The Game Theory Of Picking Seats On Southwest Airlines

Mar 12 2024

Southwest Airlines doesn’t pre-assign seats. Once you board you can take any open seat. There’s no rule against saving seats for other passengers. And it’s perfectly acceptable to subtly discourage other passengers from sitting beside you, though if they want to take the empty seat next to you they can.

In this Hunger Games world of Southwest Airlines seat selection there’s basic game theory to defend and expand your turf.

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How Airlines Colluded To Ensure Onboard Food Would Be Awful

american airlines pathetic bbq sandwich
Mar 12 2024

A special IATA meeting was held in London to define a sandwich, and hear violations. The airline industry body declared that sandwiches had to be “cold… simple… unadorned… inexpensive” and had to “consist of a substantial and visible chunk of bread.” Moreover they could not contain anything “normally regarded as expensive or luxurious, such as smoked salmon, oysters, caviar, lobster, game, asparagus, pate de foie gras” nor could they feature “overgenerous or lavish helpings which affect the money value of the unit.”

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