SWA’s typical response to complaint re seat saving almost veers into passive aggressive territory. Perhaps they don’t realize being “inconvenienced” is subjective and the definition of “any open or unclaimed seat” is also vague at best.
They need to Quit worry about public relations and take a stand/release a clear cut policy. However, they do have their hands rather full at this point
“As you probably know, all flights on Southwest are “open-seating,” and Customers are free to take any available seat onboard the aircraft.
In light of this, it is not uncommon for a Customer to want to reserve a seat (or seats) for a friend, family member, or associate who will be boarding behind them.
Truthfully, we don’t have a policy either way–for or against–saving seats.
In fact, we share our perspective on this issue on southwest.com as follows:
“because Southwest Airlines maintains an open-seating policy, general-boarding Customers may sit in any open or unclaimed seat.”
With this in mind, as long as there is no Safety concern, it would be acceptable for a Customer to “claim” a seat for his/her family member or traveling companion who may be in a later boarding group.
We are aware that the saving of seats is a by-product of our policy, and as long as the boarding process is not delayed and other Customers aren’t
inconvenienced, it usually isn’t a significant issue.
Again, we appreciate your contacting us. We look forward to welcoming you onboard a Southwest flight soon.
Sincerely,
XXXXX, Southwest Airlines”