@Sneelock wrote:
This will probably increase the entitled people who also save seats for their entire family or group. At least this Dad only saved 5 seats - not like the "donut-lady" who saved 13?
Interesting story...but there's some key facts that I didn't see reported.
The article didn't mention whether the father with the A3 Upgraded Boarding position went to the back of the plane to save the six seats. I assume he kind of "had to" in order to avert likely conflict with the other passengers as the back rows don't typically start filling up until the mid-B's get on where seat "saving" would be more feasible. I can already see a nasty feud erupting had the seat-saving occurred up front which many folks consider the "Best Seats" according to the headline. If he took those seats up front, I would like to see how the details of the story unfolded, especially with the "lay across 6 seats and get into it with anyone that challenges my 6 seat sprawl" remark.
Otherwise, back of the plane are usually safe zones to save seats given there's no official rule on this, demand for these seats are low generally until the mid-B's get on, and SW has written policy to accommodate if there's children involved (more on that in a moment). Unfortunately, I didn't see any pictures posted and it looks like the Facebook posts referenced in the article were taken down.
The Donut Lady story appears to be different. According the referenced RedIt post which did have a photo published, the saved seats with the donut bags were toward the front of either a 8H4 or MAX8 craft. How could I tell?...it's because the seat behind the saved row had the missing window which is located just before the wing. Now that article spells out the worst case scenario with all the anonymous reporting of "crumpled tissues" or "intentionally creepy" passengers. Do I believe those anonymous reports?...No, and having frequently flown Southwest, I very rarely run into "reserved" seats in the front half of the plane when I board. For the one or two times that I seen seats saved in the front half, I just move on...And I always ask the people already seated in the row if I can take the available window...except for those 1-2 instances, the answer is always "yes".
Back to the Family Story...Another key factor...What was the age of their four kids? That's another key fact. Children age six or younger with an adult qualifies for Family Boarding. Plus by rule, families with children age 7-13 can also be accommodated at no cost. It's very possible these are key factors that need to be applied before jumping to conclusions on this story. That generally means whole rows would be available toward the back of the plane for the family; thus they can "confidently walk on like a boss".
https://support.southwest.com/helpcenter/s/article/boarding-process
Trust me...with A-List and Global Entry w/ PreCheck perks, I get that "VIP" feeling too bypassing long lines and having Priority Boarding. "Just get on 'confidently' and walk 'on like a boss.'"
Trust me, SoCalFlyer97 has personal travel "hacks" too, that includes utilizing free parking and public transit to get into SAN that has saved me well more than $200 in airport parking tolls and gas.
Anyhow, I'm glad to hear that there was a family who knew their benefits and utilized them. I would have however not published the "6-seat sprawl challenge" remark which I think sparked the media attention.