Anonymous wrote:I know this is about SW, but those of you unwilling to switch seats--please realize that sometimes we DO pay for seats together and select seats together, and the airline changes them. We recently returned from a family vacation we booked 9 months in advance with premium seats together on American Airlines. About a month before we left, our flight was changed (completely--different time, different connecting city), and NONE of our seats were together. We were lucky that they were all aisles and windows, but both the agent on the phone and the agent at the ticket counter said they couldn't help us. Because we were giving up aisles/windows for middles and it was a long flight, people were pretty willing to accommodate (and we didn't all need to be together in a row), so it was fine, but I was STUNNED by the airline's unwillingness to help solve a problem THEY created.

Anonymous wrote:

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.


If he was seated next to me, he would be ignored, because I fly with earplugs.

That's fine, if you refuse to change seats, its up to you to deal with the situation in whatever way you feel best that does not cause DS physical harm and is not verbally aggressive. But then you're going to have to persist in ignoring him for quite a while before he gives up. It's up to you.

Anonymous wrote:

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

Aren't you a nasty piece of work.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd never move for anyone!

Your lack of planning does not constitute a crisis for me!

Travellling is a terrible experience at best. We practically receive a cavity search before we even get to the gates and then you want me to move my seat to compensate for your unwillingness to pay the cost of assigned seating?

Come on ... get real! You have a thousand travel options that don't include inconviencing me. You can drive, walk, take of bus or a train. Or here's a news flash for you - you can fly an airline that has assigned seating.

People who feel entitled to special privileges because they have kids can kiss my ass ... because I'm not moving!

Then pay for your flight on United. Don't fly Southwest. Their target customer is kind and fun people so you are really not their target demographic.

Anonymous wrote:I know this is about SW, but those of you unwilling to switch seats--please realize that sometimes we DO pay for seats together and select seats together, and the airline changes them. We recently returned from a family vacation we booked 9 months in advance with premium seats together on American Airlines. About a month before we left, our flight was changed (completely--different time, different connecting city), and NONE of our seats were together. We were lucky that they were all aisles and windows, but both the agent on the phone and the agent at the ticket counter said they couldn't help us. Because we were giving up aisles/windows for middles and it was a long flight, people were pretty willing to accommodate (and we didn't all need to be together in a row), so it was fine, but I was STUNNED by the airline's unwillingness to help solve a problem THEY created.

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.


If he was seated next to me, he would be ignored, because I fly with earplugs.

Anonymous wrote:I'd never move for anyone!

Your lack of planning does not constitute a crisis for me!

Travellling is a terrible experience at best. We practically receive a cavity search before we even get to the gates and then you want me to move my seat to compensate for your unwillingness to pay the cost of assigned seating?

Come on ... get real! You have a thousand travel options that don't include inconviencing me. You can drive, walk, take of bus or a train. Or here's a news flash for you - you can fly an airline that has assigned seating.

People who feel entitled to special privileges because they have kids can kiss my ass ... because I'm not moving!

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.

Anonymous wrote: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 wrote:I was skeptical of SW, but flew them this week with 2 kids under 4. It was awesome. We did family boarding, full flights both ways but no problem getting seats. A few families around us commented that they made it a point to sit near other families - I stop my kids from kicking, but if they do bang into the seats at all here and there another parent will be more understanding than a random business traveler.

The staff was friendly and accommodating. They have a sense of humor. They offered to take my gate checked baby gear to the gate for me.

Worth noting that they do serve peanuts- I was nervous for my peanut allergic kid as I smelled it in the air, but we were fine.

I would fly them again, with or without kids. If you check in right at 24 hours you'll probably get B group and have no problems getting seats, just maybe not in the front of the plane. Boarding this way was quick and easy.

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.