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They already have it. It's called flying Southwest.
On Southwest you select your seat, in this scenario the airline does. You get to the airport and there is a seat assigned to you, no whining. A number of factors could go into the airline algorithm to select seats for you:
-Buying tickets 3+ weeks in advance
-Paying extra for a certain section
-Disabilities
-Connection times
-Status
-Flying with children
-Flying with companions
-Ability and desire to be in exit row
-Lowest priority, seat requests that don't include fees (exit, window, front, back)
Did you miss the part where I said we DID book seats at the back of the plane, out of the way and together. The AIRLINE screwed us over and changed our seating assignment and stuck us up front. We were very polite at the checkin counter, the gate, and on the plane asking to be reassigned to different seats (preferably at the back).
They wouldn't switch us, and when we kindly suggested to the woman next to us that she may be more comfortable in a different seat as there were other seats available, she didn't want to take it, until later in the flight when she realized I was right.
We remained exceedingly polite and respectful, made every effort, and had our tickets purchased and seats selected (AT THE BACK OF THE PLANE) months in advance.
Got any other criticisms to throw at me?
Did you bother to go to the back and see if anyone wanted to switch?
Assume that you are traveling alone, so that it doesn't matter who you are sitting next to. If the flight attendant told you that she is trying to seat a family together, would you move? If so, under what conditions?
LOL...ah you brought back a bad memory. Few years ago I was in that situation. Was asked to switch I being alone said sure..no issue. Well.. I get to my new seat...its a middle seat next to a HUGE guy. Beyond overweight, and probably needed two seats himself. I am no small guy either. I sit down and he has his arm over the arm rest...not budging. I call for the attendant and politely say this isn't going to work. She says to me "too bad" you already made the switch. Its a 5 hour flight and I am beside myself. I am going to confront her further and tell her I want the seat I paid for back when a thin girl bout 18 or 20 comes up and says she will take the seat and I can sit where she is. She saved the day.
Moral to story. Check to see where your new seat will be before you be the nice guy.
Assume that you are traveling alone, so that it doesn't matter who you are sitting next to. If the flight attendant told you that she is trying to seat a family together, would you move? If so, under what conditions?
In that situation I would likely move. I might, after the flight, seek a partial credit towards future travel from the airline if my new seat was materially worse.
In that situation I would likely move. I might, after the flight, seek a partial credit towards future travel from the airline if my new seat was materially worse.
Your chances of getting a credit for voluntarily switching seats are pretty much nil.
Why didn't you go to the back and strap your kids in and then offer the people in front of you the option to move forward?
I wouldn't move from the front to the back either, but I would move from the back to the front. Of course that would have been too logical.
By the way, if you told me to "holler" I would have told you flat out that I charge $100 an hour for babysitting and your kids were not my problem. You were the one who was wrong. period.
I have already explained the 'WHY'.. if you are going to stand on your high chair and criticize at least read the whole freaking thread! PERIOD!
Oh, believe me, the parent would be ecstatic not to have to entertain (and keep quiet and still) their child for the duration of the flight. I'm just surprised that you'd so readily volunteer for it. Do you just love toddlers that much that you'd do anything to play with one?
Why are you quoting me?
I said nothing about children or babysitting.
Your chances of getting a credit for voluntarily switching seats are pretty much nil.
Trust me, I just got a major hotel chain to credit me $50 off a $538 stay for directing my initial reservation call to a "hard sell" for a vacation time share.
If the only seat available for me to move was very near little kids, I'd think long and hard. To me, sitting near unruly, crying or very active, bored children is the worst part of plane travel (sorry - I have no kids, rarely spend time around them, and am not used to their needs).
But, IME, this is why families want to be seated together in the first place!! I know posters mentioned teenagers, etc. but I bet most of the time it's families with younger kids who want to be able to tag-team and entertain and distract their kids!
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