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Re: Pre-Boarding Abuse & Seat Savings

moandyr22
Adventurer C

Well Ill tell you as a FACT they dont enforce service dog policy either. My points are simple.    To anyone getting upset  that we dare challenge the legitimacy of the flood of people FREE Boarding... You should be more mad than I at those cheating it.   Its a growing majority .( Man if front of me yesterday free boarded then proceeded to occupy and had the nerve to hoard the seats in the exit row he didnt belong in. He said it was because hes tall.  Secondly as that was the last time Ill pay 3 times the ticket price in order to choose an exit seat, I'm also in a growing group. Southwest already has more pre boarders ( on most flights) than they do A list. and  WAY WAY more  free boarders than  business select.  "Free boarding" was a term I just thought" South west will eventually see a revenue loss. 

Off subjest middleseat ... who gets the armrest? 

Re: Pre-Boarding Abuse & Seat Savings

TheMiddleSeat
Aviator A

@moandyr22 the person in the middle.

 

Thank you for resurrecting several old threads that didn't need to be reignited. 

 

--TheMiddleSeat

Re: Pre-Boarding Abuse & Seat Savings

floridaguy
Aviator C

Pre-boarding has been discussed countless number of times.  Federal law gives people the right to "self identify" with a disability and those individuals are allowed to board the plane early.  With Southwest, it becomes more of a "perfect storm" because there are no assigned seats, thus, people who preboard have the best selection of seats.

 

I doubt that Southwest will change its policy of open seating.

Re: Pre-Boarding Abuse & Seat Savings

blsinmd
Adventurer B

Yep....witnessed myself last week.  I was going to purchase an upgrade from my early board, A41 boarding position for a better seat selection.  Until I counted the pre"free" boarders, 35 wheel chairs and with companions.  It wasn't a group either, none of them appeared to know one another.  Low and behold, once we reached our destination, no assistance was needed.  Most moved quickly to get off the plane, right past the wheel chairs they needed earlier and monovered just fine thru the Montego Bay Jamaica airport.   My next international flight is not on SW.  It's on American, I know where I'm sitting already, seats picked.  FIRST CLASS, seats A1 & A2, the cost wasn't much more than SW.  So worth it! SW is going to start to see a decline in revenue on way or another. 

Re: Pre-Boarding Abuse & Seat Savings

DtX8waaKgZEsZR
Explorer C

I was on 4 flights this past week and it is becoming a problem when flight attendants and pilots are not on the same page regarding seat saving.  They all need to agree on the policy set forth by SWA or SWA needs to grow a pair and pick a side to the policy.   I personally feel seat saving is wrong.  People with status have access to better seats. People who pay for early bird checkin have access to better seats.   Is it fair someone saves seats for others who don’t have this access?  Buy them early bird check in so they can get a better assignment number.    It continues to be frustrating when YOU  pick a seat and are told it is ok for someone to save  that seat when it is open seating on the flight.  First come, first serve doesn’t mean first come, save all the good seats for your friends/families.  If you want to sit together, fly another airline to guarantee your seats.  

Every flight I am on has different policies.  Training needs to be done for all in flight employees so they know how to handle this.    It isn’t professional when the staff gang up on a passenger who has the right to sit where they want if there is no BODY IN THE SEAT.  


 

Examples include:

1.  last flight the other day -  passenger saved exit row seat for friend boarding in group B.  Flight attendant allowed passenger to hold the seat for her friend.  Can you save seats and why exit row seats?

2.  Flight last Thursday -  passenger was saving a seat for wife who wasn’t A lost in front row. Flight attendants told him seat saving isn’t allowed.  
3.  Business class boarding passenger sat in middle row of the extra leg room exit row.  Passenger wanted to sit in the row but he said the seats were saved for his family.   Flight attendant allowed passenger to sit there which caused an uproar with seat saver.  Attendant asked passenger to save seats in a non-exit row for the family.  

Re: Pre-Boarding Abuse & Seat Savings

blsinmd
Adventurer B

I so agree with everything you stated. It should be the same rules across the board, either you are allowed to save seats or not! Period! I purchase Early Bird for every flight and purchase flights the day they are released.  Lately with early bird I've been getting high A #'s, one was even a low B #.  Then you have the Pre "Free" Boarding abuse.  I was going to purchase Business Class upgrade to the so called "Guaranteed" A1-A15 boarding for my flight last week.  I counted the wheel chairs pre-boarding, there were literally 35 of them and it wasn't a group, none of them knew one another.  Of course once we reached our destination, Jamaica, the earlier, required assistance was no longer needed. A lot of them couldn't get off the plane and thru the Jamaica airport fast enough. Yet another successful "Miracle" flight. I will never purchased a Business Class flight again! I have another international trip coming in May.  I won't be using SW, I am flying American Airlines.  I know where I am sitting, FIRST CLASS, seats A1 & A2!  And the costs, just a little more than SW...... So worth it not to put up with the SW BS and allowed abuse.  That's why they fly SW...it's allowed. Bet that wouldn't happened on another airline.      

Re: Pre-Boarding Abuse & Seat Savings

blsinmd
Adventurer B

Yep...the rules should be the same across the board.  I've been that person, first come first serve.  Girl was sitting in one of the front row seats with items in the other two saving them.  

 

I said I want to sit here.  She said I'm saving them seats for my friends "C boarders". I said, I don't see anyone sitting here, we don't save seats, I picked the items up and put them on the floor and sat down.  She got up and left. I'm an A-lister. 

Re: Pre-Boarding Abuse & Seat Savings

DtX8waaKgZEsZR
Explorer C

Good for you.  However, it only works when the staff agree to this side of the policy.   They love to look like heroes to the person who they approve of first.   Just like Nicki on my last flight.  She was adamant to allow the person to save the exit row seats.  Really; exit row seats.   That’s BS. 

Re: Pre-Boarding Abuse & Seat Savings

blsinmd
Adventurer B

In my case the FA was right there and didn't say a word.  And the girl saving the front row seats, which she thought pre-boarded.  I surely hope you took your complaint about FA Ms. Nicki further than here, I def would have.  

Re: Pre-Boarding Abuse & Seat Savings

cheyenneallgood
Employee
Employee

Hey there Community users - 

 

It has come to my attention that this post contains inappropriate language and does not abide by our Community User guidelines.

 

As a reminder, we ask that all users abide by the guidelines linked above including being respectful and courteous to others as well as searching before posting. As @TheMiddleSeat recommends, there are multiple posts pertaining to this issue which can be found by utilizing the search function at the top of the webpage. 

 

At this time, this post will be closed for commenting. 

 

Thank you, 

Cheyenne Allgood