No assigned seat

[PW]

This is our first flight on Southwest. I just did the mobile check in on my phone and I see no seat assignment.  What is this experience like on the plane? Is it any more chaotic than the boarding WITH an assigned seat?

[caskey]

This is standard on Southwest.  All seats are available to you.  What you get is a boarding order and you get on the plane in that order. When you are on, you pick whatever seat, wherever you want on the plane.  The boarding order is A1-60, then B1-60, then C1-60.  The lower your boarding number the more choices you'll have when on the plane.  Generally if travelling with another person you'll have no trouble sitting together up through B60, but there is a reason the C group is called the 'C'enter seat group.  By then that's most of what's left.

It is quick and easy.

Edit: Also, in general if you ask, people are often willing to move forward or back a row to let you sit near each other as things fill up.  Though it's not likely someone will move from an aisle/window to a middle seat unless it is for a special reason (like your flight companion is a child).

[upintheair]

Why are customers allowed to save seats for their traveling companions while other customers who are boarding much sooner should have those seats.   I travel with Southwest a lot and have seen repeatedly that some passengers try and save the wholve overhead bin by closing it and making it appear full while they are only waiting for their family to board.    This is not fair.   If they want to board together, they should break down and buy the early bird pass.    The flight attendants never say anything as they watch this go down.    I recently was told that an overhead bin was full, only to open it and see it was empty.   The woman explained that she her family was behind me.   Again, the attendants can avoid these awkward situations by making announcements to the effect that you cannot save seats and/or overhead space.

[DancingDavidE]

Saving an overhead bin is too much. I'm pretty happy to let someone sit by their friend or spouse, and I'll even get up and move for someone that would be separated from their child. 

But if someone tried to claim an overhead bin, too bad, my bag is going in there if I'm planning to sit there. I think the Flight Attendant would back you up, but you would have to ask them and not wait for them to get in the middle of it.

[caskey]

Agreed, someone trying to reserve an overhead bin is too much.  I havent seen that behavior myself but it is beyond obnoxious. Frankly with two free checked bags I wish more people would do so rather than trying to carry everything on.  I never skip checking a bag if I have one.  It just makes life so much simpler.

[wc-itover]

Well I actually had a flight attendant named Barbara on flight #3902 confirm to the entire plane that southwest has an official seating saving policy. She declared that passengers can save seats.  I'm sure she's wrong but it's employees like her that's making the problem even worst by providing misinformation. Now everyone aboard this flight will go save tons of seats the next time they fly.

[DancingDavidE]

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@wc-itover wrote:
Well I actually had a flight attendant named Barbara on flight #3902 confirm to the entire plane that southwest has an official seating saving policy. She declared that passengers can save seats.  I'm sure she's wrong but it's employees like her that's making the problem even worst by providing misinformation. Now everyone aboard this flight will go save tons of seats the next time they fly.

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You also have to obey FA instructions, so that will be the rule on her flights apparently! But you won't hear that same policy for (m)any other flights.

[chgoflyer]

That FA was incorrect that there is an official policy, but correct that passengers are free to save seats. (That's the absurdity of the current Southwest "no-policy policy.")

[barilko]

Just one more reason to avoid flying Southwest.

[spacecoastbill]

Just ignore them and sit where you want.  If they wanted to sit together they should have boarded together.

Much like the "miracle flights" where people fake reasons to preboard, people also purchase early boarding for one ticket and then try to save seats, and rows of seats for those who did not and are in the C group.

They have no claim to those seats and even though I have had people say the seats were saved for their family, I just sat there.