Just got back from my first flying trip in six months. Since my Platinum status is still active, I had checked fares on American over two weeks ago for flights to OKC, with a return from Tulsa the following day: over $1,000 round trip! After I got up from the floor, I modified the itinerary to look at going up to just TUL and back the same day: aha! a much "better" fare: only ~$550! I dusted off the http://www.iflyswa.com/ URL in my Favorites folder and checked their fare: $259 including peanuts. Even someone who has had brain surgery can make the prudent decision here.
Truthfully, I haven't flown Southwest out of Dallas for at least 5 years. Not because I have anything against the airline; quite the contrary, it's refreshing to have an airline perform as well as they do, with a hint of fun and a believeable patina in customer facing employees that they are glad you chose their humble company. The main obstacle has been that they fly out of Love Field (just north of downtown Big D). I think 90% of the traffic hassles that significantly consume one's time and patience around here exist between my house and Love.
Because my bodacious beautiful lady (BBL) had serious doubts that I could even find this airport again by myself, she volunteered to chauffer me this morning. Together we discovered that traffic hassles are minimal at 5:30am. I found myself in the security line at 6:10 looking at a huge sign proclaiming Love Field the #1 airport in the country in customer satisfaction according to J.D. Powers. I suspect Mr. Powers wasn't polling anyone at this hour when the rating was determined since it took almost as long to clear 100 yards in the security line as it took us to drive the ~30 miles to the airport.
The security queue was one of those UUU arrangements so popular at amusement parks, where you snake back and forth looking at the same 20 people who are ahead and behind you in line. I couldn't help noticing that apparently the very early morning hours are not very kind to the attractiveness of the North Texas flying female. To this untrained eye, there did not appear to be much "lovable" about their appearance or attitude!
Thirteen hours later I was back at Love Field after having spent the day in Tulsa with a Marine escort who sells our products whenever he isn't on active duty. Got to say the landings at Love are more exciting (seems to be a faster and steeper descent than at DFW). And, to be fair, when I passed the security line at 7:30 pm, there had been a role reversal: Now the males appeared to have turned wrinkled and surly! You gotta love the irony of it.
Truthfully, I haven't flown Southwest out of Dallas for at least 5 years. Not because I have anything against the airline; quite the contrary, it's refreshing to have an airline perform as well as they do, with a hint of fun and a believeable patina in customer facing employees that they are glad you chose their humble company. The main obstacle has been that they fly out of Love Field (just north of downtown Big D). I think 90% of the traffic hassles that significantly consume one's time and patience around here exist between my house and Love.
Because my bodacious beautiful lady (BBL) had serious doubts that I could even find this airport again by myself, she volunteered to chauffer me this morning. Together we discovered that traffic hassles are minimal at 5:30am. I found myself in the security line at 6:10 looking at a huge sign proclaiming Love Field the #1 airport in the country in customer satisfaction according to J.D. Powers. I suspect Mr. Powers wasn't polling anyone at this hour when the rating was determined since it took almost as long to clear 100 yards in the security line as it took us to drive the ~30 miles to the airport.
The security queue was one of those UUU arrangements so popular at amusement parks, where you snake back and forth looking at the same 20 people who are ahead and behind you in line. I couldn't help noticing that apparently the very early morning hours are not very kind to the attractiveness of the North Texas flying female. To this untrained eye, there did not appear to be much "lovable" about their appearance or attitude!
Thirteen hours later I was back at Love Field after having spent the day in Tulsa with a Marine escort who sells our products whenever he isn't on active duty. Got to say the landings at Love are more exciting (seems to be a faster and steeper descent than at DFW). And, to be fair, when I passed the security line at 7:30 pm, there had been a role reversal: Now the males appeared to have turned wrinkled and surly! You gotta love the irony of it.
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