Thirtysomething

Ding! Take Two

So this past weekend, we flew to Pittsburgh for a wedding. Ron was a groomsman and a lot of people I know were in attendance. In fact, we referred to it as the "wedding of the century" because it seemed that everybody who was anybody was invited. Anyway, the weather was great, the bride was beautiful and everyone had a great time. There was a little business about the reverend bringing up a lot of talk about death and foot fungus, but I guess every wedding ceremony has its quirks.

I flew Southwest for the first time and I didn't know whether to be charmed or appalled by their antics. First is the open seating plan--there are no assigned seats on the plan. They board passengers in groups based on what time you printed your boarding pass (which you can do from home up to 24 hours in advance).

Most flight attendants look all snappy in their navy suits and dress shoes. Not so with Southwest. Most wear shorts and polo shirts with sneakers. One guy had on a "Ding" t-shirt. They try to be funny with their announcements as well: "One more time, small items under the seat; larger items in the overhead compartment. Are we on the same frequency? I feel like I'm talking to myself here." Or "Thank you for pretending to listen to us while we announce the safety information." Or "See that middle seat in between two strangers? That's yours." They're not kidding either--they'll pull away from the gate with people standing in the aisle.

But their flights are $29 so I guess I really can't complain.

posted by DJ Heavy D @ 6:38 AM