When it comes to planning a flight, travelers of size are often faced with the decision of whether to reserve a second seat for comfort. Depending on their chosen airline, this may involve an additional seat purchase.
Southwest is well-known for its Customer of Size (COS) policy and provides two options. One option is to purchase two seats in advance and request a refund upon completing your itinerary. The other option is to purchase one seat then request an additional seat at the airport check-in counter. There are pros and cons to each approach, depending on how flexible your vacation investment is.
As a travel professional, I say: better safe than sorry. As flights tend to be filled to capacity these days, especially to and from major cities, the odds of an available open seat are not favorable. An on-site request for an additional seat may result in a fellow passenger getting “bumped” or rerouted from their flight. It may even result in *you* being the one that is bumped. If you have a connecting flight or people and plans waiting for you, such a dilemma could certainly complicate your day. I know of other Southwest COSs (who haven’t necessarily booked with us) who have had positive experiences with reserving their additional seat once arriving at the airport. That is just a risk that I encourage our clients not to take.
Where Southwest flies happens to align with our new focus on destinations in Mexico and the Caribbean. Other airlines have COS policies that aren’t always as generous or consistent as that of Southwest. Navigating that process is one of the services that Abundant Travel provides.