!

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

I had 2 gentlemen of size pay me to sit between them on a united flight (I had the aisle seat assigned to me) so that they wouldn't touch. The flight was full so they couldn't get extra seats to accommodate them. The larger gentleman took the window seat, got drunk and fell asleep, and proceeded to slump encroach further and further into my seat. The second gentleman felt so bad that he leaned as far into aisle as he could and kept getting hit when people walked past him.

It was a long 4 hours. I should have asked for way more than $20, but I felt bad for these guys who needed more room but couldn't get the extra seats.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

I had 2 gentlemen of size pay me to sit between them on a united flight (I had the aisle seat assigned to me) so that they wouldn't touch. The flight was full so they couldn't get extra seats to accommodate them. The larger gentleman took the window seat, got drunk and fell asleep, and proceeded to slump encroach further and further into my seat. The second gentleman felt so bad that he leaned as far into aisle as he could and kept getting hit when people walked past him.

It was a long 4 hours. I should have asked for way more than $20, but I felt bad for these guys who needed more room but couldn't get the extra seats.

You are much too nice.

They could have gotten the extra seats, they just had to buy them. Instead they only paid $20. I can see why they don't bother if they kee getting this deal


I have learned. I don't move and the armrest is down. I paid for a full seat. I am not sharing

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

While "ethics" is indeed a good answer, the real one is "revenue". If the FA sees you not physically occupying that extra space, the airline will force you to give it up so that it can go to a standby revenue passenger.

I'm short and on the pudgier side of average for a woman. Seatbelts fit me very comfortably with at least 8 inches or so to spare, so by most airlines' definition I don't "need" an extra seat. However, when I fly internationally I almost always try to purchase one just for the space, because 7 hours in coach makes me rather claustrophobic, and business class usually costs more than 10x what the coach fare does.

You don't get the cost of the second seat refunded on int'l carriers, but they still more often than not force me to accept a refund if there are any standby passengers on the list, because if that person is willing to pay more than I paid, they profit by selling the seat to the standby passenger.

Are you requesting the involuntary bump compensation. Because that is what you are entitled too if they "bump" your extra seat

You need to insist the seat stay both on the same plane as booked on the same PNR and request involuntary denied boarding for both. Don't negotiate with the FA ask for the customer service rep. Explain that you will accept both seats bumped but not one and that you are entitled to 200% of the fare if they can't get you to the destination within 4 hours. That generally shuts them up (can you tell I have done this. We book 3 seats for 2 of us just for legroom and both of us are not 'of size'. When I said we would take an involuntary bump for all 3 they went away, but it took getting the Delta "red coat' LOL )

 

[Coonhound]

Brettb, You can use google to figure it out but it's nothing you'll find on urban dictionary. I hope I won't be in trouble here for even saying this much. Just know that those letters represent something that is..just not a very nice thing..not disboards appropriate either.

 

[brettb]

Brettb,
I won't say too much because I don't want to get in trouble (after seeing it, im assuming one could get into trouble here) but I googled what that other poster suggested we google, and, yes, there's a reason the dis boards block out those letters. And it's nothing you'll find on urban dictionary. You may want to google it to find out, or, you may not want to so that you don't get in trouble. I hope I won't be in trouble here for even saying that much. Just know that those letters represent something that is..not a nice thing.

To be clear, I worked out what one meaning of the acronym might be from NotUrsula's clues. And I've worked out what CPT Tripps was referring to as well.

Either way, I can understand how one could get from the original words to the acronym. But I can't believe that the use of the acronym was common enough for anybody to get from the acronym to the words. Google and the slang dictionaries certainly don't get you from the acronym to the words....

Ridiculous. But I'm done with the *********.

 

[Lewisc]

I had 2 gentlemen of size pay me to sit between them on a united flight (I had the aisle seat assigned to me) so that they wouldn't touch. The flight was full so they couldn't get extra seats to accommodate them. The larger gentleman took the window seat, got drunk and fell asleep, and proceeded to slump encroach further and further into my seat. The second gentleman felt so bad that he leaned as far into aisle as he could and kept getting hit when people walked past him.

It was a long 4 hours. I should have asked for way more than $20, but I felt bad for these guys who needed more room but couldn't get the extra seats.

You should have given him the $20 back and demand your aisle seat.

 

[CPT Tripss]

Huh? Neither google (at least in the first three pages) nor Urban Dictionary listed the definition NotUrsula so kindly communicated. Multiple other online slang dictionaries do not list this definition, either. And I don't see how to get from Circle of Size to that. Or is "Circle of Size" literal and something you think would be on the naughty list?

I appreciate NotUrsula clearing it up for me - but it's still pretty far out there IMO and used far more often for its benign meanings. (I've never seen in used naughtily.)

Dude, it's sarcasm replacing size. The initials are, for who knows what reason, banned on Dis. . I used the substitution in case the full term is also banned although it is a totally benign phrase.

 

[vicki_c]

Those initials represent a website banned on the DIS. Simple as that. When you type the website or the abbreviation for it, it is blocked by the DIS filtering software.

 

[goofy4tink]

Well, this thread has gone way off track. Either get back on track or it's closed. If a word or acronym is *****ed out, it can't be used. Simple.

 

[NotUrsula]

Back to the policy re: parents seated in exit rows (which is on-topic because being really tall also in some ways makes one a Customer of Size, and sometimes very tall people will purchase an extra seat so that they can put their legs to the side.)

I know that other airlines have the policy, they all do for risk-management reasons because it is Federal law, and they will all have the FA warn the passenger about it for just that reason. However, the law is not specific as to what constitutes a child, and airlines vary on how strictly they choose to interpret what that may mean.

In my personal experience of overhearing quite a lot of these conversations on aircraft, SWA seems to be the only domestic carrier that is willing to go hard-line to enforce it in every case where there is ANYONE in the passenger's party who is too young to be seated in the exit row, if only by a measure of days, and even if the passenger who wants to sit in the exit row has status. IME, most other airlines will tend to let it slide if the child is school-aged and the parent pinky-swears, so to speak, especially if that parent has status.

 

[Lewisc]

A couple of trips I boarded early enough to get an exit row seat. When the FA was busy I helped out by just saying, do you have a child on the flight? She won't let you sit here. FA thanked me for helping out. Flight was pretty full (80% +) My wife and I wound up with an empty middle seat.

It's a lot easier to a firm policy then try to decide who should get an exception. Passenger with status? How many weeks does the kid miss the age by?

 

[frisbeego]

No, actually, what I'm speaking of has more to do with company policy. You are absolutely correct that the federal regulation is the reason for the rule, but IME, SWA is the only US domestic carrier that so strictly interprets the rule that they won't take your word for your ability to be a good doo-bee if the FA is aware that ANYONE in your party is under age 16.

Most other airlines will allow a parent to sit alone in an exit row if that parent assures the FA that the children will be cared for by the other parent who is sitting with said children. IME, SWA will not. If there is even a young teen in your party and the FA notices it, you will be told that you can't sit in the exit row, no matter how many other adults in your party are sitting with your kids.

Their reasoning for this is their conclusion that, regardless of your best intentions, a parent's overwhelming instinct is to always try to reach a child (even an older child) in an emergency, which means that when the lights go out, they don't trust your good intentions to stay put and help total strangers instead of your kids.

This was my understanding.

So I was surprised this morning when the SW flight attendant allowed a couple to sit in the exit row with their 3 sons (ages ~4-9) in a row behind them and their daughter (age ~11-13) four rows behind them. She asked them several times slowly whether they had an emotional attachment that would prevent them from assisting others. (There's no doubt the flight attendant knew they were parent-child because the mom originally tried to save the entire exit row, and the flight attendant had to help the kids find different seats while one of them whined, "but Dad, I wanted a window seat.")

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

That SW FA is rusking your life and her job. A child that young cannot Benin an exit row. The FAA can and will fine. The FAA also has ' inspectors' who randomly fly just to catch this.
Had I seen this I would be complaining

 

[frisbeego]

That SW FA is rusking your life and her job. A child that young cannot Benin an exit row. The FAA can and will fine. The FAA also has ' inspectors' who randomly fly just to catch this.
Had I seen this I would be complaining

I just want to make sure I'm clear. The child wasn't in the exit row. (The flight attendant did stop that.) The parents were, which I thought SW didn't allow if their children were on the flight.