So yesterday afternoon at the Southwest terminal at BWI I noted that "random" gate checks were in full swing. Instead of walking the lines before boarding (like they did at other airports), the TSOs were pulling passengers as they boarded the plane, just like the bad old days where you strategically picked your place in line so as not to be the first one picked.

I witnessed one of the first passengers in the "A" line get pulled (so he missed his shot at an exit row seat, thanks, TSA), and as soon as they were done with him, they pulled the next person through the gate, and so forth. Several folks missed boarding with their groups. It's bad enough when you have assigned seating, it's worse with unassigned seating.

While I have long regarded BWI as "unfriendly" to travelers for other reasons, this is icing on the cake. No more WN for me through that airport until the nonsense stops.

I'm quite sure that guy in "A" would rather be safe than in an exit row. Don't you agree?

[Sarcasm meter smashes through its housing!]

Bruce

To make matters worse, "random" gate checks are almost never very random. If you pay attention you can usually watch the TSA agent simply pick the next person who happens to be standing near them and therefore, it's fairly easy to make sure you are not the one picked.

My advice is to avoid SW in every circumstance. I have never understood the SW Cattle Call mystique. It's one thing when I'm flying to Vegas for fun (which almost never happens); it's something totally different when I am reduced to sitting on the floor of the gate with my computer on my lap with people stepping over me.

Has anyone else witnessed the skirmishes that can happen in one of those boarding lines? Whew!

I avoid SW most of the time. However, in this case, they had the only morning non-stop to the DC area that allowed to make a 1 PM meeting without coming in the night before. I prefer Midwest on the route, but the timing didn't work this time....

I avoid WN like the plague, so I hadn't considered the implications to boarding. That SUCKS, is all I can say.

What really does scare me is that the feds might get the bright idea that removing seating assignments from all airlines would be in the interests of safety. That way, a would-be terrorist couldn't plan to sit over the fuel tank, they'd reason. Fortunately, I don't think they could legally make that fly... but then, they're already doing warrantless wiretaps and trying to trash the Geneva Conventions, so nothing would surprise me.

While Southwest may have little appeal to a flyer who gains elite status, it has a number of advantages for the non-elite, particularly short notice business travelers. For example, more seat pitch than most other airlines' standard economy classes, and the late booking non-elite business traveler has as good a chance of getting a good seat as an early booking leisure traveler.

Let's try to keep the discussion focused on the security-related issues that the OP has raised. For discussion on Southwest, please visit that forum:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=501

Thanks,
Chris
TS&S Moderator