Southwest Grouping

[mm1971]

I'm obviously not talking about my 8 and ten year old. And yes my 2 and 4 year old would cry and if the people who chose not to move would have to deal with them. That would be their choice. And yes they tried to split us all up. That is not good business. And I have very well behaved kids and am complimented all the time about their behavior. Complimented numerous times on all those flights about how well behaved my kids are especially compared to most kids. And it's not exactly easy having to rush to our next flight when my ten and eight year old cant reach their carry ons so yes we made every one else behind them have to wait so we could get back to get them for them.

I'm trying to understand your point. While I get that you want to be together and I get that you have young children and I get that it's the airlines fault you can't sit together, what I don't get is the insisting that someone who may have paid a fee to board first and select their seat should have to give up that seat because you didn't pay to board early. If I pay to make sure my family gets to be together (old or young), why do I now have to sit away from them so you can sit together? We have 4 in our family. We usually sit 2 in front and 2 behind in one row, leaving an open seat in each row. Am I inconsiderate because my kids want to sit at the window and now someone that did not pay the early board fee has to be in two separate rows?

I guess I just don't get the why everyone is arguing. Most airlines, including SW, have a service that will pretty much guarantee you get to sit together. For SW, it's EBCI. If you choose not to purchase the service, you should not expect special treatment. And the cost of the service really isn't the issue. If I am willing to pay and you are not, then you should expect a different level of service.

 

[carmelhp]

I think for a couple of reasons.


3) It allows for faster loading from what I have experienced. As people are boarding, they grab seats and sit. With assigned seating, a lot of times you you need to wait while people find their seats and such. Not always, but I sure have seen the SW planes load fast when off schedule.

This is the primary reason according to Southwest.

 

[cjbcam]

I'm trying to understand your point. While I get that you want to be together and I get that you have young children and I get that it's the airlines fault you can't sit together, what I don't get is the insisting that someone who may have paid a fee to board first and select their seat should have to give up that seat because you didn't pay to board early. If I pay to make sure my family gets to be together (old or young), why do I now have to sit away from them so you can sit together? We have 4 in our family. We usually sit 2 in front and 2 behind in one row, leaving an open seat in each row. Am I inconsiderate because my kids want to sit at the window and now someone that did not pay the early board fee has to be in two separate rows?

I guess I just don't get the why everyone is arguing. Most airlines, including SW, have a service that will pretty much guarantee you get to sit together. For SW, it's EBCI. If you choose not to purchase the service, you should not expect special treatment. And the cost of the service really isn't the issue. If I am willing to pay and you are not, then you should expect a different level of service.

My whole point is sometimes the airline screws up (like in my case) and no I'm not saying your family should have to split up. I'm saying they should be sat together especially when you are flying with kids under the age they are allowed to fly solo. For a single flier why should it matter if they have to move? It's a seat. Especially when it would help someone doing so? And yes I have moved so a child could sit with their parent. If I am flying solo I'm sitting by strangers no matter what. With a lap kid it would help a lot to be able to switch back and for and unless the two sitting beside her were together whats the big deal?

 

[LilyWDW]

My whole point is sometimes the airline screws up (like in my case) and no I'm not saying your family should have to split up. I'm saying they should be sat together especially when you are flying with kids under the age they are allowed to fly solo. For a single flier why should it matter if they have to move? It's a seat. Especially when it would help someone doing so? And yes I have moved so a child could sit with their parent. If I am flying solo I'm sitting by strangers no matter what. With a lap kid it would help a lot to be able to switch back and for and unless the two sitting beside her were together whats the big deal?

Because people like specific seats or have other reasons, which they don't need to explain to you, why they picked a specific seat. Everyone is responsible for themselves. You do what you have to do to get things the way you want it. Just because there are kids involved doesn't mean that that person is more important then a single adult. Sorry, but no.

Oh, and if your child had an issue? I would just put my headphones in and maybe contact the FA so that mom can get up and come back here and deal with them.

 

[cjbcam]

Because people like specific seats or have other reasons, which they don't need to explain to you, why they picked a specific seat. Everyone is responsible for themselves. You do what you have to do to get things the way you want it. Just because there are kids involved doesn't mean that that person is more important then a single adult. Sorry, but no.

Oh, and if your child had an issue? I would just put my headphones in and maybe contact the FA so that mom can get up and come back here and deal with them.

The FA can't do much about it when the seat belt sign is on and neither could the mom. I hope you never need help or a break or whatever you would call it and run into someone such as yourself that doesn't care about anyone but themselves. Not changing seats to help someone else out is just silly.

 

[bumbershoot]

We have had an issue with all sitting together on South West. And as a matter of fact when we were flying with our oldest as a lap child my husband and I were separated. No one would move and give up their seats either. If we fly Southwest now we always buy the early bird check-in so we can pick our seats.

How late were you boarding that there were absolutely no two seats next to each other?

Lap baby is exhausting, first time on a new airline can be overwhelming. I bet you would have been overwhelmed even if dh were with you. I know I was the one time we flew with DS as a lap baby.

.... it was about the way Southwest does not assign seats insuring families can sit together.

There is no airline where you are absolutely guaranteed to sit together. Only flight I've ever been assigned different seating area from my son was united. We were on miles and had nothing assigned until we were at the airport and they could bit get us together. With SW I have never had that problem.

I'm not for sure why you are having a problem with my comments, I was only giving the OP my story to encourage buying ebci. The reason I mentioned having a lap child was bc it was our first time flying with him and it was stressful being separated. I understand it'd be way worse being separated on a flight from your kids and I'd never expect someone who paid for ebci to give up their seat. We did not pay for ebci, we didn't know about it at the time and it was our first flight with Southwest. We did pay for it on our return trip and had a much more pleasant trip. This happened several years ago so I don't remember all the details. Again, I was just suggesting the OP get ebci.

It's a bit late now for them to get. it.

And I bet they are fine. The rest of B and all of C is behind them. Lots of seats to go.

 

[Mkrop]

The FA can't do much about it when the seat belt sign is on and neither could the mom. I hope you never need help or a break or whatever you would call it and run into someone such as yourself that doesn't care about anyone but themselves. Not changing seats to help someone else out is just silly.

I think people who fly a lot get sick of being asked to change for someone and their kids. I know DH gets asked ALL the time, when he flys for business and with us as a family bc we sit 3 and 1. He 99% of the time moves but I can tell you this last time has made him reconsider. He moved for a mom and two kids so they could sit together, Dad was way up a ways with girl in front of him. They boarded with the Cs. We saw them at the gate when we boarded so this was not someone trying to get a connection, and DS16 said he thought they were on ME with us but wasnt sure. The little girl and one boy had on distinctive sweatshirts so we remember them. Anyway DH being the nice guy AGAIN, moves and is seated amongst a family of 8, who were the most obnoxious smelly people on the face of the planet. The kids and I were 2 rows ahead and we could here them. The mother whined the entire time, the kids were crawling all over the seats to get to her. One kid opened up the overhead compartment and wham DH got nailed in the head. It was so bad the FA brought him a free drink (alcoholic) to make up for it.


In the car ride home, we were discussing it and now DH is mad, bc this family probably did NOT buy EBCI and were relying on the kindness of strangers so they could sit together, while we paid our EBCI, even his seat. It is not fair that he had to move when we prepared accordingly whether he is single rider (sort of) or not.

So the next time he is asked, he will probably say no, and it is not bc he is a jerk, it is bc of experiences like that one, and if he paid, he wants to sit near us, plain and simple.

 

[Pumbaa_]

Add me to the not moving group. We pay for EBCI and we prefer specific seats in the plane. Poor planning on someone else's part.....

 

[cjbcam]

I think people who fly a lot get sick of being asked to change for someone and their kids. I know DH gets asked ALL the time, when he flys for business and with us as a family bc we sit 3 and 1. He 99% of the time moves but I can tell you this last time has made him reconsider. He moved for a mom and two kids so they could sit together, Dad was way up a ways with girl in front of him. They boarded with the Cs. We saw them at the gate when we boarded so this was not someone trying to get a connection, and DS16 said he thought they were on ME with us but wasnt sure. The little girl and one boy had on distinctive sweatshirts so we remember them. Anyway DH being the nice guy AGAIN, moves and is seated amongst a family of 8, who were the most obnoxious smelly people on the face of the planet. The kids and I were 2 rows ahead and we could here them. The mother whined the entire time, the kids were crawling all over the seats to get to her. One kid opened up the overhead compartment and wham DH got nailed in the head. It was so bad the FA brought him a free drink (alcoholic) to make up for it.

In the car ride home, we were discussing it and now DH is mad, bc this family probably did NOT buy EBCI and were relying on the kindness of strangers so they could sit together, while we paid our EBCI, even his seat. It is not fair that he had to move when we prepared accordingly whether he is single rider (sort of) or not.

So the next time he is asked, he will probably say no, and it is not bc he is a jerk, it is bc of experiences like that one, and if he paid, he wants to sit near us, plain and simple.

In that case I would not have given my seat up cause he was technically with you and I would not move away from my family. For us when I booked I specifically asked for our seats I said I would not buy through them if they couldn't ( I can't remember airline us air or united we took one on way there one back) I was guaranteed that we would be together and on our flight confirmation our seats were together. I called three times to make sure we would be together cause this was my kids first flight and I was paranoid. We get our boarding pass and they weren't. I was livid and they managed to seat us two two and two throughout the plane. I even received an apology letter from airline. Not much someone can do when airline screws up. I would still move if I was a single rider though. Sorry your husband had such a bad experience.

 

[Mkrop]

In that case I would not have given my seat up cause he was technically with you and I would not move away from my family. For us when I booked I specifically asked for our seats I said I would not buy through them if they couldn't ( I can't remember airline us air or united we took one on way there one back) I was guaranteed that we would be together and on our flight confirmation our seats were together. I called three times to make sure we would be together cause this was my kids first flight and I was paranoid. We get our boarding pass and they weren't. I was livid and they managed to seat us two two and two throughout the plane. I even received an apology letter from airline. Not much someone can do when airline screws up. I would still move if I was a single rider though. Sorry your husband had such a bad experience.

But he gets asked all the time bc he doesnt appear to be with us or when he flies solo for business.

I actually understand your situation bc we had one similar when DS16 was 18 months old. They had us scattered about the plane, Ds had his own seat. They would not do anything over the phone, we had to get to the gate super early for both there and coming back, so on two flights they sat an 18 month old away from his parents, We got there super early and were rearrange so we all sat together. Both were stressful but coming back was worse, the gate attendant was rude, and there was a tour group flying and they were having a hard time moving them around. This was USAir, we did not fly them again until the kids were much older, and even than we prefer SW over them.

 

[LilyWDW]

The FA can't do much about it when the seat belt sign is on and neither could the mom. I hope you never need help or a break or whatever you would call it and run into someone such as yourself that doesn't care about anyone but themselves. Not changing seats to help someone else out is just silly.

Do you know why I am in that seat? No, you don't. You have no idea that there might be a very good reason that I don't feel like sharing with the world. If you would offer me an equivalent seat, then I might think about it. But 99% of the time the person wanting to switch has a middle seat in the back of the plane. Sorry, but that won't work for me... and not just because I am being a pain in the rear.

I guess what I am sick of is the entitlement that I have been seeing when it comes to this. That I am a bad person if I don't switch seats even if I spent the time and money to be prepared and they didn't. That they should get special consideration because they have a kid. No. I am done with that junk. Take personal responsibility for you and yours and stop expecting special consideration.

Oh, and earphones work really well to block out at noise I don't want to hear.

 

[maxiesmom]

Do you know why I am in that seat? No, you don't. You have no idea that there might be a very good reason that I don't feel like sharing with the world. If you would offer me an equivalent seat, then I might think about it. But 99% of the time the person wanting to switch has a middle seat in the back of the plane. Sorry, but that won't work for me... and not just because I am being a pain in the rear.

I guess what I am sick of is the entitlement that I have been seeing when it comes to this. That I am a bad person if I don't switch seats even if I spent the time and money to be prepared and they didn't. That they should get special consideration because they have a kid. No. I am done with that junk. Take personal responsibility for you and yours and stop expecting special consideration.

Oh, and earphones work really well to block out at noise I don't want to hear.

And Ditto.

Personal responsibility for you and your family is a great thing.

 

[JEWLSVERN]

But the thing about ECBI is that it doesn't guarantee that your family is together it just checks you in first. A delayed connection could easily have you boarding last and a family of small children all over the plane.

My children all still use a car seat on the plane. It is required that it be in a window seat or next to a car seat of a sibling as well as that an adult be in the row with them. It is FAA law. So if my family, who paid for ECBI, ends up late due to a delayed connection and cannot be seated together the FA must move people around to accommodate my children's car seats. Not trying to be a pain but it is not always so cut and dry. In my case it's the law.

 

[Gracie09]

But the thing about ECBI is that it doesn't guarantee that your family is together it just checks you in first. A delayed connection could easily have you boarding last and a family of small children all over the plane. My children all still use a car seat on the plane. It is required that it be in a window seat or next to a car seat of a sibling as well as that an adult be in the row with them. It is FAA law. So if my family, who paid for ECBI, ends up late due to a delayed connection and cannot be seated together the FA must move people around to accommodate my children's car seats. Not trying to be a pain but it is not always so cut and dry. In my case it's the law.

But you are still ahead of just about every one who did not purchase it and ahead of where you would have been had you not purchased it.
And what you hypothesize is the exception not the norm. There are plenty of threads on here where posters say thing like we never buy it and if people won't move we won't sit until they do. Or good luck with them changing my kids diaper or helping him eat or any number of things. Of course the person who won't move is mean, rude etc. and of course there are the folks that book on a new to them airline without taking even a quick glance at the policies concerning seating, or flight changes etc. Ten minutes of reading can often save hours of anxiety.

 

[cjbcam]

But the thing about ECBI is that it doesn't guarantee that your family is together it just checks you in first. A delayed connection could easily have you boarding last and a family of small children all over the plane.

My children all still use a car seat on the plane. It is required that it be in a window seat or next to a car seat of a sibling as well as that an adult be in the row with them. It is FAA law. So if my family, who paid for ECBI, ends up late due to a delayed connection and cannot be seated together the FA must move people around to accommodate my children's car seats. Not trying to be a pain but it is not always so cut and dry. In my case it's the law.

People just don't care. You can give reason after reason why this has happened and its always your fault as the parent. Unfortunately some parents have not done everything possible to sit beside their kids, which I agree is stupid on their part. They have just assumed people will switch or whatever, so when something unforeseeable happens to parents that have tried to (airport making mistake, connecting flight late even though u paid to bored first etc ) you are out of luck. Some people just don't care or have been moved too many times. To me I would move to help someone out I really don't see the big fuss. However I think it should be the responsibility of the airline to seat kids with there parents if they are young (like say the age the airline sets for kids to be allowed to fly alone).

 

[Mkrop]

But the thing about ECBI is that it doesn't guarantee that your family is together it just checks you in first. A delayed connection could easily have you boarding last and a family of small children all over the plane.

My children all still use a car seat on the plane. It is required that it be in a window seat or next to a car seat of a sibling as well as that an adult be in the row with them. It is FAA law. So if my family, who paid for ECBI, ends up late due to a delayed connection and cannot be seated together the FA must move people around to accommodate my children's car seats. Not trying to be a pain but it is not always so cut and dry. In my case it's the law.

People just don't care. You can give reason after reason why this has happened and its always your fault as the parent. Unfortunately some parents have not done everything possible to sit beside their kids, which I agree is stupid on their part. They have just assumed people will switch or whatever, so when something unforeseeable happens to parents that have tried to (airport making mistake, connecting flight late even though u paid to bored first etc ) you are out of luck. Some people just don't care or have been moved too many times. To me I would move to help someone out I really don't see the big fuss. However I think it should be the responsibility of the airline to seat kids with there parents if they are young (like say the age the airline sets for kids to be allowed to fly alone).

I think if someone, the parent the FA, came to me and said their connection was late etc, DH, DS16 or I would move. DS10 is too anxious a flyer, he needs to be with me or DH. But I am not moving if I see you at the gate or on the same ME as us, that means for SW you did not do what you needed to do.

 

[MinnieLovesMickey12]

We only ever fly SW because they have a non-stop from here to Orlando. Sometimes it is 5 of us and we sit 3 and 2 directly across from each other. Or if it is just DH and I we sit window and aisle.

I would not fly SW without paying for EBCI because I like to sit as close to the front of the plane as possible so I can get off quickly. The thought of being way back in the plane and not being able to get out in a hurry if need be makes me sick to think about it.

I would not move nor would I have my DH or one of my kids move so that some other ppl can sit together and break our family up.

If you have young kids you can board between the A and B boarding group (usually) so you will have good seats.

However EBCI numbers are assigned by how soon you buy the EBCI. If I buy my ticket for 5 months from now and I buy EBCI I will get a better boarding number than someone who buys it 2 months away from departure. Since you do not have to check in for yourself at the 24 hour mark and they automatically check you in, your EBCI number is not associated with WHEN you check in like for ppl who don't buy EBCI.

That is why even if my flight cost drops a little bit I do not try to get the difference from SW because they rebook you and reassign you EBCI on the rebook and your number won't be as good as it was when you first booked.

Now if our flights dropped $50 each or more I might rebook but otherwise I book, buy EBCI and don't make any changes.

What irritates me is when Dh and I are sitting in the 4th row towards the front of the plane seated in window and aisle with a middle seat open between us and C boarding is almost finished boarding and there is still half the plane empty towards the middle and back and someone who doesn't pay to get better seats wiggles in between Dh and I instead of going on back and getting a different seat where they aren't sandwiched in between strangers.

 

[Imhere]

We only ever fly SW because they have a non-stop from here to Orlando. Sometimes it is 5 of us and we sit 3 and 2 directly across from each other. Or if it is just DH and I we sit window and aisle.

I would not fly SW without paying for EBCI because I like to sit as close to the front of the plane as possible so I can get off quickly. The thought of being way back in the plane and not being able to get out in a hurry if need be makes me sick to think about it.

I would not move nor would I have my DH or one of my kids move so that some other ppl can sit together and break our family up.

If you have young kids you can board between the A and B boarding group (usually) so you will have good seats.

However EBCI numbers are assigned by how soon you buy the EBCI. If I buy my ticket for 5 months from now and I buy EBCI I will get a better boarding number than someone who buys it 2 months away from departure. Since you do not have to check in for yourself at the 24 hour mark and they automatically check you in, your EBCI number is not associated with WHEN you check in like for ppl who don't buy EBCI.

That is why even if my flight cost drops a little bit I do not try to get the difference from SW because they rebook you and reassign you EBCI on the rebook and your number won't be as good as it was when you first booked.

Now if our flights dropped $50 each or more I might rebook but otherwise I book, buy EBCI and don't make any changes.

What irritates me is when Dh and I are sitting in the 4th row towards the front of the plane seated in window and aisle with a middle seat open between us and C boarding is almost finished boarding and there is still half the plane empty towards the middle and back and someone who doesn't pay to get better seats wiggles in between Dh and I instead of going on back and getting a different seat where they aren't sandwiched in between strangers.

Maybe that person likes sitting as close to the front as they can get too.

 

[chicagodisneyfan]

We only ever fly SW because they have a non-stop from here to Orlando.

I would not move nor would I have my DH or one of my kids move so that some other ppl can sit together and break our family up.

What irritates me is when Dh and I are sitting in the 4th row towards the front of the plane seated in window and aisle with a middle seat open between us and C boarding is almost finished boarding and there is still half the plane empty towards the middle and back and someone who doesn't pay to get better seats wiggles in between Dh and I instead of going on back and getting a different seat where they aren't sandwiched in between strangers.

Maybe they want to sit at the front of the plane too?

 

[Mayhem1976]

We only ever fly SW because they have a non-stop from here to Orlando. Sometimes it is 5 of us and we sit 3 and 2 directly across from each other. Or if it is just DH and I we sit window and aisle.

I would not fly SW without paying for EBCI because I like to sit as close to the front of the plane as possible so I can get off quickly. The thought of being way back in the plane and not being able to get out in a hurry if need be makes me sick to think about it.

I would not move nor would I have my DH or one of my kids move so that some other ppl can sit together and break our family up.

If you have young kids you can board between the A and B boarding group (usually) so you will have good seats.

However EBCI numbers are assigned by how soon you buy the EBCI. If I buy my ticket for 5 months from now and I buy EBCI I will get a better boarding number than someone who buys it 2 months away from departure. Since you do not have to check in for yourself at the 24 hour mark and they automatically check you in, your EBCI number is not associated with WHEN you check in like for ppl who don't buy EBCI.

That is why even if my flight cost drops a little bit I do not try to get the difference from SW because they rebook you and reassign you EBCI on the rebook and your number won't be as good as it was when you first booked.

Now if our flights dropped $50 each or more I might rebook but otherwise I book, buy EBCI and don't make any changes.

What irritates me is when Dh and I are sitting in the 4th row towards the front of the plane seated in window and aisle with a middle seat open between us and C boarding is almost finished boarding and there is still half the plane empty towards the middle and back and someone who doesn't pay to get better seats wiggles in between Dh and I instead of going on back and getting a different seat where they aren't sandwiched in between strangers.

Maybe they want to sit at the front as well. Maybe it was a last minute trip and they did buy EBCI and that is what they got. Maybe it's business and they just booked the trip the day before (happened to DH twice last month) maybe they had an A and needed to take a call or go to the bathroom....the list goes on.

What irritates me is when a couple leaves the middle seat open in hopes of making people not sit there instead of sitting next to one another.

No, I won't break up my family, but if it was just DH and I and a family came on late we would move and sit alone for them to be together.