Southwest Airlines passengers use controversial boarding strategy
The airline says Southwest has no policy "for or against" the various ways travelers save seats on board its airplanes.
Dallas-based Southwest Airlines (LUV) treats its passengers differently than other carriers in one key way.
Most airlines require passengers to select their seats, based on a number of factors, and then compel the travelers to use their assigned seats.
Related: Southwest Airlines makes big pricing change passengers will love
This is not the case at Southwest, which uses a boarding process it calls open seating.
Rather than booking an assigned seat, passengers are assigned a boarding group, generally based on how early in the process they check in. Travelers can do this as early as 24 hours before a flight's departure.
When Southwest fliers check in, they are assigned a boarding group — either A, B or C. They are also assigned a number between one and 60 within that boarding group.
Passengers board the Southwest aircraft in the assigned order and then they can select any seat they want.
But some passenger groups include one traveler with an earlier boarding assignment than the others, which leads to that person saving one seat or more, depending on how many people they are traveling with.
And this is where some controversies can get started.
Southwest stays out of seating arguments
As the airline has stated publicly, Southwest does not have a "specific policy for or against saving seats."
Taking an indifferent approach to the practice releases flight attendants from the difficult task of attempting to enforce a ban on seat-saving. The airline appears to have decided that it's better to let passengers settle these decisions themselves.
Most passengers take an approach of tolerance to observing others save seats. But sometime patience is tested.
For example, one Southwest passenger (who said he had a good A group boarding pass) was looking forward to sitting in an exit row, likely for the extra legroom those rows provide.
Hey @SouthwestAir I’m an “A List” guy who flys a lot and you do a great job
But I had a good “A” boarding on my flight home and wanted an exit row but one lady was holding 3 rows for her family!
What's Your Reaction?
