It’s events like this that make me think about swearing off the “legacy” airlines and flying Southwest.  I just dropped $300 dollars to change a flight for Mrs MJ on Travel and I from 6am on a Monday, to 6am on the Friday before.  At least there was only a small change in the fare.  I buy a little bit of the argument that my holding the inventory that I’m now not going to use has cost the airline the opportunity to sell the seats I previously occupied.  Seriously, I get it.  But it’s not like the flight I’m changing is tomorrow, it’s almost 50 days from now.  Somehow, a graduated fee system which starts at lets say $25 dollars and rises up to $150 dollars as you move closer to the flight seems more fair.  Or perhaps $25 dollars up to 30 days prior to departure, and $150 dollars thereafter.  Anything but the fleecing that I just took.  In truth, the $150 dollar change fee per person is almost the same price as the fare we originally paid.  Somehow, that just doesn’t seem cool.  Yes, I sometimes think about swearing this game off and just flying Southwest.  Then I remember flying premium class internationally for miles, whether in the past, or planned for next year, and come to my senses.  But still…..