Getting to Atlanta Will Be Easier

Getting to Atlanta, and most of the East Coast of the US, where Southwest has been locked out of airport access because of protectionist policies that favor large Airline carriers, will soon get easier.  Southwest - America's most fun airline (when you are not a Gold or Platinum or frequent flier privileged member) to fly will be buying Airtran (link here).  Yay!  Sucks that it will not go into effect until 2013 (detailed link here).

Southwest flies more passengers, and more free bags, than any other US carrier.  And in my experienced perspective, they do it better, faster, cheaper, more efficiently and more enjoyably.  I hope the merger goes through.  I've lost respect and interest in Delta, United, and American, and never had it for USAir, so I couldn't lose it. With Continental, I am still on the fence, but once they merge, I am sure they'll go down also.  Only when I was Gold and Platinum (flying to Asia frequently) FF, was it 'slightly enjoyable' to travel by air.  Now that I am "no one", it's a dreary chore that puts your health at risk (inhaled contagions, arterial thrombosis, gamma ray exposure on polar routes) and destroys your productivity.