Anyone not been able to sit next to their kids on Southwest?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd like to see some of the never-seat-swapping posters answer the question of the last PP below!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are a family of 4 and all had to sit separately. (kids were 8 and 10) The flight attendant tried desperately to get someone to move so my 8 yr old who was freaking out about sitting alone would be able to sit next to one of us, but no one budged!!

After the 4th announcement by the flight attendant a man moved to another seat and asked the man next to him, whom he didn't know, to move too in a kind of "come on man, let's do this" kind of way. I'm so thankful for him.

I'll always look for other airlines before I look for Southwest again. It's not the service, the flight attendant was so nice and really tried, but I will always opt for any airline with assigned seats from now on.

I posted this on a different thread about SW and got dogged out because of it. I was told my child is old enough to get over it, that I was acting entitled, why should they give up their seat, etc. Typical DCUM nastiness, but I never thought that people were as nasty as they sometimes act on here in real life. I was dead wrong because that must have been some of the thoughts of the people on the plane since they wouldn't move.

It is astounding to me that we as a society in a first world country where we pride ourselves on our civilized lifestyle and high education that we have become so selfish and arrogant that it is too inconvenient to switch seats so a crying child could sit next to their parent on a cross country 6 hour plane trip.

I feel for you, PP. There are a lot of selfish, nasty people in the world.

It's actually selfish and self-absorbed to assume people have to move to meet your needs. People often pick their seats for specific reasons, they have that right and judging them for it because things aren't going your way is selfish as well.

Would you be willing to assist a 5 year old sitting next to you in s crisis? You know, put their oxygen mask on and all that and help them evacuate?

Not. My. Problem.

The key here is to make sure your 5 year old isn't seated next to a sociopath like pp.

And how does one do that? "excuse me if you're a sociopath please switch seats with me, otherwise have a nice flight next to my kid".

One day there will be something terrible that happens to a child sitting next to a stranger and only then will the airlines ever resolve to stop this crazy nonsense. We've already gotten reports on the news about women being felt up while they were sleeping, think about how easily molestation could happen to a child.

What if there is an issue with the air supply, the sociopath sitting next to a kid won't even think to help the child with the oxygen mask. (case in point, the previous pp)

What if the child starts choking on an airline snack? Will the stranger next the child being paying any attention at all?

I shudder at the thought of any of this happening, but the fact is that it would not be outlandish at all. These are real things that can happen and no one knows if the stranger sitting next to a child is a sociopath or not.

What do you think happens when kids fly as unacompanied minors?

They are seated near the back or the front and a flight attendant generally checks in on them from time to time. They would also be the ones responsible for getting the oxygen mask to the child.

A stranger has no job liabilities tied to watching after a child next to them.

Not a comparison.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd like to see some of the never-seat-swapping posters answer the question of the last PP below!

Anonymous wrote:

Would you be willing to assist a 5 year old sitting next to you in s crisis? You know, put their oxygen mask on and all that and help them evacuate?

I would not. I would likely have my own child with me who would get my assistance first. You know, since I was responsible enough to get seats together and all. This question makes me angry. Take care of your own damn children. You've never helped me with mine.

[Anonymous]

Wow. I think there is something seriously wrong with you people who say they wouldn't help. What if it was a grown stranger in distress, would you help then?

If you're saying "not my problem", you are part of the problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow. I think there is something seriously wrong with you people who say they wouldn't help. What if it was a grown stranger in distress, would you help then?

If you're saying "not my problem", you are part of the problem.

This reminds me of a situation a friend came across a few years ago. He was approaching the metro and a man was clearly in medical distress right outside the station- he was having a heart attack. No one was stopping to help. My friend called 911 and performed cpr while people continued to walk by, but someone else finally stopped to wave down the ambulance. Way too many "not my problem" people in this world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd like to see some of the never-seat-swapping posters answer the question of the last PP below!

Anonymous wrote:

Would you be willing to assist a 5 year old sitting next to you in s crisis? You know, put their oxygen mask on and all that and help them evacuate?

I would not. I would likely have my own child with me who would get my assistance first. You know, since I was responsible enough to get seats together and all. This question makes me angry. Take care of your own damn children. You've never helped me with mine.

You are a jerk. Is this what you teach your children too, to not help people in need? Clearly a child has no control over where they inevitably sit on a plane.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd like to see some of the never-seat-swapping posters answer the question of the last PP below!

Anonymous wrote:

Would you be willing to assist a 5 year old sitting next to you in s crisis? You know, put their oxygen mask on and all that and help them evacuate?

I would not. I would likely have my own child with me who would get my assistance first. You know, since I was responsible enough to get seats together and all. This question makes me angry. Take care of your own damn children. You've never helped me with mine.

So if you ended up with a head injury due to turbulence and couldn't help your own child, I shouldn't bother to help you or your child either? After all, you've never helped me or my child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd like to see some of the never-seat-swapping posters answer the question of the last PP below!

Anonymous wrote:

Would you be willing to assist a 5 year old sitting next to you in s crisis? You know, put their oxygen mask on and all that and help them evacuate?

I would not. I would likely have my own child with me who would get my assistance first. You know, since I was responsible enough to get seats together and all. This question makes me angry. Take care of your own damn children. You've never helped me with mine.

So if you ended up with a head injury due to turbulence and couldn't help your own child, I shouldn't bother to help you or your child either? After all, you've never helped me or my child.

You don't see the difference in intentionally sitting away from your child?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd like to see some of the never-seat-swapping posters answer the question of the last PP below!

Anonymous wrote:

Would you be willing to assist a 5 year old sitting next to you in s crisis? You know, put their oxygen mask on and all that and help them evacuate?

I would not. I would likely have my own child with me who would get my assistance first. You know, since I was responsible enough to get seats together and all. This question makes me angry. Take care of your own damn children. You've never helped me with mine.

So if you ended up with a head injury due to turbulence and couldn't help your own child, I shouldn't bother to help you or your child either? After all, you've never helped me or my child.

You don't see the difference in intentionally sitting away from your child?

NP here. You're just a douche. Don't try to fight or deny it- just accept it. Be cool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd like to see some of the never-seat-swapping posters answer the question of the last PP below!

Anonymous wrote:

Would you be willing to assist a 5 year old sitting next to you in s crisis? You know, put their oxygen mask on and all that and help them evacuate?

I would not. I would likely have my own child with me who would get my assistance first. You know, since I was responsible enough to get seats together and all. This question makes me angry. Take care of your own damn children. You've never helped me with mine.

So if you ended up with a head injury due to turbulence and couldn't help your own child, I shouldn't bother to help you or your child either? After all, you've never helped me or my child.

You don't see the difference in intentionally sitting away from your child?

Nope. Still a child in need and youre making a lot of assumptions and being judgey about their parents. Maybe your life has gone according to perfect planning up till now, but there will come a time when it doesn't. There may even be a time when your child needs help from a stranger because you aren't present, and hopefully for their sake the strangers show more kindness than you.

Planes have become overbooked Rubik's cubes. Getting the seats you want is not always possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd like to see some of the never-seat-swapping posters answer the question of the last PP below!

Anonymous wrote:

Would you be willing to assist a 5 year old sitting next to you in s crisis? You know, put their oxygen mask on and all that and help them evacuate?

I would not. I would likely have my own child with me who would get my assistance first. You know, since I was responsible enough to get seats together and all. This question makes me angry. Take care of your own damn children. You've never helped me with mine.

So if you ended up with a head injury due to turbulence and couldn't help your own child, I shouldn't bother to help you or your child either? After all, you've never helped me or my child.

You don't see the difference in intentionally sitting away from your child?

I see this logic all the time, seeing children as extensions of their parent, and judging what they deserve based on what you think the parent deserves.

If I was on a plane, and the oxygen masks fell, and there was a child within reach who didn't put theirs on or get it put on them, I'd help. This is true even if the parents did everything "right" and has been knocked unconscious. It's also true if the reasons that the parent is not helping is because they are strung out on heroin, or just can't be bothered. It's even true if the children are the children of an a*!%hole like the PP, because children are separate people from their parents and have value in and of themselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd like to see some of the never-seat-swapping posters answer the question of the last PP below!

Anonymous wrote:

Would you be willing to assist a 5 year old sitting next to you in s crisis? You know, put their oxygen mask on and all that and help them evacuate?

I would not. I would likely have my own child with me who would get my assistance first. You know, since I was responsible enough to get seats together and all. This question makes me angry. Take care of your own damn children. You've never helped me with mine.

So if you ended up with a head injury due to turbulence and couldn't help your own child, I shouldn't bother to help you or your child either? After all, you've never helped me or my child.

You don't see the difference in intentionally sitting away from your child?

it isn't intentional. It is because the airlines are terrible and some passengers are jerks and won't switch seats.

[Anonymous]

Before you think this is a SW issue, years ago, I was flying United with my family. We missed a connection in Denver, so they got us on the next flight. Only, we were standby, and had 3 middle seats. My DD was 1 at the time. No one would move/switch. We did not have to pay for a seat for DD, but did. I told the gate agent that you can get us 2 seats together or refund the cost of the third seat. (If DW or I had to hold DD).

We ended up traveling on a later flight where they could seat us together.

[Anonymous]

Yikes, are there really people out there who would not help a child put on their oxygen mask on a plane?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yikes, are there really people out there who would not help a child put on their oxygen mask on a plane?

+1

This thread is making me so sad. I think I've had my daily fill of DCUM.

[Anonymous]

You people must not be listening. I booked tickets all together on united 6 months in advance for a Christmas trip. During those 6 months, our seats were changed three times. The third time, the change was at the last minute, and we ended up with seats apart through no fault of our own. A nice couple moved so that we could sit together. It was advantageous to us that 2 of our seats were actually on the side and better for this couple anyway, but we were very grateful to have the assistance of that couple.

Or how about if you have to book a last minute flight due to a death in the family. You have no control over that and can't always sit together.

So glad that I don't have to fly very often.