It comes down to this...a discount airline means discount PEOPLE.

Call me an elitist snot if you must. I am as pro-proletariat as they come...except when it comes to my comfort during travel. I like the peons provided I don't have to be near them.

I fly pretty frequently for work..at least once a month out of Phoenix. I almost always fly USairways or a regular airline, but sometimes I don't have a choice..usually when I have to go with co-workers who love Southwest.

Here are some analogies: if a regular airline (American, Continental) is a Macy's, USairways is a Stein Mart, Southwest is a Ross Dress For Less. If a regular airline is a Gelson's, USAirways is a Trader Joes, Southwest is a Food For Less. If a regular airline is a BMW 7, USAirways is a Toyota Camry, Southwest is a 1988 Dodge Caravan.

People think Southwest Airlines is the cheapest, so most people automatically book a ticket without shopping around. This is good for me..because the truth is that Southwest is NOT always the cheapest. Sometimes USairways is, but even when it is not the price differance is usually not more than 20 or 30 bucks...a small price to pay for the convienience of NOT flying Southwest.

It's not just the flight, it's the process. Southwest uses open seating. With Southwest you have to check in online 24 hours beforehand to get an "A" ticket and then line up like a retard, even with their new system. This is a major pain in the ass. There is still weird tension at the gate as people jockey for their place in line..not that it really matters..southwest cycles their aircraft so much that unless you are getting onto the first flight of the day, the plane will be half full when you get on even if you are A1 and you KNOW they will not even clean the damn toilets between flights.

Because of the mass appeal of Southwest to the poor, the terminal servicing that airline is always a mad house, the security lines are always longer, the pain of big crowds pervades everything in the terminal...store lines, toilet lines, pick up and drop off vehicle lines outside the terminal, traffic around the terminal...and because it appeals to a lower class of riff raff, there are many around the terminal who have never flown or fly very infrequently and have no idea how to behave or what to do....these ignorant drones cut into line, try to bring their knife collection through security, wolf down 4 Whoppers and 6 Big Glups just before boarding, scream during turbulence, change their babies shitty diapers right in the seat beside you and make sure they are nice and drunk before the flight. I do love hearing them get crabby with each other at the other end of the flight..they cannot handle the stresses of airtravel.

When I fly any airline OTHER than Southworst, I get to enter a quiet terminal with shorter lines and fewer children. I get to sit down right until I board and take my pre assigned seat, I get to hang around people who can get somewhere for more than 150 dollars without breaking the bank. These people smell better and usually know what they are doing.

Southwest maximizes capacity. The plane is usually full and over booked at that. I hate having to sit beside Joe Mullet as his burger king breath stinks up the place while he prays to Jebus on takeoff. Other airlines offer a greater chance of having nobody beside you and the ability to stretch out. If you DO get someone in the seat next to you, chances are it isn't Nascar Dad or recovering junkie going home to mama.