Apparently you have not flown Delta, the airline of delays, horrible service, and inefficiency. Southwest may not be the royal treatment, but I've never had a bad experience. It saves the hassle of "um, you're in my seat", rewards those who actually get to the airport on time, and always has helpful staff. Paying $8 for something to eat on a 5-hour flight on Delta is more likely in my mind to have downgraded the air travel experience. I guess on other airlines you get a longer amount of quality service with the delays; on Southwest, the aircraft actually take off and arrive when they are supposed to. As a college student, I actually like the "free for all bargain fares", which apparently are a bad thing? I respect your opinion, but just because you pay more and have assigned seating on other airlines doesn't mean that you will get better service or have less delays. As for "No matter what one says about low fares, happy flight attendants etc", what more do you want than cheap fares and a company who appreciates you as a customer?