Southwest Airlines announced where you can choose to pay extra for early boarding (aka, getting a better seat). So, in their words you can “choose” to pay $10 extra for a one way flight just to have a better seat.

Ironically, Southwest has spent an enormous amount of marketing dollars taking on the legacy carriers claiming no extra fees for baggage. Well, call it a different fee; one for extra baggage or in this case better seats where basically we end up having Southwest playing the same game as other carriers they have been successfully competing against.

Yes, Southwest says it is a choice to pay the extra fee for a better seat but the last time I flew Southwest in a center seat I made a vow never to be late for a boarding pass and be penalized with a C pass also known as “Center Seat”.

What’s troubling about their new policy is the pure and simple fact that Southwest management has always demonstrated their ability to make money their own way based on decisions independent of the competition.

Apparently, Southwest has taken a whiff of the revenue being generated by the competing legacy carriers and now Southwest wants in. The traveling public (business and leisure) continue to be insulted with excessively punitive fees for baggage, drinks, food and now early boarding.

Here’s a message to the airlines – keep it simple and just increase the fare with all fees built into the airfare.