The Verdict Is In: Everyone Hates Southwest's New Seat And Boarding Rules

Southwest was once the beloved airline of average Americans, but those days might be over after the Dallas-based company used its 30 seconds of Super Bowl fame on Sunday night to mock its customers and their affinity for open seating.

The "Boarding Royale" advertisement begins with clips of passengers clamoring through clumps of trees to get their caboose in their airplane seat of choice, which are laid out in rows in a random field. One couple hurdles a log as they lament the Group C boarding status they received after allegedly checking in "a minute late." A screaming woman with a satchel swings by on a vine while another woman dragging her luggage across the forest floor insists she "can't have a middle seat."...