Talked with a person in Southwest Opps. Seems Southwest fleet is actually modern and in very good repair. Their software system and infrastructure is antiquated and beyond need of replacement and Covid has impacted air crew availability. They are getting better
That said, I was on an Alaska flight recently for which Veterans were invited to pre-board along with active duty types. If that's the new policy flying forward, I'll go Alaska every chance, as the SWA boarding procedure is kind of a pain.