I'm sure there is drama in all of those situations...assigned or not...but I still feel loading is longer with people seeking seats over people who have to go to them. However I have no scientific evidence to back that up other than I feel like my Spirit flights load very quickly compared to SWA flights, and these are all full flights.
This was the first time I have seen a duplicate assigned seat, and who knows if that was really the case or the guy who had the ticket wasn't up for fighting it.
Yes you do have the OPTION to pay for seats on Spirit of course, but if you don't you still get assigned one based on the timing of your check-in for the flight. We've found those booked as a group on one reservation always get seats together, and I assume that's the norm but don't know if it's possible for them to get different rows.
I keep thinking about the story I read recently where a mother and toddler were on some flight and got assigned different rows (not Spirit, I think an international airline?) and the person next to the toddler was asked to switch with the mom (who had a middle seat) and refused. Something about the mom and child part of a tour group and there were others who she could have asked to switch but didn't? I don't know.
Yes the pre-boarding issue I agree has gotten out of hand, and you know people are gaming that system more now.
Case in point...my husband flew home on a SWA air flight this Saturday, while I was on a Spirit flight. According to him, a woman walked up with a cane for the blind and a child helping her for preboarding. When she got to the scanner, he said she easily put her ticket under the scanner no issues like had no problem with sign and that gate attendants were laughing. Then she folded up her walking cane, got on the flight, and he said was reading her phone without the use of glasses. He was floored.
You just have to pack your patience when it comes to any kind of travel these days.