Southwest to have assigned seating

[Simba's Mom]

The only thing I feel bad about is that with assigned seating, it usually takes longer to board and be ready to go. I saw that on a non-Southwest flight. Seats had been assigned, but then an announcement at the gate that the plane had been switched out (maybe maintenance?) for a plane that was configured all differently. "So your assigned seating is meaningless-just get on the plane, take a seat, and we'll go." Everyone agreed that it was the fastest boarding and being ready they'd ever seen. The flight attendant explained to me that when people have assigned seats, they are more likely to stand and chat, take their time sitting down-after all, they have a certain seat waiting for them. But when they don't have an assigned seat, she told me, they tend to sit down ASAP before someone else takes the seat! So we'll see if this theory is true.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

I fully recognize that I’m in the minority here but I actually prefer SW’s boarding procedure where you know exactly where you are supposed to be in line, rather than having to fight it out among the other 2/3 of the plane that somehow is also in Group A. I’m sure that it helps that a) I don’t usually fly Southwest and b) I have no problem paying for Early Bird access, but it still seems much more civilized than United.

If only they could fix the pre-boarding “problem" it would be excellent.

 

[disny_luvr]

I’m thrilled that they are changing this policy. I will gladly pay to select my seat. On our trip out west last month, for the first time I paid for the WGA+ fare plus purchased EBCI both there and back. That cost me an extra $360 for my family of four and while we were able to find seats together, there really was no guarantee because there are so many other factors that come into play. At least if I’m paying for my seat I’m pretty much guaranteed to be sitting with my family unless something weird happens at the last minute - canceled flight and on a different flight than originally scheduled, etc.

 

[Tinkaboo]

Well Sadness and Anxiety sure made a visit today when I saw this news. I fly SWA almost exclusively and I love it just the way it is. So inexpensive for my quick little Disney trips, free baggage, and since I live in a hub city,always lots of options to choose from.

Going to Toronto on Air Canada in October for a hockey game and had to pay for both my seat and one suitcase. . Just hate to see SW join the rest of the corporate bloodsuckers.

Oh, well, if things keep going downhill at DL, getting there will no longer be an issue!

 

[sam_gordon]

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

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

I don't fly SW (I think I've taken two trips with them in the last decade), but I noticed you didn't say the FA's said "yes". "Not saying no" <> "saying yes".

 

[sam_gordon]

The only thing I feel bad about is that with assigned seating, it usually takes longer to board and be ready to go. I saw that on a non-Southwest flight. Seats had been assigned, but then an announcement at the gate that the plane had been switched out (maybe maintenance?) for a plane that was configured all differently. "So your assigned seating is meaningless-just get on the plane, take a seat, and we'll go." Everyone agreed that it was the fastest boarding and being ready they'd ever seen. The flight attendant explained to me that when people have assigned seats, they are more likely to stand and chat, take their time sitting down-after all, they have a certain seat waiting for them. But when they don't have an assigned seat, she told me, they tend to sit down ASAP before someone else takes the seat! So we'll see if this theory is true.

Mythbusters tested various boarding methods. Here's the clip:

Here's the results:
"Random No Seats" (Southwest style) was the fastest, but the worst satisfaction score.

ETA: I fly quite a bit now on Delta (so assigned seats), I've never seen people "stand and chat" unless they're waiting on people in front of them to clear.

 

[easyas123]

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.

We are wondering this as well. We have 8 upgraded boardings per year and we often use them all up, and it's worth the annual fee. But why pay the annual fee if I already know where I'm going to sit and I'm (presumable, since I picked the seat) happy with that selection?

 

[DanceDisney23]

We are wondering this as well. We have 8 upgraded boardings per year and we often use them all up, and it's worth the annual fee. But why pay the annual fee if I already know where I'm going to sit and I'm (presumable, since I picked the seat) happy with that selection?

Even if you know where you sit, early boarding makes a difference with overhead space for carryon luggage. That’s why many premium airline cards come with early boarding benefits. The cards also help you build status faster if you fly frequently. Higher status often means complimentary seat upgrades.

Also, if Southwest really wants to follow airline standards, the free checked bags will go away. You might still get those with the card.

I’m sure they will offer something worthwhile to entice people to keep or get the card. Even if that means downgrading the experience for non-cardholders.

 

[crazymomof4]

I wonder if the assigned seats have anything to do with seat saving....buy one EB, save 2 seats for family.

Yup and people are just fighting over things in public more lately. Strangers getting into fist fights on planes. Open seating depends on people being respectful and patient and those things are seen less and less nowadays.

 

[Mle8308]

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

And your point is??? Others pay it for the benefits of boarding before those who do not. If you can't afford to pay the fee, don't expect to sit together. If the $200 is going to break your budget, maybe you shouldn't be going on vacation or flying.

 

[Lsdolphin]

As a wheelchair user (and needer) on Southwest, I welcome that! On my last flight, when they announced that they were short of "pushers" to push wheelchairs down the boarding ramp, so that if you could walk please do so, you wouldn't believe the number of people who suddenly had a miracle and hustled themselves down the boarding ramp as fast as they could. The problem was that they just jumped out of their wheelchairs and left them, so that those few of us left (who really needed the wheelchair assistance) had to push the wheelchairs out of the way to get to the doorway.
Since I have 3 upcoming flights on Southwest (all of which have made changes since I booked), I'd also like to know when this starts.

I sometimes request wheelchair assistance when there is a long distance to my gate. I’m slow but can walk shorter distances. Once at the gate I don’t need someone to push me onto the plane I can use my cane instead of waiting for someone to push me and making boarding process even longer. I don’t consider that a miracle.

 

[Sparrow'sLady]

I fully recognize that I’m in the minority here but I actually prefer SW’s boarding procedure where you know exactly where you are supposed to be in line, rather than having to fight it out among the other 2/3 of the plane that somehow is also in Group A. I’m sure that it helps that a) I don’t usually fly Southwest and b) I have no problem paying for Early Bird access, but it still seems much more civilized than United.

If only they could fix the pre-boarding “problem" it would be excellent.

Somebody already mentioned it, but the boarding position process is broken as well. People get in line with their families where their position is not with theirs. It is not a huge deal, but not fair to people who paid for early bird.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

Somebody already mentioned it, but the boarding position process is broken as well. People get in line with their families where their position is not with theirs. It is not a huge deal, but not fair to people who paid for early bird.

So the gate agents should enforce the rules about boarding in order. Unlike traditional carriers where there are a bunch of people with status that are allowed to bring their party with them, for SW it’s really straightforward. 1, 2, 3, etc. not 1, 2, 49, 26

 

[Sparrow'sLady]

So the gate agents should enforce the rules about boarding in order. Unlike traditional carriers where there are a bunch of people with status that are allowed to bring their party with them, for SW it’s really straightforward. 1, 2, 3, etc. not 1, 2, 49, 26

What they should do and what they do are often 2 different things.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

So the gate agents should enforce the rules about boarding in order. Unlike traditional carriers where there are a bunch of people with status that are allowed to bring their party with them, for SW it’s really straightforward. 1, 2, 3, etc. not 1, 2, 49, 26

And they do do that but mostly when it's a B trying to board with A or C trying to board with B.

SWA's website does tell you if you have different boarding numbers and wish to board together you can (which means you'd be out of order) but they say to board with the later boarding group. So if you have A30 and your traveling person has B2 SWA doesn't care (or well didn't care who knows now) if both of you boarded at B2.

I think most of the issues (outside of family boarding stuff) were fixed when they allowed for sequential boarding group for A-list and those on their reservation. Before that my husband was almost always A while I was almost always B but I did always board with what my position was.

Also for some passengers they don't care if you technically have A 30 and so and so of your party has A25 they'll say to go ahead and board ahead of them which means that the passenger is giving up their actual boarding position. I don't see it super often but I have seen it happen.

My husband and I are the type of people that if he has A30 and I have A31 we don't board together, I wait at A31 and yes this happens last time for me was last September.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

And they do do that but mostly when it's a B trying to board with A or C trying to board with B.

SWA's website does tell you if you have different boarding numbers and wish to board together you can (which means you'd be out of order) but they say to board with the later boarding group. So if you have A30 and your traveling person has B2 SWA doesn't care (or well didn't care who knows now) if both of you boarded at B2.

I think most of the issues (outside of family boarding stuff) were fixed when they allowed for sequential boarding group for A-list and those on their reservation. Before that my husband was almost always A while I was almost always B but I did always board with what my position was.

Also for some passengers they don't care if you technically have A 30 and so and so of your party has A25 they'll say to go ahead and board ahead of them which means that the passenger is giving up their actual boarding position. I don't see it super often but I have seen it happen.

My husband and I are the type of people that if he has A30 and I have A31 we don't board together, I wait at A31 and yes this happens last time for me was last September.

I have no issue with that. One of the posters above said that the boarding process was broken because people would try to board all together. My point was not that the process is broken, but that there is an enforcement issue. If people want to board later than their spot more power to them.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I have no issue with that. One of the posters above said that the boarding process was broken because people would try to board all together. My point was not that the process is broken, but that there is an enforcement issue. If people want to board later than their spot more power to them.

I'm totally in agreeance with you was just pointing out some situations where someone thinks people are breaking the rules when they aren't and there will be times where people are out of order.

The SWA gate agent isn't going to admonish a passenger who is boarding at A25 when they have an A30 especially if they don't know if the passengers around them have all allowed that to happen. It's negligible to them. But too much of a difference and yes that could catch their attention and I've def. seen been on flights where they redirect the passenger to wait. It's easier for the gate agents when they are using the boarding slots such as if you're calling A15-30 and someone is boarding with an A50 that's easier to say please wait, same as with completely different boarding groups.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

I’m very excited for this change. I fly a lot and my SW flights always take longer to fully board because of the seat jockeying and FA’s having to help people find that last empty middle seat somewhere on the plane. Not mention the mass number of preboards and family boarding that makes anything other than A group useless for finding seats that meet someone’s preferences. My kid with GAD actually has requested NOT to fly with them anymore because of the boarding process.

As for pricing, since they used up the fuel they scored for a ridiculously low rate, their prices haven’t been lower out of my airports. It’s just easier to accumulate and use their miles which is why I use them at all.

 

[geargrinder]

They should just make seat selection a paid upgrade. Pay for seat selection, you're in Group A. Get on the plane first, sit in your assigned seat. Everyone else is in Boarding groups B and C, filling up everything else available.

 

[jimmymc]

I am happy to hear that you do not, however there are many people staring at those of us waiting to preboard. I will still have to preboard regardless of assigned seat as I will hold up the entire line otherwise. It is an uncomfortable situation being accommodated at a busy airport like MCO. People go into a kind of road rage mode in the airport. I see it differently I guess.

While I have never pre-boarded as an adult, I feel like people are always staring at the gate waiting for their group to be called. They're impatient because airports and flying are stressful and uncomfortable, not because of the pre-boarders. I don't want to discredit your experiences, but that's what's going through my head when the crowd forms as they start calling groups.