My outbound leg was broken up into several segments: Dallas Love Field (DAL) to Las Vegas (LAS), with an intermediate stop in El Paso (ELP), and then finally connecting in Vegas to San Diego (SAN). I arrived at DAL about 45 minutes before departure and proceeded directly to the ticketing counter to check a bag and print my boarding pass. I had checked in online the day before and secured an A 16 boarding pass. This meant I would board just after the Business Select Passengers. Southwest still has some agents at the ticketing counter but self serve kiosks were in place for people to check in bags and print boarding passes. I utilized the kiosks. After I completed the procedure on the kiosk, an agent checked my ID and tagged my luggage for me. One nice thing about flying out of Love Field as opposed to DFW is that security lines are much shorter. I breezed through security and arrived at the gate just before boarding commenced.

It turns out there was only one Business Select passenger so I was the third person to board. The plane was a Boeing 737-700 (B73G) with winglets in the Canyon Blue Livery. I grabbed the bulkhead seat on the port (left) side of the aircraft. The cabin given the standard Southwest treatment: nice quality blue and brown leather seats with blue carpeting. The cabin itself was spotless. Although there is a substantially more leg room with the bulkhead seats, there are no tray tables. The flight was about 70 percent full. In-flight service was the usual: peanuts and complimentary non alcoholic drinks were served with a smile and requests for more were granted without a fuss. The stopover in El Paso was a quick 25 minutes. Only 56 passengers from Dallas stayed on board for the continuation of the flight. This leg of the flight ended up being full after picking up passengers from ELP. Standard in flight service once again. After a smooth landing in LAS, I connected to a flight to SAN. The aircraft was once again a B73G. This time, flight time was just over an hour. Service was not rushed at all due to the fact the plane was about half full. Upon arrival in SAN, bags were on the carousel within 15 minutes and I was soon stepping out into a gorgeous sunny and chilly Southern California afternoon.

Return trip was a direct flight back to DAL with an intermediate stop in ELP. A short delay was experienced, but we made up most of the time in the air. I utilized curbside check in this time to avoid the massive line at the ticketing counter. However, when I went inside, the line appeared to be moving rather quickly. This leg of my trip was served by an older Boeing 737-300 also fitted with winglets. It was nice to see winglets on the older aircraft as well because they improve the aerodynamics of the aircraft thus leading substantially improved fuel economy. This aircraft also featured the standard Southwest cabin which once again was spotless. I had an A 32 boarding pass this time around and I managed to grab a window seat in row 7. Typical service once again with the addition of serving a packaged Nabisco package snack (100 Calorie packs) due to the longer duration of the flight. Requests for more once again honored without hesitation. Bags out on the carousel quickly upon arrival in Dallas.

I fly quite a lot and I usually stick with Southwest, Continental, and American. Southwest will always be my first choice because of efficiency, usually better prices, friendlier service, and NO fees. No in-flight entertainment? No problem! Bring a book and/or an iPod. Domestic flights within the U.S. take at longest 4-6 hours which is not that long. I have my share of 14-17 hour international flights. The state of air travel in the U.S. is sad compared to the others around the world. But I think this is accentuated by the fact people are too whiney and expect way too much. You want to pay less therefore you get less service. Have I had a bad experiences before? Of course, but think about it: there is nothing you can do about it so why worry! Try to be a little more understanding—that make things easier for everyone.