Shout Out to SWA

Because I was coming in a rent car from New Mexico, I managed to arrive hours earlier for my original check-in. The lone attendant at the counter, I just asked, “What time does the 7:30 flight leave?”

Unamused by my humor, she said, “7:30.”

I reiterated that I like SWA over all other airlines, for efficacy and attitude.

Shout Out to SWA

Too often, no one ever praises the job well-done. Flying back from El Paso, my flight was on time when I got to the airport, about two hours too early, and after going through the security screening, I got a text, the departure time was pushed back to later than the original arrival time. In other words, my delayed flight wasn’t going to leave until after I was supposed to be home, in bed, asleep.

Shout Out to SWA

Moments later, I was paged to come to the departure gate. The El Paso airport – I’ve been commuting there for more than 20 years, via SWA, and the airport has extended its gate area. Typically, I’ll try and walk to the end, gaze at the landscape, the fateful daze from summer, 1998, and then? Walk back. Maybe buy five dollar water.

El Paso is Mountain time, while San Antonio/Austin is Central. So the hour flight out? Looks like it lasts only a few minutes. However, back the other way? Two and half hours for a real flight time of only an hour.

The desk attendant, she asked for my boarding pass, asked if I wanted to go ahead and fly to Dallas, then stay onboard the same aircraft, and wind up home, at almost the same time as I was originally scheduled. No charge.

I was energetic and quite agreeable. Instead of three hours late, I would be half an hour late. So what if I fly all over Texas? No problem! And not the first time.

The attendant looked at me, smiled, then picked up a handset, “Skinny? Got two more bags, name is ‘Wetzel,’ got it? Two bags?” She asked, looking at me, I nodded.

“Thanks, Skinny.”

My thanks go to the ground crew in El Paso. Too often, when it gets bad, no one notices the extra efforts.

Shout Out to SWA

Same plane, crew change in Dallas, major delays up in some other parts of the country, and the crew that got on board? The male attendant serving my section was a clown. He did the pre-flight safety check while wearing Elvis glasses, complete with fake sideburns.

Just another little surreal touch to a tragically comic trip.

Shout Out to SWA

Boeing 737 dash 700, no Wet Fuel Cell portal cover out the window.