Passengers slam ‘idiots’ who tried to save rows of plane seats with their bags

An irritated holidaymaker has expressed his frustration with a family who tried to "save" seats on the plane for themselves when boarding. In most places passengers are assigned a seat before flying – but some US airlines have an open seat policy.

Southwest Airlines is one such airline. They won’t give you a seat number when you get your boarding pass but instead have to find a spot when you get onto the plane.

READ MORE: Size 16 woman slams airline for 'frustrating' seatbelts that barely fit around her

However, sometimes the free for all system doesn’t go to plan – one holidaymaker discovered this when he boarded his flight to see that "idiots" had tried to "save seats" by piling them high with jackets and blankets.

On Reddit, they complained about their fellow passengers and said: "As we were getting on the plane a family had laid out their purses, bags, and blankets to save not one but two rows of seats behind them. The two old ladies of the family sat opposite aisle seats and tried to save the ones next to them as well, for their family in the C boarding group.

"My wife did not want to be ‘confrontational,’ but I loudly said ‘this is not kindergarten you can't save seats’ and threw their blanket off to the side and sat down with my wife in the aisle and middle."

What would you have done? Let us know in the comments…

A kindergarten is the US (or German) form of nursery or reception here in the UK. So it sounds like the holidaymaker was being fairly insulting to the women.

They continued: "We put their seat saving blanket on the aisle seat and several people asked if the seat was taken, I told them that someone put that here and we didn't know who and they were free to sit down, but no one wanted to take the seat, despite the flight attendant saying over the speaker that you cannot save seats and don't put stuff in empty seats. People need to grow a spine, this s**t is unreal."

Hundreds of people weighed in down in the comments with people falling on both sides. One person said: "I simply don’t understand the rationale behind the free for all that is the boarding process. They say it saves time and therefore costs them less, allowing seats to be cheaper. I don’t buy it.

"Knowing exactly what seat to go to and when to board saves time. Not people arguing over seats and hating on each other because people want to sit together."

While another added: "I disagree. I typically fly solo and I love Southwest's no assigned seats. I feel like its the perfect way to fly if you fly solo or with one other person. I don't think Southwest is for big families that want to sit together though."

Another noted: "I am usually fine if people are saving one or two seats. Like a row to themselves. But…that many seats is just entitlement."

While the original poster added: "Thank you it was absolutely entitlement and I wasn’t going to enable it. Thankfully two nice old ladies eventually moved the purses in the row across from us so they didn’t get that row either. I’m with you I get maybe asking to save the seats next to you but two whole rows on top of that, no way."

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"Saving one seat is fine, saving 2 rows is not. We all know you didn’t want to pay to upgrade your whole party but at least make an effort," criticised one person.

Another added: "I don't get why people MUST all sit together. Its a few hours. Good grief. Obviously this doesn't apply to children."

To which someone replied: "I had a woman sit next to me once (she was in the middle seat) and she was writing love letters to her bf on her notes app and crying during our 45 MINUTE flight from KC to Chicago and i told her we could switch. Maybe it was their ploy but it sure as heck worked."

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