Ever since I studied the SWA business model in b-school I have been an admirer of the turnaround time. I don't know how many times I've stood in the A line listening to nervous novice passengers as they check their watch. "We can't be leaving on time -- there's no plane out there!" they start muttering as much as an hour early. (Yep, I'm one of the ones who lines up an hour early -- I'll be sitting during the flight anyway.) Some of these folks probably think I'm nuts, but I usually seize the opportunity to tell them exactly how long it will take to turn the plane, what that has to do with those of us standing there so early, and why this makes SWA so darn good. I've even taken a few good natured [non-monetary] bets on this and so far, SWA has not caused me to lose. If only I could find the same level of consistency in other parts of the road warrior experience!
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