I wasn’t thrilled to be sitting at the airport at 4 am this morning. I am definitely not a morning person. However, a couple of things stood out for me, and I want to pass on that information.

Midway

First, I enjoyed the curbside drop off for my bags. No waiting in line or anything. It also took less than five minutes. They guy gave me great directions to get to my concourse and off I went. Even though it was extremely early, there were many shops and restraunts open. I had a bacon bagel from McDonalds which was right next to the concourse I needed to be at. As for security, that always sucks. However, it was done quickly and efficiently. It took me less than five minutes to get through.

Southwest

First, I have to start with how easy it was to book my ticket. I went online and was able to see all of the ticket prices and times after I did a search. You could also see this for the flight there and the flight back. On the search, you are able to set the parameters to what works best for you.. Because I bought my tickets online, I was able to print the boarding pass the day prior. No waiting in line for that either! I think this enabled me to use the curbside check in. There were also several stores right by my concourse. I am not sure if Southwest had anything to do with that or not. Either way, it was nice. They also started a new boarding procedure today. I am not sure if it is just in Chicago or not. They took everyone with the letter A and the number 1 - 30 board first. I had A53, so I boarded shortly after. Once on the plane, I was able to pick any seat I wanted. I ended up sitting in row 4 and in seat A which is an aisle seat. I was expecting a lot less leg room and room in general. I am completely satisfied with my seat. We were given a box of snacks to eat too! It had some chips ahoy crisps, cheese and crackers, and trail mix. We were also given some peanuts (the staple of airline travel). The other thing that impressed me was that I was able to get a free refill on my Sprite. The flight attendant asked me if I wanted more — I didn’t need to ask. The flight crew was nothing but kind, helpful, and courteous. I couldn’t have asked for more. The pilot was helpful before and after liftoff letting us know that we were running early and that the temperature was around sixty degrees (it was only 30 degrees in Chicago). The pilot also warned us before we hit a bit of turbulence that it was coming. The seats were comfortable enough that I dozed off (and slept through the turbulence). I also did not have to worry about needing joint and muscle pain relief, because I was so comfortable. I can only hope that the rest of my day goes as well as this has so far.

My recommendation is to fly Southwest. I was thoroughly happy, their prices are affordable, and their prices are excellent. I know I will be using them again.