Skip to main content

Southwest Airlines Community

Re: Pre-Boarding Abuse & Seat Savings

jksobonya
Aviator A

I honestly don't get why seat saving bothers some people. I fly solo, and I have never once had an issue getting a seat I want. It's just not that big of a deal where I sit on the plane - front, back, window, aisle - even center. As long as I am on the plane and it's going to its destination, I don't care where I sit, and I don't care if a family of 6 saves 2 rows so they can all sit together. So be it. Why break up a family? Why make this a big deal? It's a true first world problem. 

 

--Jessica

Re: Pre-Boarding Abuse & Seat Savings

blsinmd
Adventurer B

That's you.  I pay for Business Select to give myself a better seat choice by getting on the plane A1-A15 boarding position.  Families board together anyway, after A's & B's. They can also purchase Early Bird for the entire family instead of just one passenger and saving seats.  Or, fly another airline to be able to pick all seats together. 

 

BTW - I've never broken up a family flying together.  My opinion in which I'm entitled to last I checked. 

Re: Pre-Boarding Abuse & Seat Savings

parpitt1
Frequent Flyer A

Wow, quite the heated discussion, our group won't be changing policies, but I do think we can continue to talk about this with the understanding the Southwest's open seating policy literally mandates some of the pre-boarding issues in order to comply with their general open seating policy so they don't discriminate against anyone.

Is the pre-boarding policy being abused? the short answer is yes. I travel alone for the most part so rather than talking to a companion I listen to conversations and have personally over heard folks scheming to pre-board many times.

Yesterday on a flight from Houston, I counted 26 pre-boarders, (that included those in wheel chairs) the majority of folks walked down.  

A possible and partial solution that I believe Southwest personnel could implement and comply with Federal law is to simply be trained to ask, "Do you just need some extra time to board?" This question framed correctly will require the folks say "yes" or "no." If they answer "yes" they get an XT and board between the A & B groups. The scammers will have to double down if they say "no" and claim a need to pre-board or take the XT.

Just a thought

      

Re: Pre-Boarding Abuse & Seat Savings

KLaMonica
Adventurer A

"My opinion in which I'm entitled to last I checked."

 

This is the second time you've stated that you're ENTITLED to your opinion, in one mention, you believe you are entitled because you are American.  Please cite the law which provides a legal right to you to have an opinion.  Pro-tip: it doesn't exist. 

 

So, I will assume when you say you are entitled to your opinion, you mean the primary definition of the word: 

 

en-ti-tled

adj.

believing oneself to be inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment.

 

... yet, you denied that you were entitled, when responding to MY comment, which didn't name you at all. Odd, how you took my comment about entitlement to be aimed at you, specifically. 

Re: Pre-Boarding Abuse & Seat Savings

blsinmd
Adventurer B

Lol.....there's no law that states I'm not entitled to my own opinion either. 

 

Believe it or not, just because you don't agee with my opinion doesn't make it wrong. 

 

Again....I'm entitled.  Smh

Re: Pre-Boarding Abuse & Seat Savings

bwallet
Frequent Flyer A

I pre-board. I fly almost every week, and I get an extra seat under the customer of size policy. The seats are 17 inches wide, and my chest, shoulder to shoulder is 21 inches. I'm 5'10 and 270lbs. Do I abuse the system? I meet the criteria for the extra seat though honestly, people much larger than me usually don't get an extra seat. I've had Southwest employees say that I shouldn't have an extra seat, but 21 > 17.

 

So, I pre-board every week. Sometimes I don't because I almost always have a boarding pass under A20, but sometimes when I haven't, they've called my name to come pre-board so it is just easier. I see who pre-boards. I do not see people scamming. I see old people. I see physically broken people (who I would not want to trade places with though no doubt it will be me one day). I've never heard anyone talk about scamming the system, and anyone who says they have, I call BS. The world doesn't work like that. If you "pull one over", you keep your mouth shut at the time. You don't advertise what you are doing. It is a great story, but it is crap. It is like stories of people buying lobster with food stamps and then leaving in a brand new Mercedes.

 

In all my time at the airport, I've never seen anyone board with "extra time". Does Southwest give people pre-board who should probably be "extra time"? Yes, I think so. Does it matter? Is that the thing that really what upsets you in the world?

 

Honestly, as someone who has literally flown thousands of flights all over the world from the cheapest to international first class (I usually do international in business class, but first class is even better), I do not understand why anyone would pay for Business Select. I love Southwest, but for the price of Business Select, you can almost certainly fly first class on another carrier. Southwest in any seat isn't as good as first class on American, United, or Delta (I've never flown on Alaska though I hear it is great). If your employer will pay for BS on Southwest, you should see if they will pay for first class somewhere else (American is the best for domestic first class in the US, btw).

Re: Pre-Boarding Abuse & Seat Savings

parpitt1
Frequent Flyer A

You are free to call my personal experience "BS and crap" that is your right, BUT it does not change the fact that I have personally heard this scam happen. Let me be perfectly clear a discussion I overheard can only be paraphrased here since I did not record the middle aged male and female I eavesdropped on, The women said something like ,"We're in the C group and we won't be able to sit together." The man then said, "I'll just tell them we need to pre board" he then walked up to the desk had a conversation with the SWA rep. which I could not over hear. What did he claim? I have no idea, but they then pre-boarded the flight.

This happened whether you want believe or not so it is not BS and not crap.

Enjoy your day   

Re: Pre-Boarding Abuse & Seat Savings

KLaMonica
Adventurer A

"Again....I'm entitled.  Smh"

 

You DO understand that words have meanings, don't you?

 

 

So, you are either claiming: 

 

verb
past tense: entitledpast participle: entitled
  1. 1.
    give (someone) a legal right or a just claim to receive or do something.
    * Just claim means a claim which in equity and justice the state should pay, provided the state has caused damage or injury or has received a benefit
     
    ___or___
     
    en·ti·tled

19789999.jpg

Re: Pre-Boarding Abuse & Seat Savings

KLaMonica
Adventurer A

I also find it more than coincidental that another person posted the following in the discussion forum: 

 

https://community.southwest.com/t5/Check-In-Boarding/Person-of-Size/m-p/141783#M10243

 

who just so happen to fit the criteria of your imagined Person of Size traveling to Vegas and stating they have difficulty walking. 

 

If I were in the FBI, I'd call that a clue. 🤣

Re: Pre-Boarding Abuse & Seat Savings

blsinmd
Adventurer B

Lol....more than coincidental?  Ah....maybe, actually there's more that one person that does it 🤔 Smh LOL

 

Witnessed it myself as well as my parents.  

 

Smh...