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Re: Saving Seats

booatx
Explorer B

I have had a few issues with SWA over the years, but I keep coming back.  I agree dfwskier, you have you take into account everything that comes with being a SWA flier.  
My schedule changes a lot.  Out of my 35 flights a year, I change about 8 of them.  I book at first knowledge of a trip because I know that I will not loose any money.  Both myself and Southwest benefit from even a transaction that I may change later.  I get the knowledge of knowing none of my money will be lost.  Southwest gets the knowledge that I will be rebooking with them because I have credit.  Everyone is happy!

Everything else is an extreme bonus.  

Re: Saving Seats

LINDAB00
Explorer C

My husband and I use early bird for only 1 of us. He wants a window seat, and I am so used to being the middle seater dont mind it at all.  He goes on  then watches for me knowing middle  is what no one wants and has given away the aisle seat before. He has told the people doing this I will be coming on  for middle seat.  I understand frustation of saving prime seats have seen it before. I even saw a person traveling with a dog use a wheel chair to ensure she get on first to have the first seat bulk head seat. Her dog not crated but on a long leash so others in her row were bothered by it. That wasnt nice

 

Re: Saving Seats

RSH_Houston
Adventurer C

Hi LindaBoo,

 

I understand what your doing, and really don't have much of an issue with it. Early Bird would put you behind me 99% of the time. However, saving a seat, no matter the method or the boarding position, goes against the whole concept of not saving seats. It would be very rare if anyone ahead of you would want the center seat anyway. However, the issue might be, on a not so full flight, of someone taking the aisle seat, not expecting anyone to sit in the center seat, and then after all those seats are gone, he/she is surprised by your appearance. I think you can understand that. If it were to happen to me, I know I would be pissed! 😡

 

As to the the animal on the leash (I am an animal person and a big believer of "pet-friendly"), AND with the handler in a wheelchair, and not in a carrier, the animal would be of either service or emotional support status. Remember, neither status requires the wearing of any identification nor containment on the aircraft (self-defeating).

 

I have NEVER seen a service animal bother anyone, anywhere. They are specifically trained not to and a part of their certification. On the contrary, however, emotional support animals require no training, only medical certification of the handler, being in need of their companionship. Something that is regularly abused. AND regardless of the status of the animal, the handler would have pre-boarded. and first, to assure the animal the floor in front of the first rows, and that person would not have needed a wheelchair for pre-boarding status. BUT, I do know where you were going with that, "pre-boarding" AND emotional support animals are both things that are way out of control with SWA, much more so than seat saving.

 

I know, from seeing it being done, some flight crews will not ALLOW any one that came on board in a wheelchair to not leave in one (the way it should be, what, something magical about the altitude or speed that fixed their issue?), AND after the enitre plane has disembarked, which absolutely went against their whole purpose in pre-boarding.

 

Safe travels, Darlin'!

Re: Saving Seats

LINDAB00
Explorer C

Oh well, when seats are not assigned people can sit anywhere. If someone who sat in the aisle seat is going to get upset when someone willingly takes the middle oh well. They can also pay that business class fare to get boarding A 1-15

 

Re: Saving Seats

dfwskier
Aviator A

@LINDAB00 wrote:

Oh well, when seats are not assigned people can sit anywhere. If someone who sat in the aisle seat is going to get upset when someone willingly takes the middle oh well. They can also pay that business class fare to get boarding A 1-15

 


The only people entitled to sit right next to you are people you know.

 

If you are in a aisle or window seat and someone sits in the middle seat, hit the FA call button.

He or she will tell the interloper to find another seat.

Re: Saving Seats

RSH_Houston
Adventurer C

So LindaBoo,

 

Perhaps I did!

 

Here's the scenario, and for the sake of argument let's assume, either before the Covid BS or after the Covid BS goes away -

 

The flight is booked to about 2/3 capacity.

 

It is an originating flight with no "throughs"

 

I buy Business Select, I sit in an aisle seat on the wing, actually 11D, my choice, and considered by most professional seat reviewers as the best aisle seat on the plane. as I have spent a lot of money for this ability.  

 

We're on a 700 so there are only three wing aisle seats, and only two where this could even occur.

 

You and your Husband bought your el cheapo seats early on, save the Early Bird upgrade on his. Of course you booked separately so he could do the EB at the time of purchase. Or less likely, he went back and added it on after the multiple seat purchase, the only two ways to put it on his seat and not yours.

 

Because of the Early Bird kick and the early purchase, his upgraded seat boards him automatically in Position A16, (we will also assume no one has purchased and "Anytime" because why would they? Usually less than $40 difference, sometimes less than $30, but way more points. Perhaps only if they were buying with points!

 

You don't "check-in" and retrieve your seat until just before leaving for the airport, boarding you late in the B Group. What difference does it make, you'll have that saved seat?

 

He boards in Position A16 with only a small handful of Business Selects in front of him (I am sometimes one of only two or three BS on a sold out flight).

 

He boards and finds Seat 11E, on of the two best window seats on the plane, empty. I am already in the aisle seat of the same row.

 

The flight continues to board, and board and board, all the aisle seats are taken, then most of the windows. You pop up to sit in your "saved seat".

 

I'm now stuck with not only moving to a window seat (the aisle seats are all gone), BUT giving up the huge difference in leg room between my seat and any other on the plane, OR having to be confined to a single seat, loosing an extra tray, and as flying courtesy dictates (hopefully your not a woman of size who should actually be buying two seats), loose my right armrest and fly with my arm in my lap. And yes, dfwskier, I know about Seat 12A, miles of leg room, unusable, suck a**, pull up, tray, and already taken by the 6'9" guy who bought a BS ticket so he could sit there.

 

But then it sounds as if I might be singing to the choir anyway.

Re: Saving Seats

ffflyer
Frequent Flyer B

This might not be the official solution but if where you sit or who you sit with is important to you, don't fly an airline that doesn't allow you to reserve a specific seat.

 

SWA is, usually, the lowest costs and most efficient option for me. But given all the BS with TSA, gate agents allowing oversize bags, the ever growing line of disabled pre-boarders, seat saving, now the whole masks thing, I'm driving. I can afford the extra time and the extra costs to completely do away with the extra hassle of flying.

 

Or, when the time comes in a couple months, I will close my eyes, hold my breath, and line up with the rest of the cattle 🙂

 

Re: Saving Seats

RSH_Houston
Adventurer C

@ ffflyer

 

I could not agree more! I have delayed all absolutely unnecessary travel for now. Not because of any fear, but because of all the inconvenience and BS.

 

Funny, in the weeks following the whole country shut down, and it wasn't until it started opening back up, I was flying (HOU/DTW, DTW/BOS, & BOS/HOU, numerous segments), and none of us were wearing masks, not the few passengers OR the crew.

 

All about making the sheep and cattle feel all fuzzy and warm, just like the whole TSA thing! I have issues with wearing a mask but I am tolerating it for the moment, and I have my own personal feelings about the whole Covid 19 BS, but I don't want to get that battle raging here.

 

Unfortunately, most of my trips to drive would require days v. hours to fly. Shorter ones, around Texas or to New Orleans, I too am driving.

 

Safe travels, my friend.