‘It’s not a full flight’: NYC woman books Southwest for 1st time since it started assigning seats. Then she has to re-buy her seat to get off standby
Southwest Airlines recently went throught significant changes. Travelers aren’t happy.
While the airline once had an open seating policy, recent changes have resulted in families being separated. Not only that, but the removal of free checked bags—paired with seemingly inconsistent enforcement of carry-on baggage policies—has customers questioning their relationship with the airline.
Now, another story about Southwest Airlines is garnering attention online. It also has the internet asking: What do you really need to do to actually get a seat on a Southwest flight?
What Went Wrong On This Southwest Airlines Flight?
According to TikToker Shae (@shaemeetsworld) in a video with over 363,000 views, she booked a flight several months ago. However, when it came time to check in—which she says she did exactly 24 hours in advance of her flight—she was put on standby.
“Standby?” she asks. “I literally paid for the flight. Why am I on standby?”
Seeing that the only way to get off standby was to purchase an assigned seat, she decided to pay the additional fee.
However, when she got to the airport, she realized her troubles were only just beginning.
“It’s not a full flight. They told us it wasn’t gonna be a full flight,” she recalls. “In the jet bridge, they’re checking people’s bags. Mind you, my partner was also on the flight, too. I knew that there was space in those bins. Also, mind y’all, it’s not a full flight, so there should be space in those bins … We’re checking all bags? For what reason?”
Amidst this confusion, Shae says she heard an announcement that angered her.
“I then hear that, in order for me to ensure that my personal item and my carry-on get on this flight, I should have purchased priority boarding,” she says. “What? Are you serious?”
“Mind y’all, I also was not Group 8 … [I was] Group 5,” the TikToker continues. “So you’re telling me that there’s no more room for Group 5, 6, 7, and 8 and all of those people with their carry-ons?”
This Passenger Has A Theory
Given all this, Shae speculates that this could be an attempt from the airline to subtly implement “hidden fees.”
“The additional hidden fee after the additional hidden fee of this priority boarding for me to get the bare minimum—right, the bare minimum: carry-on and one personal item on the plane,” she details.
She adds that, had she known about all of these costs ahead of time, she would have flown another airline.
Compounding matters was the fact that, according to her, the flight had 26 people on standby. By the time they left, two people remained unboarded.
“You guys can decide for yourself what you want to do, but as for me, I’m unsubscribing until they figure this out,” she concludes. “It’s giving disorganized. It’s giving ‘you guys don’t know what you’re doing right now’; it’s giving ‘you jumped in the big kids’ pool without knowing how to swim,’ all right?”
Is This Normal?
Ever since Southwest began rolling out its many changes, flyers have complained about many issues similar to those described by Shae.
In early 2026, a post on Reddit went viral in which it was alleged that another customer was placed on standby despite checking in exactly 24 hours ahead of their flight. In response, a Southwest spokesperson told the Daily Dot that “We block a small number of seats on each flight for operational needs, such as disabled Customers … As we’ve rolled out assigned seating, that’s led to the last 12 Customers to check in who are holding Basic fares to be placed on the standby list on full flights only.”
It is presently unclear how this explanation would apply to Shae’s situation, as she claimed that there were over 20 people placed on standby.
As for the need to check bags, Men’s Journal reports that Southwest recently announced that overhead bin space would be reserved for customers who purchased its seats with extra legroom. This may explain why Shae was forced to gate check her bag, even though she paid for a seat.
Commenters Are Fed Up
In the comments section, users expressed their disdain for Southwest’s new policies.
“I’ll never forgive Southwest for ruining my favorite airline,” wrote a user. “Might as well like Frontier and Spirit, at least it’s cheaper.”
“That fact that they are using ‘stand by’ to mean wait for a seat assignment is definitely purposeful to make people panic,” offered another. “What a 180 from a company that used to pride itself on price transparency and customer service.”
“Southwest has United and delta prices with NONE of the benefits,” declared a third. “I will NEVER fly with them again. 2 bags fly free and free for all seating was the 2 reasons I actually loved that airline.”
@shaemeetsworld sw, count your days ? #fyp #traveltok #southwestairlines #carryon #blackgirltravel ♬ original sound – shaemeetsworld
We’ve reached out to Southwest Airlines via email and Shae via TikTok direct message and comment.
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