Southwest Airlines is known for the games people play to secure the best seats, because the airline doesn’t assign seats – it’s first-board, first-served. They do assign your boarding order, but passengers save seats for each other, and there’s no rule against it.
That leads to some extreme creativity, either to keep the seat next to you open when a flight isn’t full, or to save seats for your family that’s boarding after you (because you were too cheap, and only one of you paid for Early Bird Check-in).
@SouthwestAir these 2 guys sat in seats 5A and C on a STL to LAS flight 938 on 1/9. They were in extra legroom seats and as passengers walked by and asked to sit in the middle they said, 'someone will be sitting here' – of course no one did. It's time someone calls this out. pic.twitter.com/sK41QsEbcl
— Scott (@scfanatic97) January 10, 2026
Once people grab a seat, they’ll scheme to keep anyone else from sitting next to them so they get the empty seat. Strategies include crumpling up tissues and placing it on the seat next to them, spreading out onto that seat, or just being intentionally creepy. The idea here is to be someone other passengers don’t choose to sit next to if they have a choice.
Or, as someone looks like they might sit down beside you, reach out and offer them hard boiled eggs out of a plastic bag. Do it with an impish grin.
How to keep a middle seat empty on a flight! @SouthwestAir pic.twitter.com/wYY4l4ovnf
— Craig Muni (@CraigMuni) May 14, 2023
This all ends January 27, when assigned seats begin on Southwest. No more scheming. No more strategizing and winding up with extra value from an empty middle seat next to you. It’s all based on luck of which seats other passengers assign in the cabin in advance.
That also should mean, by the way, the end of ‘JetBridge Jesus’ where 30 passengers board with wheelchair assistance, in order to board first and get the best seats, but are just fine walking off the plane unassisted.
A friend shares a not-uncommon sight from Puerto Rico:
55 "handicapped" during pre-boarding, including 25 wheel chairs
On his return flight, 15 used wheelchairs to board, only 1 to deboard pic.twitter.com/gHgIsnzsq7
— Bachman (@ElonBachman) February 19, 2023
Another flight on @SouthwestAir, and I’m happy to report being witness to more miracles. These poor souls came seeking a flight, and instead were healed. 🙌🏻🙌🏻
Always grateful for witnessing the miraculous healing power of flight. pic.twitter.com/7TCYn2T6BB
— Dave Ruminates (@dave_ruminates) April 5, 2023
Southwest already monetized seats via Early Bird and A1-15 boarding fees. But doing that for specific seats is going to end the gaming, for better and for worse. And in so doing it ends the unique character of the airline, that also made Southwest fun, because ending up with the empty middle seat felt like a victory. You had more control over getting extra value on your flight. Now it’s just luck. And Southwest becomes just like every other carrier.
In b4 1990
Congratulations, Southwest. You’ve managed to push me back to flying United again, something I won’t soon forgive.
Since Bob Jordan and his hand picked ELT doesn’t track how many SWA passengers are multi-million milers and has no formal recognition or retention strategy for these higher-margin customers, I seriously doubt he’s instructed the flight crews to stop such nonsense…
Finally, the scheming and Jetway Jesus needs to stop.
Sad to see an end to all the miracles being performed on Southwest flights
I hope those wheelchair bound passengers can find healing at a doctor instead of 35,000ft
Now if only their “emotional support” golden doodles with no manners would stop boarding the passenger cabin
Where does that leave me as a truly disabled person? I always fly first class with a cane and my handicapped parking tag but from this I doubt anyone at Southwest cares. Had been thinking about trying Southwest now that they are actually having true first class size seats but not after reading this. I’ll stick with Delta, thanks.
Another strategy is to become more like Porter (3rd largest airline in Canada). While their planes have middle seats, they are blocked off, and you get free drinks.
So a strategy for SW is to actually charge a HIGHER fee for the middle seat. Yes, higher.
Why? It will provide an incentive for people to never get the middle seat unless they have to. It rewards early planners and penalizes people who don’t plan (which is fine).
Better yet, provide different tiers of prices where the aisle and window prices- say rows 11-19, are 20% higher than the back of the plane.. and the middle seats? Those are 50% higher.
Those of us who are actually handicapped and require wheelchairs–not just to board, but to do anything–should blame not just the immoral fakers but also Southwest.
I still can’t figure this out. If I’m A-list and have a companion pass, when I make reservation and select a seat and then add the companion, how does the companion select a seat? Is it automatically added next to mine? Do I have to select a seat for them after they’re added? Do they get the same seat selection benefits as the A-list? Then throw in the fact that as an A-list that 48 hrs before the flight I can upgrade to extra legroom seats. Then if I did that how would the companion seat selection work.
If anybody fully understands the process I’m all ears.
Thx