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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just don't think families should get to board first, just because they're...families. It doesn't make any sense, and punishes people without kids.

(Yes, I have kids, yes, I'm the one who doesn't fly WN)

Well then it sounds like you have chosen the airline that works for you and you don't have to worry about it. For Southwest, it is likely a business decision (attracts families who might otherwise be scared off by no seat reservation) and minimizes potential seat conflicts so the flight can take off faster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just don't think families should get to board first, just because they're...families. It doesn't make any sense, and punishes people without kids.

(Yes, I have kids, yes, I'm the one who doesn't fly WN)

Well then it sounds like you have chosen the airline that works for you and you don't have to worry about it. For Southwest, it is likely a business decision (attracts families who might otherwise be scared off by no seat reservation) and minimizes potential seat conflicts so the flight can take off faster.

All other airlines minimize seat conflicts by having assigned seats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just don't think families should get to board first, just because they're...families. It doesn't make any sense, and punishes people without kids.

(Yes, I have kids, yes, I'm the one who doesn't fly WN)

Well then it sounds like you have chosen the airline that works for you and you don't have to worry about it. For Southwest, it is likely a business decision (attracts families who might otherwise be scared off by no seat reservation) and minimizes potential seat conflicts so the flight can take off faster.

All other airlines minimize seat conflicts by having assigned seats.

I don't know of another airline that lets coach ticket holders cancel a flight 10 minutes prior to flight time. Last time I wanted to make a change on another airline there was a $200 change fee per ticket. Now that is deserving of an eye roll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just don't think families should get to board first, just because they're...families. It doesn't make any sense, and punishes people without kids.

(Yes, I have kids, yes, I'm the one who doesn't fly WN)

Well then it sounds like you have chosen the airline that works for you and you don't have to worry about it. For Southwest, it is likely a business decision (attracts families who might otherwise be scared off by no seat reservation) and minimizes potential seat conflicts so the flight can take off faster.

All other airlines minimize seat conflicts by having assigned seats.

Except when people don't pay to choose a seat and then ask you to switch, right? The worst are the honeymooners who give a sob story about not being able to sit together on their very first flight as a married couple. Gawd give me a break! Why are you being cheap on your honeymoon. Lol.

I like Southwest but can understand why those who want a seat assignment ahead of time would go elsewhere. Obviously they've been pretty successful though. Their staff sure are cheerier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just don't think families should get to board first, just because they're...families. It doesn't make any sense, and punishes people without kids.

(Yes, I have kids, yes, I'm the one who doesn't fly WN)

Well then it sounds like you have chosen the airline that works for you and you don't have to worry about it. For Southwest, it is likely a business decision (attracts families who might otherwise be scared off by no seat reservation) and minimizes potential seat conflicts so the flight can take off faster.

All other airlines minimize seat conflicts by having assigned seats.

I don't know of another airline that lets coach ticket holders cancel a flight 10 minutes prior to flight time. Last time I wanted to make a change on another airline there was a $200 change fee per ticket. Now that is deserving of an eye roll.

+1

[Anonymous]

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 totally agree. I can't believe that this country is so anti-kid that grown men and women would not move for a child younger than nine. It's crazy. I can't even imagine this ever happening in a country like Italy or Spain. They would publicly shame any adult who wouldn't move.

[Anonymous]

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 totally agree. I can't believe that this country is so anti-kid that grown men and women would not move for a child younger than nine. It's crazy. I can't even imagine this ever happening in a country like Italy or Spain. They would publicly shame any adult who wouldn't move.

Agreed. I refused to move for two adults once, but I would never do that for a little kid.

Kind of reminds me of my metro commute. When the train is busy, which is most times going and coming from work, I pretty much always stand, considering it good exercise. Sometimes I feel like sitting, and then I think that an older, heavier, or disabled person might come in and I wouldnt want to take a seat from them.

But I see so many able bodied young men just plopped in their seats, staying stubbornly in their seats even when a pregnant woman is looking for a place to sit.

It's gross and disgusting.

They would definitely be SHAMED in Europe. Made fun of and laughed at. And thats how it should be, IMO. Because it really is pathetic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just don't think families should get to board first, just because they're...families. It doesn't make any sense, and punishes people without kids.

(Yes, I have kids, yes, I'm the one who doesn't fly WN)

Well then it sounds like you have chosen the airline that works for you and you don't have to worry about it. For Southwest, it is likely a business decision (attracts families who might otherwise be scared off by no seat reservation) and minimizes potential seat conflicts so the flight can take off faster.

All other airlines minimize seat conflicts by having assigned seats.

Different airlines, different policies! Southwest has open seating and this is a policy THEY use to avoid potential conflicts. Get it?

Funny how you even responded to this thread when you don't even utilize the airline.

[Anonymous]

At the end of it all, I guess were the worst to ever happen, I would want that mother to be be her child. And that child to be by his mother. And I would switch a damn seat to make sure I didn't prevent that.

[Anonymous]

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 totally agree. I can't believe that this country is so anti-kid that grown men and women would not move for a child younger than nine. It's crazy. I can't even imagine this ever happening in a country like Italy or Spain. They would publicly shame any adult who wouldn't move.[/quote
It happened to us in Paris on Air France/Delta. We are a family of 4 and were flying coach and as we handed our boarding tickets at the gate that little machine distributed new boarding tickets and the agent goes "oh congratulations, you've been upgraded to business" but when we looked at them we were all separated and we said no thank you we need to sit together, or at leastb2 and 2 or 3 and 1 and the gate agent said "sorry, but you will have to take these new seats." So we go on the plane and the flight attendants try to get people to move and no,one would. NO ONE! I didn't want these seats, they weren't the ones we picked when we bought the tickets, I finally strapped in the car seat to the seat, put my 18 month old in, and walked away, wishing the Lady Luck and he screamed while I cried. Finally these two mean agreed to move so at least I could sit next to my son. My DH had to sit across the aisle from my daughter. It was awful. This has happened twice.

This summer we flew to Europe again, but my kids are now much older. We were once again upgraded, and of course our seats were not together, but luckily were 2 and 2, right behind one another. So the kids say they want to sit together, and since we were behind them we said ok. But the flight attendants said it was a no no. That children must sit next to a parent, in particular at take off and landing. Well, isn't that convenient, that wasn't the case before....,

[Anonymous]

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'm going to guess that you are about 5'4", right? Because if you were 6'4", you'd understand that it's not just inconvenient to sit in a middle seat for a 6 hour cross country trip. It's really uncomfortable. But hey, that's their problem, right? Your connecting flight was delayed, so they get to spend the next 6 hours with their knees in their chin. Heaven forbid the repercussions of your bad luck fall on you - make someone else bear the burden. Unreal. Note: I'd most likely move for a kid. But your outrage that random passengers won't inconvenience themselves to make sure your flight is as comfortable as can be is absurd. The irony is, I'm sure you are a recliner, too.

[Anonymous]

Anyone is welcome to sit next to my 6 year old and not change seats. But recognize that he will likely talk to you about legos and ask you questions about yourself during the flight.

[Anonymous]

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'm going to guess that you are about 5'4", right? Because if you were 6'4", you'd understand that it's not just inconvenient to sit in a middle seat for a 6 hour cross country trip. It's really uncomfortable. But hey, that's their problem, right? Your connecting flight was delayed, so they get to spend the next 6 hours with their knees in their chin. Heaven forbid the repercussions of your bad luck fall on you - make someone else bear the burden. Unreal. Note: I'd most likely move for a kid. But your outrage that random passengers won't inconvenience themselves to make sure your flight is as comfortable as can be is absurd. The irony is, I'm sure you are a recliner, too.

How do you know it was a middle seat?

[Anonymous]

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'm going to guess that you are about 5'4", right? Because if you were 6'4", you'd understand that it's not just inconvenient to sit in a middle seat for a 6 hour cross country trip. It's really uncomfortable. But hey, that's their problem, right? Your connecting flight was delayed, so they get to spend the next 6 hours with their knees in their chin. Heaven forbid the repercussions of your bad luck fall on you - make someone else bear the burden. Unreal. Note: I'd most likely move for a kid. But your outrage that random passengers won't inconvenience themselves to make sure your flight is as comfortable as can be is absurd. The irony is, I'm sure you are a recliner, too.

Um it's about a child. NP here. Yes, i care more about a child's comfort than a grown man's (You are a grown man... right? You sound more like a toddler)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:8 is WAY too old for that crap. Is your kid special ed?

Aren't you a nasty piece of work.