Southwest to have assigned seating

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

This thesis is too much for me to respond to. You are making way too much out of my initial comment.

That's fine but just responding to your complaint. Get mad at the gate agents for allowing 3 items especially a rolling bag, carry on and laptop bag, passed their gate and you've solved physical size problem the most impactful way. The rest (a personal item and carry on) is a toss up whether it's actually a problem on a flight or not.

 

[Rex1993]

For me, this is just the change needed to make SWA a real contender for long haul. As a family of four we've always been fine taking SWA up and down the West Coast but if we're going anywhere else it's just too stressful to worry about whether you're going to end up with your ten year old sitting between strangers.

The current boarding process for SWA is nice in some ways and I hope they keep the lineup. The whole gate lice thing is so annoying and it would be good if you still have line up based on your seat assignment as opposed to three groups where fifty people all huddle around trying to cut in front of each other.

 

[Sparrow'sLady]

I have seen/heard the opposite. I personally have asked if I could save 2 seats and the FA had no issue with it and told me it was perfectly fine to save a row. I have seen people booted off of a flight for being nasty towards those saving a seat. Only twice. Both times from Dallas to Orlando. Both times they were women.

Guess it just depends on who the flight attendants are.

 

[Brian Noble]

creating more opportunities for friction among passengers.

Again, on Delta (and every other airline I've ever flown with assigned seating) there is no friction. Nearly everyone understands that they have an assigned seat, and they sit in it. This is not complicated.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

"Oh no! This person is asking me to switch from my favorite middle seat to an aisle in the same row! Whatever shall I do?"

This is not even remotely a problem for anyone. And again---I can count the number of times I've seen this after accruing 1M qualifying miles on one hand. It's hardly some rampant epidemic of seat switching, and nothing at all compared to the circus that is seat-saving/miraculous recovery/etc. etc. on Southwest.

We don't disagree about the middle seat desirability clearly. And no one is going to disagree about the pre-boarding mess with SWA. I said asking to switch seats and then mentioned another situation of when people sit in someone's seat hoping they will switch with them. Again whether you have a personal issue with it is subjective.

FWIW I've never seen any fights over seats on SWA nor attitude in the 15 years at least that I've been flying them, my husband who has flown many many times on SWA also hasn't seen it but one time. But other people have their own stories of situations that have occurred. My point being that with assigned seating it opens it up to happen more frequently. My husband mentioned that a survey he got months ago asked questions relating to A-list one of them being earlier seat selection as an option or free seat selection. Tying seat stuff to your status has the opportunity to amp up the passenger interactions regarding it as just one example.

As far as your tier qualifying miles I get you you have a million miles

 

[focusondisney]

Just saw the SW CEO on the news. According to him, 80% of SW customers want assigned seating & the number 1 reason people give when they defect from SW is the open seating. The only airlines from my airport with nonstops to Orlando are SW & JB. We prefer JB but have been flying SW for several years because we have their CC & earned companion pass a few times. But the last 2 years especially have gotten way too stressful with the open seating. We’ve flown JB twice in the last year. I’ve been watching for a high points offer for JB’s card, planning to go back to booking them most of the time. With assigned & extra legroom seating, I’d be fine staying with SW.

 

[keishashadow]

Interesting the timing of this announcement by SWA is so close to the recent action by the FAA

“The FAA has increased oversight of Southwest Airlines to ensure it is complying with federal safety regulations through the Certificate Holder Evaluation Process,” a Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson confirmed in an email. “Safety will drive the timeline.”

Almost as tho they are trying to divert the public's attention

https://www.dallasnews.com/business...es-after-series-of-close-calls-safety-issues/

Yeah on my last Southwest flight there were announcements that everyone in the late B/all of C group had to check their bags due to zero available overhead space.

Likely, due to people placing oversized carryons sideways & backpacks & personal items in overhead that would easily fit under seat

Which is the problem. You are not supposed to save seats.

SWA has blatantly prided themselves on their open seating policy for 50 years

IMO only a matter of time before they reduce the 2nd free checked bag. Would think an easier process than the assigned seating change

We have a friend who works from SWA. He said some of them will heavily enforce "no seat saving" if another passenger is upset about it.

You have been fortunate, because the Flight Attendants WILL tell people they cannot save seats if somebody wants to sit. We have seen it first hand as well with full planes.

I've seen it go the other way

I do hope SWA will also address the number of carry-ons some passengers bring. 2 - 3 per person, all in the overhead bins.

Right, one under the seat. Not 3 in the overhead bin as I have seen many do. A roller bag with a large briefcase on it plus another carry bag, like a computer backpack - all 3 in the overhead bin. That is just selfishness.

& FAs stand there non-pulsed, watching it happen

Bonus points for those who snag the first open space they see in overhead, before they stroll back into plane to find a seat. All the better to then push & shove their way to front to retrieve it and get off a few minutes early

Unless a person indicates need for a specific seat due to medical reasons, early boarding could likely be restricted to whatever section(s) of plane that aren't booked/held for the more expensive assigned seats

It could get to the point all seats are automatically assigned at check in, 24 hrs prior.

Assigned seats and several rows of "big front seats" could be two distinct categories

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I have seen/heard the opposite. I personally have asked if I could save 2 seats and the FA had no issue with it and told me it was perfectly fine to save a row. I have seen people booted off of a flight for being nasty towards those saving a seat. Only twice. Both times from Dallas to Orlando. Both times they were women.

I actually felt uncomfortable about it even though the FA was a very sweet kind person but on one of our flights last year it was early in the morning and we were in the exit row. She stood there in the row with us and spoke to me about "I'm going to see if I can get a good person to sit with you" and she was essentially profiling people passing up several people, much like what has gotten some news attention where passengers do the same. And I don't mean profiling in the worst of ways but it was like 5am and she was trying to be upbeat enough.

SWA has allowed the FAs to do a lot of stuff on their own discretion. Flights can all be different with different clientele and passenger make up. Assigned seating will reduce some of that but I think there will still be some discretion used on some one off situations.

 

[titojackson84]

My main concern is what happens to my priority credit card benefit with the 4 upgraded boardings. Used it 4 times so far and never got higher than A10, had A1 on one of the flights.

 

[Genie+]

Bonus points for those who snag the first open space they see in overhead, before they stroll back into plane to find a seat. All the better to then push & shove their way to front to retrieve it and get off a few minutes early

This too.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

My main concern is what happens to my priority credit card benefit with the 4 upgraded boardings. Used it 4 times so far and never got higher than A10, had A1 on one of the flights.

Or our CC that has 2 EBCI benefits attached to it. It's a good point of what do these mean now and if SWA will decide to remove them from the CC or swap them for a semi-similar perk.

But it is interesting thinking about Upgraded Boarding and EBCI since they raised the pricing of those not too long ago. I know this isn't supposed to be in effect until next year but still.

 

[imbelle]

I'm the outlier because I actually like the open seating so that I can scope out my potential seat mates. Screaming baby, seat kicking toddler, stinky carry on food? I keep on moving.
It will never happen but I would love to see a boarding system where the back of the plane boards first with families, then people who have overhead luggage, then people with underseat bags only. It would give families the extra time to get seated together and settled and deplaning would get the fastest moving people off first.

 

[LoveToDisney]

I remember when families were boarded before A group…they all chose the front of the plane. We used to bypass them all to be away from the crying babies and kicking toddlers. Then they moved them between A and B. They should have left them before A group and just restricted them to the back third of the plane.

 

[TXDisneyFan1]

You’re also probably that selfish idiot that saves quick service tables for your family before you have your food - while others with trays are walking around looking for a table, aren’t you?

Wow, I’m a selfish idiot? I just work a normal job every day trying to make enough money to take my family to Disney every two or three years.

You’re a sad person

 

[BrightMorningStar]

This is probably a good move. Society has become way too me-centric and selfish. We travel a lot and pretty much exclusively fly SWA. It never fails that there is some kind of light argument in the line where somebody who got EBCI has an A boarding position and their family in the B50s/60s or Cs gets in line with the A boarders. SWA will not do a thing about it. People these days are aggressive and entitled, therefore I can understand why most TAs do not.

 

[TXDisneyFan1]

If your saved seat is one that I want, I’m going to sit in it and there’s not a damn thing you’re going to do about it.

Cool Babs…you do you

 

[TXDisneyFan1]

We have a friend who works from SWA. He said some of them will heavily enforce "no seat saving" if another passenger is upset about it.

You have been fortunate, because the Flight Attendants WILL tell people they cannot save seats if somebody wants to sit. We have seen it first hand as well with full planes.

I ask the flight attendants when I board if I can save seats. Not one of them have said No.

So…..

 

[TXDisneyFan1]

You were definitely taking a chance doing this.
On my last flight, there was a woman saving 2 seats. A man boarded and asked if the seats were taken. She explained she was saving them for her family.

He actually said “oh well, no saving seats” and sat down. She was furious, tried to get flight attendants to intervene, which was difficult with the stream of people coming onboard. She ended up moving to the back of the plane when her two C group family came on, but they were not all seated together in the end.

Cool story. Never happened to me.

 

[TXDisneyFan1]

Which is the problem. You are not supposed to save seats. If I were boarding and a seat was vacant that I wanted to sit in and someone said they were saving it for someone in a boarding group after me, I'd sit there - especially if I paid for EBCI. If you want to sit together in better seats, pay for it like the rest of us do. If the $25 is going to break your vacation budget....

Like I said, I ask the flight attendants each time if I can save seats. They’ve never said no.

And it’s not just $25. It’s $200 total round trip

 

[TXDisneyFan1]

This must be a man thing lol. my husband can go on any trip with just a personal item and a carry on. I can do like a 3 day trip that way... But any longer than that, nope. After 3 days, I have to bring my own shampoo/conditioner/hair dryer (hotel crap won't work for my super curly hair unless I wanna look like hargid) and all that won't fit with my clothes in a carry on.

I mean, as long as you don't get mad when it doesn't work out for you, have at it. But you can't pull this then get mad or refuse to let someone sit in the seat you saved.

Agreed