Remember those crazy days a half-century ago, when students crammed as many bodies as possible into phone booths or Volksbugs? It seems SW is following the same tack now to make more money.

SW is one of our favorite airlines, and we’ve been flying it for years because of the economical ticket prices, on-time record and friendly crews. However, rising fuel and other costs are forcing SW to join other airlines to dig wherever possible to make money. It was charging extra for boarding first, then added baggage fees and now squeezed seating.

SW seating has never been roomy, but some company beancounters deduced that by moving the rows a mere inch closer, from 33 to 32, they could jam in another six seats per flight. Some computations indicate that the space subtraction could bring an addition of nearly $800 million a year in increased SW revenues.

We long-time SW flyers can manage the short flights while jammed into the smaller spaces, but could have problems with those four- to eight-hour hops. Way to go, SW! Now, if someone could redesign the single-commode toilets into four-seaters...

To see the funny, waddly, usually snowbound birds in tropical Orlando is quite an experience. Visitors are able to observe them close-up in their natural setting in the new Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin exhibit.  

The species on display include Gentoo, King, Adelie and Rockhopper penguins, with a total population of 245 of the critters. They’re all enjoying their Florida digs of more than 6,000 feet designed for running, swimming, yakking, preening and whatever else penguins do in the wild.

To make them feel at home, the area temperature is kept at just below freezing and the ground covered with patches of real snow and ice. For more information, go to seaworldparks.com/seaworld-orlando/antarctica

Officials of Turkish Airlines now forbid bright red lipstick and fingernails on flight attendants. The order states their appearance must be "artless and well-groomed with makeup in pastel tones."

According to Reuters, airline spokesmen insist the less flashy appearance will enhance communications between flight crews and passengers, because bright red “impairs visual integrity”. As expected, there have been angry rumblings among airline employees who say they feel the restrictions are arbitrary and outdated.

We fear that Southwest, once our favorite laid-back economy airline, is slip-sliding into the nickel-diming mode of other airlines. The most recent example is that SW will no longer refund the fare of passengers who fail to be there for scheduled flights.

In the past, if you showed up late, there were ways to get around it. The SW airport staff would do their best let you board a later flight, or even get you on a rival airline flight. And it cost you nothing beyond the fare you paid for your original ticket.  

Under the new SW policy, if you miss your flight without adequate reason or prior contact, you may have to forfeit your fare. Flyers should be aware of the logical reason for the new SW rule. In these days of tightening budgets and high fuel prices, flights with empty seats represent lost income for airlines.

For more information, contact your favorite hometown or online travel agency, or go to www.southwest.com