One Bad Trip

About ten years ago, I hopped a Southwest flight from Chicago to Las Vegas. I spent most of the flight going back and forth with the passenger next to me making fun of our mutual airline of choice.

I'm sure we had some clever jarbs about the boarding system, the socially awkward "Who should I set next to" seat selection process, and how they only fly out of Midway Airport which is as conveniently located as Milwaukee.

But this weekend I picked up a remarkably affordable fare to Chicago and was really impressed by the entire experience.

The boarding process has been improved and is very quick. The flight attendants we're (as opposed to drones who seem to intentionally push drink carts into people's exposed appendages), and there wasn't that uncomfortable feeling that you might have paid twice as much for your ticket as the person next to you did for theirs.

As the major airlines seem to be grabbing at every consumer penny they can grab ($5 for what is essentially a cracker salad?), Southwest's booking system is clear, flexible, and reasonable.

I guess what's neat to see is that in an industry that is sinking towards the bottom, Southwest has shed the jokes and now has become a carrier of choice for vacationers and business travelers alike. The jokes are over, Southwest is now one of the bigs.