Connecting to the next flight with only 20 min????

[byang22]

I had a flight last night from Seattle to Baltimore with one stop in Denver. I was told at the check-in service that I had to be super fast as only 29 min to connect to another flight due to the delay in the first flight departure time. She said that I needed to sit front on the flight to Denver to save time??? How come with the boarding position?  Would they help me with this? nope... I was accompanying my 18-yr-old son with autism so I cannot sit any available up front. I had to sit next to him which would be difficult with my boarding positon B. I was of course frustrated because the original schedule had full one hr connection time. She said no other option.. just super fast and try to sit front....making me feel like all of this situation is created by me so none of their business whether I made it or not. 

Instead of getting an apology for their operational issues, the staff  gave me only two options to choose with a condescending look:  if I am willing to be hurry to catch the next flight with only 29 mins or want  the entire flight to be rescheduled to avoide this issue (I would arrive next day in that case). 

When I was on board for the first flight in Seattle, of course, I was unable to find the seats front... I explained the situation to the flight attendant and ask if there is any option they would offer to help me... nope..... The flight attendant said that many people would change the flight, not only me, so no prelivilage... but would they have a short connecting time like me????

Finally, the flight landed in Denver with only 24 min to connect to the next flight to Baltimore. I was sitting twards the back of the airplane so once I got out of the plane, I had only 12-13 min left. At least, I was hoping that the gate to the next flight was near by..... 

Oh my..... I had to run from C 28 to C 41..... with my son. 

It has been a while to use this southwest arline since the pandemic...my flight experience this time was a nightmare. If the southwest could not help with the issue that they created, at least I was hoping to get their sincere apology....

[DancingDavidE · Accepted solution]

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@byang22 wrote:

I had a flight last night from Seattle to Baltimore with one stop in Denver. I was told at the check-in service that I had to be super fast as only 29 min to connect to another flight due to the delay in the first flight departure time. She said that I needed to sit front on the flight to Denver to save time??? How come with the boarding position?  Would they help me with this? nope... I was accompanying my 18-yr-old son with autism so I cannot sit any available up front. I had to sit next to him which would be difficult with my boarding positon B. I was of course frustrated because the original schedule had full one hr connection time. She said no other option.. just super fast and try to sit front....making me feel like all of this situation is created by me so none of their business whether I made it or not. 

Instead of getting an apology for their operational issues, the staff  gave me only two options to choose with a condescending look:  if I am willing to be hurry to catch the next flight with only 29 mins or want  the entire flight to be rescheduled to avoide this issue (I would arrive next day in that case). 

When I was on board for the first flight in Seattle, of course, I was unable to find the seats front... I explained the situation to the flight attendant and ask if there is any option they would offer to help me... nope..... The flight attendant said that many people would change the flight, not only me, so no prelivilage... but would they have a short connecting time like me????

Finally, the flight landed in Denver with only 24 min to connect to the next flight to Baltimore. I was sitting twards the back of the airplane so once I got out of the plane, I had only 12-13 min left. At least, I was hoping that the gate to the next flight was near by..... 

Oh my..... I had to run from C 28 to C 41..... with my son. 

It has been a while to use this southwest arline since the pandemic...my flight experience this time was a nightmare. If the southwest could not help with the issue that they created, at least I was hoping to get their sincere apology....

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Use one of the Contact Southwest Customer Service methods if you'd like to reach the airline directly. This is a customer to customer forum.

The part of this that I would highlight if you reach out to the airline would be someone at the check-in telling you to "sit towards the front" but not providing any method for you to do that.

If this happens again (I don't know if you have to make the SEA/BWI trip often) definitely try to get an earlier flight which allows some flexibility as the day goes on. Although the SEA desk might not have a lot of great options if you did get to DEN and miss the flight there might be another flight to BWI that you can take even if it isn't for sale.

I hope you did successfully arrive in BWI. 

[byang22]

Thank you for the reply. I appreciate your time to respond to my post. I did not reach out to the customer service because it won't help much with this event that already happened yesterday. 

If I had been fully informed by the staff in the check-in service in a polite manner as you explained here, I would not have been worried much (e.g., if I had known that there would be no-sale flight to take, in case I missed the flight.). 

I just wanted to share my experience with other passangers who have encountered or may encounter the similar situation in the future.  Also, I am not just complaining of the seat assignment... as you can read... just all other combinations including a lack of information on the alternative options or such a long distance between two gates...

Besides, with acompanying a person with special needs, it was actually impossible to choose any front single seat available separating from my son with knowing that he may be disruptive to other passangers sitting next to him. I do not know whether there is a policy or  seat accommodation for a person with special need, but if there is and I missed it, my apology... But, I did not anticipate all these when I was checking in or booking the flight...

Regardless of all these, thank you for your response and time to read my post. It was helpful to know other options are there although it does not change anything at this moment... but may be next time. 

[DancingDavidE]

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@byang22 wrote:

Thank you for the reply. I appreciate your time to respond to my post. I did not reach out to the customer service because it won't help much with this event that already happened yesterday. 

If I had been fully informed by the staff in the check-in service in a polite manner as you explained here, I would not have been worried much (e.g., if I had known that there would be no-sale flight to take, in case I missed the flight.). 

I just wanted to share my experience with other passangers who have encountered or may encounter the similar situation in the future.  Also, I am not just complaining of the seat assignment... as you can read... just all other combinations including a lack of information on the alternative options or such a long distance between two gates...

Besides, with acompanying a person with special needs, it was actually impossible to choose any front single seat available separating from my son with knowing that he may be disruptive to other passangers sitting next to him. I do not know whether there is a policy or  seat accommodation for a person with special need, but if there is and I missed it, my apology... But, I did not anticipate all these when I was checking in or booking the flight...

Regardless of all these, thank you for your response and time to read my post. It was helpful to know other options are there although it does not change anything at this moment... but may be next time. 

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This one was bugging me a little - "try to sit to the front" is not bad advice but to suggest it in a way that it may make or break the trip is just going to give you anxiety, especially when you didn't get to sit towards the front.

In reality it might save 5 to ten minutes and you probably will still make it. (After all the other flight is also statistically as likely to be delayed for one thing.)

If the ticket agent is sure that you won't make it they won't send you off to be stranded, so by letting you go as planned the thinking is you probably will make it.

Anyway - go ahead and call/email/write them, you might get a voucher to help sooth the experience, no guarantee but if you catch a sympathetic operator then maybe.

[floridaguy]

 There is no guarantee or assured way to "sit together" on Southwest and this has been discussed many times.  Southwest prides itself in faster boarding with unassigned seats.  That means when you buy a ticket on Southwest, you make an INFORMED DECISION that you are unable to select a seat assignment.