Southwest's Seating Policy

[slappy magoo]

Hey there Hi there Ho there...

Anyone have any bad experience with Southwest's "Sit where you want, technically there are no savesies but we won't stop you, no guarantees you'll sit together" policy?

Because there are no reserved seats, my wife worries we won't be able to sit all together. We have 2 kids who will be 8 and 4 when we go.

I know Southwest will give us an earlier boarding because we have a 4 year old. But a: It's still after top priority and apparently some families buy 1 top priority ticket and then save all the seats they want; and b: if the flight is a stopover, there might already be people on the plane from a prior airport, continuing on to Orlando.

I figure at the very least, we would be split up in 2 parties, one adult sitting next to one kid each. But I can't guarantee it, and that makes it awkward.

Any comments or experiences?

 

[NYwdwfan]

Hey there Hi there Ho there...

Anyone have any bad experience with Southwest's "Sit where you want, technically there are no savesies but we won't stop you, no guarantees you'll sit together" policy?

Because there are no reserves seats, my wife worries we won't be able to sit all together. We have 2 kids who will be 8 and 4 when we go.

I know Southwest will give us an earlier boarding because we have a 4 year old. But a: It's still after top priority and apparently some families buy 1 top priority ticket and then save all the seats they want; and b: if the flight is a stopover, there might already be people on the plane from a prior airport, continuing on to Orlando.

I figure at the very least, we would be split up in 2 parties, one adult sitting next to one kid each. But I can't guarantee it, and that makes it a no-go with the wife.

Any comments or experiences?

We have never had an issue. The four of us would sit two in one row and two in the row behind so we could easily pass things between us. There are roughly 26 rows on each plane, each side of the aisle, so 52 rows total. Even if ALL the 60 people with A boarding passes sit in one row there are still 44 rows with available 2 seat groupings for the B's. Granted - we don't fly from an airport that has had carry-over people from a previous flight. BUT - since you will board with family boarding I really can't see you having any sort of an issue.

 

[RememberWhen]

We've also never had an issue either remembering to check in early and getting A boarding, or just boarding with family boarding. There may be a lot of family boarding on a flight to FL, so I would stand around the gate when they are boarding (or even lining up) the A group. You should be totally fine, though you may be towards the back of the plane.
FWIW you could just pay for priority boarding.

 

[dreamfinder]

You should be able to sit one of three ways. All 4 of you in two rows back & front, or side by side, three of you in one row with the 4th elsewhere on plane, or two and two. Even when I've boarded mid B, so after family board, there are still plenty of rows in the back with at least 2 seats open. Push comes to shove, the flight attendants are usually good about asking for people to move so you can sit in the 2 by 2, and I've had more than a few joke that if no one moves, someone else has to watch/entertain your child for the duration of the flight. Which is usually motivation for someone to move. ; )

 

[Mawg]

Never had a problem with my family of 4 but I have seen issues with other families. This is how you would have an issue. One, you don't check in at the 24 hr mark or worse yet not until you get to the airport so you end up with one of the last of the C groups and you don't qualify for family boarding. I don't recall if 4 years of age still qualifies? Or the worst situation is you have a change of planes and you first flight is late so you are the last to board the next flight even though you have a good boarding number. In these situations, I have seen SWA make an announcement if anyone is willing to change seats, I have seen people reluctant to do it but someone always does it in the end. In a case like this you won't be all 4 together but you will end up 2 and 2 somewhere.

 

[Weather_Lady]

We're a family of four and have flown Southwest a time or two. My advice is:

1 - If you don't have early bird (which we've never purchased -- we're flying SW to save money and for the price of EB for 4 people, roundtrip, we could buy a whole extra ticket!), then check in online exactly at the 24-hour mark and try to get everybody in the "A" group.
2 - Failing that, if you end up in the B or C group, take advantage of family boarding (which boards between groups A and B, and is intended for children 6 and younger with an accompanying adult). Your spouse can board with the younger child, head to the back, and politely attempt to save a couple of seats for you and the older child. (Most of those trying to "save" seats will do so near the front of the aircraft and there will be larger blocks of available seats near the back, and little or no competition for them.)
3 - If you can't get four seats together (e.g., somebody grabs the seats your spouse was trying to "save"), absolutely split into two groups of two, each child with an adult. (Frankly, it's not like you get a lot of "family interaction" in a party of four even if you're in the same row or in front of each other, given the high seat backs and staggered arrangement of the rows on each side. You're going to feel like two pairs instead of a party of four, regardless of how close your seats are.) Plan for this ahead of time by packing one child's in-flight activity items and snacks in your spouse's personal item, and the other child's stuff in yours.
4 - If worse comes to worst, and in the very unlikely event you can only find single seats despite following the advice above, you'll have to depend on the kindness of strangers, and ask if any passengers would be willing to move so that your child is not seated alone. If nobody responds to your request, look some kind-looking soul right in the eyes and ask them directly. People are far more likely to say "yes" if they are asked personally and politely. In fact, you may even want to offer some small token of thanks, such as a candy bar or a Southwest drink coupon - you can find them on eBay - to anyone willing to switch. It may sound silly, but it's amazing what people will do for even a small gesture like that! Don't fret about this scenario, though: it is not a likely one, and would probably only take place if the flight is already mostly full of passengers using your airport as their through-point, or if you get to the gate late and are boarding last. I've seen it happen on Southwest, but only for families who failed to check in until they reached the airport for a full flight, and whose children were all above the "family boarding" cut-off age of 6, meaning they all ended up boarding dead last.

 

[ninjaprincesst]

We have never had a problem, we even had a late connecting flight once where they were already boarding C group when we arrived and we had my Dad who is disabled and found four seat together in the front of the plane no problem. If you have any issues just let a flight attendant know they will "encourage" someone to move for you, believe me the airline does not want children sitting away from their parents anymore than you do.

 

[disneyfirstLJ]

I have never had a problem but we only have two in our party and I always purchase the early bird check in. We usually get an A or B seating.

 

[Ripken10]

I have seen families have issues with this. I personally hate this policy and have talked to many that hate this policy that are waiting to board. I hate it for a different reason than most - I just hate having to jump up with the rest of the crowd to get in line to find a seat with my party. I could care less where I sit most of the time, I just want to sit next to one person I know. But I hate having to be hearded like cattle. So often I see families split up cause of this policy, and either tears or anger ensues.

I still love Southwest, but this is the one thing I hate about flying with them. If you plan you will be ok, but I think they make it more difficult then it has to be.

 

[jaklgreen]

We always fly SWA and have been using them since before our kids were born. We have not had any issues sitting together. My 2 girls and I in one row and hubby across from us. Before they had early bird, I would check in 24 hours ahead. But ever since they came out with EB, I always get it. That way you do not have to think about it again. This is great for the return trip. I always tell people with little kids to buy EB and not to rely on anyone moving for you. Plus I don't think it is fair to ask others, who have done the right thing, to move for your family because you wanted to save a few bucks or did not plan ahead.

 

[YozhikRoth]

I usually pay for Early Bird check-in, which gets you an A group boarding. I don't think it's necessary to ensure a group sits together, it's just I like to make sure I'm at the front of the plane (and off as soon as possible) and have plenty of overhead space available.

 

[SAV]

We just flew back earlier this week and I did my check-in an hour after the 24 hour mark and got in the B50's vicinity. We decided to just do Mom and Daughter, Son and I figuring we wouldn't be able to get 4 across.

My Wife and Daughter somehow got an Exit row and my son and I got a Window and middle seat a couple of rows back next to a Dad who was doing the 4 across.

On the way to Orlando I did check-in at the exact 24 hour mark and got A30ish. So we easily got 4 seats across on the Wing.

My kids are older, so it wouldn't have been a big deal to split us up, though.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

You'll be fine. Boarding with the families is more than enough to get seats together. The 737s sit 140 people. At most, there are 60 people in the A group and you board after them. The plane will be half empty at worst.

 

[Foltzy]

In the many years we flew southwest (about 20 flights total) we never had to split up beyond 2 and 2. We would always check in 24 hours before though. Many people will also gladly move if you ask them nicely.
The only time we had to split up was when we were late and had to run through the airport to get to the gate. So also make sure you're not late!

 

[Sans Souci]

We just flew back earlier this week and I did my check-in an hour after the 24 hour mark and got in the B50's vicinity. We decided to just do Mom and Daughter, Son and I figuring we wouldn't be able to get 4 across.

My Wife and Daughter somehow got an Exit row and my son and I got a Window and middle seat a couple of rows back next to a Dad who was doing the 4 across.

On the way to Orlando I did check-in at the exact 24 hour mark and got A30ish. So we easily got 4 seats across on the Wing.

My kids are older, so it wouldn't have been a big deal to split us up, though.

Do you fly out of Midway? I think because it's a hub, there are many through passengers on the plane by the time you check in. The last time I got an A group of out Midway, it was 2 years ago and the first flight of the day. Since then, I've only gotten B group (unless I pay for Early Bird Check In).

 

[SAV]

This trip we did go out of Midway, but it was an 8:40pm flight and I checked immediately as the window opened. We actually had about 30 open seats on the flight.

Normally we fly out of Milwaukee and usually get an early B slot and still get the wing area.

 

[MickeyMomV]

We fly Southwest 75% of the time and never have any issues. I set a timer on my phone 5 minutes before the 24 hour window opens to make sure I'm ready and don't forget. We usually get the end of A or the first couple of seats of B and there is always plenty of room.

To be honest even if we did have to split up (as long as one of us could sit with the DS) for the 2 hours it takes it is worth it for the reduced fare and not having to pay luggage fees.

 

[ninjaprincesst]

I usually pay for Early Bird check-in, which gets you an A group boarding. I don't think it's necessary to ensure a group sits together, it's just I like to make sure I'm at the front of the plane (and off as soon as possible) and have plenty of overhead space available.

EB is also great if your staying on Disney Property and using the resort airline check in service. Disney won't check you in until the morning of departure so you have to remember to do it from your phone 24 hours before your departure to get a good boarding group, with EB i't done for you.

 

[James Norrie]

I recommend purchasing the Early Bird as well, Just flew there in Aug. 2-Leg trip down, Direct back to CT. Got Position A20-23 On both legs on the way down, Position A18-21 Back to CT. Got choice of seating, and all three planes were maxed-out full. Worth the extra money to get EB.

 

[aw14]

I would recommend getting the early bird. That made life easier for us. It can become a bit of a pushing and shoving fest at times. Our last flight home had to deal with a High School baseball team standing in a lot of areas that they shouldn't be. A little elbowing cleared that up. However, we much prefer flying American, specifically when the cost difference is negligible.