While it is a security guideline every day of the year, it's a special challenge this time of year. I'm speaking of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) guideline that asks air travelers NOT to wrap presents because sometimes they have to unwrap them to inspect them. If the G.I. Joe with the Kung Fu Grip you wrapped beautifully looks suspicious, you will be asked to unwrap the gift so that a visual inspection can be made.

Where does that leave you? Well, you could take extra care unwrapping like your grandmother and hope the tape resticks. If, however, you were in Denver International, Phoenix Sky Harbor, or Dallas Love Field (and were flying Southwest Airlines) this week you would be in luck.

Once again this year Southwest Airlines teamed up with The Container Store to help people out of their tight spots. Even if the TSA didn’t make you open your wrapped gift, the nice ladies from The Container Store and several properly-trained Southwest Employees were helping Customers with their last-minute-gift-wrapping needs.

On this episode of Red Belly Radio, I interview a couple of the aforementioned elves and pick up a tip or two about how to make your gifts look professionally wrapped. Here is a hint—crease your paper and yes, you can actually use too much tape.

I was very excited when I received my invitation from our friends over at the Grand Ole Opry to participate in the Verrry Merrry Christmas Parade (VMCP).  Now, before you get too excited, let me explain that this is no ordinary parade!   One snowy day back in 2005, someone in the Opry Marketing Department (name won't be divulged) was in the storage room trying to find something, and as he was moving the vaccum cleaner, he began singing "Rockin' Around the Vaccuum Sweep."  Just about the time he finished the song, Dan (oops....name divulged) looked up to find a coworker looking at him asking:  "What are you doing?"  Dan replied, "Getting ready for the office parade in which each of us will utilize something in the storage closet."   And so the parade was born!   The parade organizers will tell you that although they battle inclement weather (I don't know how inclement the weather can be INSIDE), the attendance continues to increase every year.  Twelve folks lined the conference room table that first year, and on this, the third year, the conference room table was actually moved to accomodate more seating, SIXTEEN, for the growing audience.
 
Now that I've given you the history of the VMCP, let me tell you about our "float".   Since we really didn't know what to expect, we decided to incorporate, what else for a Christmas parade, a little Valentine's Day theme!   Using our "LUV'n You Is What We Do" Southwest banner (yes, I'm sure you've all seen it hanging in our airports on LUV day!), we took the liberty and added an additional message to the bottom of the banner....."Only 60 more days until V-Day"!   You all know how we can't even get through one holiday before the stores are celebrating the next one, right?   That was our crazy thought behind our "float".  AND...yes, it was from our storage room, along with our inflatable airplane hats that we wore!
 
We were excited to find out we were second in the parade route (Opry Marketing office) lineup, only behind the fire engine.  Accompanied by the VMCP band, we were ready for our big entrance.   The parade announcer, Jackie, began reading our intro..."We are happy to report the Verrry Merrry Christmas Parade now has a corporate sponsor.   Coming down the parade route now, please welcome our friends from Southwest Airlines accompanied by the VMCP marching band!  Remember, nothing says "Blue Christmas" like getting charged extra fees out the ying-yang for those holiday bags on your flight home to Pittsburgh!  Fly Southwest. No Hidden Fees. Just Christmas cheer!"  Needless to say, especially after Jackie read the "No Hidden Fees" line, cheers from the audience abrupted and we knew our float was a hit!   Since you weren't able to enjoy it in person, I can't go without listing the other parade entrants:  Opry Holiday Twirlers, Miss Yule Log 1957, Tammy Why-Not, Snarf the Misfit Elf and his Wagon of Misfit Opry Toys (not sure how an extra Southwest inflatable plane got in that wagon?), Rockin' Around the Christmas Sweep, special celebrity guest Gretchen Wilson, Mrs. Jeffrey Hyde, the Christmas Bride, Russian dancer Nikolia Corchevski, Funshine Bear, Barney Gift Box, Opry Marketing and Sales Ribbon Dancers and Living Christmas Tree, Mary Catherine Gallagher, the Rockettes, and last, but certainly not least, straight from the North Pole, Clower Clause!

 
Yes, it was definitley an afternoon to remember.   I've already started scouting my storage closet for next year, if I'm invited back.  I'm pretty sure we will be.  We were just as good (or should I say bad) as everyone else in the Verry Merry Christmas Parade.   I would highly recommend this FUN, and certainly not expensive, holiday activity for your office.  Believe me, many laughs will roar and the holiday spirit will be in full swing!   Wishing you all a happy Holiday Season and best in 2009!

2009 is a super fine time to getaway! Need a family vacation after your own Clark Griswold holiday experience? Then check out these super-duper low prices. Links to the sales can be found below. Right now Southwest Airlines is offering Customers fares as low as $49 one-way for travel beginning Jan. 6, 2009.  Southwest’s super low fares are available for purchase on www.southwest.com through Dec. 29, 2008. Examples of the fares are listed below:  

• $49 one-way between Baltimore/Washington and Long Island/Islip.
• $79 one-way between Little Rock and San Antonio.
• $99 one-way between Denver and Burbank.

Take advantage of these prices today because this offer ends soon! Tickets must be purchased 14 days in advance for travel Mondays through Thursdays and Saturdays.  Book your trip by Dec. 29, 2008, for travel Jan. 6 through March 11, 2009, only on southwest.com.  Additional taxes, fees, and conditions apply

You are now free to book WestJet flights through a link that is available on southwest.com -- check it out here!  As was previously written about in July by my colleague, Richard Sweet, we are very excited to eventually enter a codeshare partnership with the Canadian airline WestJet.  And while it won’t be until late 2009 before we can begin offering Customers a seamless travel experience via our codeshare, we have officially embarked on our first important step toward this relationship with our friends north of the border.  

It’s no secret that we constantly strive to make our web site friendly, fast, and convenient, and we’re always looking for ways to provide additional offerings, whether they be through our hotel, rental car, credit card, or cruise ship partners.  And beginning today, we are very proud to offer a link on southwest.com to book WestJet flights. 

So, whether you want to see some “real” hockey, ski, hike, or just want to get away, eh, our friends from WestJet can help you explore the Northern Country.  Oh, and bring a jacket…I hear it gets cold there in the winter! 

I would wager most persons around the country know very little about Amarillo, Texas (AMA).  But, if I did, I might lose money because if you have ever driven I-40 (or if you are old enough, Route 66), between Chicago or St. Louis and Los Angeles, you have visited this Texas Panhandle city.  The number of folks who have flown through AMA is smaller, but for 30 years (as of today, December 12), this city has been a Southwest Airlines hometown on the southern end of the Great Plains.  Several of our AMA Employees have been there from the beginning, and they offer their thoughts in our Video Blog section.

As for me, here’s the point where I proudly insert a personal disclaimer.  I grew up in AMA from age two to eleven (1954 until 1962), and the AMA Airport is where I first learned to love airplanes.  No, not in the current terminal, which at the time, was the heart of the Strategic Air Command’s B-52 base at the now-closed Amarillo Air Force Base.  (Incidentally, due to AMA’s altitude of over 3,000 feet, that runway is mighty long and mighty wide to accommodate fully loaded B-52s taking off on alert scrambles.)  No, I grew up aviation-wise at the old English Field terminal over on the other side of the runway next to Route 66.  During the summer, my father, who worked for Continental, would take me to work with him, and the sights and sounds of TWA’s Constellations, Braniff’s Electras, and Continental’s Viscounts would thrill me.

Transportation has always been important to the city, and in fact, it owes its creation to the location of the old Santa Fe Railway east-west transcontinental mainline from Chicago to Los Angeles and the intersecting Fort Worth and Denver line from Dallas to Denver.  (There was also a now-abandoned Rock Island line from Memphis and Oklahoma City through to California with a connection at Tucumcari, New Mexico with the Southern Pacific.)  Today, both lines are under the control of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe, and AMA sees between 50 and 75 trains a day, maybe more!  Steinbeck’s “Mother Road,” Route 66, carried the Dust Bowl refugees to California’s San Joaquin Valley, and a later generation of Midwesterners to the beaches of Santa Monica.  Now I-40 carries a river of trucks from California ports to the rest of the country.

Southwest came to AMA in 1978, and in the days before deregulation, it was the northernmost point that we could serve as an intrastate carrier.  Of course, today Southwest has moved beyond Texas into 31 (soon to be 32) additional states.  But AMA still is an important dot on our map, and we even recently extended our Dallas (DAL)/AMA route up to Denver (DEN).  Because the city is almost halfway between DEN, and DAL, there is a large community in of folks in AMA with strong ties to DEN.  In fact, Amarillo may just be both the most Texan and least Texan of the state’s cities.

In some ways, AMA is the image of how non-Texans imagine Texas to be.  Wide-open horizons, working ranches, cattle, are all part of Texas’s heritage, and Amarillo has these in abundance—watch for a future video of Amarillo attractions.  The world’s biggest ranch, the XIT (three million acres) was near here, and the ghost town of Old Tascosa is a pure relic from the frontier.  But Amarillo is also very different than the rest of the state, and aside from the accents, it is more Western than Southern in outlook and history than the Dallas, Houston, Austin, or San Antonio areas.  Amarillo has a climate more similar to Kansas and Eastern Colorado than the rest of Texas.  That means blizzards in winter and tornadoes and super-cell thunderstorms in the spring.  Wheat is a big crop around Amarillo, and by the time you drive up to Dalhart, which is another 80 miles or so north, you can feel the Rocky Mountains calling you, even though you can’t see them yet.  Along the way, you pass the Canadian River Breaks, a landscape that would be at home along the plains of Wyoming.

To celebrate our Amarillo birthday, we have a lot of cool events planned, including a contest to find the first baby born in the city today on our birthday, a special lunch for our Employees, and free drinks for anyone wearing yellow (Amarillo is yellow in Spanish) on our flights today into and out of AMA.

The first part of Southwest’s summer Schedule is now open for sale, including Memorial Day!  You can now book travel on Southwest from now until June 26, 2009.

Schedule Planning, as usual, has been BUSY, and this schedule change shows it.  We are changing the number of flights we’re offering in 102 markets—not as large a change as we’ve had, say, in March of 2009, but it’s a hefty set of changes.  Many of these frequency alterations are simply a reflection of the airline industry today.  As if you guys hadn’t noticed—the economy is a little difficult these days!  To that end, we’re not planning to grow our fleet next year.  Still, we have to continue to respond to changes, opportunities, and conditions in the marketplace.  In order to do that, again, we’re flexing our schedule optimizer’s cyber-muscles to implement changes to balance the airline “teeter-totter” of meeting the needs of our Customers while maximizing profitability. 

To meet that challenge, we’re adding brand-new nonstop service between our ever-growing Denver franchise and the home of the University of Arizona—Tucson.  We’re also acting big-time on seasonal traffic shifts.  These happen every year, but in the past we weren’t really able to rip-and-tear our schedule to take advantage of them.  This year, we’re all over it!  For example, in this schedule change, we’re reducing capacity (by no more than one flight per day per market) in such warm-weather/”beach” destination markets as Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood, Ft. Myers, Tampa Bay, Orlando, and Phoenix—mostly markets in which we added seasonal flights in our January and March Schedules.  Some of these will likely come back in Winter 2009.  Then, on the added-service side, we’re adding service in popular summertime destinations like Oakland, Seattle, and Nashville.  Again, some of these will most likely go away when the leaves start changing in Fall 2009. 

Other schedule changes are just a product of a changing economy, and the need to reduce capacity in some markets to allow growth in others, while keeping our fleet count constant.  We’re discontinuing our nonstop service between Austin and Midland/Odessa (although we’ll retain lots of convenient onestop same-plane and connecting service via Dallas), and reducing service in several others. We’re also adding service in other markets to help connect our network better during the busy Summer season so that we can give more of you guys the “Freedom to Fly” (without hidden fees!!!) across our nation.  Attached to this blog post in the "Attachment" section below is a .pdf file with all of the details.  And if you have questions, just ask by posting a comment—as usual, I’ll be watching for them and answering the ones that I can!

Now because I know you  guys will ask, because you notice EVERYTHING….we’re taking the very unusual (for us) tactic of only opening up our Summer schedule until the end of June Instead of opening it up into August. We’re still working on a few things, so stay tuned.    Don’t worry, we plan to open up the rest of the Summer for sale early next year.  In the meantime, we’re getting ready for nearly any eventuality—remind me to do a blog post one time on the subject of “scenario proliferation!”

Happy booking, everyone….and Happy Holidays, blogosphere!  

As Thanksgiving approaches, I ask myself what I am most thankful for.  I am most thankful for working for this amazing Company.  Southwest Airlines has given me so many opportunities in my life and will continue to provide that for me.  After reflecting further, I realize that none of this would be possible without YOU!  Our Passengers are the ones that pay each and every one of us, and I am most thankful for YOU!  I wish you and your families a wonderful Thanksgiving.  THANK YOU!  THANK YOU!  THANK YOU!

Brace yourselves.

Today Southwest Airlines announced our intention to bid to begin service to New York City’s LaGuardia Airport.

Yes.  You read that correctly.  Southwest plans to pursue a bid to start service to LaGuardia Airport.  This isn’t just big news, it’s huge.  GINORMOUS!  I think h-e-double-hockey-sticks just froze over…and I am certain a number of my friends in this industry have yet to pick their jaws up off of the floor!

For those of you that aren’t familiar with LaGuardia Airport (LGA), it’s the most centrally located of New York City’s three major airports.  Flying into or out of LGA is guaranteed to put you in a “New York state of mind,” from the views of the Manhattan skyline on your approach or departure right down to the airport’s name itself—Fiorello LaGuardia helped build the airport in the 1930’s while he was mayor of New York City.  Located in the borough of Queens, right on the “scenic” waters of Flushing Bay and close to Shea Stadium, it’s the closest major airport to Manhattan.  What Love Field is to Dallas, Hobby Airport is to Houston, and Midway Airport is to Chicago, LaGuardia Airport is to New York City. 

In the category of SWA/LGA history, we’ve been asked for as long as I can remember (and I’ve been here 18 years) to add LGA as a destination, but until now it just wasn’t a realistic opportunity.  As many of you know, LGA is one of only four airports in America that are slot controlled, meaning you literally have to have a slot (or legal authority) to schedule an arrival or a departure.  These slots are specific down to the half-hour that an airline can schedule a landing or takeoff, and are very finite—only a certain amount are allowed in any thirty-minute period.   And while you can buy, sell, and trade them, because of the airport’s popularity, LGA slots are in HUGE demand and are seldom available at any price.  Further, because they don’t always come in arrival with departure combinations that would enable a Southwest-style operation, being able to secure arrival/departure slots that can be “stitched together” in such a way to enable us to begin enough service to make it economically viable for Southwest wasn’t realistic, let alone easy. We’ve known for years how huge the immediate New York City market was, but we didn’t have a realistic way to shoe-horn ourselves in.

Until now.

You all remember our former codeshare partner, ATA Airlines, who ceased operations in April of this year.  They provided service between LaGuardia and our major base at Chicago’s Midway airport (and, for a while, to Houston/Hobby). In the three-plus years we were codeshare partners we got a very good look at the potential of LGA’s connectivity to the Southwest network—but it was like Tantalus’ torture, forever hungry and thirsty but never able to eat or drink.  With ATA’s partnership we were able to experience what a great fit LGA would be for Southwest from a revenue and traffic perspective but still weren’t able to serve it with our own People and aircraft.  Even after ATA’s demise, we couldn’t immediately try to begin service to LGA (even though our aircraft are perfectly suited to serving LGA) because ATA’s LGA slots were tied up in their bankruptcy  proceedings and didn’t immediately become available.

However, in the past month or so, a light was turned on at the end of our LaGuardia-less tunnel.  The bankruptcy court in Indiana (where ATA was headquartered) published their procedures to bid on ATA’s remaining business, including their 14 LGA slots—which would equate to 7 daily arrivals and departures at LGA, and are in close enough time proximity to each other to not destroy Southwest’s efficiencies.  What today’s announcement means is that we have formally made a bid—which, if approved by the court, will enable Southwest Airlines to be able to expand with our own Red Bellied Birds into a market that we first developed via our ATA codeshare.
 
Now, again, guys—this isn’t a done deal.  At this point it’s only a bid that would allow us to assume ATA's slots, so we’re not ready to talk about where we’ll fly and things like that.  But Southwest service to New York’s LaGuardia airport is now a definite possibility, so you can start spreading the news!  Of course, we’ve got a lot to learn about how to schedule, and operate, within a slot-controlled environment—but those should be easy learning curves to climb.  
 

 
 
We're codesharing with who...or is it whom...I always forget, but who cares? I should be writing this in Spanish...do you write in Spanish? Wow, I'm struggling today with what few writing skills I have,  probably because I'm so excited about the announcement of our second International codeshare partner - Volaris.
 
It's Volaris...yes Volaris! You know, if you fuse the Spanish word volar (to fly) with the word Polaris (North Star) you get Volaris? Well, that's how they came up with their name, and I think it's a pretty cool name. What's even cooler is that Volaris is an exceptional low-cost airline flying in Mexico. They are focused on high levels of Customer Service and provide a great inflight experience. Volaris plans to begin flying in to the US sometime in 2009 and will become Southwest Airlines' Mexico codeshare partner in early 2010. If you haven't heard of Volaris, here's a little information that should give you a feel for them and why we think they will be a great partner!
 
Like our new codeshare partner WestJet, Volaris presently serves some pretty cool destinations...or should I say hot destinations! Places like Cancun, Cabo, Puerto Vallarta, and Acapulco are certainly great places to vacation. Mexico City (via Toluca), Monterrey, and Guadalajara are great business travel destinations and will complement our efforts to attract more business travelers.
 
Also, like WestJet, Volaris has a fun corporate culture. On one of our visits to their Headquarters, their VP of Sales was having his head shaved in front of the Volaris Employees—it was payback for the Employees meeting a revenue goal that he’d challenged them to meet who had met a revenue goal that he challenged them to meet. Their Employees are very energetic and love their aAirline. Their Customers join in the fun as well. They recently had an inflight concert! My favorite Customer experience was influenced by the free tequila and cerveza they served! They also give away Krispy Kreme donuts! It's a regular Fiesta!!! Oh yes, and every Volaris plane is named after one of their valued Customers. I can't wait to see Ricardo!
 
Unlike WestJet, Volaris is an unknown brand in the US. Although they are relatively small and certainly new (they began flying in 2006), Volaris has proven themselves itself as a successful and viable airline and are developing a new generation of flyers in Mexico. Coupled with the Southwest brand, network, and Customer base, the opportunities are huge.
 
Okay, enough of my rambling, whadoyouthink? 
 

Terry Trippler is a respected travel expert from the Twin Cities. 

When Southwest Airlines announced Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP) would be the next city to join their family, the Twin Cities media asked if MSP would experience the “Southwest Effect”.  Coined by the Department of Transportation to describe how Southwest’s entry into a new market results in lower fares on all airlines and an overall increase in demand for air travel, the "Southwest Effect" will soon hit MSP with a vengeance.

Southwest begins service March 8, 2009 with 8 non-stops between MSP and Chicago.  Fares?   Southwest’s lowest fare will be about half of the current lowest MSP-Chicago fare.  Will other fares drop?  You can bet the rent they will.

I was in Dallas when Southwest made the announcement.  I returned home to over 150 e-mails from travelers wanting to know more.  When will they start?  Where will they fly?  How much will they charge?  These folks were excited!

Southwest Airlines offers exceptional reliability, excellent service, complimentary in-flight beverages and there is no charge to check baggage (the first two bags are free).  In addition to the 8 daily non-stops, travelers can take advantage of connecting flights to 56 cities throughout the United States.  Does that mean that fares will drop between MSP and those 56 cities?  Yep.

Like all new service, the air traveler is who decides if this new route succeeds.  Judging from my e-mails, the people who stop me on the street and the airline I know Southwest Airlines to be – MSP will soon become a permanent member of the Southwest Airlines family.

Come March, you will not only be “free to move about the country,” but you will be able to afford to do it more often.  See you onboard.

Terry Trippler

On the day Americans exercise their right to vote, Southwest Airlines is celebrating the troops who fought hard to give us that Freedom. This morning, I was reminded that the Freedom to vote, along with all of our Freedoms as Americans, came with a price. Many men and women sacrificed their lives to get and keep those Freedoms.

Today, Southwest Airlines threw a party for fifty-five WWII Veterans as they departed Dallas Love Field to visit the WWII Memorial in Washington, D.C. Southwest Airlines Employees and Customers gathered in the gate area to enjoy breakfast and celebrate these Veterans. We had red, white, and blue balloons and goodie bags for the special Customers. Before the Veterans boarded the plane, the entire gate area sang the national anthem and God Bless America. It was truly moving.

The Veterans were so thankful for our small tribute to them. We couldn’t do enough to thank them for their sacrifices for our country. So as you vote today, remember what a special privilege it is.

One of the runways at Las Vegas (LAS) is going to be closed awhile for resurfacing, and it may affect our operations there.  Mark Monse, one of our Dispatchers, explains the circumstances:

LAS normally has the capacity to land as many as 60 aircraft per hour, but the closure of 07R/25L (one of their four runways) drops that 60 rate down to anywhere between 44 per hour and 28-32 per hour. The deciding factor is the surface winds and what combinations of the remaining three runways will be able to be used. If LAS is using the only runway config that allows that 44 perr hour rate, any delays should be pretty mininmal. If they're using the three runways configurations that have a 32 per hout rate or the single configuration that has a 28 per hour rate, delays (taken at the departure point, for example,  XYZ-LAS) will ensue. Those delays could be 30/60/90/120 minutes (or more) all depending upon exactly when the winds dictate various runway configurations relative to the peaks and valleys of the traffic scheduled for LAS.

All of the above is predicated on good weather as far as the lack of low cloud ceilings, low visibilities, rainshowers, or thunderstorms, or combinations thereof. Should any of those occur, the arrival rates above could easily be even lower, and the resultant delays higher.

So, it's not the airlines' fault, nor Air Traffic Control's, since all ATC is doing is maintaining a balance between traffic demand and actual traffic capacity. A good thread on the subject is at airliners.net. (Link now works)

Hopefully, good weather will prevail and they'll get the project done well before the planned May 1,2009, completion date.

Have you ever wondered what things are considered when picking a new city? In this episode of Red Belly Radio, we hear Chairman, President, and CEO Gary Kelly announcing the newest Southwest Airlines destination, and then I interview Nicholas Haan from our Schedule Planning department about how we pick new cities. To answer your obvious question, it does not involve a map, blindfold, or darts, but speed dating is involved!

I don’t know much about Minnesota, but I have a feeling that whichever Southwest city holds the record for the most de-icing fluid used is about to drop to second place. And even though I live in North Texas, Minnesota is a lot farther north.

Also Minnesota elected Jessie Ventura, a former pro wrestler, as governor several years back. I really don’t know if he was a good or bad governor, and I’m sure I could find people on both sides of that fence, but the fact he was elected tells me that Minnesotans are independent thinkers or at least have a sense of humor—two things I admire.

     Halloween is always a big deal at Southwest Airlines.  Between the decorating and costume contests at all of our stations, our Flight Attendants sporting Halloween “flair” with their uniforms, and the incredible Haunted Headquarters celebration, this is one holiday that we really take pride in “owning.”  Maybe Halloween is so serious around here because all of our Employees are encouraged to be themselves all the time; so on a day when crazy costumes and outrageous personalities are the norm, we take our uniqueness to another level.

     If you don’t know about what really goes on, you can check out last year’s Haunted Headquarters celebration on YouTube. (Here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eL87yTtX9b0 yep, that’s me rapping as SWAnilla Ice!) The video is titled “The Ultimate Teambuilding,” and that’s exactly what it is.  Some of the closest friendships at SWA started because we were dance partners in past Halloween skits, and in a Company this size, I don’t believe I would have even had a chance to really get to know them otherwise. 

     Our Employees rehearse for months to put on shows and create top-notch walk through shows for other departments and visitors, all in the spirit of friendly competition, and it is wild.  It's truly a day of fun, and you’d better be wearing a costume or you will stick out like a sore thumb.  Of course, the true spectacle on Halloween day is seeing our own CEO/President/Chairman, Gary Kelly, emerge from his office in the morning in his costume.  The costume is top secret until Halloween morning, and Gary tries to outdo himself every year; he has never failed.  Seeing this big guy walking the halls decked out as Gene Simmons or wearing a pink sequined dress as Edna Turnblad reminds us all that even though he is the head honcho, Gary is really just one of us! 

     This year’s celebration is going to be bigger and better than ever.  Southwest Airlines has partnered with Spirit Halloween Superstores to make sure that not only our Employees get in to the spirit of the holiday, but also our Customers.  Spirit Halloween is the largest Halloween retailer with stores located throughout the United States.  Celebrating its 25th Anniversary, Spirit is also involved in the communities they serve through a program called Spirit of Children, which benefits child life departments within children’s hospitals and rehabilitation centers across the United States.

     In the weeks leading up to Halloween, look for coupons to be given out on some of our flights that will get you great discounts at Spirit Halloween stores. Also, the company has given us decorations for the ticket counters in all 64 of our SWA Cities.  For Halloween day, Spirit has provided some goodies to our Flight Attendants to pass out on flights to folks who are as much into the celebration as we are (maybe you‘ll wear a costume or tell a ghost story on your flight, or at least wear orange and black!)  

     The cherry on top of this sweet partnership is that Spirit Halloween Superstores will be providing Gary’s costume—so you know it will be fantastic.  What in the world is he going to be this year?  We had a blog posted a few weeks ago taking suggestions, but what do you think he decided on?

     If you want to check out all that Spirit Halloween Superstores has to offer, go to www.spirithalloween.com or call 1-800-COSTUME to find a store near you.  On their web site, you can join the Spirit Secret Society for even more discounts!

     I’ll post another blog about all of our Halloween happenings once the day has passed, but for now, I’m off to skit practice.  All Headquarters departments compete fiercely before our judges, and I am betting that the Executive Office will win this year!

Today Southwest announced our plans to add the 65th city to our network next March, and it’s one we have been asked about, often, for many years.

Twin Cities—get ready to fall in LUV!

Southwest plans to establish a “No Hidden Fees” zone at the  Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport in March 2009, bringing Low Fares and excellent Customer Service to the land of 10,000 lakes.  We’ll be giving the “Freedom To Fly” to folks flying to or from the home of the Twins.  And the Vikings.   And, of course, the home of Mary, Rhoda, Lou, Ted, and Murray (“Who can turn the world on with her smile?”  Any female Southwest Airlines Employee, of course…and, ya, you betcha, so can the guys!).  Trivia question:  where did they film the iconic scene from the opening title sequence of the "Mary Tyler Moore Show" where a twirling Mary Richards tosses her Tam O’Shanter into the air?  That would be the intersection of 7th and Nicollet, in downtown Minneapolis.

We’re excited to be adding Minneapolis/St. Paul to the Southwest route system for lots of reasons.  Some are all business—the area has a booming economy,  and it complements our existing network beautifully. Other reasons are all pleasure—the beautiful lakes and woods, the Mall of America, the incredible arts scene, the St. Paul Ice Festival (and I have to admit, it was news to this Texas boy that you can have FUN with ICE!), and so many other wonderful activities.  But the biggest reason we’re excited, and able, to finally add MSP to our system is that you guys—our Customers and our Employees—have told us that it’s time.

We will announce the details--the flight schedule, the fares, and the start date—in the not-too-distant future.  I’ll make sure to give you guys a heads-up here on “Nuts About Southwest” when we do.  And what’s next?

I’ll never tell.  *wink*

Have you ever been waiting in the security line at the airport just wishing there was a way for you to “fly” through the checkpoint?  Well, soon your wish can be made possible if you are traveling through participating Southwest Airlines airports!

Later this month, Southwest Airlines will implement a priority security lane program, fittingly branded “Fly By Security Lanes." Fly By lanes will initially be available in the following airports:
• Dallas Love Field Airport (DAL),
• San Francisco International Airport (SFO),
• Los Angeles International Airport (LAX),
• Denver International Airport (DEN),
• Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX),
• Orange County John Wayne Airport (SNA),
• Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI). 
Look for more rollouts in the following months, as we plan to implement Fly By Security Lanes in additional locations.

So how can you access the Fly By Security Lane? It’s as easy as purchasing a Business Select Fare, which already grants you priority boarding, bonus Rapid Rewards credit, and a drink coupon.  You can also access the Fly By Security Lanes when you become a Rapid Rewards A-List Member by flying at least 16 roundtrips over the course of 12 months.  (A-List Members also earn priority boarding privileges and automatic check-in!)

When you enter the Fly By Security Lane, you will need to present one of two credentials:

1. If you are a Rapid Rewards A-list Member, you will show your A-List identification card (which should be in your home by the end of this week).

2. If you purchase a Business Select Fare, you simply need to present your boarding pass. 

In some cases, the Fly By lane will not have dedicated screening equipment, but the lane will still let you reach the screening process more quickly. Keep in mind that family members or others traveling with A-List or Business Select Customers are not allowed to "piggyback" with a Fly By-eligible Customer. 
So as you are traveling this fall, be on the lookout for Fly By Security Lanes - coming to an airport near you!

Not too long ago my family and I were eating at Pei Wei, an Asian restaurant. Just like routine, at the end of the meal we all opened our fortune cookies. We go around the table and share our fortunes. When it was my turn I started to read, “You have a love for words you should write a book.” I laughed and said, “in my spare time!”  

When I was back at work, I noticed I must have a thing for fortune cookies. I had them in different places, taped on my desk; one was on my monitor and another in my ID badge cover. I even went to a fortune cookie factory in San Francisco on a family trip. I read over them and realized how powerful the quotes were. Some of my favorites are: "Always over-deliver & under-promise"; "Opportunity knocks on your door everyday – answer it"; and "This year your highest priority will be your family."  

A funny thing happened a few days later; I received an e-mail stating that I was chosen for the Southwest Blog. My thoughts went quickly back to my fortune cookie. It was meant to be! Was there a typo? It should’ve read blog and not book. Ok, so it was a few letters off; I only wish I had played the lotto numbers that were on the back because this fortune did come true.  

Until next time, 

Cheers!

There’s a smell of something new in the air at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport.  What is it?  It’s the smell of the brand new $431 million North Terminal, which is Southwest Airlines' new home (beginning today) in Detroit.  The North Terminal will replace the Smith Terminal, which was built back in 1957.

I recently attended an open house for the new terminal, in advance of today's opening.  From the moment you enter the North Terminal, you know you are no longer in the 1950’s era Smith Terminal.  The spacious lobby houses all of the airline ticket counters and kiosks, along with two security checkpoint areas located on each end of the lobby.

Once you pass through security, you really start to see the many amenities offered at this new terminal.  The concourse is bright and airy, and has a very modern feel to it.  There are so many restaurants and cafes to choose from such as TGI Fridays, Ruby Tuesday, Villa Pizza, Hockey Town Café, Coffee Beanery Cafe, Pasta Bravo, one of my favorites National Coney Island and several others.  For those of you who need a little pampering before your trip, there is also an XpresSpa.  If you need to pick up any last-minute items for your trip, you can swing by the Borders Bookstore, Brookstone, or the USA Today Travel Zone stores.  If you are picking someone up at the airport, you don't have to circle the airport or stare at the travelers coming down the escalator while waiting for your friends or family.  Instead, you can hang out in the Legend’s Bar located in the baggage claim.  Now you don’t have to dread the airport pickup anymore!

Southwest Airlines occupies gates 20, 21, and 23.  There you will find plenty of seating, including our new plush leather chairs.  Also, you may charge your computer, or other electronic devices, at one of our power stations while surfing the internet via the airport's wireless internet. 

 Next time you travel to or from Detroit (on Southwest Airlines of course!) I hope you enjoy your experience at the new North Terminal.

Today is the last day of operation for the old L.C. Smith Terminal in Detroit.  Since Rob Hahn sent us so many great photos from Detroit, I wanted to use some of them for this little pictorial essay that takes a look at the L.C. Smith Terminal's final days.

When it was built in 1957, the sight of what was then an ultra-modern terminal was probably considered spectacular.  During the time I worked at the airport in 1976, there was a major fire in the restaurant.  From my vantage point at the Delta Cargo building was a big sweeping curve leading up to the terminal complex. Unfortunately, a fire truck took the turn too fast and flipped over right in front of our eyes (thankfully with minimal injuries). But, the terminal building survived.

This is what most airport terminal lobbies looked like all through the 1960s.  You can see the mezzanine above the ticket counters where I had my epiphany to seek out Southwest.

Frontier and AirTran occupy the former Delta ticket counter space.  In 1976, Delta had a large operation in Detroit, and in those regulated days, Delta carried a lot of connecting passengers to North Central and Allegheny Airlines.

I'm not sure where Rob photographed this clock, but what a cool example of 1950s modern style. Doris Day and Rock Hudson would be right at home under this clock. (There are little gems like this throughout the terminal.  For example, you can still find old "PHONE" signs in some locations.)

This is the view of the building from rampside.  Restaurant diners looked out some of these windows onto the ramp.  The facade of the building bears a remarkable resemblance to the slightly newer terminal at Love Field, before the original skin was either replaced or covered over.

On the B concourse, Snow Birds used to wait for flights to Florida.  Since the terminal was built before jetbridges came into wide use, my guess is that the building was completed with single level concourses and that later the upper level was added.

Southwest uses Concourse A, and it is reached via the hallway lined with glass bricks.  Could Detroit's proximity to Toledo, Ohio, the "Glass City," be the reason for all the glass bricks?

Southwest shares the concourse with US Airways.  The walk to the gate should be much shorter in the new terminal.

In a few hours, the last arriving passenger will drive away from this classic example of 1950s airport architecture.

(Thanks to Rob Hahn for the photos)

On Wednesday, Septemebr 17, you will be reading a post from Rob Hahn about Southwest moving our operation into the brand new North Terminal at Detroit Metro (DTW) that day.  The new building is state of the art, and I know our Customers and Employees will LUV the new surroundings.  Having said that, I am probably one of the few people who are going to miss the old L.C. Smith Terminal.  So, while everyone is gushing about the new facility (and rightly so!), I am going to say a few nice words about the old structure.

To me, airport terminals should have a certain “look” that began with Le Bourget in Paris (now the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace).  The look is defined by a multi-story building on top of linear public areas.  This design was especially refined in the terminals of the 1950s.  Some of the best examples are Dallas Love Field, the old Atlanta terminal, Paris Orly Sud, Portland Oregon (the current building sits around the original one), San Francisco’s Terminal Two (formerly the Central Terminal), Denver Stapleton, and the L.C. Smith Building at Detroit (even more now come to mind).  I have been fortunate enough to work in all of those 1950s gems, except for Stapleton and San Francisco (but I did fly out of all.)  When these facilities were built in the late 1950s, the 707 and DC-8 were just around the corner, and business travel was leaving the Pullman cars for DC-7s and the later jets.  It doesn’t take much imagination to imagine these buildings as “modernized” versions of big city railway stations, and the amenities they offered were very similar with large sit-down restaurants, barber shops, shoe shines, and common waiting areas.

But why is the L.C. Smith Terminal special to me?  As some of you longtime readers know, I began my airline career with Delta at the DFW Airport.  At the time, all new Delta employees were hired as temporary employees (with no benefits, whatsoever) in Cabin Service, which both provisioned aircraft and cleaned the aircraft.  To get to the ramp, ticket counter, or cargo, you first had to be promoted to a permanent Cabin Service Agent, and then later, you would have to be promoted out of Cabin Service to the higher paying ramp or counter.  In a station like DFW, that could take five or six years.  I was young, single, and impatient, and after three months transferred to DTW Air Cargo to do an “end run around the system” because cold weather stations always had openings on the ramp, counter, or cargo.  The L.C. Smith ramp was the first airport ramp area where I could move about independently, as opposed to being stuck on a Cabin Service lift truck.  For an airplane geek like me, DTW was a very interesting place in 1976.  The ramp was full of North Central (which later became Republic before merging with Northwest) Convair 580s, Allegheny (now US Airways) BAC-111s, British Airways VC-10s (not DC-10s but the British VC-10), 707s belonging to Pan Am and American, and DC-8s of United and Delta.  I don’t want to bore you with my entire career itinerary, but I moved away from DTW by Thanksgiving

In later years, my wife, who is from Fort Wayne, Indiana, and I would sometime fly into DTW and then drive to Fort Wayne.  After Delta bought PanAm’s European routes in 1991, it operated PanAm’s former nonstop A-310 flight from DTW to London Gatwick, and that was a great alternative to Atlanta and Cincinnati for nonreving to the UK.  In fact, we had four or five hours to kill before our London flight left, and I had an epiphany inside the L.C. Smith Terminal.  Then and there, I decided I wanted to work for Southwest at some point.  We were sitting in one of the waiting areas on the mezzanine level overlooking the ticket counters in the main lobby.  We had a panorama of most of the other airlines, but right below us was the Southwest counter. 

Of all the counters in that building, the Southwest counter was the only one where it looked like people were enjoying their work, and I was so impressed that I began thinking about SWA.

So what will I miss about the old building?  One thing is the baggage claim area, especially the part that Delta occupied. 

Parts of it still look like it did on the day the building opened.  The lighting and ticket counter areas (except for the back walls) look like a page out of 1957.  (In later years, Southwest and other carriers had to build ticket counters in the middle of the lobby.)  The old restaurant (I think it was run either by Dobb’s House or Sky Chefs) was down a hallway behind the ticket counters, and it offered great views of the ramp.  The mezzanine where Southwest “came to me” offered a quiet respite from the madhouse below.  I’ll even miss the smell of the building.  There is a certain smell that says “1950s airport") and L.C. Smith has it.  In fact there are a couple of parts of the original, unremodeled North Concourse at Love Field that have what I call the “1950s Musk.”  The funny thing is that these buildings smelled that way when they were new, and that’s why the aroma is so powerful to me.

As I was writing this, the Detroit News had a story about movie companies wanting to use the L.C. Smith Terminal, and I hope they are right.  (Billy Crystal used Detroit’s old Tiger Stadium to represent the 1961 version of Yankee Stadium in *61.)  The new North Terminal will be a showcase, full of great amenities, and we are proud to be a tenant.  But, the first time I arrive there, it would really be nice to look out and see activity (besides wrecking balls) over at Smith.

Houston Hobby (HOU) is one of the next test cities for a new feature called Express Bag Drop.  Express Bag Drop allows Passengers who have already printed their boarding pass online to scan their boarding pass into a kiosk scanner.  The kiosk will then ask the Passenger how many bags they are checking.  After that, all the Passenger has to do is put their bag(s) on the scale, show the Customer Service Agent their I.D., and be on their way to the gate.  HOU still has the regular kiosk line as well as the full-service ticket counter line.  Oakland International Airport was the first to have the Express Bag Drop feature, and I hear wonderful comments about it.  I look forward to reading your comments about Express Bag Drop!!!!! 

In case you were wondering, the earth’s circumference is 24,900 miles around and the moon 238,857 miles away. What does this have to do with a podcast about Southwest Airlines? Well this podcast is about travel. Whaaa? A podcast from Southwest Airlines about travel? Yes. Go back and check the archives, I feel this is the first. (I suppose someone might argue there is one other.)

As you may know, one of the perks of working for an airline is the ability to fly for free or for very cheap. Southwest Airlines Employees can fly on Southwest if there is a seat available, and we have agreements with other carriers that allow us to fly stand-by for a fee. The further the flight the higher the fee, but you get the idea. It is nice, but pretty much every Employee has a horror story of sitting in an airport watching plane after plane load and depart leaving him or her sitting there without a boarding pass.

But luck is what you make it, and Katie Coldwell (part-time blogger) uses her travel privileges like no one I have ever known. I used to work with Amber, a graphic designer, who in her first six months of employment was only home three weekends. But even Amber can’t hold a flame to the times Katie has been told “Put your seat-back in the upright position…”

What is even better is that she has tracked her travel since she started at Southwest in 2000. (Here is where I tie the earth-moon thing together.) Her logged miles would have taken her around the world a number of times but to learn how many, and if she could have gotten to the moon, listen to my interview with Katie on this week’s edition of Red Belly Radio. Better yet, subscribe in iTunes and get it delivered through the magic of RSS to your iTunes account every Wednesday.

Happy Birthday SFO!  It’s been exactly one year since we returned service into San Francisco. As we reflect on this past year, we can’t even begin to describe the heartfelt welcome we’ve received from our Customers thus far.  San Francisco is perhaps one of the most rewarding markets we serve simply because of its people.  Not many cities can boast a population that is so community driven and so committed to the ideals of inclusion, acceptance, and togetherness than the people from San Francisco.  And because of that, you’ve made our jobs a whole lot easier.
 
This past year, we’ve had the privilege to partner with many prominent Bay Area organizations as well as the opportunity to sponsor such events as the Chinese New Year Festival and Parade, Bay to Breakers Race, and the Cool Globes extravaganza.  Being a part of the San Francisco market again, has given us the opportunity to continue sharing our passion of serving the community or as we call it “Sharing the Spirit”.  This past weekend, we, together with Mayor Newsom’s office gave away backpacks to underprivileged children in the Bayview District. Our Employees from across the system donated the school supplies which were included in the backpacks. We believe that education is the gateway to success and hopefully by us helping them with that first step, they will be able to achieve their goal to become successful in life.

Whether it be donating backpacks, or teaching the locals about the importance of being eco-friendly in everyday life, every single event that we’ve been a part of reflects our mission to do whatever we can to impact society in a positive way.  Thank you San Francisco for providing us with these phenomenal opportunities.
 
On August 26th, 2008, we’ll be celebrating our one-year anniversary at SFO.  As we take a moment to reflect, we can hardly believe the kind of impact we’ve made in San Francisco just this past year.  While we are very proud of our accomplishments, it’s exciting to think about the coming year, how many more lives we can touch, how many more community events we can participate in, and how much more positive change we can bring to the people of San Francisco.  Who knows?  All we know is that time sure flies when you’re having FUN!  Thank you San Francisco!

Back in the early days of computing, you had to type a long string of DOS commands in order to get anything done. Anyone remember ‘c:\WINDOWS\system32\calc.exe’ ?  Then along came Windows and icons with point and click. Those command lines are still there, but now clicking an icon sends those commands for you. Don’t believe me? Try ‘START’, ‘RUN’, and type the above string in the box.  

In the airline business, we still use DOS-like command lines to sell you a ticket and check a bag, among other transactions.  In the movie Meet the Parents, when the agent at the airport is typing away for two or three minutes just to issue a boarding pass, it’s actually pretty accurate.

Well, that’s all about to change for Southwest Airlines with a program called CS2.  CS2 stands for Customer Service Two. It is the largest project developed internally in our Company history, and it is rolling out across the Southwest system.  It is taking us from an archaic command line system to a point and click program. And it’s hot!

CS2 has been several years in the making and features significant improvements to our previous application, including: electronic standby lists, and automation of commonly used forms. While it was being created, our Airport Performance Improvement Projects Team conducted many focus groups with Customer Service Agents and Supervisors to ensure this new application would meet the needs of our Employees.

CS2 also lays the foundation for future enhancements, including: electronic ticketing at the airport and the ability to introduce international codeshare. This application is the first “car” in the “train” that’s pulling out of the station, which will lead to even more Customer enhancements at Southwest Airlines.

I just got back from Dallas where I spent three days training on CS2.  Transactions that used to take forever will now be finished in moments.  Forms for Unaccompanied Minors and Infants are now automated.  It may take a little time to enter the information  on the outbound flight, but we can take the outbound info and swap it for the return (and it will be legible too).  We also have the ability to look at more flights at a time when you want to book a reservation. Information that used to require us to toggle between three or four screens is now laid out in one.  The list of enhancements is HUGE!  There are lots of boring details that you might not understand or even care about, but it makes my job much easier.

There is one enhancement that I want to touch on though, since I think it will excite our business travelers. It is the Electronic Standby List.  Customers will now be able to get on standby for any flight at the airport up to two hours prior to departure or more than two hours if the next flight is more than two hours away.  Customers will also be able to get on the standby list with any Southwest Agent: ticket counter, curbside, or gate.  If the change results in a higher fare, we will take your credit card information when putting you on standby, and you will not be charged unless cleared.  We will also be able to upgrade an entire group and let the group leader pay for it with just one swipe.  (We used to have to swipe the card for each passenger individually).

This is a huge undertaking and we are very excited about it!  Please be patient with us as we learn our way around the new program and work out the bugs.   There’s a lot more to come. This is just the tip of the iceberg.

Have you seen the newest SWA Celebrity? 

One of our Culture Ambassadors, Valerie LaGrone, had the great honor of being selected as the cover model for our May 11, 2008 Southwest Airlines Flight Schedule, now appearing in an airport near you! 

It’s a bit of a tradition to have the Flight Schedule cover model “autograph” your copy, so we set up a special book signing event in the Executive Office recently.  Valerie was so surprised by the turnout to get her autograph she was moved to tears (which we all took as meaning the event was a sweet success, exactly what our little celebrity deserved!)

We want to congratulate Valerie on her honor and hope that her smiling face will brighten all of our Customers’ travels!

I'm not sure how many of you have been to Will Rogers World Airport but the renovation is beautiful. I recently flew up to Oklahoma City for the Norman Music Festival. While I was at the airport, I thought it might be cool to show you a cool link to the Oklahoma City Airport information site. The terminal is an extremely beautiful upgrade from what it used to be. There are even some decent food choices such as Sonic, Schlotzsky's, and a new pizza place.

Speaking of Oklahoma City, be sure and visit Rob Hahn's video post too.

We have a new test underway, all in the name of improving the Customer experience.  If you've traveled through the Oakland International Airport recently, you may have noticed a new feature available to help expedite the baggage checkin process.  This new feature is called the Express Bag Drop, and here's how it works. 

You first need to checkin and obtain a boarding pass, which is easy to do online at southwest.com.  Once you arrive at the airport, you will find an Express Bag Drop kiosk located inside the terminal.  The kiosk contains a barcode scanner, which allows you to scan the barcode located on your printed boarding pass.  From there, the kiosk will retrieve your reservation, and you will be prompted to verify the number of bags you plan to check.  Once this step is completed, one of our Customer Service Agents will verify your identification and attach your baggage tag(s) to your bag(s).  That's it!  You're done!  Pretty simple!

At Southwest Airlines, we're always looking for ways to improve your travel experience.  That's why we're evaluating this new feature, and if it proves successful, we plan to roll it out to other airports in the Southwest Airlines system.  So think of it this way--DING! You are now free to check your baggage faster and move about the country!

I would like to elaborate on a post I wrote for the blog a couple of years ago titled “Forget Me Not…” It was about recognizing Aircraft Maintenance Technicians during the month of May, in honor of the first aircraft mechanic, Charles E. Taylor, who was the mechanic for the Wright Brothers.  Taylor was born May 24, 1868,  and we would like to make May 24th a National Holiday.

On Friday, May 8th, Southwest Airlines showed it’s appreciation for our Maintenance and Engineering Department when a 737-700 (N289CT) honoring Charles E. Taylor was added to our fleet.

The Aircraft Maintenance Technicians Association (AMTA) is a strong supporter of keeping the legacy of Charles E. Taylor alive.  He’s an Aviation Pioneer that should not be forgotten, and he should be in the hearts and minds of not just us Aircraft Mechanics but people around the world.

 Be sure and listen to Steve's Red Belly Radio (bottom right of the home page) post about the event.

I'm that girl you see on your way to work rocking out in my car.  It's seriously the best way to make it through traffic.   So to me, what better way to celebrate our growth in Austin than to rock out with our Customers on the streets of Austin? 

We are in serious celebration mode because Southwest introduced our 19th nonstop destination from Austin Bergstrom on May 10, bringing our service to 51 daily nonstop flights. So, through May 19, our marketing folks will be creating “sweet harmony” throughout the Austin Community with a portable recording studio.

If you us see hanging around Austin, just step into our glass truck and record a track. Once your performance is complete, you can log onto http://southwest.com/austinrocks  to download your butt kickin’ tune for free or e-mail your heart stopping performance to a friend.

If acting like an air guitar king or queen isn’t your thing, then maybe free stuff will be! When the truck isn’t rocking, our peeps will be buying free stuff for our Austin Customers at all of the “hot spots” throughout the city. Not to mention we are giving away 51 free roundtrip airline tickets to anywhere Southwest flies! When it comes to rockin’ Austin, we aren’t missing a beat!

For updates on where we'll be in Austin, be sure to follow us on Twitter! 

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