This is a repost of a post that was originally posted way back in 2014. I have reviewed and updated it a few times since then. It consistently gets some of my angriest comments ever and the comments section itself is well worth a read 🙂
The Road Warriorette had an interesting post recently talking about a negative experience she had with the Southwest boarding process.
When we checked in to leave Vegas I ended up in boarding group C, and the Home Warrior was in group B. When we tried to board together in the B group the agent told me we would have to wait till group C is called if we want to board together. I told the agent we were married and she wouldn’t budge. I told the Home Warrior to go ahead and board. We were able to sit together but the Home Warrior had to turn a number of people away from the seat while waiting for me. Frustrated with the situation I decided to tweet my experience.
Southwest Boarding Process
If you’re not familiar with Southwest Airlines seating, you don’t get an assigned seat, but instead a boarding order. A1-A60 boarding passes board first, then families, then B1-B60, then the rest of the plane with C boarding passes.
Most of the commenters (myself included) agreed with Southwest that what she was trying to do was not appropriate. If 2 people want to board together, they need to board with the person with the worst boarding pass. Families traveling with children under 6 get to board between the A and B sections.
(READ: Family boarding on Southwest Airlines – tips and tricks on how to get to sit with each other)
Saving seats on Southwest – the “official” policy
The “official” policy appears to be that there is no policy. I could find nothing on southwest.com, and the only thing semi-official that I could found came from a Southwest customer service rep email that was posted on FlyerTalk.
“Dear X,
Thank you for taking the time to contact us. We appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns.
As you probably know, all flights on Southwest are “open-seating,” and Customers are free to take any available seat onboard the aircraft. In light of this, it is not uncommon for a Customer to want to reserve a seat (or seats) for a friend, family member, or associate who will be boarding behind them.
Truthfully, we don’t have a policy either way–for or against–saving seats. In fact, we share our perspective on this issue on southwest.com as follows: “because Southwest Airlines maintains an open-seating policy, general-boarding Customers may sit in any open or unclaimed seat.” With this in mind, as long as there is no Safety concern, it would be acceptable for a Customer to “claim” a seat for his/her family member or traveling companion who may be in a later boarding group. We are aware that the saving of seats is a by-product of our policy, and as long as the boarding process is not delayed and other Customers aren’t inconvenienced, it usually isn’t a significant issue.
Again, we appreciate your contacting us. We look forward to welcoming you onboard a Southwest flight soon.
Sincerely,
Marco, Southwest Airlines”
So I guess their policy is “uhhhhh do whatever you want”.
Saving seats with Southwest Airlines seating – my take
My take is simple: Don’t do it. If you are going to do it, do it at the back of the plane. I think that most people would not mind saving one middle seat in the back of the plane. But if you’re going to do that, you might as well just board together (at the “worse” boarding position!)
On a recent Southwest flight, my wife and I were in the early B boarding group. We were a few numbers apart but boarded with the higher (worse) number. In my experience, this is definitely early enough to get 2 seats together. We boarded the plane and found an aisle / middle seat about 10 rows back. The man sitting by the window had a coat or something on the middle seat, and when we went to go sit there, he said it was “saved”. It was annoying but we just continued moving and found 2 seats together a few rows back.
I think the only one I’d feel sympathy for would be someone traveling with a young child (but older than 6 and thus not eligible for family boarding). On the other hand, you do have the Early Bird Check-in, which lets you board in the A1-15 section.
(SEE ALSO: Is Southwest Early Bird Check-in worth it?)
While I understand wanting to sit with your traveling companion(s), let’s not forget, with the possible exception of younger children, the world is not going to end if you sit apart for 2-3 hours. If it’s very important to you, either a) pay for Early Bird check-in, b) make sure to check in as close to 24 hours before your flight as possible or c) FLY ANOTHER AIRLINE THAT LETS YOU PICK YOUR SEATS!
What do you think? Have you ever saved seats on Southwest or tried to sit in a seat that someone else saved?
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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
Were you guys on the same reservation? I’m puzzled how my child (say over 4, but under 10) would not be next to me in the line if we’re on the same reservation number. It really bugs me that I would not be guaranteed earlier boarding so I could sit with my child. At least Spirit assigns people seats with their kids, even if it’s in the back.
Yeah I don’t know if maybe I am doing something wrong, but the times that I have signed up with Southwest, we’ve all gotten different confirmation numbers. It definitely seems to have to be that way with the Companion Pass, because you specifically HAVE to do that separately. So like Tina said in her comment, oftentimes you’ll have boarding pass numbers quite a bit from each other. I’ve had it go up 10-15 numbers in the 30 seconds it takes me to enter the 2nd person’s information, if you do it right at the 24 hour mark
That makes sense (that it’s the companion pass) and not a regular reservation.
When I booked our flights for our family of 8 to Reno this summer, I booked the 7 of us (non-companion pass) on the same reservation, but everyone had different confirmation numbers, and I had to check them all in separately. We had horrible boarding order but were saved due to the family booking between the A and B sections.
Again, I don’t know if this is normal, or if I just did something wrong…
That’s always what I’ve experienced as well. We have to check in for each person separately. It’s a shame you can’t check your whole party in at once, but as far as I can tell, it doesn’t work that way. Usually, I pay for early bird check in. I just don’t want to interrupt my vacation by checking in at exactly 24 hrs. The one time we didn’t, we were lucky to all 4 get A numbers with only a couple spaces between us. We, too, lined up starting from the worst number. It only seems fair to do it that way.
I pay extra for early bird seating. I really resent seats being saved. if they want to sit together they should pay for early bird seating.
Good article but you need to check your numbers when you say ” On the other hand, you do have the Early Bird Check-in, which lets you board in the A1-15 section – $12.50 per seat.” There is no way early bird check-in gives you A1-15 unless there is no A-list, no business class the plan is empty. I have use this service on many occasions.
I just bought the Early Bird boarding and I have B51. Ugh.
Looks like SW needs to bump the price up again if earlybird is getting people B51.
Early Bird Check-In is $15 per flight per person. Hubby and I fly Southwest a lot. I usually buy Early Bird for one of us. The first one on saves a seat for the other. As per SW’s statement, they don’t care if you save seats.
When we took our family of 7 away for Christmas, we flew Southwest. I paid for Early Bird Check-In for all of us. Even though we all booked on our own accounts (my kids are adults), our boarding numbers were together. We were on early enough to get exit row seats.
I would have sat in your “saved” seat. If you didn’t like it, guess who would be moving?
Maybe ‘they ‘ don’t care, but I sure do. If I paid early bird, I should be able to sit where ever I want. You saving a seat means I can’t sit in that seat and that bugs the crap out of me. As far as I’m concerned, you are taking advantage of other peoples good will to save $15 bucks. More and more people are doing exactly what your doing and that’s screwing over the rest of us. If you want to sit together, then you should buy early bird for both tickets. Don’t be surprised if a confrontation erupts sometime when you do that. It’s not fair and you shouldn’t do that.
If you prefer Spirit’s policies then, please, just fly Spirit. SW has their policy and either abide by it or do something else.
You should NOT save seats it’s WRONG and not far to those who buy early bird check in. You’re no better than people who don’t work but want everything others have. It’s another form of welfare get something for nothing. Open seating means if a body isn’t sitting in that seat and I PAID to sit before them it’s my seat. Pay or save seats in the back of the plane
You’re a rediculous, petty, and unreasonable person. Get a life.
Paid $40 to get A1-A15 and was allocated A7 and only 4 folks in front of me, so assumed that will get one seat of the first row of available 6 seats and to my surprise a white lady on both sides holding all seats and upon my sharing that I paid $40 to board early so I can get one of the available 6 seats she said – better luck next time and the crew attendant named Joseph R N kept listening the conversation instead of interrupting
I would have just sat down! Cheap asses that try to save seats when we pay for Early Bird makes my blood boil! If you want to sit together – get early bird for everyone!
What if I pay for business class, which is a quite a bit more than early bird? I may be A-3, but have 10 “special” boarding folks ahead of me and I’m ten rows back. I should be able to save a seat for a traveling companion. And, again, southwest has no policy on this.
These are the people who put towels out before sunrise for resort or cruise pools, but don’t use them for hours. It’s rude, and I’m putting their stuff at lost and found or random chairs. I’m not breaking rules, they are, lol
Of you book a flight with the same confirmation number, you should be able to get the same boarding Time, not one a A and the other a C, it’s ridiculous. Now if it’s a A4 and a A60, that’s different. I will try to save a seat in the back for my wife. I will tell people that someone is sitting there, and I don’t care. SW should change this, same C# same boarding
Personally I prefer South West’s boarding. It avoids the crushing crowd trying to board that other airline “groups” have. People are orderly and tend to respect the assigned numbering. As far as saving a seat I’ve both seen others do it and consequently have done it myself. Never had or been an issue (at least so far). One of us does early bird sign in (seem to always have a A grouping) and the other ends up in A or early B (checks in as close as humanely possible the 24 hours prior to flight time).
You need to pay early bird for both of you! Not fair to the others who paid for it. Don’t be surprised when someone sits in your “saved seat” and a confrontation erupts
I cancelled my SW credit card and will no longer prefer to fly SW as a result of this issue.
Flight Attendent said she was not “getting involved” when I tried to sit at an open seat that was “saved.”
She got involved when the issue became a major disruption.
I paid and worked to get a preferred seat.
They just said on the intercom “if a seat is open then take it.”
I have flown SW a lot when I was travelling with someone and either paid for Early Bird or checked in together on the phone.
Just another oppportunity for people to be rude.
SW policy is well known regarding seating, or I thought it was.
I don’t need a discussion about what seated are saved or not when I board the plane. I haven’t flown them since and I was a loyal customer since the 1970’s
Often the more-traveled member of a group will have a higher status than a less-traveled member. On Southwest that means earlier assignment of boarding numbers and thus earlier boarding.
My 9-year old daughter is on my companion pass. So she gets a different reservation number. I always check in myself first, and then her second. There have been a couple of times when her boarding number was significantly later than mine. Southwest has allowed her to board with me at those times. There have also been times when I completely forgot to check in 24-hours ahead of our flight, and we had to panic about whether or not we would get to sit together, but we have been fairly lucky with that. Last time this happened, we ended up across the aisle from each other.
I believe that business class get A 1-15, and early check-in gets A 16 and up, depending how many people utilized it. I have had early bird check in and been #15 with empty spaces in front of me.
Despite what Southwest may claim that you are allowed to save a seat, people get mighty surly if you try. My own experience.
I fly a LOT. It takes me away from home and my family. One of the few perks of all that travel is being able to ensure my wife And I can sit together when we travel together. I’ve paid my dues for the ability to save us (middle, by the way) good seats and don’t think I should have to apologize for it.
As long as people who paid good money for their tickets are expected to suffer through an entire flight of a screaming child and “have a good attitude because it’s just a part of flying”, there are far bigger inequities than a person who wants to save a seat for their spouse or friend.
As a side note, I have found that bringing my wife’s purse for the “saved seat” eliminates 99% of frustration from boarding passengers, and most people’s irritation with “saving” stems from doubts about whether the seat is truly saved or being selfishly disguised as “saved” so the person can have extra space. The purse fixes all of that.
Hey Jeff…your sense of entitlement stinks. There’s no relationship between the amount of flying you do and where your wife gets to sit. You’ve “paid your dues?” Really? Great! You’re entitled to ONE SEAT, just like everybody else boarding the aircraft. Your _wife_ hasn’t paid any “dues,” by the way. The other passengers may have indeed *paid* for the privilege of maximizing their choice of seats, or have done the work of checking in early enough to maximize their choice of seats. What part of “first come, first served” don’t you understand? Or are you just too special for that?
Very well said!
I’m sorry but you wife didn’t pay to SIT there. My husband and I paid $60 for round trip and some INCONSIDERATE guy saved two entire rows. He was alone and we continued down after several attempts to find a seat. You’re stealing from the airline and ME because you take seats from those who paid for it. Free handouts aren’t fair
Yes you can save seats once on board a Southwest flight according to this official communication from Southwest I received on December 8, 2014.
“It is not uncommon for our Customers to save a seat (or seats) for a friend, family member, or associate in a later boarding group so they can enjoy each other’s company. We don’t have a policy regarding saving seats, and it is acceptable for a Customer to “claim” a seat for someone as long as the boarding process is not delayed and other Customers aren’t inconvenienced.”e
Thank you Southwest for allowing people to save good seats for a group or family without having to pay extra for business class or early bird check ins.
Dave, You are correct that Southwest’s policy is kind of a “non-policy” but I (as well as most other Southwest passengers) tend to disagree with you, unless you’re saving seats towards the back of the plane.
No problem, just have one person in your group add early bird which is usually a Group A boarding. Then that person can save the seats up front. So you can still save and get good seats together in the front.
I understand that you can do that, but IMO (and from what I’ve seen, the opinions of most of our fellow Southwest passengers), that would be considered fairly rude. If you want seats together, either fly an airline that lets you pick seats, pay for early bird, or make sure to get your boarding pass at the 24 hour mark like the rest of us. Or sit in the back.
Doing the things you suggest do NOT guarantee that passengers will be seated together. I think those who have a problem with the fact that Southwest allows “seat saving” should either hash it out with Southwest or fly another airline so that they can reserve a specific seat.
I will sit in “saved” seats. You can ALL pay to board early or else move to seats all open together. Sorry, not sorry!
If we ALL pay to board early, how does that work? Someone has to be last even if EVERYONE pays to board early. I don’t think many people realize that the early bird process isn’t what it used to be.
Just understand that I sit where I want. I Usually take the first open seat I want. I’ve had a few people tell me it was saved. I Sat down anyway. The Flight attendants won’t get involved. In short, I fight rudeness with rudeness.
While I don’t disagree with you, it gets a little trickier when you want a window seat (are you going to climb over someone else?!?) or are traveling with someone else.
I will also sit in “saved” seats. As an A list preferred customer it is rarely an issue. My preference is exit row aisle and if empty I will sit there even if it is “saved” If an argument ensues, and it has, the flight attendants have always said if it’s empty, it’s available.
You want to start a fight on the plane, if you sit in a seat that I have “saved” for someone and I have told you in a nice way that seat is taken, then you better not sit there or there will be a fight on this plane!
I Agree!!!
I think you’re missing the meaning at end of the statement provided by SW. “…as long as the boarding process is not delayed and other Customers aren’t inconvenienced.” If another couple see the last 2 seats that are together are empty but claimed as being saved for others who have yet to board, this other couple are now “inconvenienced Customers.” If they contest the person saving the seat and begin arguing with them, boarding is now being delayed. What SW policy is really saying is that you’re free to try to save a seat for someone else boarding later but if someone challenges you and want’s those seats, you can no longer save those seats and will have to give them up.
We just flew from Orlando on a full flight and numerous passengers were saving multiple seats at the back of the plane. We could see all those empty seats back there and so passed up single middle seats on our way to the back only to find all those seats “saved.” The couple in front of us disputed the seat saving and after it was clear that boarding was being delayed, the FA told the man saving the seats that he must yield the seats to the couple. The man got so pissed he left the row altogether and sat who knows where (but for sure it was a middle seat). We didn’t press the issue on other saved seats (but should have, as we wanted to sit together just as much as anyone else. If you want to sit together, all members of your party should pay the early bird checkin fee. I could easily imagine a scenario on a full flight where everyone checked in right at 24 hours and there were already enough early bird checkins ahead of you that you might not get to sit together because some cheap passenger only paid for one earlybird checkin and is now depriving legitimate early birds of what they paid for (better odds of sitting together).
If someone wants to save seats, then they can save a middle seat or move back in the plane to save seats. I saw an old couple who paid for earlybird check-in get pushed back 8 rows or more because some selfish woman save an aisle seat for her friend in boarding group C. As far as I’m concerned that woman should have paid for that older couple’s earlybird check-in. Saving prime seats is selfish. Move back in the plane if you want to save seats and let the first come be first served!!!
And for all you selfish people out there, don’t ask me to move back 6 rows to a middle seat so that you can sit with your spouse in my assigned aisle seat. Sheesh! If you want to sit with your spouse then trade with person 6 rows back.
I totally agree. I think nobody minds saving seats if you do it towards the back of the plane. Where people (myself included) get irritated is when you’re trying to save premium front seats
Just a way to beat the system. Pay for one early bird save money and save seats. I’ll tell them there is no seat saving and sit down wherever I choose.
If you’re going to save a seat (or two), definitely do it at the back of the plane. That seems to be the unofficial culture of Southwest. I think people get so freaked out about getting a decent seat that they will grab the first acceptable one they can find and plunk down there, even when there are tons of empty seats further back.
I wouldn’t see a big problem with “saving” a middle seat for your companion, if you are sitting towards the back of the plane. BUT… it shouldn’t be a guarantee. If there is another pair or group that want that seat so they can sit next to each other, and they are all on the plane, the fair thing to do would be to give it up to them.
Jamie – I totally agree. That is exactly how I feel as well.
Here is my take on this whole unfair system, I will never fly Southwest again! they can keep their open seating and I will fly only with carriers that have assigned seating!
My husband and I paid $40 each to obtain an A 1-15 grouping on a Southwest flight this morning, because bad weather changed our early bird checkin from Group A to C. A man in front of us in this group “saved” a seat in the 2 person emergency exit row for his wife, who was in a much later boarding group, with the support of the Southwest flight attendant. It seems to be an unfortunately enforced policy, since we were assuming that seats cannot be saved (as we have been told by attendants) and was why we thought it fair for both of us to pay $40. Also frustrating was that the passenger saving the seat lied and said his spouse was in the restroom. (A very brusque flight attendant chastised us strongly for raising questions and backed up the passenger saving the seat.) It seems like it would be useful for Southwest to at least post some etiquette tips for seat saving, and be more transparent about the ‘non-policy’ for those of us opting to pay extra.
Yeah – I find Southwest’s policy (or really unofficial LACK of a policy) to be quite annoying. I also have been bitten by the “she’s in the bathroom” lie / excuse
I always call out the bathroom lie. ‘Fine, I’ll move when they get back’ . 9 out of 10 times there’s no one in the restroom. I’ve gone all the way to the head of CS at Southwest over savings seats and was told you can save seats…EXCEPT for the Exit rows, since they have certain restrictions. I was burned once when a person in the 1st row bulkhead was savings seats and so I headed to the exit row only to have another person claiming to be saving seats there. Turned out the 2nd person and the 1st person were both together and the 1st person showed up at the Exit row, leaving the previous bulkhead row empty. Of course by that time I was 1/2 way down the plane aisle and people behind me had take the bulkhead row. Also an A1 does you no good if you’re late on a connecting flight. If you want the piece of mind of knowing your seat is there for you so long as you arrive before the doors close…fly another airline.
LOL – easier to do when you’re by yourself. The thing too is that most times it’s just not worth the hassle unless you’re REALLY far back in the boarding order.
Simply look at the restroom occupied light to contest someone on that point.
Almost same happened to us. Paid for early bird. Came to exit row with young wow an sitting there and her bag in middle seat. I said my wife and I would like to sit here in the exit row, she said she was saving it. I expressed that it is not customary to try to save an exit row seat. I looked to Jacque the attendant and she just shrugged and said “for us to fight it out”. Really?! I asked her what then was the purpose of having groups at all and paying early bird or business? She ignored me and moved to another aisle. We did receive compensation when we sought out a customer supervisor. She indicated that how it happened was improper. Idk.
Woman not wow. And same lie; in the bathroom. She had stood in front of us while boarding. He was in the C group.
Yeah – that is irritating. And unfortunately, there’s not a ton you can do to counter rude behavior from seat savers. If you just plop yourself down there, you’re likely to escalate the situation and get yourselves both thrown off the plane.
Yesterday I was on a flight to visit family. Paid for early bird check in and was in A group. There were many open seats in the front. I tried sitting in 3 Different ones w the same guy saying they were taken.
He legit saved 4 rows on both sides of the aisle. When I tried sitting for the the 4th time and he said it was taken I told him I won’t move and he can’t save the entire plane.
My experience brought me here to see what the rules are. I totally get saving a seat, but multiple rows is rude. Southwest offers a service for a fee and holds zero accountability for those who exploit it.
Yeah – it’s super crazy. When we were looking to travel on Southwest for the first time, I thought about just buying 1 Early Bird and then saving 8 seats, but quickly realized that would just make me a giant jerk.
in my book you’re at most saving one seat and it best be a middle seat. Otherwise I’m sitting there and not responding to any further comment. I pay for early bird to sit where I want and I will do just that.
Recently traveled with wife, we paid extra for early bird seating. We had A29 and A30. Just about everyone who boarded in front of us “saved” the seat or seats next to them. Totally annoying when you spy out two seats together, just to be told to move along. But the kicker was by the time we got to emergency exit rows, some guy had “saved” three contiguous rows. I commented that this was rude, and the guy got defensive and belligerent, I felt like he wanted to start a fight. The SW “non-policy” is a problem which at some time will be a bigger problem. Rude people are taking advantage of a “loophole” in the boarding process. A confrontation will happen. SW should address the issue now. Maybe the policy is “no saving” until after early bird….. Or only one seat… Or maybe no “saving” at all.
Yeah – Southwest’s policy does seem too lax. I mean with the guy that was supposedly “saving” 3 rows, you could have just sat there and then the policy would have worked in your favor. On the other hand, it might have made for an unpleasant flight with your seat neighbors 🙂
I understand people’s frustration with the seat saving, but in some ways there is a good reason for it because of Southwest’s policies. For my family, my daughter has autism, and we need to board early to get her settled before everyone gets on. Southwest does allow this for persons with disabilities, but they only allow ONE person to board with her. Number one, it is upsetting to her and will cause lots of frustration if her dad and brothers are not in the aisle across from me and her on the plane. Second, I need my husband to be nearby, and sometimes help a little if I need to go to the restroom, etc. So I get on early with my daughter, and then have to “save” three seats for my husband and two sons across the aisle from us. This would easily be solved if Southwest would allow us to board together. I do check in at 24 hrs on the dot (ready a few minutes before), but because of points and different confirmation numbers, it doesn’t always work well. Also, I do try to go to the back of the plane (we travel a decent amount), but on the flight we are doing this week, we have to be toward the front in order to get off quickly to make our connecting flight with my daughter (Southwest made the connection, not me). AND we usually can’t fly another airline because my husband’s company only flies Southwest and that’s where are rewards are. Not everyone lies, or is a jerk, sometimes there are legitimate reasons for needing to save seats. If Southwest would just listen to me when I ask them for my daughter’s sake that we need to be together, there would be no saving needed. But before we all are quick to judge, how about just be thankful that you don’t have a child with special needs and truly NEED to make all kinds of adjustments in your life. Just trying to show another perspective. 🙂
Marla – thanks for the perspective. As it turns out, my oldest daughter also has autism so I know what you’re talking about (though obviously the spectrum is large). I do agree that Southwest’s policy of only allowing 1 person back with the person with special needs is frustrating. While I still don’t enjoy seat saving on Southwest, I think most people would be sympathetic in your situation, but I don’t think that’s what is happening in 95% of the cases.
Well, if she needs the entire family seated together and you HAVE to fly Southwest, you should spring for early-bird check in/boarding for your entire travelling group.
I was flying out to Vegas with my wife, found an empty row and the guy in the row ahead of us said “Sorry, my kids are sitting there.” His “kids” were his gambling buddies and they wanted to fly out together, except the first guy had the best boarding pass so he blocked 6 seats. Now when someone says “These are saved!”, I just smile and say “Sorrrrrryyyyyyyy…..” and park it.
Seat saving is rude. Southwest Airlines is irresponsible for not creating and enforcing a clear, coherent rule, because it causes conflicts like this among passengers. What makes it worse is the fact that they market and sell priority boarding products- that is what makes people so angry about seat savers: they paid for the opportunity to choose from better seats, but seat-saving customers are denying them what they paid for. My son is autistic, so I always pay for Early Bird check in for both of us, to ensure that we can sit together near the front so that he can have a good view out the window (important distraction for him). On our last flight, we found a row 6 window/middle seat combination that was unoccupied but had a purse on it. I indicated to the young woman in the aisle seat that we would sit there, and she said she was saving the middle seat for her mother. I looked down the next few rows, which were either missing windows or had window seat occupied, then told the woman that we would need to sit there, and (not meanly) pointed out that her mother could sit right across the aisle from her, as that aisle seat was still unoccupied. She crossed the aisle in a huff, and later loudly commented to someone that she had been kicked out of her seat. Why should passengers have to argue like this? If the gate attendant announced a seat-saving policy prior to boarding, there would be no need for us to “fight it out”. But as it stands with Southwest shirking that duty, it is unfair to save any premium seats (front of plane/exit rows). If you feel you must save for any reason, do so in the back.
Right – I think most people would be (more) fine with seat saving if you did it in the back of the plane
Fly Delta, United or others that have assigned seating. Do not save seats. If you are in the back 5 rows, it’s OK to save 1 seat, not more than that.
…but not aisle seat that is across isle seat from you.
Its not fair – I paid for early check in and they are saving seats for people who did not. I was A33 so it wasn’t a huge deal but if 5 people held an extra seat that’s 5 less options I have that are given to folks who didn’t pay the $12.50. I think SW might want to rethink their policy because they are losing money when people hold seats.
^ Pete nailed it. And it’s one reason why I avoid flying WN.
Yesterday, September 14, 2015, I boarded my flight from Chicago to St. Louis and a Caucasian Man mid 50’s-60’s (can’t call him a gentleman) was sitting in the middle seat of the second to last row in the rear of plane. I asked if someone was sitting there and he responded they were in a boarding class that was after my position of B50. There were no other end seats so I proceeded to place my things down and he stated that all seats were taken on that row. I asked the flight attendant who was standing right there and she stated that he could hold seats. I have never heard of such and I have flown SWA for years. To make matters worse, another Caucasian male came behind me and he allowed him to sit on the row, meanwhile a very nice lady sitting with her husband on the back row moved over and allowed me to sit with them. Both of them also Caucasians were disgusted by what had just occurred as where the other passengers on the rear of that Flight 1193.
To make matters worse than that, I called Southwest Airlines Customer Relations Department and spoke to Logan, Customer Service Relations Specialist, explained the above situation and all he could offer was: “I am sorry that happened but we don’t get involved in customer disputes on the plane and unfortunately we don’t have a policy against holding seats.” I could have easily turned up and caused a ruckus, which I would never do on an airplane, but in these days and times it just seem as if we would try and do what is right by one another in all instances. And in this instance I think that it is totally unfair for Southwest Airlines not to take a position on this type of situation. It is really a very poor excuse not to have a policy that is simple and clear. Not to mention that the man was obviously racially biased. There is a reason that you have “Open Seating” and the process of boarding positions is really for not if this is the way it is going to be on your airlines.
So, it’s $12.50 to upgrade to be in boarding position A1-A15, maybe that is something for people to consider when their traveling partners end up in a boarding position that is not within a reasonable range that you might not get seats together. Pay that fee get on first and hold a row of seats. There you have it!
I would suggest Southwest Airlines put the policy in place to prevent these type of issues.
OverIt!!!!
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Southwest Airlines Darius,
I’m very sorry for your frustration. In general, with our open seating policy, we trust Passengers to work out seating arrangements among themselves, and we hope everyone is considerate of other Customers during the boarding process. In such c…See More
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I’m very sorry for your frustration. In general, with our open seating policy, we trust Passengers to work out seating arrangements among themselves, and we hope everyone is considerate of other Customers during the boarding process. In such cases, our Flight Attendants will neither condone nor prohibit the saving of seats, as we don’t have a policy in place for that.
Still, I truly regret your disappointment, and I hope you’re able to join us again for a much more pleasant experience next time.
-Maddie
Like · Reply · 20 hrs
Darius C. Young This is good to know Maddie and I am happy to have it documented from your Facebook Page here. I will be sure to save this for future reference. Thank you so very much. And surely, I would not allow one bad apple to spoil the lot of what you all do. I can play along and be a “good” customer as I always am.
For those that may be reading this and reading that A-15 boarding is $12.50 that is WRONG. Early bird check in is $12.50. What that does is lock in a boarding position at 36 hours prior to departure, whereas the rest of the passengers have to wait until 24 hours prior to check in. A1-A15 is upgraded boarding, is ONLY available at the airport, the day of your flight. It is either $30 or $40 based on the length of your flight. After they sell 15, no one else can purchase those.
SW is irresponsible for not having a simple policy posted at every gate. That policy could be as simple as “No seat may be saved with the sole exception of a single seat for one person with a special need.” Would that solve everything? No. Individuals will still lie, cheat, and be rude. The policy to “neither confirm nor deny the allowance or prohibition of unlimited seat saving” while simultaneously selling priority seating in increments is a premeditated unethical corporate business practice bordering on fraudulent misrepresentation of a contract and/or false advertising.
I fly Southwest frequently and seat-saving is a huge problem that Southwest chooses to ignore. I have paid for EBCI on every single flight since it became an option and I do so because I have seat preferences. If Southwest is going to CHARGE me for the privilege of having more seat-selection, then they have the responsibility IMHO to protect the value of what I have paid for.
No seat assignments and boarding hassles are the reasons we moved much of our travel to JetBlue.
SW lack of a seat saving / non-seat saving policy is just wrong I am an A-list preferred and general sit the 2 sear exit row and save 1 of those seats for my spouse when she travels with me. Every SW flight attendant has a DIFFERENT set of “rules” they try to enforce and to my understand there are no official rules. She told me because my wife did not “pay” for that sear I could not save it for her. Fortunately my wife was not far behind me so it was not an issue but I am sick and tired or mr. Or mess good rules attempting to enforce “their” rules which simply do not exist. SW please fix this.
Yeah. I just wish there was one rule. If saving seats was the official “rule”, then I’d follow it. If it’s not allowed, then I want that to be “enforced” as well.
I don’t care that you’re a list. You’re not saving an exit seat for your wife if it’s the only exit seat available for me when I’ve paid for A1-15. And I guarantee you’re not big enough to stop me taking that seat.
I love being big. If someone tells me I can’t have a seat that I paid extra to board early to sit in, I will tell them they are welcome to try to move me with a smile on my face. Been called an asshole before but no one has physically attacked me, although I would welcome it as there would be no where for them to run.
Southwest get your shit together, so that your customers can have a better flight experience with less stress which lord knows all passengers have enough of.
And I make this guy look like a teddy bear diplomat.
Wow, so much frustration in this thread. I’ve NEVER cared whether someone was saving a seat or not on a flight (regardless of if I was flying alone or not, and I fly alone a lot on SW) and see it the same way as someone saving a seat on the bus.
You have no idea why they might be saving that seat. Maybe its because they are terrified of flying and could not afford the extra upcharge of $40 for saving A1-A15 and want their spouse holding their hand (or alternatively able to “clean them up” if they are prone to motion sickness). Would you WANT to sit next to someone that is about to throw up on the plane or squeeze your hand into oblivion? PROBABLY NOT.
Look: everybody is going to board the flying bus and if somebody wants to sit with his wife then why should I go ahead and sit there when his wife is going to board anyway? Why would I want to cause that kind of drama (unless I was a drama-king/queen)?
Let’s say they are saving it for their younger daughter and couldn’t afford the A1-A15. You “going ahead and sitting in that seat anyway” makes you look like an asshole, to be honest.
I’ve never seen anyone “save” more than 1-2 seats (mostly for their wife/kid). You people need to get over yourselves. It’s just a flight. Go find another seat.
Although, it should be noted that its a good idea to for someone that needs to save a seat for another passenger to put a purse or bag in the seat that’s “saved” to indicate to all passengers easily and clearly that it is in-fact saved. Oftentimes the reason why people might get more upset about “saving seats” is because they initially think its open and turns out its “saved”.
Some of your information is wrong:On the other hand, you do have the Early Bird Check-in, which lets you board in the A1-15 section – $12.50 per seat.
Early Bird just means you can check-in on-line before everyone else. To get the A1-15 you have to pay $40 at the gate. I always do the Early Bird and sometimes get a B boarding assignment. I need to sit by the window on a plane, which is why I do the Early Bird. Once I get my seat I save the middle seat for my wife. It’s ridiculous enough that I have to pay for an early seat assignment. I don’t feel I should pay for two. If people are going to be upset that I saved the middle seat then maybe they should also pay to avoid that situation.
You’re the one failing to understand the rules.
It appears that seating has gotten a little better from what it used to be with the 1-60 prioritization. You used to need to stand in line or sit on the dirty floor in the A,B or C line for hours to try to get to sit together. This was our first and last flight ever on Southwest. I still don’t understand why they just don’t assign seats. This is mature technology and would cost almost nothing to implement. I guess if the prices and routes are better I may try it again but, being in the software business, I know how easy it would be to do assigned seating and for-the-life-of-me don’t understand their keeping such primitive, uncomfortable and potentially confrontational scheduling.
Southwest needs to reexamine its policy on “saving seats” before there’s an unpleasant incident. Earlier this year I was on a flight that had some type of group (it seemed like a youth group) traveling together. Of course, they wanted to sit together. To ensure that this happened, they had one members of the group purchase an “Early Bird” ticket. This person then boarded relatively early in the process and attempted to save two rows of seats toward the front of the plane. A couple of passengers who purchased Early Bird boarding passes essentially told the seat-saver to kiss off. Under SWA’s current policy, the seat-saver was wholly within her rights to save this many seats for passengers who didn’t cough up the $12.50 for Early Bird” passes to the detriment of people who did pay the extra amount.
I’ve also seen families do this and it seems to be a common practice among couples.
The issue boils down to allowing passengers who didn’t pay for early boarding to still reap the benefits of Early Bird boarding.
Flying this week with a family of 8. My mother really wants us to sit together…im hoping one of us can “save” seats if some of us end up behind in our group. If someone tries to say sorrrry and park it when one of us say no its saved…guarantee we will make your flight hell. We will be switching seats, playing musical toddlers (who have never flown bring on the waterworks and screaming) oh and the other toddler will be right behind you kicking your seat the whole time. You will regret your decision real fast.
Amber, I also have a family of 8, so I’m sympathetic. And while I have no idea what you’re like in real life, your comment makes you sound like a giant jerk. In any case, if you’re traveling with kids 4 and under (and it sounds like you are), you should all be able to board after the A group, and as long as you pick seats towards the back of the plane, you should have no problem finding 8 seats together. That’s what we did when we flew together.
Go ahead, punk. Make my day.
Wow, Amber, you sound like a very rude person that does not fly very often. For all of us that do fly quite often, I would say you need to learn some flying etiquette. You will not only piss that one person off, but everyone on the plane.
All these people who want to sit together: get off your wallet and buy A1 to A15 seats. I pay the $30-$40 for every flight because I want to sit in a particular row. If you have kids, autism, need to sit with traveling partners – fly another airline.
I can’t believe how big of a deal this is to so many of you. Unless you’re on your honeymoon, couples shouldn’t need to sit together on a Southwest flight (we aren’t talking about a transatlantic trip). What is wrong with you people? Are you so co-dependent that you can’t be away from your spouse for a couple of hours?
Even when I travel with my daughter and my nieces, we don’t all need to sit together: I usually only want to make sure that a young child isn’t by herself, and even when we’ve been in Group C, we’ve always been able to find volunteers to make that happen.
So, I wouldn’t save seats, but I also don’t get upset about someone saving a seat. But anyone trying to save multiple seats is just plain rude.
this is the most mundane, irrelevant thing I’ve ever read. get a life people
I paid for early bird check in so I have a better chance of sitting where I’m comfortable. On a past flight, someone tried to save the seat I wanted for his wife who was boarding later. The flight attendant backed me up and I took the seat. He was angry because he wanted to sit with his wife but didn’t move to do that so sat part. At the moment, the seat I wanted had a backpack in it. The man next to it said he was saving it for his mother, who was boarding later. The flight attendant said he could do that and it’s been the southwest policy for a while that you can save a seat for someone you’re traveling with who’s boarding later. I sat in another seat so as not to hold up the flight, and asked her to show me the policy. She said she didn’t have it in writing but had been told that by her suoervisors. I let her know I’d been told the opposite and she shrugged and said the inconsistency…
here’s a crazy nut job idea :
how about flying an airline that actually allows assigned seats … which is like …. practically EVERYONE ELSE ????
Easy solution.
Person 1 sits in an aisle (or window) in the front or middle. Person 2 probably gets a rear middle. Person 1 then asks a passenger sitting next to Person 2 if they want a nice aisle (or window) seat in front. If Person 1 has an aisle and ask for a worse aisle seat, usually the other passenger will gladly switch.
It’s just that aisle passengers don’t want to switch to get a middle seat.
Tired of your recycled posts. If you have nothing new to say, disappear from the blogging scene.
This is a gray area due to Southwest’s muddled policy, but I always feel the fairest thing to do is get early bird for both me and my husband. Just like the seat recline debate, there’s no absolute right or wrong, but common courtesy should always prevail.
OLD NEWS
Not only are the posts here up to 4 years old, but the SW seating thing is well known for frequent travelers. Either let it go, or don’t fly SW. We fly them all the time.
If two people are flying together, saving a middle seat does not really impact anyone else. Nobody wants them anyways.
Get over it folks.
THE SOUTHWEST SYSTEM WORKS JUST FINE.
This is awesome, according to all of you folks–I’ll just save the money and you can sit next to my five year old. He’s pretty cranky on a long flight, but hey, if you don’t want saved seats, and I don’t want to be penalized for being a parent, you can get him juice!! I’ll be having a glass of wine further back.
There are four of us, so early bird is $60. That’s nearly another ticket on a lot of flights. If SW doesn’t have a way to seat the four of us together without a $60 penalty, I’m not going to worry about it either. My daughter is seven and REALLY likes to talk. You’ll love sitting next to her, too!
Melissa, Southwest DOES have a way to seat you together. It’s called family boarding, and there’s no need for you to buy early bird OR save seats. Just board with the family boarding after the A group, and there will be plenty of seats together for the 4 of you
The same actually apply to you and your wife. If you would purchase early bird you can guaranteed sit together. I don’t see why person who boarder earlier – and is likely a frequent flier – would have to pay for the same perk and you not.
I as well experienced this , paid extra for early bird and it was a pretty full flight , there were multiple folks saving seats and it was in my opinion extremely tacky. I can understand saving a seat for a younger child but if you want to ensure you sit together purchase the early bird like I did. Long story short we ended up sitting in the back of the plane. Early bird fee is a JOKE
Saving seats? You can try it but if I want the seat your are “saving” I’m taking it. Especially if you try and save an exit row seat.
I cancelled my SW credit card and will no longer prefer to fly SW as a result of this issue.
Flight Attendent said she was not “getting involved” when I tried to sit at an open seat that was “saved.”
She got involved when the issue became a major disruption.
I paid and worked to get a preferred seat.
They just said on the intercom “if a seat is open then take it.”
I have flown SW a lot when I was travelling with someone and either paid for Early Bird or checked in together on the phone.
Just another oppportunity for people to be rude.
SW policy is well known regarding seating, or I thought it was.
I don’t need a discussion about what seated are saved or not when I board the plane. I haven’t flown them since and I was a loyal customer since the 1970’s
Just one of several reasons not to fly SW.
Another reason why Not to fly southwest.
Good read, however early bird does not get you into the A1-A15 group, it merely checks in for you 36 prior to flight time.