Wednesday, April 30, 2008

The Southwest Experiment



Why is it that everytime I fly Southwest I feel like I am part of an experiment? All my years of flying I could not wait until I had a child and could take advantage of preboarding. Then, right when Carson was born they changed the policy. Travelers with children under 5 could board between groups A and B. So, I diligently logged on to get my boarding pass right in the 24 hour alotted time. I was two minutes late and got number 26. That is right, now they not only have you get letters but numbers as well. I felt like part of an experiment at the airport. They have now placed signs all around showing number ranges. But there are so many signs and the backs of the signs have numbers as well. The confusion on everyone's faces was priceless. Every traveler has a different opinion of how the system works and lines up accordingly...only for a last minute scramble when the system starts to straighten itself out. I kept looking around for the candid cameras. The chaos was apparent at both airports as well. But, I keep flying because not only do they have the lowest prices, but the best rewards program as well. Based off the price difference, one would assume it costs close to $100 to pay someone to actually reserve you a seat. Funny, I think the reservations agents only make around $10-$15 an hour.

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