I booked a round trip Southwest flight from Baltimore to Phoenix back on January 21 and paid for Choice Preferred seats. I even upgraded both seats to the emergency exit row for extra legroom and got the confirmation email showing everything was set.
Then two days before the flight, at around 4 a.m., I got an automated email saying my seat for the outbound flight had been refunded and I no longer had an assigned seat. There was no explanation at all.
When I logged in to pick another seat, the plane was almost completely full and the only options left were middle seats.
I called Southwest customer service and the rep told me she had no idea why the seat was removed. She also said the seats were locked in their system and there was nothing she could do, and that my best option was to ask the gate agent at the airport.
What made it worse is that the exact seat I originally booked was assigned to someone else just hours after mine was removed.
When I asked to speak with a supervisor, I was told none were available and was advised to leave feedback on the website.
My husband and I have both been A List members for years and fly Southwest regularly, so this was pretty frustrating. If this is how the new assigned seat system works, it defeats the whole purpose.
At this point I’m seriously considering switching to United instead.
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