Southwest poised to become nation's fifth-largest carrier

It's not as if Southwest hasn't had its share of bad news recently. Remember back in spring, when Southwest's fleet was at the

forefront

of a significant (and

costly

) inspection-lapse controversy? And last fall, when the airline broke from its traditional single-class service by introducing

priority boarding

—for an extra charge? And while it has

stayed out

of the second-checked-bag fray, Southwest did add a

third-checked-bag

policy early this year.

And yet, through it all, Southwest remains seemingly impervious to the economic and public relations nightmares other airlines have endured this year. Passengers

love

the airline, and judging from the comments we receive, the SmarterTravel.com audience does, too.

And now, Southwest is

set to become

the nation's fifth-largest carrier in terms of traffic, passing Northwest. Southwest would have become the fifth-largest carrier anyway once Delta and Northwest merged, but I imagine there's some pride in doing it the hard way.

So what is this not-so-little airline's secret? Certainly, clever

fuel hedging

has played a role, helping Southwest keep its operating costs relatively low. This has allowed the airline to continue doing business without adding the extra fees most other airlines have starting collecting. With consumers paying more and more attention to industry nickel-and-diming these days, Southwest passengers have taken note of the airline's lack of new charges and feel valued as a result. As a saucy new Southwest

ad campaign

suggests: Second checked bag: $0, tiny bag of pretzels: $0, an airline that doesn't #$*!% me over: priceless.

How do you feel about Southwest? Leave a comment below and tell us!