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Yes, Airlines Do Have the Right to Change Your Seat Without Warning

Here's what to do when it happens.

When right-wing pundit Ann Coulter resorted to complaining on Twitter about having her seat moved on a 2017 Delta flight, she gave the world a golden example of how not to behave.

Perhaps she wasn’t fully aware of her rights — or the airline’s — but the tweetstorm that unfolded reminds us why it’s always important to know your rights as a passenger.

When you purchase an airline seat, you are required to acknowledge that you agree to the contract of carriage, a legally binding agreement between you and the airline, usually by checking a box next to the phrase “I agree to the terms and conditions of the contract of carriage” or some variation thereof.

Delta’s contract of carriage states : “Delta may substitute alternate Carriers or aircraft, change its schedules, delay or cancel flights, change seat assignments, and alter or omit stopping places shown on the ticket as required by its operations in Delta’s sole discretion.”

When you buy a plane ticket, the airline is only obligated to get you from point A to point B. Everything else that comes with it (reserved seating, overhead bin space, baggage allowance, and food and beverage service) is at the discretion of the airline. Because you’re not buying an actual seat — you’re purchasing transportation.

What to Do When an Airline Moves Your Seat

When you’re asked by a flight attendant or gate agent to change seats, it’s usually to help families sit together, allow caregivers to sit next to patients, or accommodate an air marshal or other airline employee. They also might ask you to move for safety reasons or to help redistribute the weight balance of the aircraft, especially on smaller planes.

If it happens to you, respond politely and graciously. Over the years, I’ve been asked countless times to move seats and have done so without complaining. Nearly every time, the flight attendant thanked me for my willingness to be flexible with free bottles of wine or a snack.

Margot Cavin/Travel + Leisure

Your Boarding Pass Is Your Assigned Seat

If a gate agent comes onboard and hands you a new boarding pass, that is the seat you are required to sit in, regardless of how much you paid for your ticket or the class of service you purchased. The gate agent has supreme power of seating assignments for every flight and dictates who sits where. If they ask you to move, do it.

You May Be Entitled to a Refund

If you’re downgraded from a seat with extra legroom to a regular economy seat, the airline will reimburse you the difference. In Coulter’s case, Delta refunded her the $30 extra fee she paid for the Delta Comfort+ seat that was given to another passenger.

The contract of carriage for American Airlines , as another example, states that you can request a refund for a variety of reasons , including getting re-booked on a flight that causes you to miss a connection, or if you get moved from a preferred seat to a non-preferred seat or a preferred aisle/window seat to a preferred middle seat. Those “preferred” seats refer to the coveted seats near the front of the economy cabin or in emergency exit rows that typically cost extra.

If your seat gets moved and you feel you are owed a refund, contact the airline’s customer service department to request one.

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What Can You Do When an Airline Changes Your Seat?

It was about two months before Matt Nevans’ flight when he received the mysterious, apologetic email: the first-class seat he had picked for his Thai Airways flight to Tokyo had been changed from 1E to 3A. The reason? The former was required by a princess from the country’s royal family.

Nevans, a 33-year-old from Washington, D.C. , who travels regularly for his job, took it for a prank. “The initial thought was: man, one of my friends is screwing with me here.” When he checked, though, the airline apologized profusely and confirmed the switch. Sure enough, on the day of that flight, sitting in 3A, he watched as the flight attendants formed a reception line. Moments before the door closed, they bowed as the princess appeared. “She looked very Hollywood-ish, lots of gold,” Nevans recalls.

His experience might sound unlikely—and probably caused him more amusement than inconvenience—but seat reallocation is commonplace on a plane. When an airline changes your seat, it could be for a multitude of reasons. Mechanical problems or weather delays might force an airline to swap out one aircraft for another, a passenger might be moved to make way for a deadheading crew member, or a seat change could also be to accommodate a disabled passenger: certain seats on any aircraft are designated A.D.A.-friendly , often those in front of the bulkhead wall.

“You could be moved for, quite literally, any reason," says Bobby Laurie , the flight attendant and travel expert. "Even though you’ve selected that seat, it’s not yours.”

Whatever the airline's reason for ejecting you from your chosen seat, what rights do fliers have? Per the fine print on any ticket, absolutely none, says Christian Nielsen, Chief Legal Officer of AirHelp . ”When you buy a flight ticket, you actually buy transportation from A to B, not a particular seat in the aircraft, even if you pay extra to choose your own seat,” he says. “There is no situation where you are absolutely guaranteed.” Nielsen says that most airlines will try to move fliers to an equal or better seat if forced to reorganize the cabin, though it isn’t always possible on busy flights. If you’ve paid for extra leg room, for instance, and are moved to a standard berth in economy , expect a refund. Keep both boarding passes if the change happens at the gate or take the name of the in-flight supervisor if the reseating takes place once onboard. In the former case, if you’re unsatisfied with the new seat, ask the gate agent if a better seat is available on an alternative flight to the destination that day.

Fliers’ rights are far stronger when they're denied a seat entirely, rather than moved within the cabin. You can expect compensation of up to 400 percent of your ticket price (capped to $1,350) if the alternative seat on another flight delivers you to your destination more than two hours after your original scheduled arrival. AirHelp’s Nielsen does caution that these regulations are applicable in North America, but do not apply worldwide—in China, for instance, even denied boarding does not guarantee automatic compensation, so check the contract of carriage for each ticket.

Even though you’re not legally entitled to redress after being reseated, Laurie says that most in-flight staffers will attempt to offset the inconvenience. “If there are no first-class seats to move you to, you might well have the luxury of a first-class experience,” he says. “ Flight attendants might not be able to issue you a refund, but they’re going to try to sweeten the deal.” They will make that apology manifest in the form of free movies, meals, drinks—or even all three, especially for cooperative, polite passengers. He recalls one well-known jewelry designer whom he asked to move from her prime perch to accommodate a family; she ended up in the back row of the economy cabin. She didn’t scowl, though. Instead, she spent most of the flight standing to chat in the galley with staff, nursing a cocktail, and showing her designs to folks waiting for the bathroom.

Laurie was lucky. Moving premium passengers is often a challenge, as few will downgrade from first class without a struggle. But take solace if you’re ever forcibly bumped from the front of the plane, and staffers refuse to provide a clear explanation as to why, but instead, simply offer a full refund. This confusing situation is a sign you’re on an extra-safe flight: air marshals, deployed to protect the cockpit, will be seated there, often at a moment’s notice to the airline before take-off.

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Watch CBS News

Here's why Southwest is assigning seats — and what it means for customers

By Megan Cerullo

Edited By Aimee Picchi

Updated on: July 25, 2024 / 5:04 PM EDT / CBS News

Southwest will start selling assigned seats , marking a major shakeup of a signature policy that has set the low-cost carrier apart from airlines for half a century. The new policy, announced Thursday, will make flying Southwest look and feel remarkably different for customers. 

The shift will affect how customers of the discount carrier select seats and board planes. Southwest passengers, including longtime fans of the open seating policy,   will also be able to choose different types of seats for a price, including those offering more legroom. These changes could affect ticket costs across the board, according to experts, although Southwest has not addressed pricing or indicated that regular seat costs will change. 

Some experts are cheering the move, saying it amounts to an improvement for both passengers and the airline. 

" Southwest's decision to start assigning seats and plan to add extra-legroom seats prove an old dog can learn new tricks," Henry Harteveldt, president of Atmosphere Research Group, told CBS News. "It will make their flights more orderly and comfortable. And it should also improve the airline's bottom line as well."

Southwest will begin selling tickets with assigned seats beginning in 2025. The airline will reveal additional details around changes to the flight boarding process in September. Here are three ways flying Southwest could change. 

Assigned seats

Southwest is ending its open seating policy, in which customers find a cabin seat on a first-come, first-serve basis. When the changes go into effect next year, customers will purchase tickets with assigned seating, eliminating some of the stress associated with the current boarding process. 

"It's a pretty big change for Southwest, which always had an open seating system, and you had to run into the cabin and try to find the seat you want," Clint Henderson, managing editor of The Points Guy, told CBS MoneyWatch. 

Henderson said this turned off some business travelers like himself from choosing to fly Southwest, and he predicted the change could attract a new crop of customers to the airline.

"Many business travelers don't want to fight for a seat and deal with the drama that sometimes entails," Henderson said. 

Tensions can run high on airplanes too, with testy passengers quibbling over limited and sometimes shared real estate.

"Since the pandemic, airline passengers may be less cordial and less amicable," said airline customer experience analyst Marbue Brown. "There are certainly benefits to environments where there is no ambiguity about who owns a seat."

Some seats will have more leg room

In addition to assigned seats, Southwest will introduce premium seating, offering passengers extended legroom on one-third of a cabin's seats. 

Southwest already lets customers pay to be first in line to board aircraft, "but this is a much bigger change now, with premium seats available for purchase," Going.com's Keyes said.  

The airline is likely responding to travelers' penchant for more premium travel experiences following the pandemic, according to Keyes. "The demand is for premium economy, business class and better seats, which Southwest doesn't have to offer," he said. 

Southwest's seats already offer more legroom than traditional carriers', which has been a selling point for the airline. They come with 32 inches of space, versus the industry standard of 30-31 inches. It's possible Southwest's new cabin configuration could shrink its current standard of 32 inches of space, some experts said.

"They haven't announced the new cabin design, but the most likely outcome is we're going to see that 32 inches of legroom to start to shrink for main cabin, and for it to be more like 31 or 30," Scott Keyes, founder of Going.com, told CBS MoneyWatch. "That's normal for people who are used to flying American or United, but cramped for people who fly Southwest." 

Price changes

The new cabin configurations could drive up ticket prices across the board because Southwest's aircraft might contain fewer number of total seats, industry analysts said. On the other hand, the dramatic policy changes could be price-neutral, depending on how Southwest redesigns its plane cabins. 

"Some folks will pay more for extra legroom, and, based on how you reconfigure planes, you might not have to raise prices on other seats," Brown said. 

What remains to be seen is whether Southwest will introduce a bare-bones, basic economy-type offering. 

Currently, all tickets come with free checked bags and free   changes. "But might they start to offer an economy package that includes more restrictions on baggage? That's something we'll have to wait and see," Keyes said. 

Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News 24/7 to discuss her reporting.

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Airlines Might Lose Your Seat Fees When You Change Flights—How to Get Refunds

By Jason Cochran

04/12/2022, 8:00 AM

Covid brought the world a lot of conflict and consternation, but it also brought one change that made travel much easier: the end of  airline change fees .

But don't be fooled. The airlines have found ways to make money when you alter travel plans, even if carriers no longer collect penalties of $200 and up for changes. 

I almost learned that the hard way last week when I changed an upcoming United Airlines itinerary. When I first bought my ticket, I purchased what United calls a "bundle," which combines perks such as seat assignment, checked bag costs, and lounge access into one not-always-discounted payment. Calculated and classified separately from the airfare, the bundling fee can be well over $200 per leg.

But when I tried to change my United flights online, the bundles I purchased didn't carry over to the new trip. The booking engine didn't even indicate that I had purchased any bundles at all. To make sure they were applied to my new flights, I had to phone the call center and wait (and wait and wait) to speak to an agent.

Even then, the phone agent got as far as assigning me seats in the most basic section of Economy without acknowledging that I had originally purchased bundles. I had to remind her and she had to reseat me.

It was almost as if United had elected not to mention my previous bundle purchases in the hopes that I would forget about them and buy new ones.

Most consumers are used to paying extra for seat assignments by now but may not be versed in what happens to those purchases if your plans change. They don't always transfer to your new itinerary. 

Here's what each of the major airlines says on the record about seat assignment purchases in case of a flight change.

American Airlines

If you change your flights, your additional Main Cabin Extra seat purchases do not automatically transfer to the new flights, an airline media relations representative for the company told me.

However, American will refund your seat assignment fees if you cancel, rebook, and buy seats on your new flight.

As the airline officially sees it, "if the customer voluntarily changes their itinerary, technically, they are canceling their old flight and rebooking on a new flight." 

So for American Airlines, if you don't notice that your seat assignment fees are transferring to your new booking, it's better to simply cancel your flight entirely, collect the refunded seat assignment fee, and then rebook a whole new itinerary and buy seats again. 

For the record, American will also refund your seat assignment fees in the following circumstances, not all of which have to do with voluntary itinerary changes:

• you pay to upgrade to First or Business class

• you pay more for another seat on the same flight (but not if you change to a lower-priced or free seat)

• American cancels your flight and fails to get you a comparable seat on another flight rebooked by the airline

• you miss a connection because American delayed your flight and was unable to get you a comparable seat on another flight

• you were denied boarding on an oversold flight and the airline can't get you a comparable seat on the new flight

Delta Air Lines

Delta's position on seat assignment refunds is simple. 

If a customer who has purchased a seat upgrade decides to change flights, a spokesperson told me, then "the seat would carry over to the new flight, if available."

If the same type and price of seat are not available in the cabin of the new flight, Delta will refund the cost difference. You'll be back in an un-upgraded seat, but at least you'll get your original seat allocation funds back.

For a lot more info on what Delta will refund you if you change your plans, see its web page on the topic .

If you change or cancel your flight, the money you paid for an Even More Space seat (JetBlue's version of an economy seat upgrade) will be refunded to the original form of payment.

You also get your money back if the airline changes your flight "due to an operational disruption" and then runs out of Even More Space seats on your replacement flight.

If you're not changing your flight, though, once you pay for Even More Space, don't change seats. If you move your seat assignment out of that category for your flight, you lose what you originally paid.

United Airlines

"If there is a pricing discrepancy from the original booking to the new booking, the ancillary bundle purchase may not transfer automatically," a United spokesperson told me.

"A good indicator if the bundle transfers is if the seat selection on the new reservation triggers the customer to pay for a new seat. If this is the case, the original bundle fee will be refunded," the spokesperson said.

That didn't line up with my experience. In my case, the bundles didn't transfer to the new flights and I was offered the opportunity to buy more bundles. However, when I phoned, the customer service agent was able to apply my previous bundle purchase without charging me more.

Which influences my advice: The best way to prove you've paid for seat assignments on United is to retain your original flight "eTicket Itinerary and Receipt," which will even supply the confirmation numbers of each of the bundle bookings. To change flights, don't use the United website—call instead, and have those confirmation numbers handy.

To determine whether you have paid-for bundles waiting to be used for flights, you can also check your payment receipts in the My Trips section of the United website.

No matter which airline you're flying, always keep track of the ancillary purchases you made when you bought your original flights. That way, you can always know if your purchases have transferred to your new plans.

And if you're due for a refund, don't forget to check your credit balance with the airline itself. Not all refunds are put back on your credit card; sometimes they're returned to you in the form of funds to use on future purchases.

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Know your rights: When an airline can move your seat

Ann Coulter vs. Delta Air Lines is the latest battle over airline customer service to play out on social media.

The conservative pundit began to fire off angry tweets about the carrier this past weekend after she was asked to move from a pre-selected seat with extra leg room on a Delta flight from New York to West Palm Beach, Florida. Delta ( DAL ) said Sunday it would refund Coulter $30 for the preferred seat she purchased, but criticized her "derogatory and slanderous comments" as "unnecessary and unacceptable."

So, can an airline really just move you out of a seat that you booked and paid for?

Long story short: They sure can.

So glad I took time investigate the aircraft & PRE-BOOK a specific seat on @Delta , so some woman could waltz at the last min & take my seat. — Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) July 15, 2017

When you buy a plane ticket, you agree to the extensive terms spelled out in the airline's "contract of carriage."

A key part of Delta's contract gives the carrier broad authority to change your seat (as well as the time your flight leaves and plenty of other particulars).

"Delta may substitute alternate carriers or aircraft, delay or cancel flights, change seat assignments, and alter or omit stopping places shown on the ticket at any time. Schedules are subject to change without notice," the contracts reads.

Related: Delta hits back at Ann Coulter after her tweetstorm over seat mix-up

United ( UAL ) and American ( AAL ) contracts of carriage have similar provisions.

"We make every effort to ensure you get your chosen seat, but seat assignments are not guaranteed," American's policy says .

That doesn't mean rearranging passengers is good customer service. But it happens, said Brett Snyder, a former airline manager and editor of the travel blog Crankyflier.com.

"They can pretty much move you if they need to," Snyder said. "It's not always in their interest to do it, but they can."

If airlines do shuffle passengers around, it's usually for good reason, said George Hobica, founder of Airfarewatchdog.com.

Related: Delta vs. Ann Coulter: Why it's a big deal

A parent may need to sit near a small child, an elderly passenger may need to be next to a caregiver or an air marshal may be on board, Hobica said. Sometimes, passengers with mobility problems ask to sit on the aisle so they can get up and down more easily, he added.

If you get booted from your preferred spot, there is recourse available.

Get in touch with the airline, Snyder said. Online claim forms and customer service lines are both options for requesting a refund.

"[Airlines] are pretty used to this kind of thing," Snyder said.

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Can’t select seats or make changes on American Airlines - Air Travel Forum

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When I go online to try and change my booking or to select a seat it says that this can’t be done why is this?

12 replies to this topic

No idea Alex.

Is this a code share, booked through an agent or booked directly with AA with only AA? What type of fare did you book?

Some possible answers:

--fare basis too low?

--the flight is full/mostly full so they won't let you choose a seat in advance. You will have to wait until you get to the airport.

Did you purchase a Basic Economy ticket?

Could also be a change of aircraft is planned - that has happened to me previously with AA bookings

Could be any of the above or a website/app glitch, which is a frequent occurrence. If not a basic fare, call reservations, sometimes they can do magic.

Re #5: Glitches sometimes happen on Sundays and holidays, as systems do their updates. Yesterday was Sunday and today (Monday, Oct 9th) is a US holiday. So maybe tomorrow things will work? Good luck with it.

Maybe there are no more free seats available? And agree, if you bought a BE ticket, you can’t change.

Like others have said...AA operated by BA?

for what it's worth, I've only had luck if I was in Prem Econ or Bus Class...but at that point, I really didn't care what seat I was in either

Thanks for the response. I have a premium economy ticket. Yes it was a codeshare my ticket was bought through British Airways

You should be able to choose seats I believe.

You will need the AA PNR which should show on the BA MMB which you can then use on the AA site, BA may have a direct link to AA in your MMB.

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• Air France Change...

Air France Changed My Seat Assignment

This is just a heads-up if you've booked through Air France. I booked my itinerary a week ago and selected seats 23J/K for my wife and it both to and from Paris from Seattle. I went there today to check out my reservation and both of our seat assignments had not only been changed, but had us in different rows! I was able to reassign the seats to Paris in a side row, which have 2 seats. But for the trip back, we had to be in the middle row (4 seats) on the edge. I'll keep looking to see if we can get on the side over the next month, but I thought I'd let others know that they may want to check their seating assignments after booking on Air France.

This can happen with any airline. The seat selector doesn't guarantee anything. In some circumstances like parents traveling with children, the airline is required to seat the kids next to at least one parent, so in this case they are required to move people around. Other circumstances include equipment changes, accommodating air marshals/frequent fliers.

That makes sense, but I don't understand why they would seat us in different rows (in one case 3 rows apart), when there are many pairs available together still. The flight to CDG had at least 10 window row pairs and a lot of middle rows completely empty still.

Do you fly frequently? Do you use US airlines? Any one of them should have inured you such things. There are a lot of flyers and a lot of juggling to do-- and since when do YOU matter to an airline?

Yep, I fly frequently and I usually fly US airlines (one year I flew enough Alaska to be an MVP). I can't think of a time in the last four or five years, when most of my flying has been done, that I selected my seats at booking and they weren't the ones I had on the day of the flight. I've only flown a couple of times on non-US airlines (Air Canada and British Air) and my reserved seats were the ones I had day of flight also. Maybe I should have realized that I should check when there were so many seats available at booking - more than half of each plane. But since the fares had dropped drastically, my initial thought was they had lots of seats to fill. None of us matter to an airline as long as their seats continue to be (over)filled.

Steve, I beg to differ! Your comment "None of us matter to an airline as long as their seats continue to be (over) filled." is not only cynical but inaccurate. If an Airline doesn't preform satisfactorily over the long haul, those seats won't continue to be (over) filled. Airlines appreciate feedback positive or negative. Learning to complain constructively benefits us all. (Not to mention profit sharing...)

I completely agree with Michael's explanation. Couldn't have said it better myself!

Agree on seats. Seats can be changed for the following valid reasons, among others:

• Aircraft change (least common, but if there is a different configuration on the new aircraft it will happen).
• Elite customer wants your seat (think someone who flies 25k and above miles on that airline a year).
• Family and unaccompanied minors.
• Just darn near anything.

What having a seat does generally guarantee you is that you will not be bumped. Usually, airlines will bump those who booked too late to make a seat reservation first.

I recently had my seats changed on a domestic flight without explanation, too. But I wouldn't worry too much about the center seating on your way back. That's actually my preferred place to be -- less turbulance, and if there are open seats at boarding, they are generally in the middle. You might get a row to yourselves!

I NEVER KNEW there was "less turbulence" in the middle section! I'll HAVE to pass that one along to the front end! LOL! (Only teasing!)

FA, I don't think you get the point. I was replying to Paul n Sara's question of, "and since when do YOU matter to an airline?" Essentially you helped make my point - when it hits them in the bottom line. I started to give lots of examples of when I didn't matter, but decided to scale it back since this post wasn't about complaining about airlines - which I've done constructively when it was necessary to contact them.The point is to give a heads-up to others that they should remain active with their reservations. Don't think it's a done deal when the credit card gets charged The reasons that Michael and David give seem right on to me to. But I'm stretching to see how they would apply in this instance since upon 'fixing' my problem online, there were many pairs that they could have put us in had any one, or even all of these situations been the case. The surprise wasn't in being moved; but being split up in a plane when it didn't appear necessary.

I've had my seat assignments changed fairly often recently with Delta Airlines. As they get closer to the travel date, they determine which type of aircraft is necessary for the flight. They want to avoid a half empty flight and so they will switch to a smaller plane. I check on a weekly basis now to ensure that my seats are still intact.

Steve, what I don't understand in your case is that it's clear you both are traveling together so to split you up doesn't make sense. I know there is a way to "link" passengers together - to avoid this. I am linked to my travel buddy - even though we made our reservations separately, so the airline has managed to keep us seated beside each other with all these changes.

It's great that you can flight direct non-stop from West Coast to Paris!

I can understand surprise in being split up when it didn't seem necessary. While it may not appear necessary to anyone on the outside, on the inside they must have had a reason. And only they would know what it would be. I won't go into all the possible scenarios, but believe me, there are many reasons. With few exceptions, you are pretty much reserved a seat in the class you reserved. Seat selections are considered to be preferences and requests, subject to change as required. Seat allocations are not guaranteed. While it can be disappointing to be separated from your traveling companions, sometimes it is necessary. Sometimes the Flight Crew can ask someone to trade to bring you closer together. Sometimes it just isn't possible. We do our best with what we are given at the time. Sometimes even checking or rechecking your reservation won't guarantee adjacent seating. Unfortunately, it's always subject to change. This is often an issue on board. And always a challenge!

Gela, Now that you mention it, I do remember an Alaska flight from Seattle to Reagan Nat'l changing plane. I kept the same seat number, but I went from an exit row to the row in front of the exit row (worst row ever). So I had to call and have them change me back into an exit row. The point about us being linked is a good one. I've seen some check boxes during the booking process for things such as "family traveling together" and such. Maybe there was one of these and I missed it. We are booked under different last names, as her passport is under her maiden name and with the passport times lately we didn't want to make a change out of fear we wouldn't get it back in time. Plus it expires in the next year or so and she can change the name then. But still it seems like we should be linked. Of course now I'll have to keep watching it as time goes by.

Nancy wrote: "I recently had my seats changed on a domestic flight without explanation, too. But I wouldn't worry too much about the center seating on your way back. That's actually my preferred place to be -- less turbulance, and if there are open seats at boarding, they are generally in the middle. You might get a row to yourselves!"

Hmmm... I'm trying to figure out why there would be "less" turbulence in the middle sections. Knowing Aircraft structures I can not think of a reason this would be true. If fact, I would think the window seats would have less, if anything...

Sorry for the thread hijack. Now back to the regularly scheduled programing...

Sometimes it can be difficult to link passengers with different last names who are traveling together. Especially when a maiden name is given or sometimes even hyphenated names can present a problem. Most reservation systems I've used (as a Travel Consultant) do have links to merge folios. So if you're making your own reservations, save yourself disappointment, crosscheck and confirm! Perhaps this is why you were seperated? I could easily see that happening.

We went to Spain on Iberia earlier this summer using them for all flights both international and domestic. On EVERY leg of the journey they had separated myself, husband, and 4 year old even though we had booked 5 months in advance and had copies of reservations having us all together. Of course, the flight crew and other passengers were accomodating to allow at least 1 of us to sit with our daughter.

Steve, you have my sympathies. Air France is not the only airline that does that. It happened to me in a DELTA flight from New York JFK to ATHENS Greece. I purchased my airline tickets nine months before the flight date. There were hundreds of seats for me to choose from in that big airplane. I chose a seat located near the front of the airplane. On the day of the flight, when I checked in at the airport and was given my boarding pass, it was for a seat at row 44, at the rear of the airplane. The airlines people know that row 44 is one of the worse places for a seat in an airplane, because the tail section of the airplane has more vertical movement and lateral movement than any other place in the airplane. And I am susceptible to motion sickness. I guessed the airline moved me away from the seat that I selected, to enable a family to be seated together. But why did they send me to row 44 ? I paid for my ticket nine months in advance. I thought I would get a decent seat.

I'VE BEEN BUMPED MANY TIMES. ONLY IT'S TO MY ADVANTAGE. I TRAVEL ALONE (SINGLE). HOW HARD IS IT TO FIND ONE SEAT? AS TO FIND TWO,THREE,OR FOUR SEATS TOGETHER. ONCE IN FIST CLASS I HAD A WINDOW SEAT. THE PERSON NEXT TO ME WANTED TO SIT NEXT TO HIS WIFE INSTEAD OF BEING SEPEREATED BY THE AISLE. I WAS ASKED TO MOVE TO ANOTHER SEAT IN FIRST CLASS AND WAS GIVEN A VOUCHER FOR ANOTHER FIRST CLASS TICKET ANYWHERE. I TOOK IT. THE SEAT I HAD GOTTEN WAS NEXT TO A SWEET LITTLE LADY. EVERYTHING WENT WELL UNTIL IT WAS TIME TO EAT. SHE TOOK OUT HER HEARING AIDS AND SAT THEM ON HER TRAY. SHE LOOKED AT ME AND SAID "I CAN'T STAND TO HEAR MYSELF EAT." KIND OF RUINS YOUR MEAL. HAPPY FLYING!

This topic has been automatically closed due to a period of inactivity.

Bye, A group. Here are the big changes Southwest Airlines just revealed

Soon, your seat on a Southwest Airlines flight won't depend on your boarding group.

Southwest revealed major changes to its boarding policy and flight schedule on Thursday, July 25, including phasing out its longstanding open seating policy in favor of assigned and premium seating.

Southwest also plans to introduce redeye flights. One of its first redeye flights will be from Phoenix.

The move comes as Southwest, which operates the second-largest flight capacity at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, is working to improve its profitability and the flying experience. In April , Southwest CEO Bob Jordan told investors in an earnings call that his staff was looking into whether ending open seating would satisfy customers' preferences.

Here's what to know about the end of open seating on Southwest Airlines and what other changes may be coming.

Is Southwest Airlines doing away with open seating?

Yes. Southwest will begin assigned seating on all flights in 2025.

In addition, Southwest will create a premium cabin section with extended-legroom seats. This premium section will encompass about one-third of the available seats.

The changes won't occur right away because the new cabin layouts require approval from the Federal Aviation Administration, according to Southwest's announcement.

Southwest will reveal more details about how assigned and premium seats will work and what the cabin layouts will look like during the airline's Investor Day in late September.

When reached for comment by The Arizona Republic, Southwest did not say what the premium-seat legroom will be and whether standard legroom would change from the 32-inch average seat pitch in the current cabins.

Why is Southwest ending open seating?

It has to do with both customer preference and the airline's profitability.

Southwest said it conducted extensive research on passengers' seating preferences and found that 80% of its customers and 86% of potential customers prefer seat assignments. Customers cited the airline's open seating policy as the No. 1 reason why they chose to fly with a competing airline.

"We have been building purposefully to this change as part of a comprehensive upgrade to the Southwest experience as we focus on customer expectations – and it will unlock new sources of revenue consistent with our laser focus on delivering improved financial performance," Jordan said in the airline's announcement.

Southwest is working to improve its financial position. The airline reported a net loss of $231 million in the first three months of 2024.

The airline brought in $7.4 billion in operating revenues from April to June 2024, but the $367 million it took in in profits was more than 46% less than its profit during the same period in 2023, according to its second-quarter 2024 financial report .

Airline staff also expect its non-fuel operating costs, which include employees' salaries and aircraft maintenance, will increase around 11% to 13% in the next three months.

What is open seating on Southwest Airlines?

On a flight with open seating, passengers don't have assigned seats.

Where they sit largely depends on their place in the boarding queue: Those boarding in Group A get the best choice of seats. After Group B, those who board in Group C usually are limited to middle seats and little to no overhead space for carry-ons.

Southwest's open seating policy was introduced with the airline's founding in 1971. Back then, the seating was first come, first served. The boarding groups began after a 2006 experiment with assigned seating revealed customers' frustrations with the first come, first served approach.

Does Southwest do redeyes?

Besides ending open seating, Southwest announced Thursday that it would begin offering redeye flights that leave at night and arrive the next morning.

Southwest's first redeyes include a nonstop Phoenix-Baltimore flight, which will begin flying on Feb. 13, 2025. The flight leaves Sky Harbor at 11:05 p.m. Arizona time and arrives in Baltimore at 5:10 a.m. Eastern time. We found fares from $236 one way, comparable to or slightly cheaper than other Southwest fares between the two cities.

Southwest will introduce four other redeye routes in February 2025 — Las Vegas-Baltimore, Las Vegas-Orlando, Los Angeles-Baltimore and Los Angeles-Nashville — with more possible in the future.

Will Southwest change its Bags Fly Free policy?

Some travel industry analysts, such as Steve and Paul Glenn of the Nebraska-based travel management company Executive Travel , speculate that Southwest will eventually change its checked bag policy.

Right now, the airline allows each passenger to check their first two bags for free — a sharp contrast from competitors such as American Airlines, which recently changed its baggage policy to charge $40 for the first checked bag.

The Glenns forecasted in a June podcast that Southwest would reduce that to one free checked bag if its profitability doesn't improve.

When asked by The Republic if Southwest would change its baggage policy, a Southwest spokesperson said, "No additional changes forthcoming at this time."

Michael Salerno is an award-winning journalist who’s covered travel and tourism since 2014. His work as The Arizona Republic’s consumer travel reporter aims to help readers navigate the stresses of traveling and get the best value for their money on their vacations. He can be reached at  [email protected] . Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:  @salerno_phx .

Support local journalism.   Subscribe to  azcentral.com  today.

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PLANE GO WOOSHHH!! READ PINNED POST BEFORE POSTING/COMMENTING IN THIS PLACE. Yes, you can complain. We’re not shills. I ban shills. Promise. Special flairs: If you're a United employee or Global Services member, PM /u/Player72 with proof (ID badge or similar) and you can get a special flair. Don't come in here with a low quality rant without any additional information. You can complain, just don't be an idiot and make sure you ELABORATE on the issue if you need our advice.

Seat assignment changed randomly almost 48 hours before departure?

For the last 3 weeks I had been booked in 1L on a 787-9; the only other available seats had been even numbered seats in Polaris which I don’t like as they tend to stick out in the aisle. I checked the app this morning as my departure date is approaching and all of the sudden United moved my seat to 10F. This really came out of nowhere, but I’m wondering if this has happened to anyone in the past. Pretty frustrating but wondering why United would do that. My first thought is likely crew seating, but wouldn’t explain why I was able to select that seat before. Anyone have any other thoughts? I’m a Premier Platinum, but I’ve never heard of a GS/1K bumping other folks seating assignments.

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Atavism (2024)

By we shout fire.

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We Shout Fire Vancouver, British Columbia

Lo-fi solo project of queer artist Craig Ringrose, currently based out of Vancouver, BC.

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