Spring Training Flyer: Fill & Download for Free

Last month, my family and I flew on Southwest Airlines from San Jose to Phoenix, to watch baseball spring training. The flights were free, using points I have with their frequent flier program.Right now, I'm sat on another Southwest flight that I've paid ~$1000 for, to get to Columbus, Ohio. In a weeks time, I'll be on another Southwest flight, to another city that will have cost me about $1000.When I fly in the US, it no longer occurs to me to use anyone other than Southwest. They get a significant amount of business from me, in exchange for the occasional free flight.Interestingly, the owner of my local pub every now and then gives me a free shot of schnapps (it's a German bar), and I keep going there and paying for my beer. The same princple applies.

Maybe, because there exists that cultural battle in other fields. But it’s a little less in this one, because their service areas rarely overlap.The only parts of the state where this comes into play at all are those areas where you might be able to encounter both stores. There seems to be an agreement that it is in both companies’ best interest not to directly compete, since they are both held in such high regard in their respective regions, so it’s only at the edges of their territories that you can even find the other store to try.Each of these stores draws very heavily on local loyalty, and the correct perception that they put 7-Eleven to shame. Other than that, the similarities are far greater than any differences. I suspect that neither brand would succeed at piercing the other brand’s loyal base, and then regional loyalty comes into play where there is any direct competition (Phillies vs. Pirates, Flyers vs. Penguins, Eagles vs. Steelers). So I don’t really expect to see a lot of direct head-to-head competition between the two brands.I, for one, have never seen a Sheetz, but when I went to Spring training in Clearwater, I got ridiculously excited to see Wawas there. If there were a Sheetz in Clearwater, I’d never even notice it. It’s a freakin convenience store. I only care about Wawa because it means “home”, not because it’s that great.

I was on a flight from JFK to Taipei, which transferred in San Francisco. On the 747 in from SFO there was a large group of Taiwanese military cadets that were visiting the states for some training and heading home. They had seats scattered around the cabin.I was in business class since it was a work flight and the company I worked for would spring for it if the flight was international and longer than a certain number of hours.I really liked having the aisle seat (still do) and had booked one. My neighbor was one of these cadets and his friend from a few rows back asked me if I could switch with him so he could sit together with his buddy. I asked him which seat he was assigned and he told me it was another aisle 2 rows back, so I agreed.As the plane continued boarding a woman came up and told me I was in her seat. Now I was panicking a little since I had no idea what seat the other guy actually had. We got a flight attendant to check his spot and sure enough it was the window seat so I sucked it up and sat in the window seat for this long haul international leg.The weather that day was extra windy so that flight took a few hours longer than it was planned, as we had to take a large diversion to our route over Seattle and Alaska and down the other coast.I thought about demanding my original seat back but decided making enemies on this flight would prove to not be in my best interest.So now if asked I at least ask to confirm with my own eyes their boarding pass and seat assignment before agreeing to switch.