My wife and I flew Southwest this thanksgiving and we had an excellent experience. However, the only exception to this experience was the Midway Airport (Chicago, IL). At 3am, Saturday morning after black friday the line just pulling up to the arrival terminal was so discombobulated that I knew we were in for some unfortunate experience. Once we exited the vehicle and walked all the way to the Southwest gate because our dropping off vehicle could not get any closer we sat in lines that were pushed all the way to the door.
The kiosk were stationed in front of the counter, but people were using the kiosk and then scrambling back and waiting in line for the same kiosk again as opposed to heading to the counter after the kiosk and processing to TSA. I highly recommend that the layout for the SouthWest Midway Airport is reconfigured to better assist passengers with transiting through the airport.
This yelp is not about the midway experience, but the flight we had into Chicago and Out of Chicago. The planes were both brand new and there were no surprise bag fees or assigned seating. I love that Active Duty Military are allowed to board even if they are not in uniform. The flight staff was friendly, professional and funny.