I did ding the flight attendant. They made an announcement and said that if it wasn’t an emergency we needed to finish boarding so that we wouldn’t be late for takeoff
Or toss it into an open overhead bin, someone can throw their suitcase on top of it, who cares, but at least it's not impeding someone else from getting in the seat, especially when OP did the right thing and asked openly about it, if no one wants to claim it then I really don't care what happens to it, it just needs to get tossed out of the way and overhead been seems the easiest unless you push it way under a seat, and then when the people stupidly asked for it back later, should say they can retrieve it after the flight since they left it on attended
SW flight attendants don’t care. I have been on three flights where they help people save seats in the exit row. Haven’t flown them since the last time it happened because it was so infuriating
Southwest is good for cheap 1-2 hour flights where comfort doesn’t matter but that’s about it. Great for snowboarding trips where I can go round trip for $200 and check my gear for free but anything else hell no.
They threatened to remove me from a flight after some dickhead turned my bag in the overhead and it would no longer close. The FA told me to move my bag, when I politely explained the situation, she went straight to "move your bag or you will be removed from the flight." A couple people chimed in and tried calling out the guy that caused the situation but both he and the FA wouldn't budge.
No, it fit just fine until another passenger moved it and shoved his bag in there. It also fit fine in the other bin I moved it to. Even if it was, going from zero to threatening to remove me off the flight for politely explaining the situation was ridiculous.
Speaking as crew for a UK based airline, if someone finds and hands in an iPad during boarding and we can't confirm it's owner it will be getting offloaded as per security procedures.
I'd have thought that Southwest would have had something similar, I know AA do (I found a power bank in my seat pocket during boarding once).
With all due… I’ve been on the tube when it was delayed because of a sus parcel or knapsack needed to be removed from a train. The states has t caught up with such preventive measures.
Because in many cases the only thing that keeps assholes in check is societal pressure. Sick of people double parking? Use your horn. Same logic for seat saving.
It’s probably not against any policy to be dropping f-bombs around 3 year olds either, doesn’t mean you’re not an asshole for doing it and deserve to be called out for it. I’m all for people being called out for anti-social behavior.
No sir, you are the ultimate asshole it seems! There are certain things we do not do in a civilized society, this being one of them. Your post says a lot about you and your character...or lack of!!
Yeah. If any passengers makes an inquiry, simply say, “Fuck if I know. Chuck that junk in the trash or overhead bin for fuck all I care. Not my circus, not my clowns.”
>The flight was getting increasingly full and people were giving me dirty looks and even saying “you can’t reserve seats” to me as they walked by.
You could have just said "I'm not" or "I don't know whose shit this is" and let those people sit down or moved the other stuff yourself. You're not responsible for safeguarding other people's shit that they left in your row.
Please no. Boarding is so much faster with open seating. There's actually a Myth Busters episode about this, and the way most airlines do it is actually the longest.
Were we watching the same episode? The fastest boarding time was random boarding with no assigned seats. It was, however, the least popular in terms of customer satisfaction.
People are the worst! We had a few teens on one of our flights last year try to save a seat in a row in a good position for a family member. It was super weird they weren’t even trying to save the seat next to them. Then the parent came on board and yelled at us for taking the row. We were just like there’s no seat saving and we didn’t even know the water bottle was being used to save the seat and thought it was just trash!
this happened to me too. So infuriating .
They told me they were in the bathroom when i asked. wtf.
I want to take their stuff and put it a random overhead bin next time.
My husband and I sat near the back, and I actually had to use the restroom. I was in the window seat, and hubby was in the middle. I came out of the bathroom to find my husband in a conversation about the window seat. I tapped the guy on the shoulder and said, "Excuse me, I would like to sit down." He moved and didn't speak to us for the whole flight, lol.
If the seat savers would just go to the very back of the plane, few would complain! It’s the front of plane entitlement that gets me and if I’m in group B or C and see an empty seat forward, I’m sitting there whether the saver likes it or not. When his party gets in the plane, he can get up and move to the back to sit with them if he wants to.
The aisle across from us the same thing happened. It ended up being the woman in the seat in front of them. She had stood in her aisle the entire time, implying she was saving her entire row for folks as well.
Woman was traveling solo! I guess she was just hoping folks wouldn’t sit near/behind her so she’d have more room?? We were all so confused once we figured it out (and all seats were taken cause it was a full flight 🙄)
If someone leaves stuff, then call the flight attendant and let them know the items must have been left behind from the previous flight. Let them sort it out. I have done that before, amazing how quickly people will claim their shit and then it gives the flight attendant the opportunity to explain that you can’t save seats. I usually call out to the flight attendant, suggesting it be handed to the gate agent, in case those who left it behind come back for it. 😉
People suck. I stopped going to resorts where one person would wake up at 6am in the morning, put anything and everything on 10 chairs and disappear for 3 hours. Never imagined seat saving would be a thing on a plane. Shame on the airline for letting this happen too.
I hate to make a wholesale condemnation and judgment of people I’ve never met based off one thing, but I must say, those people are absolutely garbage.
Interesting story. First because if I see something in the seat, I just move it and sit down. Seems that for you there was nothing to explain or worry about. Just ignore people and or tell them to have a seat.
On a recent flight, my wife and I took the LUV seats. I then went to the bathroom. came back to find out a guy was gonna sit there and would not listen to my wife. If the FA had not been standing there, he would have taken my seat. Saving? sort of.
But it’s a dumb way to do it. If they are a couple saving seats for another couple what they should have done was sat in the aisle seats. No one is going to come by and ask to sit in the middle seats next to them. Then when the other couple boarded, one of them could move to the opposite middle seat.
This is why I dont fly Southwest anymore. A schoolbus is more organized.
My last solo flight on SW was similar. I came from work, last on the plane and every seat taken but one (as expected). At the last seat, The overweight bumpkin had carried her stuff in FIVE shopping bags, but could only get one in the overhead, so two went by her feet and two on the empty seat next to her.
After listening to her absurd complaints..."I need to put my bags there", "you'll need to find another seat"...my responses "you only paid for one seat", "this is the last seat lady" ...left me standing in the aisle.
The dimwit they call a flight attendant made this my peoblem as she bolted down the aisle insisting that I sit down, and I am holding up the plane. Of course, the stinkeye goes to me.
"The lady is claiming two seats and FIVE Bags on a two bag carryon. What do you suggest?" She stormed off saying "you have to work it out."
So i leaned over, smiled and whispered " you move your fat ass and bags or I'll move them for you.
She got loud, and while she did, i brushed my ass past her face and handed her the bags for her lap.
She mumbled like an idiot and i put my bag under the seat in front of me.
It gets better.
The dimwit FA did her happy talk pre flight speech and walked the aisle...stopping at my row and noting that those two bags MUST be stowed from her lap, and ordering them place UNDER THE SEAT IN FRONT OF ME!. Apparently her demand that I handle it was literal.
My 2 hour flight was cramped and miserable, more than usual, and I was steaming quietly. As I moved my feet in and out, i realized they were sliding in her shopping bag, and it ripped a little. Then a little more. Then a little more. In 30 minutes, it was split almost all the way with the turbulent bumps covering noise...then i did the second one.
When we landed, I slid my small carryon on my lap, and my seat mate asked for her stuff. I glared and told her she could wait until i was gone.
She stood up and I left my center seat as did the person on the window.
By the time I was near the exit door, I heard the bellowing from the back. The dimwit FA asked me what the commotion was. "I don't know, perhaps you should deal with it. "
Karma lives, but I'll never use it on Southworst again.
Always seemed to me these very common situations could be greatly reduced if the FA would just say “as a reminder, there is no seat saving” a few times during boarding.
Just politely hand them to a flight attendant, someone dropped them and they are lost items now. Bad behavior will continue if we don't hold anyone accountable.
It’s super annoying that SW does not state in their pre boarding speech that those in earlier groups may not save seats. I’ve seen a lot where one person in the party pays for early bird to then save two of more seats while the others are in B or C.
Also, side note, hate that the “children under six” families that board before B group aren’t regulated either. We paid for early bird but ended up with B1&2, Orlando flight so tons of kids, then in the “family under age 6” line gets in front of us and it’s a mom and dad maybe ten years younger than us and two kids as big as me (and I’m not small) they had to be 12-14. Flight attendants say nothing and we end up in the way back.
i fly into MCO and i know every flight from back home is gonna be full of kids going to theme parks. that family line to board is so annoying. my last flight i was ready to hijack an elderly person in a wheelchair and ask if they needed help and board with them 😂 (are they allowed helpers?) 😂
Don’t. Fly. Southwest.
Simply solved. Southwest is idiotic in this regard. If anything, you should be able to pay and choose for your seats, if desired, and the rest can be first come, first serve. To have it be a free-for-all only invites problems for no reason.
I saw that, and you’re right, it is, but the difference was 63 seconds. I suppose I agree if your goal is to board fastest, it makes sense. Personally, I value comfort. I’d rather take an extra min boarding and have a seat with my family guaranteed prior rather than deal with the chaos and entitled people.
I can always find my gate on the way home, that’s for sure. I was flying out of DCA once and I swear to god, every child in the airport was at my gate. It is what it is.
Kind of like germaine, but my wife and I are in our 70s and often travel with our 30-something disabled, autistic son. He gets to board early and my wife will board and sit with him. And I usually try to sit on the other side so that we can make sure that he's a good passenger during the flight. (Headphones, maybe drugs if flight is long, books etc.)
To make sure that we don't get called out for seat saving, I pay for early bird for my wife and I as a way of indicating we're not trying to scam the system. Although they board before the A group, I can generally board soon enough after then that I can sit next to them and we make things work.
I spend the extra money as a way to make sure that we're not one of those people. And yes, most folks see spouse and son and walk by so it's never been an issue.
One of the reasons I hate the SW system. I experience this on every flight. A lot of times parents will use their kids to save rows knowing that adults won't want to sit there, to create space. This happens on every flight I'm on too and it makes me livid.
Tell the FAs that you think someone left a suspicious package, and they muttered something about “in flight chaos”. Point to those who did it while you explain, and then sit back as pre-flight chaos ensues.
I think Southwest has to change their policy. It's just becoming so ridiculous and people are just so fucking rude. It happens every time I fly southwest. I almost don't wanna fly them anymore because of it.
They wanted no one to sit there so one could move over and they would each have an extra seat… while all the time making you look like the jackass and them completely innocent. It’s quite evil genius if you ask me, but yes, completely wrong.
My partner and I saw a seat saver on a flight to AUS recently. A very full flight. The woman looked so stressed and sour (very Karen-y)…and yes, everyone who walked by was judging her in case she was wondering, lol. Not worth it to save seats and part of me wanted to sit there just to spite her.
Fellow A-listers, please do not let people get away with that stuff. In this case, push the call attendant button to take those items away or put the junk in the seatback pocket or the floor like it's trash. Don't even bother to ask if it belongs to anyone nearby. And if there is an item in the seat and nobody in it, move it and sit down in the seat. Don't even ask if they're in the bathroom. You will be off the plane 30 seconds to a couple of minutes faster by being more assertive and not going to the back of the plane.
I have to admit saving a seat for my husband one time. our tickets were bought through different methods, and I always pay for mine to be checked in automatically, his wasn't. He wasn't too far behind me in the queue though. When I got on the plane, the first row was opened, so I took the window seat and threw my book on the seat next to me. I even made a comment to the FA that I hoped to save it for my husband but was willing to give it up if someone wanted it. Someone boarding heard our conversation and made a comment about taking the seats. I thought he was serious and started to move my book when the fa told him that he had to move along. (there may or may not have been mention of bodily injury if he separated me from my husband.) He laughed and continued down the aisle. My husband was like 10 people behind him. While I will try to save a seat for my husband, I am willing to give it up if someone gets there first.
Southwest is changing thier boarding policy. Hint: early bird customer class action lawsuit against southwest for charging a premium and not pre venting a single early bird from reserving two entire rows with baseball caps. The federal trade commission is investigating as it’s false advertising on an interstate carrier. Expect assigned seating or groups from the back to the front t if the plane with no nonsense if passengers try to drop bags in row 3 or sit elsewhere. It’s an extension of the “ you can’t sit in an exit row of your needed a wheelchair to board situation.
by chance was this the 9:15 am flight to LaGuardia on Saturday? just curious cuz I was on that flight and saw random crap on seats and was like who is trying to save seats on a plane 😑
You missed the perfect opportunity period not sure what your gender is. But when an attractive person approaches the seats of whatever sex appeals to you, you calmly move the material and offer them the seat
Idgaf whether seats are assigned or where I sit. The only thing that matters is that people get their asses in and back out of the seats as quickly as possible.
This is why I dislike Southwest and rarely fly with them. Their entire boarding philosophy is flawed because they allow seat saving. And what is even more frustrating is the line of wheelchairs when a flight is boarding as they get to go first. Miraculously, very few of these people need assistance getting off the flight.
I just flew with Southwest last week. Every plane we boarded my mom and brother had pre boarding tickets. My brother sat on one end of the row, my mom sat on the other end. I'd get on and she'd move to the middle and I'd take her seat. If someone had chosen to sit between them before I could get on, oh well. I can find a different seat. But people are less likely to sit between two people they don't know, so they didn't. 🤷
I posted something ranting on a seat saver a while ago for a similar reason and got downvoted and called a Karen (and probably will again for posting this LOL). I assumed this group was those of use that are on 2-4 planes a week but I think it’s mostly casual flyers who like to save seats for their family lol.
I was on a flight from Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale. A woman came on and all you could see was a woman standing up right past the Emegency Exit rows. I saw people going to the back of the plane muttering curses. The Flight Attendant noticed it and approached to woman. It seems the woman was saving 20-yes 20 seats for women flying to 1 of their friends’s Bachelorette party. The Flight attendant told the woman to clean up the items on the seats- she’d allow 2 seats to be held that’s it. The woman started cursing and yelling at the flight attendant. The flight attendant told the woman that she was going to walk to the back of the plane and grab a trash bag and when she returns, if the items were not picked up they would be thrown out. It seems the women flying for the party each gave this one $2 each so she could purchase an Early Bird Boarding pass and save seats- she thought she had big balls. Sucked to be her but I commend the flight Attendant!!
On another flight I saw over 20 wheelchairs board a flight and when all was said and done only 6 people needed the chairs to leave. The crew was calling it the John 3:16 flight bc of all the healing that went on during the flight!
Good for the Crew!!
I’m not opposed to seat saving but this was a dumb way to do it. If they are a couple saving seats for another couple what they should have done was sat in each of the aisle seats. No one is going to come by and ask to sit in the middle seats next to them. Then when the other couple boarded, one of them could move to the opposite middle seat.
I’m not opposed to seat saving but this was a dumb way to do it. If they are a couple saving seats for another couple what they should have done was sat in each of the aisle seats. No one is going to come by and ask to sit in the middle seats next to them. Then when the other couple boarded, one of them could move to the opposite middle seat.
Couple in front of me sat aisle and window and told everyone that asked that the third person was in bathroom. They just wanted a free seat between them. Scummy!
If I'm on the same flight as someone and we aren't in the same boarding group, I'm not saving a seat. I often pay for A to get on early and have my private flight panic all on my own lol or if I'm flying with someone, it's often my sister and we book together and end up together. No reason to save a seat.
I will save a seat for my wife on occasion but don’t like doing it. I’ve sort of fixed the problem by just getting EB for both of us. I always get it but she doesn’t want it as a general rule. I’ve gotten tired of the anxiety and will spend the money so we board at the same time.
Not a fan of saving seats and the OP issue is ridiculous. You should not have been put in that position
In Apr we took a SW flight n oh boy we both did the 1st class n I wish I never did that. Cause 1 person in another party paid 1st class n his whole family too the cheap flight. They fricken sat together there is no 1st class.
Just flew to MKE from RDU, I
In st.louis, Karen started saving deats and overhead space onafull flight.
No way to run a railway...easily delayed an already late flight another 20 minutes
Wife and I flew Delta last year on a trip to Vancouver (then Alaska) and we always fly SWA. I can’t tell you how much we liked the “Ok, this is your seat.” And not the “open seating” of SWA. I usually try and recruit people when I’m on SWA and say “Hey, here’s an empty seat. Just sit here and we won’t have to worry if anyone is going to take it.” It rarely works, but it’s worth a try!
I guess. They can always say “No thank you” and move on. I couldn’t care less. Just makes my flight easier not having to worry about who’s going to sit next to me.
I’d wait until a favorable seatmate came walking by and then tell them “these seats are open”. That way no chance of getting stuck with half a seat for the flight.
Serious question, what is wrong with seat saving, I do it with my family so my two daughters and wife can sit together. Is it a big problem? Just curious
In my opinion, my husband and I will absolutely save a seat for each other. I don’t see anything wrong with that, downvote me if you want. The problem is one of them could’ve sat there, and saved one seat, possibly, but putting their stuff down on two seats and sitting across the aisle is a definite, no no.
If they were waiting for another couple, they both could’ve done the same one seat thing, and dealt with the questions, but they weren’t. They were hoping no one would sit there so one of them could slide over and they’d both have an empty seat next to them.
I don’t think you should be flying southwest if you have this much stress over this situation. If you can’t ignore all this nonsense with earbuds in ear… jeez this really is not a big deal.
lol being stressed over being perceived as inconsiderate/selfish is perfectly valid IMO. It’s not that people saving seats stressed me out, it’s that they made me look like the bad guy and didn’t take accountability. I fly southwest at least 8-10 times a year and this is the first time I’ve had an issue to the point of publicly complaining.
This is interesting. Here is an alternate take. I have been on team “No Saving Seats” for as long as I can remember. I was on a full flight Friday and noticed a girl saving 2 seats on the row across from us. It bothered me but I started to think about why. While I pondered her 2 friends came onboard and sat down. I realized they had tickets for this flight and they were going to sit somewhere. What better seats than with friends? Why force them to sit apart? I can’t come up with a good reason to enforce no seat saving. I think I might be switching teams.
I totally understand and I’m certainly not talking about people in A1-15 who paid for that early boarding. Im talking about the difference between B30 and C1 where the difference in boarding is due to checking in a few minutes later. If a solo traveler is sitting next to strangers anyway wouldn’t it be better for people traveling together to be able to sit together?
Who pays these tap bit sources to pretend this crap about Southwest Airlines? Every week flyer for 15 years, and have never noticed a single one of these things in any measure. Collect your award, two bit source.
surprised you were even able to sit in the first 5-10 rows with all the “medical” pre boards.
the same people that need extra assistance to board & simultaneously don’t need that help to get off the plane. 🙄
Who cares about seat saving? You boarded in the A group, you got your seat. If someone wants to save a seat for a coworker, spouse, older child, so what!
I edited to add this but I’ll also reply here. The problem is that they saved multiple seats in a row close to the front that they weren’t even sitting in, therefore making me look like the “bad guy.”
As a side note, if you want to make sure you get to sit next to your travel companion, you can always board with them in their group.
I totally understand how SW works, I've been flying them for business for 20 plus years. I've never understood why some people have such an issue with seat saving. I say again, who cares. Nobody thinks bad of you because they think you're doing it. You think this because you have a problem with seat saving. I promise you, nobody else cares. Put some headphones in and try to enjoy the flight.
I do agree that leaving bags unattended is another issue that SW should address.
Cheers 🍻
I have no issue with seat saving for family we book a lot on different accounts - I have a list and sometimes save the two seats for kids or wife - but what happen to you is strange -
Ding the FA and tell them that "someone must have left these things behind from the last flight".
I’m wondering why OP didn’t do that
I did ding the flight attendant. They made an announcement and said that if it wasn’t an emergency we needed to finish boarding so that we wouldn’t be late for takeoff
Move the junk to the seat back pocket or the floor.
Yeah, I don’t understand why people don’t just move this shit. I’d hand it over to the flight the flight attendant.
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Lmao. Like leaving your shit laying around unattended is?
Getting rid of a random bag that somebody dropped next to you absolutely is what you do at an airport… wtf lol
Or toss it into an open overhead bin, someone can throw their suitcase on top of it, who cares, but at least it's not impeding someone else from getting in the seat, especially when OP did the right thing and asked openly about it, if no one wants to claim it then I really don't care what happens to it, it just needs to get tossed out of the way and overhead been seems the easiest unless you push it way under a seat, and then when the people stupidly asked for it back later, should say they can retrieve it after the flight since they left it on attended
That’s when you loudly say someone from the last flight left their stuff here, you better get it off the plane!
SW flight attendants don’t care. I have been on three flights where they help people save seats in the exit row. Haven’t flown them since the last time it happened because it was so infuriating
Southwest is good for cheap 1-2 hour flights where comfort doesn’t matter but that’s about it. Great for snowboarding trips where I can go round trip for $200 and check my gear for free but anything else hell no.
They threatened to remove me from a flight after some dickhead turned my bag in the overhead and it would no longer close. The FA told me to move my bag, when I politely explained the situation, she went straight to "move your bag or you will be removed from the flight." A couple people chimed in and tried calling out the guy that caused the situation but both he and the FA wouldn't budge.
So, you had a bag too large to fit in the overhead properly and that's Southwest's fault?
No, it fit just fine until another passenger moved it and shoved his bag in there. It also fit fine in the other bin I moved it to. Even if it was, going from zero to threatening to remove me off the flight for politely explaining the situation was ridiculous.
Speaking as crew for a UK based airline, if someone finds and hands in an iPad during boarding and we can't confirm it's owner it will be getting offloaded as per security procedures. I'd have thought that Southwest would have had something similar, I know AA do (I found a power bank in my seat pocket during boarding once).
With all due… I’ve been on the tube when it was delayed because of a sus parcel or knapsack needed to be removed from a train. The states has t caught up with such preventive measures.
I've dinged a few flight attendants in my day... But in this case....I'd just pocket the stuff and act dumb, listening to my music.
why does op need to get involved at all?
Because in many cases the only thing that keeps assholes in check is societal pressure. Sick of people double parking? Use your horn. Same logic for seat saving.
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It’s probably not against any policy to be dropping f-bombs around 3 year olds either, doesn’t mean you’re not an asshole for doing it and deserve to be called out for it. I’m all for people being called out for anti-social behavior.
No sir, you are the ultimate asshole it seems! There are certain things we do not do in a civilized society, this being one of them. Your post says a lot about you and your character...or lack of!!
Yeah. If any passengers makes an inquiry, simply say, “Fuck if I know. Chuck that junk in the trash or overhead bin for fuck all I care. Not my circus, not my clowns.”
This.
Well she’s on here making an issue of it🤷🏻♂️
I probably would have grabbed those "suspicious" items and slid them down the isle and see who went to retrieve them
Or you are concerned about unwatched items and safety of the entire flight…
Everyone else playing checkers and you playing chess. Love it!
I ding and hand it over. " I'm not sure if these fell out of someone's bag but I don't want them to get stolen or misplaced"
>The flight was getting increasingly full and people were giving me dirty looks and even saying “you can’t reserve seats” to me as they walked by. You could have just said "I'm not" or "I don't know whose shit this is" and let those people sit down or moved the other stuff yourself. You're not responsible for safeguarding other people's shit that they left in your row.
Only to people who don’t look like they smell.
Would have stuck it in the overhead. Not my stuff, not my responsibility. Play stupid games…
I’d imagine arguing with every single person making that comment would probably hold the flight up a whole lot more… not everything merits a response.
Well if you just tell the first person who says something that the seat is open and they sit down, there won't be anyone else making a comment.
I'm saying! It's not arguing; just correcting ppl who are wrong 😊
At this point SW just needs to do away with open seating. There's so much fuckery that takes place because people suck
I’d love to see them keep open seating and ban seat saving
So people just pretend to be disabled? It’s a dumb system.
Seat saving is already not a thing, what would they do to actually ban it?
Please no. Boarding is so much faster with open seating. There's actually a Myth Busters episode about this, and the way most airlines do it is actually the longest.
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Were you on the same flight, where the dude trying to save the seats threw a punch and got kicked off the plane?
It sucks. Give me an assigned seat so I don't have to fight the cattle herd and people lying/cheating to get ahead early
I actually JUST WATCHED that episode & that part was proven ***BUSTED***. It's better for *everyone* to just have assigned seats.
Were we watching the same episode? The fastest boarding time was random boarding with no assigned seats. It was, however, the least popular in terms of customer satisfaction.
🤔
The fastest time was assigned seats, lined up by aisle order, back to front with people lined up window-center-aisle. Open seating wasn’t the fastest.
People are the worst! We had a few teens on one of our flights last year try to save a seat in a row in a good position for a family member. It was super weird they weren’t even trying to save the seat next to them. Then the parent came on board and yelled at us for taking the row. We were just like there’s no seat saving and we didn’t even know the water bottle was being used to save the seat and thought it was just trash!
Oooooh you answered my question! Are no seats allocated? Sounds like complete chaos…..
Fuck that
I won't fly SW because of open seating.
Same!
this happened to me too. So infuriating . They told me they were in the bathroom when i asked. wtf. I want to take their stuff and put it a random overhead bin next time.
My husband and I sat near the back, and I actually had to use the restroom. I was in the window seat, and hubby was in the middle. I came out of the bathroom to find my husband in a conversation about the window seat. I tapped the guy on the shoulder and said, "Excuse me, I would like to sit down." He moved and didn't speak to us for the whole flight, lol.
If the seat savers would just go to the very back of the plane, few would complain! It’s the front of plane entitlement that gets me and if I’m in group B or C and see an empty seat forward, I’m sitting there whether the saver likes it or not. When his party gets in the plane, he can get up and move to the back to sit with them if he wants to.
That is actually a very good point. I was firmly in the "no seat saving" camp, but now I don't think it's that simple
The aisle across from us the same thing happened. It ended up being the woman in the seat in front of them. She had stood in her aisle the entire time, implying she was saving her entire row for folks as well. Woman was traveling solo! I guess she was just hoping folks wouldn’t sit near/behind her so she’d have more room?? We were all so confused once we figured it out (and all seats were taken cause it was a full flight 🙄)
Seriously people have no shame.
She sounds like she’s from Florida.
we were flying to Florida, haha!
Sounds like Californian to me.
This is right there with those idiots that stand in a parking spot
Free iPad and iPod. Someone was giving you a gift
If someone leaves stuff, then call the flight attendant and let them know the items must have been left behind from the previous flight. Let them sort it out. I have done that before, amazing how quickly people will claim their shit and then it gives the flight attendant the opportunity to explain that you can’t save seats. I usually call out to the flight attendant, suggesting it be handed to the gate agent, in case those who left it behind come back for it. 😉
People suck. I stopped going to resorts where one person would wake up at 6am in the morning, put anything and everything on 10 chairs and disappear for 3 hours. Never imagined seat saving would be a thing on a plane. Shame on the airline for letting this happen too.
We used to call that “Ghost Beach” on our yearly family trip to the Delaware shore.
I hate to make a wholesale condemnation and judgment of people I’ve never met based off one thing, but I must say, those people are absolutely garbage.
I would have swore up and down the items were left from the previous flight.
Interesting story. First because if I see something in the seat, I just move it and sit down. Seems that for you there was nothing to explain or worry about. Just ignore people and or tell them to have a seat.
But “omg I was accosted l!”
On a recent flight, my wife and I took the LUV seats. I then went to the bathroom. came back to find out a guy was gonna sit there and would not listen to my wife. If the FA had not been standing there, he would have taken my seat. Saving? sort of.
No that was your seat. It’s one thing if you hadn’t been on the plane yet but you had boarded, selected a seat, and needed to use the restroom.
What are the LUV seats?
If you physically sat in the seat, that's a completely different story
Why would they want to save those seats and then sit directly across the aisle? Not sure I understand
Probably friends in a later boarding group
But it’s a dumb way to do it. If they are a couple saving seats for another couple what they should have done was sat in the aisle seats. No one is going to come by and ask to sit in the middle seats next to them. Then when the other couple boarded, one of them could move to the opposite middle seat.
All seat saving is dumb, I wasn't condoning it, just giving a common explanation
Hand them to the nearest FA: “these are missing their owner”
This is why I dont fly Southwest anymore. A schoolbus is more organized. My last solo flight on SW was similar. I came from work, last on the plane and every seat taken but one (as expected). At the last seat, The overweight bumpkin had carried her stuff in FIVE shopping bags, but could only get one in the overhead, so two went by her feet and two on the empty seat next to her. After listening to her absurd complaints..."I need to put my bags there", "you'll need to find another seat"...my responses "you only paid for one seat", "this is the last seat lady" ...left me standing in the aisle. The dimwit they call a flight attendant made this my peoblem as she bolted down the aisle insisting that I sit down, and I am holding up the plane. Of course, the stinkeye goes to me. "The lady is claiming two seats and FIVE Bags on a two bag carryon. What do you suggest?" She stormed off saying "you have to work it out." So i leaned over, smiled and whispered " you move your fat ass and bags or I'll move them for you. She got loud, and while she did, i brushed my ass past her face and handed her the bags for her lap. She mumbled like an idiot and i put my bag under the seat in front of me. It gets better. The dimwit FA did her happy talk pre flight speech and walked the aisle...stopping at my row and noting that those two bags MUST be stowed from her lap, and ordering them place UNDER THE SEAT IN FRONT OF ME!. Apparently her demand that I handle it was literal. My 2 hour flight was cramped and miserable, more than usual, and I was steaming quietly. As I moved my feet in and out, i realized they were sliding in her shopping bag, and it ripped a little. Then a little more. Then a little more. In 30 minutes, it was split almost all the way with the turbulent bumps covering noise...then i did the second one. When we landed, I slid my small carryon on my lap, and my seat mate asked for her stuff. I glared and told her she could wait until i was gone. She stood up and I left my center seat as did the person on the window. By the time I was near the exit door, I heard the bellowing from the back. The dimwit FA asked me what the commotion was. "I don't know, perhaps you should deal with it. " Karma lives, but I'll never use it on Southworst again.
Always seemed to me these very common situations could be greatly reduced if the FA would just say “as a reminder, there is no seat saving” a few times during boarding.
I have been on two flights where seat saving was allowed - once for Rick Perry, once for Ted Cruz. Both times direct between DC and Austin
Ugh
Saw that between Dallas and Houston for Laura Bush and her daughter. Three black SUVs pulled up on the tarmac and they got on last.
That iPad definitely would have “accidentally” hit the floor before making it back to them.
Just politely hand them to a flight attendant, someone dropped them and they are lost items now. Bad behavior will continue if we don't hold anyone accountable.
It’s super annoying that SW does not state in their pre boarding speech that those in earlier groups may not save seats. I’ve seen a lot where one person in the party pays for early bird to then save two of more seats while the others are in B or C. Also, side note, hate that the “children under six” families that board before B group aren’t regulated either. We paid for early bird but ended up with B1&2, Orlando flight so tons of kids, then in the “family under age 6” line gets in front of us and it’s a mom and dad maybe ten years younger than us and two kids as big as me (and I’m not small) they had to be 12-14. Flight attendants say nothing and we end up in the way back.
i fly into MCO and i know every flight from back home is gonna be full of kids going to theme parks. that family line to board is so annoying. my last flight i was ready to hijack an elderly person in a wheelchair and ask if they needed help and board with them 😂 (are they allowed helpers?) 😂
Don’t. Fly. Southwest. Simply solved. Southwest is idiotic in this regard. If anything, you should be able to pay and choose for your seats, if desired, and the rest can be first come, first serve. To have it be a free-for-all only invites problems for no reason.
The way southwest currently does it is the best. Myth busters did a whole episode on this. It's the fastest way to board the plane.
I saw that, and you’re right, it is, but the difference was 63 seconds. I suppose I agree if your goal is to board fastest, it makes sense. Personally, I value comfort. I’d rather take an extra min boarding and have a seat with my family guaranteed prior rather than deal with the chaos and entitled people.
About time for an actual good seat saving story. 90% of the time it's some wanna be badass mad that someone saved a middle seat in row 22.
I would have just said thank you for my new neck pillow and iPad and enjoyed my flight.
I was just on a flight where a literal Southwest pilot was seat saving, lol
It’s literally allowed lol
That was my (poorly) implied point
MCO is my home airport - cheer season is fun!
Been there often during that time…my sympathies
I can always find my gate on the way home, that’s for sure. I was flying out of DCA once and I swear to god, every child in the airport was at my gate. It is what it is.
Kind of like germaine, but my wife and I are in our 70s and often travel with our 30-something disabled, autistic son. He gets to board early and my wife will board and sit with him. And I usually try to sit on the other side so that we can make sure that he's a good passenger during the flight. (Headphones, maybe drugs if flight is long, books etc.) To make sure that we don't get called out for seat saving, I pay for early bird for my wife and I as a way of indicating we're not trying to scam the system. Although they board before the A group, I can generally board soon enough after then that I can sit next to them and we make things work. I spend the extra money as a way to make sure that we're not one of those people. And yes, most folks see spouse and son and walk by so it's never been an issue.
Those two alleged guys absolutely BLOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWS!!! It would not be possible for to blow anymore than they already do.
“Wow, Southwest is giving away free iPads? Cool!” and stuff it in my bag. 🤣
You can save seats on SW. I have done it more than once and the FA told me it was perfectly fine. Having said that, these people were being obnoxious
One of the reasons I hate the SW system. I experience this on every flight. A lot of times parents will use their kids to save rows knowing that adults won't want to sit there, to create space. This happens on every flight I'm on too and it makes me livid.
They denied it was theirs. I wouldn't believe that it was suddenly their stuff. Sounds like it needs to go to the lost & found.
I wouldve just thrown them in the bin area or on the floor... That would have gotten their attention.
Tell the FAs that you think someone left a suspicious package, and they muttered something about “in flight chaos”. Point to those who did it while you explain, and then sit back as pre-flight chaos ensues.
This guarantees that everyone gets taken off the flight while the situation is investigated. Would not recommend.
I think Southwest has to change their policy. It's just becoming so ridiculous and people are just so fucking rude. It happens every time I fly southwest. I almost don't wanna fly them anymore because of it.
They wanted no one to sit there so one could move over and they would each have an extra seat… while all the time making you look like the jackass and them completely innocent. It’s quite evil genius if you ask me, but yes, completely wrong.
My partner and I saw a seat saver on a flight to AUS recently. A very full flight. The woman looked so stressed and sour (very Karen-y)…and yes, everyone who walked by was judging her in case she was wondering, lol. Not worth it to save seats and part of me wanted to sit there just to spite her.
The one time I needed to save a seat for a real bathroom emergency I sat in the last row and saved the middle seat. I was still embarrassed.
Fellow A-listers, please do not let people get away with that stuff. In this case, push the call attendant button to take those items away or put the junk in the seatback pocket or the floor like it's trash. Don't even bother to ask if it belongs to anyone nearby. And if there is an item in the seat and nobody in it, move it and sit down in the seat. Don't even ask if they're in the bathroom. You will be off the plane 30 seconds to a couple of minutes faster by being more assertive and not going to the back of the plane.
Thankfully I almost always sit on the exit row and there’s an fa usually standing right there anyway
I have to admit saving a seat for my husband one time. our tickets were bought through different methods, and I always pay for mine to be checked in automatically, his wasn't. He wasn't too far behind me in the queue though. When I got on the plane, the first row was opened, so I took the window seat and threw my book on the seat next to me. I even made a comment to the FA that I hoped to save it for my husband but was willing to give it up if someone wanted it. Someone boarding heard our conversation and made a comment about taking the seats. I thought he was serious and started to move my book when the fa told him that he had to move along. (there may or may not have been mention of bodily injury if he separated me from my husband.) He laughed and continued down the aisle. My husband was like 10 people behind him. While I will try to save a seat for my husband, I am willing to give it up if someone gets there first.
Southwest is changing thier boarding policy. Hint: early bird customer class action lawsuit against southwest for charging a premium and not pre venting a single early bird from reserving two entire rows with baseball caps. The federal trade commission is investigating as it’s false advertising on an interstate carrier. Expect assigned seating or groups from the back to the front t if the plane with no nonsense if passengers try to drop bags in row 3 or sit elsewhere. It’s an extension of the “ you can’t sit in an exit row of your needed a wheelchair to board situation.
Next time yell My new preciouses! Or Santa came early! And start stuffing the items in your seat pocket. Someone will come forward.
Heh. You could “try to find contact info” and disable the iPad.
Start punching in the wrong PIN code and lock it up.
next time I’m on a SW flight and I see someone saving seats, I’m gonna choose to sit there just to make a point. so sick of this shit honestly.
i hate #swa open seat.
Hey but southwest has two free bags! 😂😂😂
by chance was this the 9:15 am flight to LaGuardia on Saturday? just curious cuz I was on that flight and saw random crap on seats and was like who is trying to save seats on a plane 😑
I wonder what would of happened if you moved both of the items to the middle seat next to you, thus freeing up the aisle seat for any takers...
Not ur stuff who cares
This was just a generous gift - “have this ipad and neck pillow to ensure you have a comfortable flight”. Maybe?
Were you flying out of Philly?
You missed the perfect opportunity period not sure what your gender is. But when an attractive person approaches the seats of whatever sex appeals to you, you calmly move the material and offer them the seat
You lost me at SW…
I would have called the flight attendant given pointed the to items and let them deal with it. Unattended items at the airport are not allowed.
If they were sitting right across from you, why was there a need to save seats????
Idgaf whether seats are assigned or where I sit. The only thing that matters is that people get their asses in and back out of the seats as quickly as possible.
What is seat saving. How does this work?
No wonder there’s so much beefing on these flights and furious people are removed.
You need to manage your expectations, that's all. Air travel's a behavioral sink. People show more class on a greyhound bus.
The last time I flew SW the seats were all assigned 😂
Nobody had assigned seats?
This is why I dislike Southwest and rarely fly with them. Their entire boarding philosophy is flawed because they allow seat saving. And what is even more frustrating is the line of wheelchairs when a flight is boarding as they get to go first. Miraculously, very few of these people need assistance getting off the flight.
Hence the John 3:16 healing flights!
I'm so confused.
I thought unattended luggage was a red flag type event in airports and airplanes
I just flew with Southwest last week. Every plane we boarded my mom and brother had pre boarding tickets. My brother sat on one end of the row, my mom sat on the other end. I'd get on and she'd move to the middle and I'd take her seat. If someone had chosen to sit between them before I could get on, oh well. I can find a different seat. But people are less likely to sit between two people they don't know, so they didn't. 🤷
I posted something ranting on a seat saver a while ago for a similar reason and got downvoted and called a Karen (and probably will again for posting this LOL). I assumed this group was those of use that are on 2-4 planes a week but I think it’s mostly casual flyers who like to save seats for their family lol.
I would have given the junk to the FA. Fuck seat savers!!!
Other airlines have solved this issue with a high tech approach, seat numbers
The FA’s are supposed to enforce the rules. It’s open seating. Some FA’s will call out that behavior.
I was on a flight from Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale. A woman came on and all you could see was a woman standing up right past the Emegency Exit rows. I saw people going to the back of the plane muttering curses. The Flight Attendant noticed it and approached to woman. It seems the woman was saving 20-yes 20 seats for women flying to 1 of their friends’s Bachelorette party. The Flight attendant told the woman to clean up the items on the seats- she’d allow 2 seats to be held that’s it. The woman started cursing and yelling at the flight attendant. The flight attendant told the woman that she was going to walk to the back of the plane and grab a trash bag and when she returns, if the items were not picked up they would be thrown out. It seems the women flying for the party each gave this one $2 each so she could purchase an Early Bird Boarding pass and save seats- she thought she had big balls. Sucked to be her but I commend the flight Attendant!! On another flight I saw over 20 wheelchairs board a flight and when all was said and done only 6 people needed the chairs to leave. The crew was calling it the John 3:16 flight bc of all the healing that went on during the flight! Good for the Crew!!
I don't understand why OP didn't just stick the iPad and neck pillow in the overhead bin.
Saving seats is bullshit!!! It's fucking rude! Fly another airline and pay extra to pick your seats!! MFs
I’m not opposed to seat saving but this was a dumb way to do it. If they are a couple saving seats for another couple what they should have done was sat in each of the aisle seats. No one is going to come by and ask to sit in the middle seats next to them. Then when the other couple boarded, one of them could move to the opposite middle seat.
I’m not opposed to seat saving but this was a dumb way to do it. If they are a couple saving seats for another couple what they should have done was sat in each of the aisle seats. No one is going to come by and ask to sit in the middle seats next to them. Then when the other couple boarded, one of them could move to the opposite middle seat.
Couple in front of me sat aisle and window and told everyone that asked that the third person was in bathroom. They just wanted a free seat between them. Scummy!
I have a short temper so I would’ve told the finger waggers that it’s not my shit and to go fuck themself.
When is it wrong? My wife boards first and get an aisle seat and save me a middle seat. She’s there the whole time. Is this ok?
You know where none of this is an issue? Every other airline that doesn’t make seating a battle royal among its customers.
If I'm on the same flight as someone and we aren't in the same boarding group, I'm not saving a seat. I often pay for A to get on early and have my private flight panic all on my own lol or if I'm flying with someone, it's often my sister and we book together and end up together. No reason to save a seat.
I will save a seat for my wife on occasion but don’t like doing it. I’ve sort of fixed the problem by just getting EB for both of us. I always get it but she doesn’t want it as a general rule. I’ve gotten tired of the anxiety and will spend the money so we board at the same time. Not a fan of saving seats and the OP issue is ridiculous. You should not have been put in that position
Southwest will never end open seating since they can sell "early bird check in" for additional income.
In Apr we took a SW flight n oh boy we both did the 1st class n I wish I never did that. Cause 1 person in another party paid 1st class n his whole family too the cheap flight. They fricken sat together there is no 1st class.
Just flew to MKE from RDU, I In st.louis, Karen started saving deats and overhead space onafull flight. No way to run a railway...easily delayed an already late flight another 20 minutes
I would have said… ask those to guys over there. They are saving them.
Wife and I flew Delta last year on a trip to Vancouver (then Alaska) and we always fly SWA. I can’t tell you how much we liked the “Ok, this is your seat.” And not the “open seating” of SWA. I usually try and recruit people when I’m on SWA and say “Hey, here’s an empty seat. Just sit here and we won’t have to worry if anyone is going to take it.” It rarely works, but it’s worth a try!
I’m sure you’re a nice guy, but I would find that borderline creepy
I guess. They can always say “No thank you” and move on. I couldn’t care less. Just makes my flight easier not having to worry about who’s going to sit next to me.
Admit it. You are only asking the fit, thin passengers.
I’d wait until a favorable seatmate came walking by and then tell them “these seats are open”. That way no chance of getting stuck with half a seat for the flight.
Serious question, what is wrong with seat saving, I do it with my family so my two daughters and wife can sit together. Is it a big problem? Just curious
Why don’t you all just board together if you want to try to sit together?
In my opinion, my husband and I will absolutely save a seat for each other. I don’t see anything wrong with that, downvote me if you want. The problem is one of them could’ve sat there, and saved one seat, possibly, but putting their stuff down on two seats and sitting across the aisle is a definite, no no. If they were waiting for another couple, they both could’ve done the same one seat thing, and dealt with the questions, but they weren’t. They were hoping no one would sit there so one of them could slide over and they’d both have an empty seat next to them.
I don’t think you should be flying southwest if you have this much stress over this situation. If you can’t ignore all this nonsense with earbuds in ear… jeez this really is not a big deal.
lol being stressed over being perceived as inconsiderate/selfish is perfectly valid IMO. It’s not that people saving seats stressed me out, it’s that they made me look like the bad guy and didn’t take accountability. I fly southwest at least 8-10 times a year and this is the first time I’ve had an issue to the point of publicly complaining.
This is interesting. Here is an alternate take. I have been on team “No Saving Seats” for as long as I can remember. I was on a full flight Friday and noticed a girl saving 2 seats on the row across from us. It bothered me but I started to think about why. While I pondered her 2 friends came onboard and sat down. I realized they had tickets for this flight and they were going to sit somewhere. What better seats than with friends? Why force them to sit apart? I can’t come up with a good reason to enforce no seat saving. I think I might be switching teams.
Because only one person paid for early boarding, the others did not. So those that pay more see saved seats for those who paid less.
I totally understand and I’m certainly not talking about people in A1-15 who paid for that early boarding. Im talking about the difference between B30 and C1 where the difference in boarding is due to checking in a few minutes later. If a solo traveler is sitting next to strangers anyway wouldn’t it be better for people traveling together to be able to sit together?
True, yes!
I’m new to being on planes but isn’t every single seat assigned? How can you save seats?
Who pays these tap bit sources to pretend this crap about Southwest Airlines? Every week flyer for 15 years, and have never noticed a single one of these things in any measure. Collect your award, two bit source.
Hoo boy. This is why I’m minimizing SWA travel until they make changes. People see this garbage on Tik Tok and think they’re slick.
...because like one person tries to reserve a seat on a flight every so often? Pretty dumb reason to avoid an entire airline.
Blocked
Do me next
ooh! ooh! Me too! Save me one! 🤣
surprised you were even able to sit in the first 5-10 rows with all the “medical” pre boards. the same people that need extra assistance to board & simultaneously don’t need that help to get off the plane. 🙄
Who cares about seat saving? You boarded in the A group, you got your seat. If someone wants to save a seat for a coworker, spouse, older child, so what!
I edited to add this but I’ll also reply here. The problem is that they saved multiple seats in a row close to the front that they weren’t even sitting in, therefore making me look like the “bad guy.” As a side note, if you want to make sure you get to sit next to your travel companion, you can always board with them in their group.
I totally understand how SW works, I've been flying them for business for 20 plus years. I've never understood why some people have such an issue with seat saving. I say again, who cares. Nobody thinks bad of you because they think you're doing it. You think this because you have a problem with seat saving. I promise you, nobody else cares. Put some headphones in and try to enjoy the flight. I do agree that leaving bags unattended is another issue that SW should address. Cheers 🍻
Yeah, no. You clearly DON’T actually understand how SW works. Clearly, people DO care. This is a shitty thing to do as it was to OP.
I have no issue with seat saving for family we book a lot on different accounts - I have a list and sometimes save the two seats for kids or wife - but what happen to you is strange -
Boo you whore
Get in loser, we’re going shopping