I headed to Dulles Airport with an exciting feeling. I was on my way to Chicago with my sister to visit a friend and I felt like my bag was singing harmonies all the way to the entrance of the airport. I could not be more excited to arrive at the airport, since I had not been on a trip since the pandemic. I watched tourists busily find their way to their flights, businessmen too used to the motion of getting on a plane headed towards their flights indifferently, and I, who could not care more about the plane, was standing there. I boarded the Southwest airline plane – my first time flying with them. I was ready to experience a new airline since I had only flown on Korean Air, Delta, or American Airlines. I kept glimpsing at all the airplanes on the runway, wondering which one I would get on. “There it is!” I finally found my plane at the edge of the window.
The blurry shape of the plane from a distance instantly disappointed me. It was smaller than I thought it would be, but that was not the worst part. I’d heard that Southwest airlines follow an open-seating style of no assigned seats. I was a little confused for a few minutes. When I was in the line, I couldn’t help thinking about where I would end up. “What if I end up stuck in the middle of two strangers?”. “What if I have to sit apart from my sister?” Those questions led me to assume the worst, “What if I’m the last one to get on the plane and my third friend and I can’t sit in the same row?” “I’m most likely to sit apart from everyone near the bathroom!” Following a lengthy debate with myself, I walked down the jetway leading to the plane. I felt cold right away since it was almost 40 degrees outside. Once I got onto the plane and after showing my ticket, I began to look around to find the best seat. I could barely see any window seats that I wanted and only a few seats were left. I eventually ended up sitting in the back near the bathroom. It irritated me, even though I tried to think amusing thoughts concerning the trip. I felt irritated, thinking that I could’ve taken better seats if it wasn’t an open-seating style. After this experience, I realize that the open-seating style was not for me. I recommend it to anyone who prefers the excitement of exploring uncertainties,; but, not to people who prefer consistency. I will leave the decision to you.
The Viking Journal 