southwest does boarding right

I flew Southwest Airlines for the first time this weekend*. I am now a fan. Or, at least, I'm a fan of their method for boarding passengers.

In my experience with other airlines, you have an assigned seat (usually picked when you bought your ticket). At the gates, boarding is done in groups. But, there are many people in each group, and within the group, boarding order is pretty much a race to see who can get to the line first. And I use the word "line" somewhat loosely. It's more of a mob. It kind of resembles commuters crowding around the escalator on the subway, except that in the case of the subway, people aren't waiting around for the escalator to open up. At the airport, people start arriving at the gate an hour or more in advance, often before the prior flight has taken off. Once there, many jockey for position, trying to be as close as possible to the door. They try to figure out how close they can get without breaking the rules or being too rude. That's the part of flying that I hate the most. The stressful competition to be the first on. You stand in your spot, thinking it would be wrong to go farther. And then someone who showed up afterwards calmly walks past you and positions himself closer than you are. AAARRRRGGGHHH!

Come on, admit it, you know what I'm talking about.

The fact is, you can avoid all that by simply waiting around and getting on at your leisure. You have your assigned seat, and the plane is going to the same place. So what does it matter? There was a time that it didn't really matter. But in today's age where most airlines charge for checked luggage, most passengers try to avoid checking luggage, so the overhead space for carry-ons is at a premium. If you get on too late and the overhead space is all taken, you have to gate-check your bag. It's not the end of the world, but it can be an inconvenience. And, of course, people are people. And we are just apes defending their own turf.

Now, with Southwest, there are no assigned seats. Instead, you get a number when you check in, and boarding is done by the numbers. For yesterday's flight I was B18. So I got to board after B17 and before B19. Once on, I got to take whatever unclaimed seat I chose. The stakes of boarding are higher, since seats are first-come first-served, but since the order is chosen, the stress is lower. Not just for me, but for others around me. I found it a much more pleasant experience.

Also, I love the snazzy yellow, red and blue hearts.

*And boy, are my arms tired!