SW boarding position - panicking!

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Just got back from Orlando. Flew SW down, JB back. Yes, there was a group in the Family Boarding group, but not a huge number...maybe 13 or so. I got A35, grabbed a seat in an exit row. I didn't see any seats being saved. I have seen it in the past though. The worst was the time I had slot A16, so among the first to board. I watched as people in the A group boarded, took a seat and put stuff on the seats beside them. This happened for about 4 rows! Well, evidently the people that had taken these seats were 'saving' seats in the hope that they would have empty seats between them. Man, they moved fast when it was announced that it was a full flight, with no empty seats!!! complete chaos as that family tried to get seats together. There sure were some happy people in the mid C group that found seats in the front of the plane!!!

Now see for me personally saving seating for your family member is one thing..saving seats in the hope that no one will sit next to you is another especially with how flights are more and more full now. I just go in expecting a full flight every time.

SWA, at least for me, has been pretty good at telling passengers if it's a full flight or not when the boarding has started or is about to start, including requests for gate checking carry ons, so you generally know before you step foot on the plane (my experience though). I had two flights out of six flights last year that weren't completely full. One only had 60 passengers (it was a 9 or 10pm something or rather flight on a Tuesday) and they told us to go ahead and stretch out as far as sitting arrangements.

 

[Dismommy8]

what time is your flight? remember any one staying on the flight will be staying on plane with first choice of seats. plane was over half full when boarding started. knew we were on a full plane but boarding numbers only went to B20 with no family boarding.

Going down we are on the first flight out at 5:30am. On the way back we are flying at 7:30pm.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Going down we are on the first flight out at 5:30am. On the way back we are flying at 7:30pm.

should be good on way down and just about everyone will get off in Orlando. my bad flight was around 1030 am arriving at 1230 pm in Orlando and as I said it was over half full when boarding started with our numbers only going to B20

 

[Dznypal]

I always pay for EBCI for DH and myself. Today was the first issue we ever had. I printed out our tickets and I got A40. DH gotC 2called and the girl said the EBCI wAs detached from the reservations. So she said we need to talk to the gate agent to see if DH could board with me. Or just save a seat for him. I even called SW since I had to cancel our jan trip and reschedule for tomorrow I didn't trust myself to do it on line I was afraid I would mess it up and it still got messed up. We'll see what happens tomorrow

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I always pay for EBCI for DH and myself. Today was the first issue we ever had. I printed out our tickets and I got A40. DH gotC 2called and the girl said the EBCI wAs detached from the reservations. So she said we need to talk to the gate agent to see if DH could board with me. Or just save a seat for him. I even called SW since I had to cancel our jan trip and reschedule for tomorrow I didn't trust myself to do it on line I was afraid I would mess it up and it still got messed up. We'll see what happens tomorrow

Were you both on one reservation (so one confirmation number) or separate reservations?