Since Southwest does such a poor job enforcing their own seating policy, that is certainly a consideration I have already planned. Is inviting someone with a legitimate complaint to consider another airline characteristic of Southwest, or just you ?
I don't know the official policy but had been traveling on a flight where I ran into a friend, that friend boarded early (with the upgraded boarding position) and tried to save an exit row seat for her very tall granddaughter, but the flight attendant would not let her save the seat when someone else asked if it was open. I would assume that if you wanted to sit there, you could have.
This has been going on a long time. I am so glad SWA will move to assigned seating. This is a cultural breakdown in our society as more and more people choose to game systems that rely on the honor system.
All of this would have been avoided if Southwest would have tossed people off the plane who tried to save seats. No one would save a seat again. Instead, they allow people to abuse the open seating and tell one customer that there is no policy yet tell another that saving seats is forbidden.
Southwest brought this on themselves. Herb would have tossed them off the plane and tossed a refund check in their wake. Who needs customers who are nothing but trouble?
