A passenger flying on Southwest Airlines has faced backlash after going to extreme measures to ensure that their entire family could sit together.
In a Reddit post shared to the airline’s subreddit on Thursday, a user branded their fellow flyer the “seat saver of the year.” The original poster noted seeing a woman sitting in the middle seat of row two, something they didn’t have a problem with. Things changed as they made their way down the aircraft, however.
“Boarded and one lady sitting in middle seat row 2. Fine no problem,” the Reddit post read. “Look over and a purse is in the aisle seat across from her. No problem again. Look at row 3, purse on the middle seat of each side. Um ok…row 4 same thing! So I took aisle of row 4. Lady in middle seat row 2 says all these rows are taken.”
The Reddit poster then begins to argue with the seat saver, telling her that the seats are available because no one is sitting in them. “I told her, ‘If you want to save 3 rows, go towards the rear of the plane,’” the post continued, causing the woman to reply with “a fake laugh.”
As passengers continued to board the plane, they enquired about the spare seats in rows two and three. The Reddit user told them that they were indeed free, meaning the spots were filling up before the saver’s family arrived.
“Her family started sitting in the leftovers of rows 2-3. She even let her kids go to the back, while the adults sat with her!” they wrote.
The post ended with an explanation of how the woman was able to save so many seats as quickly as she did. “A clear case of buying business select and trying to hold 3 rows for the entire family. I’m usually not confrontational, just wanna go home. But this one was something,” the post concluded.
Many people were quick to turn to the comments section to question why so many people needed to sit together while also sharing their own experiences with saving seats, specifically on Southwest flights.
“Why the hell is it so important for people to sit together?” one comment read. “We’re all enclosed in the plane, so it’s not like anyone is going to be lost. Grow up.”
Another commenter agreed, writing, “And likely, they’re listening to pod or watching their own movies. I can understand if you’re chatting during the flight…”
“I don’t mind people saving the row they are in but I feel like don’t try to save a popular spot like the first couple aisles of the plane or an emergency exit row,” a third commenter pointed out. “Saving 3 rows with just her and her purse is insane.”
“Had that happen yesterday,” another user added. “I was A16 with only 2 pre-boards. Lady tried to tell me the seats and overhead bins were saved. Told her they weren’t my bag went in overhead and I sat down. She got up and moved.”
