Use Delta or AA. Your deviation money will have you Platinum at Delta or Executive Platinum in no time. Club membership complimentary. Put away your lanyard/ID. Don't be in uniform. Drink a Woodford. Read the paper or surf the net. Then stroll...at YOUR leisure....to the premium boarding line and enjoy your upgrade to first class and take your seat. The FA will see your airline bag and ask where you work, then thank you for flying on them. Then they will bring you your second Woodford, before you leave the ground. No upgrade? Sorry...but you ALREADY reserved an exit row seat and you've got some coupons for your cocktail, so second place isn't that shabby.

Or go fight the hoards. Your choice.

The crews at SWA are awesome, and you won't find a group of nicer, more motivated pilots anywhere. As a frequent traveler for business, however, I want to board one of two places: First--or last. At SWA, you get to stand in line and wait. Plane delayed--you are stuck--still waiting. Want to work on a project, or find a private spot for a business call? Tough ****....get in line and hold your spot. Leave line to hit the restroom and grab a coke or a snack--and if they start boarding when you step away your "premium" ticket didn't buy you anything. Add in the tendency for some people with a sense of entitlement to want to fight or bicker about a seat, and you are just asking for trouble IMHO. I don't want to get into a fight--even one I didn't try to start and am actively looking to avoid--while on company time getting to or from work. If anyone IDs you as a pilot you just became a target for questions, hassles, or worse.

I will sometimes use SWA as a point to point when finishing up somewhere late and wanting to get on the next town. I understand what I'm getting, board late, go to the back of the plane, and deal with it and try to be as nice as I can to the (as I mentioned) awesome crews. Its not the crews that bothers me flying SWA...its herd getting on.