Talk of The Villages Florida - Assigned Seats on Southwest Airlines

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I like early bird - my guess unless you buy REAL early the sets you want will be gone but they would have been there with early bird

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Originally Posted by tophcfa (Post 2353522)

The whole kid thing on flights to/from the mouse house is the only thing I liked about the Southwest seating policy. An early group B boarding number was the best, better than boarding in group A. Between groups A and B all the families with kids boarded, so with an early group B number you could still find a decent seat, away from a bunch of seat kicking and screaming kids. With assigned seats, you have no control over the kid factor. I wish picking airline seats didn’t just show if seats are open or already selected, but also indicated both the age and weight of the occupants.

While you are at it, add body odor.:)

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Originally Posted by golfing eagles (Post 2353404)

May the "husband and wife" on either side of you in the middle seat be 2 sumo wrestlers who just finished a match :1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

I carry a pack of "Old Skunky" wet wipes for just such an occasion. And I always share with my seat mates.

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Originally Posted by Caymus (Post 2353537)

While you are at it, add body odor.:)

Always carry a mask and make sure you have plenty of body odor to keep the "touchy, feelly" folks off you.

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Originally Posted by vlm790 (Post 2353469)

If the wheel chair people get off the plane last they may change their minds about needing to board first 😳

On a long flight the wheelchair people better think about drinking on board. It's hard enough to get to the bathroom without needing a wheelchair. 👨*🦽
Thats what you are alluding to, right?

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Originally Posted by golfing eagles (Post 2353415)

I agree, I try to fly SW whenever I can, especially their non-stop to Vegas

On the other hand, if an airline charged the same for carry-ons as they do for checked luggage, there'd be less "cheating" for space.

And for a VERY unpopular suggestion: I weigh 190#, My golf clubs in carrier weigh 40# and a full-size suitcase of 35# for a total of 265#. Other than SW the baggage fee is $70-80 + the ticket. Then, especially in a window seat, I get squished against the wall by a 320# person whose fat rolls are on my lap, and who managed to sneak 2 carry-ons aboard for a total of about 370# and $80 less. Since weight seems to be important on a flight (just see what happens if your bag is over 50#), maybe it's time to start charging passengers by the pound, just like their luggage.

Pure GENIUS! This needs to happen. For real.
(Now for my ocd to kick in) May I add that total of person + luggage be a deciding factor as to being qualified to fly. More weight = more fuel = more $. Also, consider weight distribution a factor. Heavier folks aisle seats, lighter folks & children at the windows. After all, don't want one side with all sumo size with straw weights on the other, would ya? 😜🤪

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Originally Posted by retiredguy123 (Post 2353061)

Finally, Southwest will allow passengers to reserve a seat on their planes. I would never fly on a plane without an assigned seat. And, don't ask me to change seats. The time to select a seat on a plane is when you buy the ticket, not when you get on the plane. Plan ahead. Rant over.

You mean I don’t have to bring my crutches to the gate to get on first with the “handicapped” folks any more?

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Originally Posted by retiredguy123 (Post 2353061)

So now you can expect to probably pay more to get an assigned seat, wow isn’t that just great!😡

Simple Solution To Complex Problem

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Originally Posted by golfing eagles (Post 2353415)

Carry-on bags are a major problem. The limits on their size are rarely, if ever, enforced. Much time is wasted with passengers attempting to stuff their "expandable" bag into the overhead bin. The increased use of enormous backpacks pose a danger to anyone seated in an aisle seat as the person wearing one swings around or swivels to look behind them or to talk to the person behind them, most often to ask that person if he/she wants to sit here or to move further on.

The cost to the airlines of increasing the use of checked baggage should be minor. The infrastructure is already in place at every airport. Increasing its use, most likely, would require an additional trailer/cart and employee to reduce the time to move the bags from the plane to the carousel.

I propose that airlines allow two bags to be checked free and then charge for each carry-on of a limited size (excluding a normal-sized woman's purse). There will still be people who will insist on having a carry-on bag. If so, let them pay for what they now consider a privilege.

The boarding/unboarding process would be much faster and much less of a hassle for all concerned--and for once, just once, I might not be hit in the head by a damn backpack as the thoughtless person wearing it swivels around to ask his partner if he/she want to sit in this aisle or to go further into the plane.

We have noticed in last couple of years takes forever for checked bags to be delivered. Wish we did not have to check any luggage.

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Originally Posted by judebarsto (Post 2353443)

I love SW and the open seating. Because we fly to and from Orlando, we almost always could get an exit row seat, even if we were group B, because there were so many kids on the flight who aren’t allowed in those rows. I’ll miss that - now it’s just like any other airline except for 2 free bags. If they get rid of that, I’m gone!

If I sit by emergency exit I keep my seat belt on throughout fight. Actually I do that no matter where I sit

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Originally Posted by Topspinmo (Post 2353654)

If I sit by emergency exit I keep my seat belt on throughout fight. Actually I do that no matter where I sit

Very wise!

“Everyone should be treated equal, but I want to be special”

is today’s mentality!

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Originally Posted by golfing eagles (Post 2353141)

This might not be popular, but IMHO, the problem with boarding (and eventual deplaning) is not assigned seats vs. group free for all boarding, it's the ever increasing competition for overhead carry-on bin space. Back in the sixties and early seventies, there were no overhead bins---all luggage had to be checked. A full plane could board in 5 minutes. Now, we have people tripping over one another, cheating on wheelchairs, and trying to sneak more than one carry-on aboard.

If it were up to me, I'd rip out all the overhead bins and go back to the way it was in years gone by.

Look at it this way---people think they save time by skipping the baggage claim area, but it may be an illusion. I find the wait to claim a bag at the carousel is usually 10-15 minutes. But the time to board is 25 min and to deplane about 20 min. Is anyone saving time as opposed to a 5 min board and deplane????

I should add that the biggest waste of time that has sprung up in the last few years is off-site car rental locations----wait for a shuttle, wait at the counter, wait to get a car---then rinse and repeat for returning it.

Having traveled for business for a good bit of my career, I learned early on how to pack a carry on for my trip. For longer trips, I was doing laundry through the hotel. Having to conduct business in clothes that you have worn for 2 days is not a good situation. My carry on was not a full sized suitcase but an actual carry on. All airlines should enforce the maximum size for carry ons.

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Originally Posted by Susan1717 (Post 2353410)

I’d rather SW stays as they are. I try and only fly them. I can change my flight a million times with no cancellation or change fee, I can book several flight months ahead for lower rates, and then cancel last minute for which dates work best. Once they assign seats, we will soon pay for seats and pay for luggage. Then the flight rates you see will be like the other airlines and almost double in actual cost by the time you add in seat selection and baggage check. I really cannot stand airlines that charge for even carry ons!

long post...sorry...

AMEN SUSAN! I love Southwest. Early years (2001) I hated their "arrive early to get a boarding card" and I was quite comfortable with my upgraded (usually bumped to FC) status on USAir. Then the company switched to SWA for the better schedules into BWI/DC.

Love. Love. Love. (no pun intended) SWA. They make it so easy to change flights (no add-on fees), free bags (which means I ALWAYS have room in the overhead to store my carry-on) and their rates are cheaper. The longest SWA flight I am on is just under 3 hours. I put on my headphones and listen to music, podcast or watch free movie--my wife does her crossword. I like boarding after the Disney families first pick THEIR seats. :angel: It is no big deal finding our seats together so we can hold hands during take-off. Easy. The back of the plane arrives at the same time as the front of the plane anyway.

I now LOVE the boarding process on SWA. It is so organized. My Catholic nun teachers would be so proud of our single line. We have upgraded "status" on Delta...we always get a Boarding Group #2. However, getting from our seats in the terminal to the actual boarding ramp due to the hysteria of people (holding Boarding Group #5 or #6) that choke the boarding area is a scramble.

They are lined up like they are the third monkey at Noah's arc and it has just started to rain! RELAX--wait for your boarding group #5! YOU HAVE an assigned seat--we will not leave without you.

No change fees. I booked a flight on USAir. The cost of the ticket was $180. I called the next day to change the flight to a later return and the change fee (on the $180 ticket) was $150. Does that make sense? My wife and I flew international (10 hour flight) and British Airways charged us $50 per seat--per leg--to "choose" our seats before the flight. Yeah--we paid the extra $200 because I wanted to sit next to my wife on our wedding anniversary trip from MIA to Spain. This may only be urban legend but I heard a figure that in 2012 60% of the airlines revenue stemmed from baggage, change and upgrade fees. Rip-off.

And--SWA's no change fee means you can rebook your ticket if the price drops. We booked seats for a birthday party (had to have those dates/times) about 4 months out. Then I would check the seats every week or so (same flights) and if the price dropped I just rebooked the same flight-same confirmation number and SWA would credit my confirmation number with a credit good for one year from the date we booked. We originally paid $800 for two seats--we ended up flying on the same flights--but with a $350 voucher due to the eventual drop in price.

Don't get me started on their Rapid Rewards Program--we use the SWA VISA card for most everything and we use credit card miles to book friends and family for visits. If they cannot make the trip the reward miles just go right back into our account. They even return the $11.20 airport security fee.

Sorry for the long post...I am so impressed with their business model. I love to see them succeed.

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Originally Posted by bmcgowan13 (Post 2353779)

Shame other airlines do not treat passengers as customers who they want back.

According to Southwest, they are changing their seating policy because 80 percent of their customers want them to do it.

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Originally Posted by retiredguy123 (Post 2353794)

According to Southwest, they are changing their seating policy because 80 percent of their customers want them to do it.

Don't doubt that for a moment.