The .Plan

Southwest is trying to take away the only thing that makes flying on their crummy airline bearable:

In the past year, nearly a dozen Web sites have sprung up to appeal to travelers frustrated with Southwest’s unique open-seating policy: Those who check in first, up to 24 hours before departure, get to board first, crucial on an airline without reserved seating. For up to $5.95 per flight — some are free — the Web services offer to check in for passengers right at the 24-hour mark, saving them the trouble.

But in the past few months, citing complaints from customers that it was getting harder to board in the first group, Southwest has contacted the sites one by one and demanded that they shut down. Some have done so, while others are still trying to negotiate with Southwest. Late last month, Southwest sued BoardFirst LLC, which had declined to cease operations, in federal district court in Dallas, charging fraud, unfair competition and trademark infringement, among other things.
–Ron Lieber & Susan Warren, “Southwest Makes It Harder To Jump the Line”, Wall Street Journal, June 7, 2006

New statistic from the Employment Security Department:

The average worker in Washington state made $40,385 last year. It’s the first year the annual average wage has exceeded $40,000, according to state officials.
–“Average annual wage in state tops $40,000 for first time”, Puget Sound Business Journal, June 6, 2006

I may be making average money, but at least it’s money.