We love Southwest Airlines, but yesterday’s announcement that they are offering “Early Bird Check In” for “only” $10 each way has us scratching our heads.  What do you get for this privilege? Possibly nothing. Because Southwest doesn’t offer seat assignments, the time you are allowed to board the plane makes the difference between an aisle seat over the wing and a middle seat by the bathroom. But here’s what Southwest has to say about the new fee: “While EarlyBird Check-in doesn’t guarantee an A boarding position, it improves your seat selection options to help you get your favorite seat.” Southwest also is touting the ability to potentially snag space in the overhead bin. To which we say, “Wow!!! We get to pay for something that should just come with the price of a ticket.”  For an airline that has prided itself on not pandering to these kinds of gimmicks, this is disappointing.  Â

According to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), domestic flyers are seldom spending more than ten minutes at checkpoints. That’s a drastic difference from two years ago, when passengers often waited an hour or longer to take off their shoes and squeeze their toiletries into a baggie.  In part, industry experts say we have the recession to thank–fewer people are flying, afterall.   But TSA officials also say that new procedures and technology are making the difference.

Have you noticed shorter wait times in the security line? What’s your experience been?

I just read on the great travel blog Jaunted that Scandinavia’s SAS Airlines may try to save on fuel costs by trying gliding landings. Obviously a major airline isn’t going to shut the engines down without running the concept through the normal series of tests, but they may be on to something. SAS has already found that by flying slower–and increasing flight times by a measly few minutes–they save both fuel costs and CO2 emmissions. Maybe Sully–the pilot who successfully landed the plane in the Hudson River–has a future training SAS pilots.

The news that a plane flying from Rio to Texas experienced such bad turbulence–in clear weather, no less–that 26 people were injured, was not an upper for those of us who are nervous fliers. I say us, because even though I’m a travel writer, I get panicky during mid-air turbulence. Sure, I’ve read that a plane can basically lose a wing and still land safely. I know that I’m safer flying above the Atlantic than driving down Lake Street. And I can even appreciate that the Rio to Texas flight is actually a positive story–no one died; the plane remained intact despite its impromptu roller coaster ride. But those facts mean almost nothing to me when a plane starts rocking.

How about you? Does flying make you nervous? If you’ve overcome a fear of flying, how did you do it?

The 2009 AirVenture Oshkosh (better know as the Oshkosh Air Show) starts next Monday. This year’s highlights include Predator B, an unmanned U.S. Customs and Border Protection aircraft that looks like a giant insect. Check out the Predator B and more planes with these video clips.

Q: My family is going to California for our summer vacation and my kids, ages 5, 2 and 6 months, are meeting my husband there. Any tips for how to handle the Lindbergh Terminal and security as a solo parent?

A:  Having navigated many airports with my own three children, I can safely say that the good news is that the experience won’t last forever. Most parents find that the most difficult part of traveling with small children is the security line. The folks at MSP suggest that people traveling with small children arrive two hours before a flight departs so that you have a lot of added cushion in case of meltdows, blowouts or pokiness. While you can’t have an unticketed passenger go with you through security, you can ask a friend to take you to the airport and help you collapse the strollers, take your baby out of the car seat, and keep an eye on the bigger kids until the very moment when you have to show your boarding pass and I.D. Then I’d be extremely nice to the people in front and behind you in line and ask if they can help.

Once you are through security, there is a free play area on Concourse C.  There is also a Family Center and Nursing Mothers Room on the same concourse. To use the nursing room, go to the Travelers Assistance desk across from Gate C12. The Travelers Assistance information booths also have emergency diapers and emergency baby formula and can be a good all-around resource should you have any challenges.

One final tip: Dress your kids in bright colors–especially if one of your kids is a bolter. That makes them easier to spot should you get separated.