I used to enjoy flying on Southwest, shutting for over 20 years NoCal-SoCal for business. But the seats have been getting narrower and narrower. I am not a big guy, but if anyone larger than a child or small woman is next to me I end up having to literally touch shoulders for the entire flight. Add in people who use their phone the entire flight and I end up with an elbow into my space for most of the flight. The last two trips were absolutely miserable with people touching me or in my space, and with the flight made more miserable with masks and unable to have an unwind cocktail on the evening return, why put up with this? So I decided for my next trip in Sept 2021 I would just buy two full fare seats - one for me, one for elbow room. I am willing to pay the full amount, or whatever the last minute premium fare is since this is how important it is for me if I have to get on that flight. Southwest says this is not allowed. I explained they would not be losing revenue - the second seat would be fully paid for, I am paying the full amount for two seats at the premium fare, but they would not budge. If a "person of mass" uses two seats they can get a refund on the second one after the flight, but even if I do not want a refund on the second seat they would not allow it for me. At any rate with this policy I am using the "Delta variant" excuse with work to avoid the trip and any other future business travel requests. Business travel is no longer a "must" and is all now optional, and if I cannot at least have some elbow space for an experience made more miserable by masking I will stick to zoom. I have been an "A List" for well over a decade, but this year after two Southwest trips in 2021 I am stopping all travel on Southwest for personal, and will avoid it whenever possible for business when I cannot get out of the meeting altogether.
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