Southwest- seating issue

[pooch]

We always buy the early birds, especially to avoid the check-in rush 24 hours prior.

Like Craig Larson above, I usually buy it only when 24 hr check in is not possible as when we are cruising with no internet access. Other than that, I set an alarm on my phone for 5 minutes before check in opens & just check in. I don’t find it to be a hassle or a rush. Especially now, our EBCI for our flight in November was $38 per person! That’s just ridiculous. Glad I get them free from Chase!

 

[maxiesmom]

My parents have gotten late Group B numbers before (like B45 or higher) and have still been able to find 2 seats together.

Our travel group of 4 has all had to sit away from each other when getting B. That is the hard thing about it. Sometimes you gamble and lose.

 

[hrhdhd]

Our travel group of 4 has all had to sit away from each other when getting B. That is the hard thing about it. Sometimes you gamble and lose.

I dunno. Might be a win. I don't understand needing to sit together. I don't mind sitting by myself and reading a book. (For the OP's first-time flier, maybe I'd look at it differently.)

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

As they should. It is ridiculous that large parties were buying EBCI for one or two people and holding seats all around them.

And as for the 6 rows vs, 1 seat...it's all about consistency. If they let someone do it "just for one" when they say "our policy is no saving seats" then there's no reason someone can't save a lot. If they're consistent with NO then it's just easier on everyone.

SWA doesn't have a policy though for nor against seat saving.

It's left up to the FAs, most often a flight by flight situation. I've had FAs save seats for passengers, I've had FAs say no seat saving. Most frequently you'll just hear "take the first available seat you see" but that is often only once boarding has well and truly gotten far enough that most seats left are middle seats.

Moot when assigned seating becomes effective in 2026 but this is their policy now and has been their policy in so much that there isn't a policy for nor against seat saving.

 

[titojackson84]

If you don’t do EBCI, you can also try the upgraded boarding. It is only available after the 24 hour check in and depends if A1-15 is available, but it gets you in A1-15. You may not be able to get it for everyone, but maybe at least for the ones who don’t want to be alone.

The time of your flight may matter too. If you’re on the earliest flight, it’ll be empty but otherwise there could be people on board who connecting and not deplaning.

 

[pooch]

Our travel group of 4 has all had to sit away from each other when getting B. That is the hard thing about it. Sometimes you gamble and lose.

Wow, there must have been an outrageous number of pre boarders and family boarders. Even at B54, we’ve found at least 2 seats together in the back.

 

[eticketplease]

I dunno. Might be a win. I don't understand needing to sit together. I don't mind sitting by myself and reading a book. (For the OP's first-time flier, maybe I'd look at it differently.)

In reality if you are not sitting with your party that usually means the flight is close to full and you would be sitting next to someone else instead. I seriously doubt you would be by yourself in this scenario

 

[Lewisc]

Wow, there must have been an outrageous number of pre boarders and family boarders. Even at B54, we’ve found at least 2 seats together in the back.

Or a lot of continuing and connecting passengers. Connecting pax check in for both flights 24 hours before their first flight.

A real issue at airports like BWI.

 

[hrhdhd]

In reality if you are not sitting with your party that usually means the flight is close to full and you would be sitting next to someone else instead. I seriously doubt you would be by yourself in this scenario

I don't mean I'll have the plane to myself. I just don't need to spend every waking moment with travel companions.

 

[eticketplease]

I don't mean I'll have the plane to myself. I just don't need to spend every waking moment with travel companions.

Yes I know what you mean. I can certainly understand taking a break I just think most people would want to sit next to their party rather than a stranger.

 

[Dug720]

SWA doesn't have a policy though for nor against seat saving.

Interesting as the last two times I have flown them, the gate agents before boarding AND the flight attendants on board say "We have a policy against seat saving." And I'm almost always in Group A, so it's not like the plane is "already getting full".

 

[pooch]

Interesting as the last two times I have flown them, the gate agents before boarding AND the flight attendants on board say "We have a policy against seat saving." And I'm almost always in Group A, so it's not like the plane is "already getting full".

If you do a search on SWA, their boarding procedures have no mention whatsoever of seat saving. The PP is correct. They have no policy on this either for or against. FAs & Gate Agents all handle it as they see fit.

 

[pens4821]

I dunno. Might be a win. I don't understand needing to sit together. I don't mind sitting by myself and reading a book. (For the OP's first-time flier, maybe I'd look at it differently.)

I think every party is different. Our reason for needing (should say wanting as we don’t absolutely need to) to sit beside a family member/friend is because we are bigger. We aren’t huge, and can fit in the seat with armrests down, but it’s just much more comfortable to have them up. I could sit in the aisle or window next to a stranger and be fine, but it would be horrible for me to be in a middle seat between two people I don’t know. This won’t be an issue soon, as I will book the fare that includes seat selection like I do with other airlines.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Interesting as the last two times I have flown them, the gate agents before boarding AND the flight attendants on board say "We have a policy against seat saving." And I'm almost always in Group A, so it's not like the plane is "already getting full".

They don't have one, like I said they leave it up to the employees. Each flight can be potentially handled differently according the employees plus time of day plus airport plus the passengers themselves all up to employees. We fly SWA a lot, it all varies but there's no official policy to fall back on, presently that is.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I dunno. Might be a win. I don't understand needing to sit together. I don't mind sitting by myself and reading a book. (For the OP's first-time flier, maybe I'd look at it differently.)

My husband and I prefer to be next to each other but then there are seating configurations where we actively choose not to sit next to each other (meaning 1 seat against the window type situation). With normal seating if there are seats next to each other we'll pick those and I think that's often the default for majority of passengers.

To this point with SWA there's being okay with sitting separately and then there's being not okay with that and the long-term advice on the main SWA thread has been for years if you have the latter need a different airline would be your best bet.

Some people can describe themselves as having anxiety but it's more like they would really prefer to be next to their traveling party but would be okay if they weren't, uncomfortable but okay. And then there's people who truly cannot have that happen and thus the advice has been to select an airline where you can select your seats. Until SWA switches to that then posters are going to try and help out how to achieve that or alternatively the OP and her friend could go to an airline that presently does assigned seating.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

I go back to a conversation and laugh a bit. We had a situation where 2 people were saving 4 rows of seats on a SW flight (the first 2 folks had EB or Bus Select). Ridiculous someone would do that, but it was what it was. We asked the flight attendant does SW permit saving seats? I'll always remember the response - "There is no policy against saving seats. There's also no policy against you sitting in one of those seats since there's no passenger yet." We didn't test it out, but it makes sense!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I go back to a conversation and laugh a bit. We had a situation where 2 people were saving 4 rows of seats on a SW flight (the first 2 folks had EB or Bus Select). Ridiculous someone would do that, but it was what it was. We asked the flight attendant does SW permit saving seats? I'll always remember the response - "There is no policy against saving seats. There's also no policy against you sitting in one of those seats since there's no passenger yet." We didn't test it out, but it makes sense!

It has long been their way around having an official policy on this topic. With open seating any seat is available to any passenger but they don't also get into having something done as official policy that they now have to police across every flight they have.

The seat saving bit is something that has mostly cropped up with the pandemic. Before you'd see someone save 1-2 seats decently enough (1 row but most frequently just a middle seat) but then the pandemic happened and collectively people have lost their minds flying in general. So now you do see more often than you did before larger blocks of seats attempting to be saved and most passengers roll their eyes at people trying to do that; it ruins it for everyone when people are like that.

At the end of the day they are just trying to get the plane boarded as quickly as possible, they don't care if you are saving a middle seat (truly they don't) but they are likely frustrated with the person trying to save multiple rows. That would slow down boarding and increase the likelihood that they have to intervene at some point. And sometimes, though IME it's quite rare, you have two FAs (or a gate agent and FA) who disagree with each other though that's mostly been luggage related IME as in trying to get it to fit in the overhead bin as opposed to immediate gate check.

 

[EACarlson]

I go back to a conversation and laugh a bit. We had a situation where 2 people were saving 4 rows of seats on a SW flight (the first 2 folks had EB or Bus Select). Ridiculous someone would do that, but it was what it was. We asked the flight attendant does SW permit saving seats? I'll always remember the response - "There is no policy against saving seats. There's also no policy against you sitting in one of those seats since there's no passenger yet." We didn't test it out, but it makes sense!

I have tested it out. That's exactly what the policy or lack thereof means. They aren't going to tell anyone that they can't "save" seats, but there is not going to be any enforcement allowing it either. I've had FAs tell people they needed to let me in to get to an open seat when boarding has been held up due to seat savers.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Well, in another 6-7 months, the open seating will be a thing of the past!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Well, in another 6-7 months, the open seating will be a thing of the past!

We don't have a date, only that sometime in the second half of 2025 (which it already is starting in the second half of 2025) they would release for 2026 flights no word on what start date in 2026 but yes eventually that won't be an issue. What will become the issue then is people asking other people to switch seats.