The aluminum cattlecar

The bloom is off Southwest Airlines for me. Oh, some of the old passenger camaraderie, especially when flying within Texas, is still more or less in evidence. But, in becoming a big coast-to-coast business, Southwest has become just another screwup-your-luggage, make-you-wait, not-on-time behemoth that plows through storms instead of flying around them. So our trip to Mississippi on Monday was nightmarish. The hop to Houston-Hobby through a vicious thunderstorm was frightening, as we were tossed around the sky. Then we sat on the ground for two unplanned hours awaiting our connection, which was late. When we finally arrived, someone had left our bags on the tarmac in the rain because the top layer of clothing inside was wet. Coming back yesterday was quicker, and not wet since it wasn’t raining. But, as every seat was filled, and takeoff was delayed while the latecomers milled in the aisle trying to decide where to sit, the ambience of the crowded cattlecar took the shine off it.