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I wish there were assigned seats

salspeaking
Explorer C

I LOVE Southwest, but why oh why can't we do assigned seating? Here are some disadvantages of the current process: major confusion for newcomers, inevitable saving of seats, tight connections often mean missing early boarding positions (even paid ones), parties traveling together being split up, the last passengers on full flights searching for open seats and sometimes having to backtrack. Don't the disadvantages outweigh the advantages? Gee, what are the advantages anyway? And if the answer is less staff time handling seating issues, I'd say really?

7 REPLIES 7

Re: I wish there were assigned seats

boomer6954
Explorer A

There are occasional flights where I agree, such as those tight connections where you just make it and boarding positions are moot but most of the time I like it.  I fly AA also and, for the most part, getting an aisle seat usually means paying a premium.

 

As far as the confusion on newbies I do see that occasionally however the friendly, helpful flight attendants quicky clear up the confusion.

Re: I wish there were assigned seats

Jefftb
Explorer A

Most of the confusion seems to be in the line up.  Amazed at the people that don't understand the numerical ordering.  

Re: I wish there were assigned seats

Sam2427
Explorer A

In some cases it'd be nice to have assigned seats but - the advantage of unassigned seats is huge; it's proven to be the fastest boarding process, hands down. Despite the few times I've been late to board and ended up in middles seats, I wouldn't change it!

Re: I wish there were assigned seats

wc-itover
Explorer A
I'm not for assigned seats but I think SWA needs to have a clearer seating policy. If it's open seating, then how many seats can a passenger save? 

Re: I wish there were assigned seats

spacecoastbill
Frequent Flyer B

Realistically, none.

 

If there is not a body in the seat, sit in it.  There is no way a person can save a seat if it has nobody in it.

 

I had this happen recently when a person paid for priority boarding and wanted to save a bulkhead seat for his frien in the C group.  Essentially he wanted to save money and not have both of them buy the priority boarding.

 

He protested loudly that the seat was saved, and the FA told him that it was open seating.

 

We sat there anyway and he huffed and puffed and walked back to row 4.

 

If someone is going to be so inconsiderate that they would try to save a bulkhead or exit row seat, they deserve to have their entitlement whisked away when you sit in the seat.

Re: I wish there were assigned seats

chgoflyer
Aviator A

@wc-itover wrote:
I'm not for assigned seats but I think SWA needs to have a clearer seating policy. If it's open seating, then how many seats can a passenger save? 

I agree.

 

Unfortunately, since Southwest has stated repeatedly that they have no intention of changing their "non-policy" seat saving policy, passengers are free to save as many seats as they can get away with.

 

Southwest specifically states that they expect passengers to "work it out among themselves," so it's clear that they place the responsibility for dealing with the issues created by their system on the passenger.

 

Ultimately, the system -- without some actual guidelines -- is destined to fail.

 

Meaning assigned seating is inevitable. 😞

Re: I wish there were assigned seats

spacecoastbill
Frequent Flyer B

How about assigning seats from the exit row forward?

 

One good thing is that if they do go full assigned seating, then the preboard scam will decrease and the miracle flights will stop.

 

SWA created this inevitibility by thinking people would not take advantage of the system.  They made it worse when they added the priority boarding option.  People figured out long ago that they could scam the preboard requirement and then make it even worse trying to save more seats, or even rows of seats.

 

It is just a matter of time before one or more people get into a brawl onboard, and it is entirely SWA's fault when that happens.