J_Correa

I think that customer service on most american airlines is pretty sketchy. Even with assigned seating, it is still like a cattle call. As soon as the gate agents call for first class passengers, just about everyone getting on the plane crowds forward, even if they are seating group 5 and wont be boarding for 20 minutes.

Then seating assignments aren't even guaranteed until you have your boarding pass in hand. You can choose your seats when you make your reservation, but those assignments can change without notice.

We flew to Munich last summer and bought our plane tickets months and months in advance. With every schedule change the airline made in the interum - I think there were 3 - when I called to reconfirm our flights, our seat assignments had changed. When I asked the person on the phone, I was assured that my seats were the same. I pushed the issue, the person checked and gosh darn it, wouldn't you know it? Instead of 2 seats together with no neighbors, we each had center seats and were not together. I persisted and ended up with the seats I wanted, but had I not, it would have been quite an uncomfortable flight squished between 2 strangers.

rb_travelerxATyahoo

Which airlines have shown profits in recent years?

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. The model is working, and because of free enterprise, those who want more service have other airlines they can use.

I'm happy with Southwest as it is.

pat

just as a FYI, if you have a senior ticket, you can`t do on line check in. You have to show your proof of age to an agent.

LLindaC

Not to mention the free drink coupons you get when you get a FF ticket! Manisha...with 13 last year, you ought to be ready for Betty Ford! ;-)

GoTravel

I don't fly Southwest exactly because of their seating policy.

Yes Annonymous, I do have a BIG problem being separated from my husband on a plane.

You see, he is in the restaurant business and works nights and weekends. I work Monday through Friday 9-5.

When he gets home from work at night I am already asleep in the bed. When I get up for work in the morning and am leaving, he is asleep in the bed.

He doesn't get home until after midnight and I have to get up at 6AM.

As you can imagine, we NEVER see each other so every little teeny bit of extra time we spend together is very important to the both of us.

samting

GoTravel: You just added another reason why it is not great, and not worth the saving, to be 'junked' about. I too like to sit near my DH, as we are often sharing snacks, books, gossip, etc. Is it too much to ask to sit together???? I think they (SW) could meet this need and still make a profit.

FainaAgain

Last time I checked in from home 20.5 hours before the flight on Tuesday 9 am from Oakland, CA to Chicago, IL and got a B. Everybody's trying to check-in early.

Request a wheelchair for pre-boarding

LLindaC

Faina...you naughty girl!!!

cabovacation

I agree with Dan - and most of the others. Just go online and print the ticket. But the one frustration I did have was the HUGE number of special people who board early...from the infirm to families with kids. Now, I totally agree that the handicapped need all the help they can get...and I know that parents have to sit with their little kids...and that is also takes the parents forever to lock the child seats in place and settle the kids, so that's good. And those people are many. And then there are those who really don't NEED early boarding, but any excuse to get a good seat....and suddenly we are dealing with almost the equivalent of an "A" line. That is what makes Southwest most difficult, imho. But I am a fan.

jlm_mi

samting - I guess I don't understand why this discussion is valuable. If you want SWA to change their seating policy, contact them. If enough people did, they might do it. But clearly, their current system works for them, as they are a profitable business with plenty of customers.

If you don't like a product or service offered by a company, choose the alternatives. Sounds like that's what you (and GoTravel, etc) will be doing. If enough people do it to hurt Southwest's bottom line, they'll pay attention. If plenty of others are still willing to use them with their current setup, what do they care if some don't?

Dukey

SW has recently tested a "confirmed seat" plan and as I recall, San Diego was the testing site.

Don't know what the results were/are and couldn't find in info about it on their website.

samting

Yeah, when we were leaving Venice one time, and chaos reigned, a very vocal, very large lady insisted that she was disabled, needed a wheel chair, and must, simply MUST board first!! She made such a racket that she got away with it, and thus she was seated at the front of the airplane. You should have seen how spry she was when we landed and she bolted out the door, almost at a run! Oh well, takes all kinds.

kcapuani

We fly SWA because of its excellent frequent flyer program. My husband travels back and forth between Buffalo and BWI each week. He earns a free ticket every 2 months since they base their rewards off of the number of flights flown, not the number of miles. It is so aggravating for him to have to remember to print out his ticket 24 hours in advance. But, SWA has the best fares so he puts up with ocassionally getting stuck in the C boarding group.

shaiutto

Personally, I LOVE SW. If they have a flight to where I'm headed I take them even if another airline is slightly more convenient or cheaper. I think it's important to support the only airline that isn't declaring bankruptcy every couple of years and getting a government handout. I also LIKE the A,B,C method and hope they don't change to confirmed seating. I check in online at home (or from my hotel), always get an A, have no problem getting a good seat.

happytrailstoyou

I flew SW Airlines once and won't do so again unless I become indigent.

Flying is miserable enough without being subjected to the indignitities only SW has to offer.

Anonymous

The above reference to a "very vocal, very large lady" reminds me of another thing I like about the Southwest open-seating approach. Who among us hasn't approached their reserved seat on another airline and seen, to their dismay, that they are about to spend the flight seated next to somebody they'd rather avoid -- taking up too much space (via body size or baggage), chatty, smelly, whatever. I actually don't mind being in a SW "B" boarding group because then I can sorta pick who I sit next to.