Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
After two decades of flying on Southwest (usually between 30-85 flights a year) for business, I’ve witnessed several incidents of folks trying to “advance their positions” (or the positions of others) in the boarding line.
1/ I was in line boarding a flight in position A9, and a man in front of me, who was traveling with his son (maybe 12 years old or so), wanted his son to board with him. His son had boarding position Cxx. He called his son up to his position to join him.
As the gate agent started the boarding process, he walked up to the agent and asked if his son could board with him. The gate agent politely informed him that this is against Southwest policy and told his son to return to his position in line. The man was unhappy, but it would have been unfair to the other passengers behind them, if the gate agent allowed the son to board with him.
2/ I was boarding a flight out of San Jose airport and in position A16 or so. As the gate agent started the boarding process, a woman came out from behind us and surreptitiously “merged”
into the Business Select boarding group. I glanced at her boarding pass and it was in the high B range. As she approached the gate agent, and handed her boarding pass to her, the boarding pass reader made a loud “buzz” (not the pleasant “bling” noise it normally does).
The gate agent looked at her boarding pass and told her to return to her proper boarding position in the line. She was thoroughly embarrassed.
Based on what I’ve seen over the years, the folks at Southwest request passengers to adhere to their procedures for boarding. I’ve not seen exceptions made.
I’ve seen them send people to their later-boarding-priority lines, too. Several times.
Wrong, even the cheapest rate $15 x 3 = $45.
It's cheaper to upgrade one passenger to business select, then save seats for the rest of your party.
It's not cutting in line if you paid for it. Some of these responders are incredibly holier-than-thou.
Sometimes people need to do this type of thing. If I stopped at an empty seat and someone said, "sorry I'm saving that for my wife/daughter/father", I wouldn't get mad or have an attitude. I'd just say "ok, cool" and keep on going.
What kind of sorry, immature, petty person is going to get all bent out of shape over a thing like that? I don't think the angry people at city-data are representative of the general population.
Upgrading allows you access to your one seat, not to save other seats.
To use your logic, if you're traveling with 6 people, you board and save 5 other seats.
You want to ensure sitting together, pay for it, or travel with an airline that has assigned seats.
Dad: Neither Mom nor I said you could get a puppy. Take it back where it came from
Kid: [whining] But nobody said NOT to get one! I WANT, I WANT, I WANT.
I TOTALLY AGREE. What if someone gets up during the flight to use the restroom - does their seat suddenly come up for grabs by these people who think they have a right to any unoccupied seat?
Can't we all just get along?
'Parently not. Some people have to whine and gripe.
It's just a flight, people. Southwest Flights tend to be under 4 hours.
You're comparing apples to oranges.
By the time people are up using the restrooms, you have been in the air for awhile. People already have their seats. The only time people will change seats is after it is clear that there is an unoccupied seat.
What the OP is doing is called "pulling a fast one".
Pay for everyone to board early, or travel with airlines that have assigned seating.
Well, yes, I am pretty passionately against bullying.
But you seem to lack knowledge of Southwest seating practices. The seat was not open, it was claimed. Southwest has made it clear that is permissible and that a seat can be claimed on behalf of a traveling companion without specifically being occupied at that moment. The bullying man therefore intimidated someone into giving up a seat that was NOT open, simply because he thought he was more entitled to it than anyone else.
OP, if you posted this in the Southwest frequent flyer forum at FlyerTalk.com, which is full of people who fly that airline dozens of times per year, you would get even more stern disapproval than you're getting here. No one should save seats on Southwest... ever.
I can't believe this thread is still going like the energizer bunny. As I mentioned before there are threads buried that debate this same topic.
Bottom line which we all can agree on is when the passenger decides and agrees to purchase a ticket for a Southwest Airlines flight you acknowledge the system Southwest Airlines has in place for priority seating or should I say the boarding progression.
There is no debate. The endgame is the passengers willingness to abide by a system where the policy is not set in stone but rather put in place informally by Southwest in hopes that passengers use good judgement, compassion, and remain courteous.
Southwest while not having a written policy in place does ask passengers to abide by their system. If you chose not to you acknowledge that you are going to take the chance of being confronted. There is always going to be that one or two people that have a really tight connection and want to sit as close to the front as possible and they are going to start entering your row and by the time you say the seat is saved they are in that seat. Now if you refuse the intrusion you better be prepared a head of time on how you are going to challenge because again there is going to be that one guy or girl that will not acknowledge your saved seat response and plop themselves down. Then you have to ask yourself am I ready for You Tube
I am not that guy but their are passengers who are not afraid of challenging you for the that saved seat and will enter your row faster than sh$t. Most of us are just going to move on but if you are saving that seat you better be prepared for that one in a million passenger who is not going to play.
I am pleasantly surprised at human nature when flying Southwest Airlines as I have seen many times where passengers will move to accommodate family's and the elderly. I have done it, it's only a seat!
From the many responses here that say the seat is open while not acknowledging the fact that passengers pay extra to enhance their seating selection and those like me who are ready to click the mouse at exactly 24 hours before is surely going to lead to a Southwest policy change.
I have been flying Southwest for years and even with paid priority seating I have always managed to stay above B-30 which will allow you to sit together by going on and clicking your flight 24 hours before hand.
On a recent trip, my family of three took Southwest on a 4 hour flight across the country. I love SW and always try to use them when possible.
This last trip, I didn't get Early Bird seating, and we ended up in the C boarding group for a sold-out flight.
When we got to the airport, I upgraded myself to A-12 for $40, and reserved a row for the family, spreading my stuff around to make it clear. As seats filled up, people began asking if the seats were free. When my wife got there, I joked that I had to fight to defend our seats, and she scolded me for being "insensitive" and "selfish". The people in the row behind us overheard, and apparently gave me a disapproving look.
I don't see how it's selfish to save seats when you're traveling with a child. I don't want us split up, my kid maybe forced to sit with strangers. But maybe there is some unwritten etiquette that you shouldn't save seats for your loved ones on airlines with unassigned seating. Thoughts? Opinions?
I think if you didn't upgrade the whole family to A boarding, you don't have the right to save seats if they are boarding later. Its Southwest- what's how it works. So you are 100% in the wrong. You are basically just cheap.
Next time, pay for everyone to sit together or don't fly Southwest. Very annoying to even think of doing it if you ask me. This isn't a movie theater where I paid to get in early. When I fly with the family, I pay whatever it takes to make sure we are all together.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
