I have recently had a chance to see how the other half lives, flying some East Coast departures and flights longer than an hour. Florida had more wheelchairs and preboarders than I've seen since a departure from Orlando a decade or more ago. BWI took a 15 minute delay despite starting boarding more than 30 minutes before scheduled departure. I can imagine boarding speed will improve with assigned seating and no more free wheelchair upgrades.

I will miss having the option of exit row legroom or an empty middle seat pretty much whenever I want. But business is business, and policies that help Southwest also keep my fares lower.