RANT: I don't care if you want to sit next to your kids on the airplane

[verleniahall]

ETA: Even before the checked bag fee came about, I remember people bringing GARMENT bags (anyone remember those) as a carry on. You will never convince me those fit the size requirements. And sure enough, the FAs would help find somewhere to keep them.

As PP have stated, there are special closets for those

and since my DH is in the service, he sometimes has to fly with a uniform - it gets stowed in the garmet bag in the closet -

How old was your DD at the time? What do you think made her so upset to be between to men?
I'm glad another passenger was able to help the situation.

ummm....a small child between two male strangers? Even I wouldn't be comfortable!

 

[sam_gordon]

I think it's because you brought something into the equation that I wasn't speaking to--i.e. separating from families. I thought that was a no brainer that what I was talking about wasn't meaning you'd have the toddler board by themselves simply because they were the middle seat and their parent was the window seat. Pre-board and family boarding would remain the same because there is specifically a reason for that. But for adults? If enough people got to their destination faster enough times I'm thinking their satisfaction level with boarding would change and a temporary separation would be a blip on someone's radar if they got to their destination consistently faster than before. Then again from your standpoint that I got there's enough people who are completely dependent on being right next to their traveling companion for 100% of the time and can't handle a separation of something like 5 or 10 mins.

No method is going to be perfect for all people but generally speaking most people like to get to their destination faster and spending time in your seat, getting up and out of the way should a passenger need the middle or the window seat, or on the jetway or at the gate standing waiting for their boarding to start only to be usually held up waiting on the jetway, etc doesn't get you there faster. Smooth and quick boarding is a rarety in my experience although admittedly SWA is my fav way of boarding, but even then you've got people here on the Boards here freaking out because they got a B3 like it's the end of the world so yeah won't be perfect for everyone.

ETA: I know you're not necessarily looking for a debate.

But you're making two assumptions...
1) That families boarding together (and I agree with you, airlines wouldn't separate families with small kids) wouldn't slow down the boarding process.
2) this one is the bigger assumption IMO, that the airline, knowing they have a faster boarding process, don't allow for the quicker time. Just to throw some sample numbers... let's say the plane is supposed to push back from the gate at 3pm. Currently, the airline knows it takes them 30 minutes to board. So they start boarding at 2:30pm. Now, let's say the "faster" process saves 10 minutes. You think this means the plane would push back at 2:50. I think it means boarding would start at 2:40.

The amount of time savings is so small as to be inconsequential IMO.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

The amount of time savings is so small as to be inconsequential IMO.

Maybe maybe not..doubt we'll ever know either way lol.

 

[mefordis]

If anyone asked me to move seats to be with their children, I would do it no problem. I don't want to see any children separated from their families.

 

[sam_gordon]

What is your opinion on this :

On another site a person is traveling with family and kids 2,4,6 two 12 year olds and teens. Ended up purchasing what she claims she did know was Basic Economy on Delta via Priceline and is now panicked about seats together. Claims she never was informed BE. Well if you do a mock Priceline booking it does clearly state at least twice it's Basic Economy and no seat selection.

She's called Delta and they said they can't assign seats. People are saying they most likely will be split with middle seats. Or Delta might be able to seat them with smaller kids.

If asked and you paid for your seat knowing these facts would you move. Knowing you have to agree to terms of Basic Economy prior to purchase and either chose to not read or ignore because of price difference.

There are other things I'd need to know about the situation...
1) Am I traveling by myself or with my family/someone else that I had arranged to sit with?
2) Length of the flight?
3) Did I pay to upgrade to economy plus?
4) Where on the plane am I sitting vs. where I'm being asked to move?
5) Do I have a tight connection?
6) Is this discussed before boarding or after I've gotten settled on board?
7) Is the airline or family offering any "encouragement" to move (or am I just supposed to be nice)?

All of the above would factor into my decision.

I do want to point out, I'm not sure the passenger being asked to move would know whether the family had purchased basic economy, was simply running late, or had a plane change that required trying to find seats together.

 

[Cubbiecakes]

I would think (probably uncharitably) that if you don't have the cash to seat your family together and get assigned seats, you don't really have the cash to travel.

Just like going to the movies or a show... if you don't have the cash to hire a babysitter and leave your kids at home, you don't really have the cash for a night out.

 

[DisneyHardin]

What is your opinion on this :

On another site a person is traveling with family and kids 2,4,6 two 12 year olds and teens. Ended up purchasing what she claims she did know was Basic Economy on Delta via Priceline and is now panicked about seats together. Claims she never was informed BE. Well if you do a mock Priceline booking it does clearly state at least twice it's Basic Economy and no seat selection.

She's called Delta and they said they can't assign seats. People are saying they most likely will be split with middle seats. Or Delta might be able to seat them with smaller kids.

If asked and you paid for your seat knowing these facts would you move. Knowing you have to agree to terms of Basic Economy prior to purchase and either chose to not read or ignore because of price difference.

I bet she actually knew, but thought "Delta won't really separate us, especially if I make a stink." This reminds me of an experience in the Single Rider line of Test Track. A dad and youngish child got to the front and pitched a big stink about not riding with his child enough that the CM went ahead and put them together. He knew what "single" rider meant, but also knew that if he made a stink he would get his way.

 

[PollyannaMom]

What is your opinion on this :

On another site a person is traveling with family and kids 2,4,6 two 12 year olds and teens. Ended up purchasing what she claims she did know was Basic Economy on Delta via Priceline and is now panicked about seats together. Claims she never was informed BE. Well if you do a mock Priceline booking it does clearly state at least twice it's Basic Economy and no seat selection.

She's called Delta and they said they can't assign seats. People are saying they most likely will be split with middle seats. Or Delta might be able to seat them with smaller kids.

If asked and you paid for your seat knowing these facts would you move. Knowing you have to agree to terms of Basic Economy prior to purchase and either chose to not read or ignore because of price difference.

Eh...it depends. I really don't mind sitting next to little kids. - I mostly teach preschool, and they can just "tell" somehow, so they're usually quite comfortable with me. But I wouldn't mind changing if a kid was upset (as long they weren't putting me next to some ill - being sneezed and coughed on in an enclosed space makes we way more uncomfortable than a middle seat!)

 

[Wishing on a star]

Again, I would def. change seats... if I were offered to move to the better seat, while the parent/child were willing to take the less desirable seat.
NO, I am simply not going to give up my forward window or aisle seat to move to your rear middle seat. It should go the other way.

If you want to move to sit next to your family member, you should be ready to make that concession.
It seems that the child(ren) is always in the better location, and the only option is for the parent to move up... not to ask the person(s) next to them to move forward to move the child to the rear.

People who don't want to make that concession are using this game as a tool to score better seats for free.

 

[NHdisneylover]

What is your opinion on this :

On another site a person is traveling with family and kids 2,4,6 two 12 year olds and teens. Ended up purchasing what she claims she did know was Basic Economy on Delta via Priceline and is now panicked about seats together. Claims she never was informed BE. Well if you do a mock Priceline booking it does clearly state at least twice it's Basic Economy and no seat selection.

She's called Delta and they said they can't assign seats. People are saying they most likely will be split with middle seats. Or Delta might be able to seat them with smaller kids.

If asked and you paid for your seat knowing these facts would you move. Knowing you have to agree to terms of Basic Economy prior to purchase and either chose to not read or ignore because of price difference.

If I were travelling alone (or already sitting apart from my travel party) and the parent offered me an as valuable, or more ( to me) seat I would change. Otherwise, no. So---I would trade my run of the mill aisle for another run of the mill aisle, or my aisle bulkhead for another aisle bulkhead---but no way would I move from bulkhead to run of the mill or from aisle to middle (or even window---I like to get up and stretch in flight).
I don't mind sitting next to a child though.

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

I do what I need to do (pay extra, get there early, etc) to get the seat I need. If you need to sit together, do the same. If you ask nicely and the seat you are offering to trade is comparable to what I purchased then most likely I'll agree. Demand that I take your middle seat in a different part of the cabin- not happening.

 

[RedSox68]

Except on Southwest, there needn't be any negotiating who sits where. Sit in the seat indicated on the boarding pass.Not

Yea, if only it were that easy. More than once we've had to stand behind 5-6 family members arguing over who wants to sit with who in what row. Doesn't matter what number is on their boarding pass, once onboard they can sit anywhere among their assigned seats.

 

[Hrhpd]

Yes, the mythbusters proved that Southwest had the FASTEST boarding procedure with a free for all. It, however, also ranked dead last in terms of customer satisfaction. So, it's a tradeoff. After that, the "best" way was all windows, all middles, then all aisles (first/business class excepted). Of course, this means families couldn't go all at the same time because families generally like to board together. This one also got fairly positive reviews from consumers. Slowest was back to front.....by a LONG shot. Customers liked it, but planes on the ground don't make money, so airlines don't. You need a middle ground....ok with consumers, and much faster for airlines.

Wrong.

According to the latest ACSI (American Customer Satisfaction Index) report in 2017, Southwest is ranked #1 in customer satisfaction with an ACSI score of 80. Jet Blue and Alaska Air are tied at second with a score of 79. Allegiant brings up the rear at 3rd with a score of 74.

"Southwest Airlines, the report found, held steady for the third straight year with an ACSI score of 80 and was the highest-rated airline. This, the ACSI said, is likely due to the airline’s low fares and laser focus on customer service."​

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

I would think (probably uncharitably) that if you don't have the cash to seat your family together and get assigned seats, you don't really have the cash to travel.

Just like going to the movies or a show... if you don't have the cash to hire a babysitter and leave your kids at home, you don't really have the cash for a night out.

I would think the same thing.

That or the parent wanted to save some bucks, let me pay for the upgrade and wants it for her/himself.

Sorry, but sometimes being cheap/stupid/whatever, gets you burnt. And yes, sometimes it is your kid that pays the price.

 

[Hrhpd]

Much the same as many others above, it all depends if I would move or not. Since I fly SW 99.9% of the time, I would need to speak to the flight attendant first on the situation. I always, always pay the $$ for EarlyBird no matter what so I up my chances of sitting with my family. So, I am not going to give up my seat for someone who just wants seats together but didn't want to pay the EarlyBird fee to make that happen.

If the flight attendant said the family was being split up because they boarded late due to a late connecting flight or something else out of their hands and they had paid the extra dollars, I would most likely move. I will absolutely help people that try to help themselves first. But someone who just didn't want to pay the extra and was banking on shaming people to move because they had small children, nope, I won't do it.

 

[RedSox68]

Much the same as many others above, it all depends if I would move or not. Since I fly SW 99.9% of the time, I would need to speak to the flight attendant first on the situation. I always, always pay the $$ for EarlyBird no matter what so I up my chances of sitting with my family. So, I am not going to give up my seat for someone who just wants seats together but didn't want to pay the EarlyBird fee to make that happen.

If the flight attendant said the family was being split up because they boarded late due to a late connecting flight or something else out of their hands and they had paid the extra dollars, I would most likely move. I will absolutely help people that try to help themselves first. But someone who just didn't want to pay the extra and was banking on shaming people to move because they had small children, nope, I won't do it.

Well put.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Much the same as many others above, it all depends if I would move or not. Since I fly SW 99.9% of the time, I would need to speak to the flight attendant first on the situation. I always, always pay the $$ for EarlyBird no matter what so I up my chances of sitting with my family. So, I am not going to give up my seat for someone who just wants seats together but didn't want to pay the EarlyBird fee to make that happen.

If the flight attendant said the family was being split up because they boarded late due to a late connecting flight or something else out of their hands and they had paid the extra dollars, I would most likely move. I will absolutely help people that try to help themselves first. But someone who just didn't want to pay the extra and was banking on shaming people to move because they had small children, nope, I won't do it.

I agree with your stance but I will say with SWA Early Bird Check In isn't connected at all to where you sit on a plane because where you sit on a SWA flight is your choice of open available seating. Paying Early Bird Check In also doesn't guarantee it will happen, by it meaning seats together.

All Early Bird Check In is designed for is to get you on the plane earlier in order to increase the odds you can select the seats you want. Other factors come into play. Connections in which case there is no plane change for the prior flight, number of pre-boards and number of A-listers who have higher priority than EBCI in terms of boarding position given out, along with how many Business Select fares were sold or how many people upgraded to A1-15 at the gate, etc. Those all impact how many people can potentially board the plane before you.

In a nutshell SWA operates slightly differently than other airlines because with other airlines you actually pick your seats OR you pay a reduced fare in order to roll the dice. I wouldn't want to move my seat period but paying EBCI doesn't influence my opinion on that. I paid not for the actual seat I chose but rather the ability to select my seat earlier on in the boarding process.

 

[sam_gordon]

Wrong.

According to the latest ACSI (American Customer Satisfaction Index) report in 2017, Southwest is ranked #1 in customer satisfaction with an ACSI score of 80. Jet Blue and Alaska Air are tied at second with a score of 79. Allegiant brings up the rear at 3rd with a score of 74.

"Southwest Airlines, the report found, held steady for the third straight year with an ACSI score of 80 and was the highest-rated airline. This, the ACSI said, is likely due to the airline’s low fares and laser focus on customer service."​

I think PP was referring to customer satisfaction with the SW boarding procedure, NOT SW itself.

 

[SirDuff]

If I were travelling alone (or already sitting apart from my travel party) and the parent offered me an as valuable, or more ( to me) seat I would change. Otherwise, no. So---I would trade my run of the mill aisle for another run of the mill aisle, or my aisle bulkhead for another aisle bulkhead---but no way would I move from bulkhead to run of the mill or from aisle to middle (or even window---I like to get up and stretch in flight).
I don't mind sitting next to a child though.

Also, don't just take my seat (if you boarded before me) before asking. That is not going to make me want to help you. Except for the man who took my seat (to sit beside his wife) and when I said "I think you might be in my seat", offered me his First Class seat. He had been upgraded but his wife hadn't. Funny thing is (1) I was starting to say "just tell me where your seat is and I'm happy to take it" (it was a short flight with no middle seats, so I really didn't care) and (2) I was the next person on the upgrade list (free upgrades), so if he had turned down the upgrade, I'd have gotten the seat anyway.

 

[RedSox68]

I agree with your stance but I will say with SWA Early Bird Check In isn't connected at all to where you sit on a plane because where you sit on a SWA flight is your choice of open available seating. Paying Early Bird Check In also doesn't guarantee it will happen, by it meaning seats together.

All Early Bird Check In is designed for is to get you on the plane earlier in order to increase the odds you can select the seats you want. Other factors come into play. Connections in which case there is no plane change for the prior flight, number of pre-boards and number of A-listers who have higher priority than EBCI in terms of boarding position given out, along with how many Business Select fares were sold or how many people upgraded to A1-15 at the gate, etc. Those all impact how many people can potentially board the plane before you.

In a nutshell SWA operates slightly differently than other airlines because with other airlines you actually pick your seats OR you pay a reduced fare in order to roll the dice. I wouldn't want to move my seat period but paying EBCI doesn't influence my opinion on that. I paid not for the actual seat I chose but rather the ability to select my seat earlier on in the boarding process.

I personally think they still have some of the most comfortable seats and best crew in the industry.