Open Seating, not really true on SWA

[rubyredvette]

I always hear the about Open seating when I get on the airplane. Take any open seat. But SouthWest should add "Unless the Open Seat is being held for a friend. My wife and I were told that for the first four seats that we tried to sit in. If the seat is being held for a friend who is boarding in a Later Group, then Southwest has no problem with holding a seat. So the way to play the game is become friends with somebody in A Group and have them to hold a seat for you. If you give them $20 instead of upgrading to A1- A15 then you way ahead of the game.

I am fairly sure that Saving seats is a SWA policy because the Flight Attendant told me that the seat was saved when we went to sit in the third set of two seats.

[DancingDavidE]

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@rubyredvette wrote:

I always hear the about Open seating when I get on the airplane. Take any open seat. But SouthWest should add "Unless the Open Seat is being held for a friend. My wife and I were told that for the first four seats that we tried to sit in. If the seat is being held for a friend who is boarding in a Later Group, then Southwest has no problem with holding a seat. So the way to play the game is become friends with somebody in A Group and have them to hold a seat for you. If you give them $20 instead of upgrading to A1- A15 then you way ahead of the game.

I am fairly sure that Saving seats is a SWA policy because the Flight Attendant told me that the seat was saved when we went to sit in the third set of two seats.

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I normally don't feel bad about saving a middle seat since any other solo traveler (except for @TheMiddleSeat ?) won't be wanting that spot anyway, but I see your point where you are looking for two seats and if someone is in the window you'd expect to be able to get a middle and an aisle.

I suppose it is an informal policy - all you will find written is "any open seat" but never defining what an open seat is which we'll surely see some comments on this board in the follow ups that it can only mean a person in a seat and others that consider a saved seat next to someone not to be available.

Personally I'm all for someone saving a seat next to themselves for a spouse or child, up to a three-row section. People saving multiple rows, for co-workers, etc. no.

But basically it doesn't affect me that much and I just move on. I'm a happy guy and I'd like to stay that way and not let it bother me if I can help it.

[floridaguy]

I have called Southwest four times in the past about this very issue.  While there is no formal policy about holding or saving seats, it is also not endorsed by Southwest.

You can sit in any open seat.  I have done so.

I recently told someone that [saving the seat] is an interesting subject for a book, it is not supported on Southwest.  Yup, I sat in the seat that I wanted.

Report this behavior to the flight attendant and ask that law enforcement be brought on board to remove the passenger who is interfering with the boarding process.

[SWFlyer007]

@floridaguy I'm just going to the next rows and avoid all this altogether, but with a remark as such, Enjoy your flight.   Way too much other crap in the world for this to be an issue.

[rubyredvette]

Flight Attendant told me seat was saved when I went to sit in a seat. 

I plan to fly Southwest less with the new situation.

[dfwskier]

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@rubyredvette wrote:

Flight Attendant told me seat was saved when I went to sit in a seat. 

I plan to fly Southwest less with the new situation.

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And there was no other “good seat” available..?  How horrible

[dfwskier]

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@DancingDavidE wrote:

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@

But basically it doesn't affect me that much and I just move on. I'm a happy guy and I'd like to stay that way and not let it bother me if I can help it.

Yup, There are lots of good seats on the plane. I don't really care if i get 9C or 9D or 10C or 10D etc, etc, etc.

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[bballflyer]

I have seen the flight attendant, especially in the exit row, enforce no saving,  However I do believe there are cases where people of size purchase two seats and are allowed that 2nd seat.  This likely isn’t the case you ran into but something to be aware of and show some grace. 

[bec102896]

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@bballflyer wrote:

I have seen the flight attendant, especially in the exit row, enforce no saving,  However I do believe there are cases where people of size purchase two seats and are allowed that 2nd seat.  This likely isn’t the case you ran into but something to be aware of and show some grace. 

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Yep and I’ve seen cases where people try to make a scene because they believe you can’t buy 2 seats if your a COS. and the unhappy customer holds up the boarding process because they want to harass some one over a seat that they purchased 

[floridaguy]

Savings seats versus buying two seats are not the same issue.  They are not even in the same discussion.

The individual is frosted over an open seat that is being "removed" from the choice as it is being reserved for a future boarding passenger.  Southwest does not endorse that behavior.

No, there's no "policy" per se on this, but there's no policy about wearing barbed wire clothing either.  You can't write a "policy" to cover every point of human behavior.  Instead, we have open seating.  

I would dismiss the person from the flight who is saving the seat and would also have a boarding announcement as I have previously recommended.  Save a seat?  Get booted off the plane.