I'm sorry, I didn't mean to come across as defensive! Not my intention at all. This is a very hot topic here on this board. Way too many people have come here and say 'It costs too much money to buy EBCI for my entire family. If I board with my kids, surely people will change seats with us to allow us to sit together, right? People won't make a family split up, right?'.
Let's say I'm in the aisle seat, row 6. I need that seat because I want to be off the plane fairly quickly. I paid for EBCI so that I could get my choice of seats, early in the boarding process. I sit down. Well, later in the process, a mother and child come along. No place for them to sit together. But the middle seat next to me is empty. They ask if I will find another seat, in the rear of the plane, so that they can sit together. Um, no, sorry.
However, if I don't have a particular need to be seated where I am, and I am offered a seat that is 'just as good', then sure, I'll consider changing. But there's no way I'm giving up my window or aisle seat to sit in a middle seat so someone can sit with their child.
Again, sorry if I came across as defensive...not my intention. Just trying to demonstrate why I feel the way I do.
An interesting example, some here have heard this before, so I apologize. I was flying SW back when you got into the line that was available when you got there....true cattle call boarding. I would arrive early, so usually got into the A line. But...you had to stay in that line to hold your spot. If you were alone, you either asked the person next to you to hold your spot, or you didn't leave to use the bathroom!!! And you stood there....it was grueling. If you arrived when the A line was full, you went into the B line, then the C line. Well....as I stood in my A line spot, I watched a mother walking around with her young son..probably about 4 or 5ish. They were walking around the gate area, but not in any line. So, I figured they were killing time until it was time to line up for their particular flight. Watched this for about an hour, as I stood in my line. Then I boarded. Okay....the B group boarded, then the C line got on. At the very end of the boarding process, the mother and child that I had been watching boarded. And of course there were no two seats together at this point. Probably about 8 single seats, middle seats, that were empty. The mother got on, and looked for seating. Finally, a FA came along and asked that someone offer to change seats so that a mother could sit with her child. No one moved. The FA said that they would offer free adult drinks if someone offered their seats. Nothing. Finally after the mother broke down in tears, the FA came over and said "Okay. This plane is not pulling away from the gate until someone gives up a seat for this mother and child.'' Someone did move..and of course it was a married couple who had been sitting together. And now, they were separated. No one with an empty middle seat next to them moved!!!! Could the mother have done something differently? Sure, she could have hopped into the B line when she arrived but she had a young child with her, and there was probably no way that kid would have stood there for an hour. So a lose lose situation. But people are still relying on the kindness of strangers to allow them to sit together. And that annoys the bejeebers out of me. It's your responsibility to do what needs to be done to sit together. Not mine!
