I flew Southwest for the first time since it stopped blocking middle seats. The friendly service didn't make up for inconsistent social-distancing practices.

Flying on Southwest Airlines during the pandemic.
Thomas Pallini/Insider
Southwest stopped blocking seats in December and flights can now be filled to capacity.
The trade-off is strict mask enforcement in addition to existing health and safety protocols.
But inconsistencies remain across the airline's network, especially at outstation airports.
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Southwest Airlines was a standout for most of the pandemic as it was one of the few airlines blo