Southwest Airlines Makes Child Move To Assigned Seat On ‘Empty’ Flight After New Policy Goes Into Effect: ‘The Baby’s Literally Crying’

Southwest Airlines used to be known for its variety of unique and generous policies.

For example, when other airlines began charging for not only checked bags but also carry-ons, Southwest allowed flyers to travel with two checked bags for free. It also had zero change fees, a single-class cabin, and open seating—all things that made the airline stand out amongst its peers.

Now, many of those features are changing, and flyers aren’t happy about it. One change has internet users not only unhappy but actively angry at the airline. A recent video with over 1 million views explains why.

What Happened On This Man’s Flight?

In his video, TikTok user Gilbert Graim (@gilgra2025) shows a Southwest flight. Many seats are empty. As he records, one can overhear a child crying and a woman trying to talk to a flight attendant.

“At some point, Southwest, y’all gotta understand, y’all doing too much,” Graim starts.

According to Graim, seats in the plane were mostly unoccupied. Graim estimates that the flight has not even reached 20% capacity. Despite this, Graim says that a family of six with children was being forced to separate.

“I don’t know if you can hear that crying right now, but the baby’s literally crying, having an attack—panic attack—and all of this staff on this plane made them move one seat because they said that a person had that seat,” explains Graim.

Graim says this dispute over seating caused the flight to be delayed by at least 15 minutes.

“This is absurd,” Graim summarizes. “This is crazy.”

Southwest’s New Policy

Over the past year, Southwest Airlines has introduced a variety of new policies. For example, last year, Southwest introduced fees for checked baggage. They also got rid of their open seating policy—which appears to have caused the problem in the video.

This has introduced problems for families who wish to sit together. According to the Southwest website, “Families traveling on the same confirmation number will be assigned to the same boarding group. Families traveling on Choice, Choice Preferred, or Choice Extra fares will be able to select seats during booking. For families traveling on Basic fares, seats will be assigned at check-in or at the gate. We will do our best to seat families together. When seats are limited, we’ll work to seat children ages 12 and younger next to at least one adult in your party.”

Effectively, this means that families who wish to sit together often need to pay extra to do so.

It’s Already Causing Problems

Internet users have already complained about numerous aspects of this seating policy.

For example, one user alleged that he booked a flight with his wife and children. One of his children is 2 years old; the other is 5 years old. Despite his age, the user alleged that the 2-year-old was seated “in his own row without his mom or sister.”

Even in cases where many seats on a flight are empty, passengers report that Southwest is being insistent on its seat assignments.

Details like these are making flyers like Graim reconsider their future travel.

“Now that they have all these extra charges and their flights are just not even as cheap as they used to be … I can now fly other airlines that I wouldn’t back then, not even look at because all of the extra fees,” he explains in a follow-up video.

“They were typically more expensive, so you were okay with not having a TV in the back of the seat. You were okay with certain services and certain things that you did not get on the plane, like chargers and stuff like that, because you knew you was getting a better price,” he continues. “Not anymore. It’s not the same anymore.”

Commenters Are Angry

In the comments section, users expressed their displeasure at the state of Southwest Airlines.

“A minor should ALWAYS be assigned a seat next to their guardian. IDGAF how full the plane is…and considering this plane is empty, this was absolutely uncalled for,” wrote a user.

“If you fly with a child under 8, you shouldn’t have to pay to sit next to them,” added another.

“Anyone who books tickets together SHOULD BE SEATED TOGETHER,” stated a third.

BroBible reached out to Graim and Southwest via email.