Fly Southwest: ITO to Los Angeles, California

As an aspiring globetrotter, if you're planning to take the heavenly journey from the undefined paradise of Hilo to the glitzy metropolis of Los Angeles, I'm sure you are racking your brains over which airline to entrust with your precious hours of travel. Well, pucker up buttercup, as I am about to unveil to you the joys of flying Southwest! Load up on your sense of humor with your carry-on, as this airline deserves nothing less than a satirical salute.

You've probably wondered, "Should I go for direct flights?" Oh, come now! Don’t deprive yourself of the thrilling game of 'layover lottery' that comes with connecting flights. There’s nothing quite like the adrenaline surge of sprinting between terminals while lugging your baggage, praying to the deities of flight schedules that your connection hasn’t already jetted off without you. Your Fitbit will thank you.

Southwest masterfully turns such mundane tasks into enthralling adventures. Sit back and relax, in what they oh-so-humbly call the 'Economy class.' I’m not insinuating that the inflight services feel a tad Spartan, but bringing a personal yoga mat for a smidgen increase in comfort, wouldn't be such a bad idea. Don’t let the snobs calling it a glorified bus ride deter you. It’s all about seeing the beauty in the little things, right?

Now, let's talk about the airfare. Cheap flights are the golden fleece of travel, the Shangri-La of savvy globe-trotters. Southwest, in its magnanimity, occasionally even rises to the occasion with some reasonable flight deals. Yet isn’t the tension resulting from the gambling of waiting for last-minute flights part of the whole adventure? There's a certain charm in embarking on that wild bidding war three hours before take-off. It really keeps you on your toes.

Ah, the baggage allowance, now here’s a topic Southwest excels in. While some might consider the restrictions 'stingy', I prefer to see it as part of the 'Southwest Slim-Down Program'. Why pay the gym when you’re forced to pack only half your wardrobe? Think about it.

For the frequent flyers among us, there's the airline's enticing mileage program. Achieving a high tier in that hierarchy of high-flying super humans is a greater feat than climbing Mount Everest in flip-flops with a sherpa named 'Robert from sales'. But hey, nothing worthwhile ever came easy, right?

Obviously, your choice of Southwest should also consider the flight duration. Hilo to L.A. on a non-stop Southwest Airlines flight lends a new meaning to 'red-eye flight'. It's all part of the fun, watching reruns of back mid-season episodes of sitcoms that were canceled years ago. It’s like a walk down memory lane. Only, in the sky, where retreat isn’t an option.

Honey, when it comes to Southwest, remember, it’s not just a 'flight'. This is a character building journey peppered with tests of human endurance. This is not just a rite of passage, but also a crash course in humility. As Confucius almost said, “Life is really simple, but Southwest insists on making it complicated.”

So, if Hilo’s laid-back charm is getting unbearable and L.A.'s siren call is tugging at your heartstrings, Southwest Airlines is your chariot of fire. While it may not be the smoothest flight, or the shortest, it makes up for it with the stories you'll get to tell. And isn’t a great yarn worth more than a thousand smooth sailings? I’ll let you ponder on that.