Narrative:

On our flight from ZZZ to ZZZ1 there were several passengers in the back of the main cabin put in rows next to one another who did not know each other. One woman was standing up and refusing to sit next to a stranger. The aft flight attendant noticed a lot of crowding in the back and asked if passengers were traveling together. Three different rows (both sides of xx and xy C & D) said they did not know each other. Passengers were placed next to strangers with no social distancing.the aft sent a message and we were told a customer service representative [csr] was coming to talk to us. We then conferred. When the csr; came down; she said company was filling to xx% capacity and if they didn't have family members traveling together they had to put strangers together. I explained that every other gate agent had told me we did not put anyone next to each other who was not traveling together. She said well; we try; but if we can't then we fill to capacity. Neither the aft nor I were comfortable with this; but she said that was the policy and left. I then went back to explain the policy to the passengers. The woman in xxb was still not comfortable but said she couldn't take another flight as she had to work in ZZZ1. I went back to the front; conferred with my flight attendant and spoke with our captain. He also believed that we didn't seat people next to each other that weren't traveling together and went up to the gate to speak with the agents and call his chief pilot. The fwd was communicating via text with our base manager and I called my manager to try and get clarification on our policy. The csr came down for a second time; seeming agitated; and said she had made an announcement earlier and no one had objected. She then went to the rear and when she came back up said that everyone was 'fine with it' and left. The captain; the aft and I agreed to go but that we would all fill out reports. We need a clear written policy on distancing and grouping in smaller craft. Passengers have told me many times the reason they are flying with us right now is because of our distancing and safety precautions. On the small aircraft we cannot claim to be social distancing if we are shoving strangers together in the main cabin with their shoulders and elbows touching. Just because someone could only afford an economy ticket doesn't mean they deserve to get sick.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: Flight Attendant reported seating issues and concerns with the close proximity of passengers when boarding the flight.

Narrative: On our flight from ZZZ to ZZZ1 there were several passengers in the back of the main cabin put in rows next to one another who did not know each other. One woman was standing up and refusing to sit next to a stranger. The AFT FA noticed a lot of crowding in the back and asked if passengers were traveling together. Three different rows (both sides of XX and XY C & D) said they did not know each other. Passengers were placed next to strangers with no social distancing.The AFT sent a message and we were told a Customer Service Representative [CSR] was coming to talk to us. We then conferred. When the CSR; came down; she said company was filling to XX% capacity and if they didn't have family members traveling together they had to put strangers together. I explained that every other gate agent had told me we did NOT put anyone next to each other who was not traveling together. She said well; we try; but if we can't then we fill to capacity. Neither the AFT nor I were comfortable with this; but she said that was the policy and left. I then went back to explain the policy to the passengers. The woman in XXB was still not comfortable but said she couldn't take another flight as she had to work in ZZZ1. I went back to the front; conferred with my FA and spoke with our Captain. He also believed that we didn't seat people next to each other that weren't traveling together and went up to the gate to speak with the agents and call his Chief Pilot. The FWD was communicating via text with our base manager and I called my manager to try and get clarification on our policy. The CSR came down for a second time; seeming agitated; and said she had made an announcement earlier and no one had objected. She then went to the rear and when she came back up said that everyone was 'fine with it' and left. The Captain; the AFT and I agreed to go but that we would all fill out reports. We need a clear written policy on distancing and grouping in smaller craft. Passengers have told me many times the reason they are flying with us right now is because of our distancing and safety precautions. On the small aircraft we cannot claim to be social distancing if we are shoving strangers together in the main cabin with their shoulders and elbows touching. Just because someone could only afford an economy ticket doesn't mean they deserve to get sick.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.