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

[Anonymous]

We fly pretty frequently with our 3 kids, and I have found that, whether on Southwest or another airline that assigns seats, I need to "bite the bullet" and pay a small premium to ensure that we can sit together. Airlines used to consider this part of the cost of the ticket, but now families basically must accept that sitting together is considered an amenity and therefore you must pay something for it.

So on Delta, if I am booking our tickets within 4-6 weeks of travel (and therefore a lot of seats are already booked), I usually need to buy the choice seats so that my DH can sit with one child, and I can sit with the other two kids. If even the choice seats are booked, I've always been able to ask a gate agent or flight attendant to assist at the airport.

And on Southwest, I usually buy Early Bird so that I'm pretty much guaranteed a "B" boarding position and that about half of the seats on the plane will still be empty when we board (which means we can always find 2 seats together and 3 seats together). I like Southwest because, even if I'm booking 4-6 weeks out, I'm not shut out of the decent seats, as I would be if I were booking on Delta. If I'm feeling cheap, instead of buying Early Bird, I'll just set my calendar to check in online exactly 24 hours in advance because we usually get B30 or thereabouts, which means that at least 30 percent of the seats will still be available when we board. Finally, even though "family boarding" (between the A and B groups) is technically only for kids under the age of 5, we have sometimes asked if we could use family boarding even when our kids were 5 and 6 years old, and the agents have said "sure."

Worst case scenario, if we're on the plane and not able to find seats together, we have always been able to ask a flight attendant to help us with reseating. I'm never afraid to ask a flight attendant to assist. I just ask nicely. (I used to carry Starbucks gift cards to give to anyone who was nice enough to move for us, but I find I really don't need to do it.) The only situation where it didn't work for us was when my 7 year old was in one middle seat, and I was in the middle seat across the aisle. So we were close.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have moved multiple times on flights, mostly to accommodate families with small kids but also once for a couple on their honeymoon. It really wasn't a huge deal for me (my husband was going to put in earbuds and go to sleep anyway) and the people I switched for were incredibly appreciative, overall it was a bright spot in my day.

Helping others has been proven to provide a significant mood boost, helps combat anxiety and depression, and contributes to an overall improved sense of well-being. Perhaps those of who are feeling so cranky about switching seats with others tried doing it, your general level of crankiness would improve. It would be a win-win for everyone!

Agreed. I would move for basically anyone other than to sit next to the bathroom. Flying isn't fun/comfortable and if I can help make someone else's flight a little easier, cool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the threat of sitting next to an unsupervised child or worse, toddler, is enough to make any rational person move. I can't imagine it being a problem. And if not, hey, get a drink and enjoy the free babysitting!

+1000

[Anonymous]

On a side note, I recently flew with my 2 kids where they had the middle & aisle and I had the aisle across the way. I didn't mind that the woman in the window didn't want to switch for my aisle, but I did mind the dramatic passive aggressive sigh and eye roll when the kids sat down next to her.

Not switching was her prerogative, but if you don't want to switch away from the kids don't bitch about sitting next to them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:On a side note, I recently flew with my 2 kids where they had the middle & aisle and I had the aisle across the way. I didn't mind that the woman in the window didn't want to switch for my aisle, but I did mind the dramatic passive aggressive sigh and eye roll when the kids sat down next to her.

Not switching was her prerogative, but if you don't want to switch away from the kids don't bitch about sitting next to them.

I have to laugh at people like that. It's been so long since air travel was a "luxurious" experience, it's basically a necessarily evil most of us suffer through. What was she expecting? A spa-like environment?

[Anonymous]

I understand that parents want to be next to a small child, but I fly SW a lot, and often families with children in their teens STILL demand to be seated within a row of each other. Why? It's a 2-3 hour flight and your kids will be glued to their phones the entire time - why do you insist on being within arms' reach?

[Anonymous]

I have a 3 y/o and when purchasing tickets for a flight I will absolutely spend the extra $$ to insure DD is sitting next to DH and myself. I understand switching on something like SouthWest, but a normal flight? I find it annoying that parents think they can just have everyone move around just for them. I have moved for families before, who were on standby but people who bought tickets ages ago and didn't want to pay $$ to pick their seats and make sure they sit together? Nope.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a 3 y/o and when purchasing tickets for a flight I will absolutely spend the extra $$ to insure DD is sitting next to DH and myself. I understand switching on something like SouthWest, but a normal flight? I find it annoying that parents think they can just have everyone move around just for them. I have moved for families before, who were on standby but people who bought tickets ages ago and didn't want to pay $$ to pick their seats and make sure they sit together? Nope.

Unless you ask them, you can't always assume that they didn't originally get seats together. Sh-t happens, a previous poster articulated really well how airlines will make changes and you end up with totally different seats and then they don't help at all. It's happened to us, you are lucky if it's never happened to you. The worst was an international flight that we booked months in advance- our itinerary (and seats) were changed THREE times.

[Anonymous]

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?

[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:

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.

[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:

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.

That officially makes you subhuman. Rot.

[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:

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.

People are nuts.

[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:

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.

[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:

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.

[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:

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?