 The loving looks begin outside the gate, jump to thejetbridgeand snuggle themselves into coach seats in the Southwest Airlines courtship ritual.
Low-fare U.S. carrier Southwest likes to say it is the airline built on love, and thanks to an open seating policy where customers are free to chose their seats, many a romance has taken off with the purchase of an inexpensive ticket. Over the years, the Dallas-based airline which calls the city's Love Field its home has received thousands of letters and scores of wedding invitations addressed to top executives from couples who met on one of the airline's flights. "At times, we feel that we are the lovebrokersof the sky," said airline spokesman Ed Stewart. A passenger on Southwest receivesa boarding passbased on how early they check in for a flight and the pass will assign them to one of three boarding groups. Passengers board with their group and are free to choose any seat on the plane. Southwest is the only major U.S. carrier with such a policy and all of its seats are coach. That policy led to wedding bells for Beth and Derrick Zefo of Nashville, Tennessee. Beth saw Derrick as they were boarding a flight to Chicago, and thought he "was kind of cute." "He was seated on the plane first and was sitting by the window. There were two empty seats next to him and I decided to ask him if I could sit there," Beth said. The two shared a turkey sandwich and conversation on an 80-minute flight. They met at the airport in Chicago by chance on their return flight and later set up a date. Their marriage resulted from a policy that allowed the outgoing Beth to sit next to the more reserved Derrick. "Even for someone shy, if you sit next to someone who is open, it can make for an enjoyable flight," Derrick said. (Agencies)
| 在美國西南航空公司愛的旅程中，愛情開始于登機口外，躍上噴氣式登機橋，隨后舒適地偎依在客機的座位上。 收費低廉的美國西南航空公司想要告訴乘客：這是一個以“愛”構成的航空公司。多虧了寬松的座位規定，乘客可以自由選擇座位，只要購買一張價錢不貴的機票，浪漫經歷就可能隨之開始。 這家總部位于達拉斯的航空公司將該市的愛田機場（Love Field）稱為自己的家園。這些年來，那些曾經在該公司的航班上相識的夫婦們給公司高層管理者寄來了數千封信件和好幾十封婚禮請柬。 航空公司發言人Ed·斯圖爾特說：“有時候，我們覺得自己是空中紅娘。”
西南航空的乘客會收到一張根據他們登機早晚發放的登機牌，登機牌將乘客們分成三個登機組。乘客和自己所在登機組的成員們一起上飛機，并可以隨便挑選飛機上的任何座位。 西南航空是美國唯一一家采取該規定的大航空公司，而且它所有的座椅都是二等座。 這一規定促成了來自田納西州首府納什維爾的貝絲和德里克·澤夫的婚禮。他們倆在登上飛往芝加哥的航班時，貝絲遇見了德里克，覺得他“挺可愛的”。 貝絲說：“他先在飛機上的一個靠窗的位置坐下了，他旁邊有兩個空座位，我就決定問他我是否可以坐在那兒。” 在那次80分鐘的飛行中，他們倆分享了火雞三明治，并彼此聊天。返航時，他們倆在芝加哥機場再次偶遇，后來他們就開始約會了。
他們的婚姻得益于那條使開朗的貝絲坐到相對緘默的德里克身旁的規定。 德里克說：“即使對某些害羞的人來說，如果你坐在一個開朗的人旁邊，就能促成一次令人愉快的空中旅行。”
jetbridge: 噴氣式登機橋
broker: 經紀人，紅娘
a boarding pass: 登機牌 （中國日報網站譯）
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Updated: 2004-07-19 01:00
