Seat-Saving Shenanigans: The Great Airline Row Over Purse Politics
Ah, the age-old drama of seat saving on flights—like a game of musical chairs, but with more passive aggression and, apparently, a plethora of purses. In a recent saga aboard a Southwest Airlines flight, a disgruntled passenger took to Reddit to air out their grievances against a fellow traveler who attempted to save three rows of seats—the ultimate faux pas in the realm of air travel etiquette.
Our protagonist, who prefers to remain anonymous, recounted their experience in a post that has since gone viral. It all started innocently enough, with the original poster (OP) noticing a woman in row two occupying the middle seat, seemingly harmless. However, as they continued down the aisle, a collection of purses appeared, each strategically placed to claim territory in rows two, three, and four. With their patience wearing thin, the OP decided to claim an aisle seat in row four, only to be met with resistance from the self-appointed seat saver, who responded with a rather disingenuous “fake laugh.”
As more passengers boarded, the OP kindly informed them of the vacant seats, much to the chagrin of the woman who was hoarding them for her family. In a classic case of “you can’t sit with us,” the seat saver’s family began to trickle in, filling the rows with her children taking the back seats while the adults perched themselves like royalty in the “saved” seats.
Comments on the Reddit thread ranged from bemusement to outright bewilderment, with one user questioning the necessity of sitting together when everyone is confined to the same airplane cabin. Meanwhile, another quipped about the logistics of carrying five purses on a flight—indeed, a true feat of multitasking.
This incident shines a light on the broader issue surrounding Southwest’s open seating policy, which has been a hallmark of the airline for over 50 years. However, in a twist of fate, the airline announced plans to transition to assigned seating by 2026, a move driven by changing customer preferences for longer flights where seat assignments are desired.
In a world where the skies are meant to be friendly, this incident serves as a reminder that perhaps the only thing more turbulent than the weather is human behavior at 35,000 feet.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and People Magazine, Southwest Airlines Press Release
Image Credit: Title: Untitled, Author: No author info, License: [‘cc_attribute’, ‘cc_nonderived’, ‘cc_publicdomain’]
