Southwest

Today I am thankful for Southwest Airlines.  I absolutely love Southwest and will choose to fly with Southwest over any other airline anytime the option is available.  Typically, my choices regarding travel for work revolve around two factors - timing, and price.  Luckily, Southwest has the market in both most of the time.  I have found that while I can sometimes find a cheaper flight on another airline, by the time I pay to check two bags (which is a must almost anytime I am traveling for work - one for clothes, and one for recruiting materials) Southwest is cheaper because they allow me to check two bags for free. 

I also love Southwest's Frequent Flyer Program - Rapid Rewards.  By flying frequently, I have been able to earn several free tickets Matt and I have used to make our way about the country.  In fact, we will hopefully be using two to travel to my graduation in June.

I am also thankful for Southwest's amazing staff. The pilots and flight attendants on Southwest have always been friendly when I have flown with them.  I don't think either job is easy, but you would never know it from the attitude of the staff.  I have only been involved in an "emergency" situation once on an airplane and it happened to be Southwest about 18 months ago.  I was flying from Denver to Portland and something it the front window on the plane and shattered it.  The pilots reported we were in no danger, but regulations required us to land ASAP.  So we landed in Boise.  We deplaned and the Boise crew was already working on a plan to get us to our destination as quickly as possible.  They were calm, cool, collected and kept us informed continuously regarding the plan of action.  Most of us were on the ground in Boise for about 2 hours and then another plane arrived to get us on our way.  I sent my compliments to Southwest after the incident because I was so impressed. 

I am also thankful for the expertise of the Southwest crew who are responsible for keeping 1000 of lives safe and sound everyday.  I will trust you with mine anytime.