Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly recently announced the airlines' entry into two new markets: Minneapolis-St. Paul and New York LaGuardia. The new cities will add competition to the low-fare flight market and help boost business travel - Southwest carries more...

Happy Boxing Day.  Serioulsy, this New Year's post from Linda Rutherford  will be our last new post until January 5.  We will still be moderating and posting your comments, so keep 'em coming.

 

 

When my son was a toddler, we began a fun (well, we think it is) family tradition for New Year's Eve. We aren't big "let's go out and dance the night away" people, so we always opted for the low-key family gatherings. One New Year's Eve, when Matt was a little more than two, we introduced him to the whole New Year's concept. You see, son, this is when the year changes number, you make a New Year's wish, you kiss at midnight, and you "toast" someone with a drink and say "cheers!"
 
I went whole hog. I bought New Year's hats, noisemakers, horns, plastic champagne glasses, and sparkling grape juice. We paraded around the kitchen, blowing our horns, and saying "Happy New Year" over and over. Then, I poured the sparkling grape juice into the glasses and we said, "now, let's have a toast to the New Year!" We looked expectantly at Matt, all smiles like we were the coolest parents ever to be introducing this new tradition to him. He looked befuddled. "Where's the toast?" he said softly. I told him the "clink" of the glasses WAS the toast. "No, I want toast" he said a little louder. "But..." I said trying to give a two-year-old a logical explanation of my actions. "NO, MOM, I SAID I WANT TOAST!!!!!" Then, it hit us. He wanted the slice of bread that magically appears from the toaster, ready to eat. He wanted ACTUAL toast. So, we toasted the boy some white bread and fed it to him. He was happy.
 
Fast forward. We have done our parade every year since. His sister, now 9, has joined in the fun. And, yes, every year, we end the festivities with what all normal people do on New Year's Eve, with a piece of toast (and not too much butter, Mommy).
 
Happy New Year to you all. I hope you will share any New Year's traditions that you have here.
 

We asked our Bloggers to send you some of their Holiday thoughts, and what better time to do that than Christmas Eve.  Merry Christmas from all of us at Nuts About Southwest.

Having the Freedom to Fly gives my husband and me the Freedom to make many special memories.  We have had the opportunity to go so many wonderful places throughout my tenure at Southwest.  We have travelled from coast to coast in the United States and as far away as The Czech Republic and Japan.  At each destination, we are sure to purchase an ornament that captures a memory from the trip.  Now keep in mind, we aren’t looking for the prettiest ornament or the most popular, but the ornament that will make us remember the highlights of our vacation.  So, we have everything from a cowbell from Switzerland to a miniature Cruise Ship from our honeymoon.  Our tradition continues with decorating the tree.  Each year, as we sip on hot chocolate and listen to Holiday music, we adorn our Christmas tree with one ornament at time remembering the fun, and often hilarious, memories from that particular trip.  Our memories are a gift that we continue to give each year during the Holidays,

Beverly Behrens

 To all Mommys and Daddys: How do you make your child's first Christmas special?! James is only four months old, so he's not old enough to understand or remember the holiday this year.

My hubby suggested giving him a super sized bottle of milk in his stocking! Mommy and Daddy hope that Santa brings some extra SLEEP.  We were too tired to deal with decorating a tree and bought a small Charlie Brown tree that's sitting on our kitchen table. We attempted to see Santa three times; each time we arrived at the mall, Santa was on a break! The third time was the charm, and we got the priceless dear-in-the- headlights picture to show James' first girlfriend.

Despite the fact that we're clueless parents, we're very blessed to have our son to celebrate this special time of year together. Oh, by the way, I can't stand Will Ferrell, but I have to admit, Elf is a cute movie!

Happy HoHoHo to you and yours!

 

Kim Delevett and son James

 

My friend Juls was dressed in a Santa outfit while working Christmas Day.  She was standing outside the aircraft door when a small boy came around the corner with his parents.  A look of delight crossed the child's face as he ran and threw his arms around Juls' legs.  "Oh Santa, thank you so much for all my toys!"  There's something special about "being" Santa! 

While working Christmas Day, I asked a little boy if Santa had come to see him.  He matter-of-factly said, "No."  What do you say to that?  His parents may simply not celebrate Christmas, but I give toys to Toys for Tots, donate to Salvation Army, and chose an angel from the Angel Tree.

Carole Adams

Southwest Airlines has filed an application with the Department of Transport (DOT) to begin U.S. flights to Canada. The application is necessary before the carrier can begin its recently-announced codeshare with WestJet. Southwest hopes that permission to start international Canada...

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!

Miss Dorothy Jean Siegrest (she prefers to go by "Jean being from Kansas") and Mr. Charles Leroy Novak wed on December 24, 1948 in Haddam, Kansas in a tiny courthouse during the middle of an intense midwestern snowstorm. It wasn’t a very ceremonial affair like people have today. It was just a simple, small ceremony with a judge and a few friends as witnesses. She wore a fancy corsage and her nicest dress to signify the occasion. Granny says that the fact that it was Christmas Eve made it a magical evening affair.

From that night on, my Granny became known to my Pops as “my little woman”. He says her nickname with a fondness that only exists between a woman and man who have been married for 60 years. Granny loves to talk about that night, and instead of reading the Christmas Story every Christmas Eve, we get the pleasure of hearing Granny speak about her marriage ceremony as she serves her famous pecan pie. Her face lights up and her mind drifts back to the past as she shares their beautiful love story.

So this Christmas Eve will certainly be a momentous occasion. Not only will my family exchange Christmas presents under the glow of the Christmas tree but we will more importantly get to celebrate a 60-year marriage filled with the kind of love that all of us have tried to emulate in our own relationships. Happy Anniversary Granny and Pops and thank you for showing us how to simply love.

Looking at the calendar, I realize I'd better stop merely thinking about gifts and start shopping!  Don't we all want to give the "perfect gift"?  We often equate this with spending a large sum of money.  "Budget" is not just a rental car agency!  I'll let you know what I'm thinking in hopes you will throw in some suggestions.

Computerized calendars (family pictures for each month) have been around a long time.  I noticed a friend's calendar had a picture of that person on their birthday date.   An added touch.  I love my picture mouse pad with my grandson smiling up at me!  We have so many pictures I prefer a different form than framed.  For someone short on time, and who isn't, what about prepared dinners like you find in the gourmet super markets and Costco--also good for elders.  Put them in a basket and add a bow, and you're ready to go!  Elders also appreciate a roll of stamps in a holder.

  

If you are giving a restaurant gift card to parents or grandparents, have you thought of the greatest gift of all?  Add your company.  Pick them up and eat with them.  One of the most creative gifts I've ever received is five flats of pansies.  I was late planting (real late), and my brother-in-law bought and planted them.  What a surprise!  The best gift my children could give me is to come over on a Saturday and help with the yard, garage, or repair something.  No monetary cost.  The gift of time is priceless!  Not enough money to buy jewelry?  Buy a jewelry roll for storage or travel.  Check Half-Price Books.  Clothes pricey?  What about a custom made T-shirt?  

 

 

Calling for all good ideas! 

Jim Herring (aka Jimmy da Fish) opened the door for a discussion of Christmas movies in his earlier post, so I am walking through that door to throw in my two-cents.  First, though, are you wondering where all the good Christmas moves are on television this year?  I have hundreds of satellite channels of nothing, but I haven’t found all my favorites yet.

So, what are those favorites?  Well, this is my list, your mileage may vary, but I will try to justify my thoughts.  Let’s start with a Thanksgiving movie that helps set up the Christmas season.  Planes, Trains, and Automobiles has a special meaning to airline employees who try to travel standby during the holidays.  You have to expect disruptions and delay, while trying to remain flexible.  However, I have yet to hear of anyone of whom I know who has driven a torched K-car down Illinois Interstates.  The officer asks John Candy if he thinks the car is safe to drive, and I eagerly await the response.  Wait for it…”Yes, Officer, Yes, I do!”

This sweet and funny movie leads us up to the big enchilada, the mega-holiday, the one that keeps kids of all ages awake for days in anticipation of finding a Red Ryder BB gun under the tree.  My favorite “serious” Christmas movie is It’s a Wonderful Life.  Filmed immediately after World War II, Frank Capra and his outstanding cast really define the Christmas Spirit.  What could easily come off as corny and overblown is sincere and touching in Capra’s hand, and the ending probably fits the desire of returning vets to put the evil out of their lives and to get on with living.  I think the move frustrates a modern audience seeking “closure.”  For that, you have to view the “sequel” that Saturday Night Live did of the Frank Bailey’s friends and his brother Harry going over to “take care” of Old Man Potter.

Scrooged with Bill Murray is possibly the best movie version of Dickens’s A Christmas Carol.  It replaces the hard, emotionless accountant, Ebenezer Scrooge, with a cold heartless television network executive, Frank Cross, played by Murray.  Carol Kane, as the Ghost of Christmas Present always leaves me laughing (“Sometimes you have to *slap* them in the face just to get their attention!”), and besides Kane and Murray, the cast includes Robert Goulet (as himself), Robert Mitchum, Jamie Farr, Karen Allen, John Forsythe, Alfre Woodard, and Michael j. Pollard, just to name a few.

If the lesson of Scrooged is to appreciate the blessings around us, the morals of the next movie is don’t count your eggs before they hatch and don’t dump the toilets of your RV directly into a storm drain.  National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation reunites the Griswolds with Cousin Eddie.  This is one movie that gets funnier every year, whether it’s going overboard on the house decorations, driving the snooty neighbors crazy, or Cousin Eddie dumping the RV toilet down the storm drain while wearing pajamas, a robe, smoking a cigar, and drinking a beer.

The Home Alone movies are classics, and the second one, which is set in New York has some great Big Apple winter scenes.  In spite of Kevin’s antics, I always feel a little melancholy after watching either of these two movies, and just this morning, I read that Macaulay Culkins’ sister was killed in a tragic car wreck.  Life just isn’t fair sometimes.

In spite of all of these great movies, my absolute favorite is A Christmas Story.  Set in northern Indiana during 1940, its message is spot on.  Jean Shepherd, the screenwriter has a gift for dialogue, and he includes all those details of our own childhood that we normally would forget.  Ralphie and I shared similar circumstances and, I remember my own fear of Santa.  Unfortunately, at about the same age, I shouted the most inappropriate comment at the worst time on a full playground, and my sweet dear mother had a reaction equal to Ralphie’s mom.  Unlike Ralphie, I never got one of the gifts I wanted the most, in my case a toy fire truck.  And while I never stuck my tongue to a poll, I did have my own Scut Farkus affair.  I would venture that as many people can cite dialogue from this movie as they can from Airplane.  "it'll put your eye out, kid!" Rest assured, I will watch it at least once during TNT’s marathon on Christmas Eve.

Southwest Airlines launched an online contest to mark the tenth anniversary of its weekly special offers email service, Click 'n Save. The contest, called Click 'n Win, will give the winner and nine friends a Grand Prize trip to Denver,...

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! 

 

The Facebook Commandments: Part I

Many of you are probably familiar with Social Networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter (and might be connected to me in some way on those sites).  As a frequent Facebook/Twitterer I have polled my friends/followers to provide some of the best tips and commandments of using the sites.  This will be a 2-part series.  We shall start with Facebook.

You’ve either heard of it, people have sent you emails claiming to be your “friend”, or maybe you are on it so frequently you prefer it over other e-mail addresses/platforms (wink).   No matter what Facebook level you are on, the following Commandments should be considered by all (I admit I am guilty of breaking a few):

1. Don’t write anything depressing, upsetting, or controversial in your status.  No one wants to log on to read “Paula is feeding her sick cat for the last time.”  That’s just an invitation to your personal pity party…a party no one wants to attend.
2. Share things that interest you!  News stories, YouTube videos, and pictures are all cool….I’m your “friend,” and I want to know what you are interested in.
3. Facebook is a way to connect with people, and the people behind a brand.  DO NOT get on Facebook to spam people about your pet sitting business.  You must be authentic and genuine about the job, lifestyle, brand, etc. that you connect with.
4. You are not obligated to accept every friend request.  If you don’t know the person or don’t share any connections, then it probably isn’t a real friend (it could be a spammer, virus, etc).
5.  More than one person in your profile picture is confusing.  Stick with just your own photo (as long as you are not making a kissy face….you know who you are).
6. Don’t complain about your boss, your company, or your friends.  They will find out and you will be a) embarrassed b) possibly fired c) both
7. Back to photos: use current ones only, and not your company headshot.
8. Applications are cool, but only in moderation.  If you like a crazy page full of Mob Wars, Dallas Cowboys Trivia, and the Little Green Patch you might be more comfortable using MySpace.
9. Creating an “Event” or a “Group” when you get a new phone number is not necessary.  Maybe just send a text message.
10. If you have dated someone less than 6 months, don’t change your status to “In a Relationship”. That little broken heart in the newsfeed makes it even more difficult to deal with.

Bonus:  Join the Southwest Airlines Facebook Fan page!  (Link)

What are your Facebook Commandments?

 

Southwest Airlines ground crews picketed on Friday at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix in an effort to expedite contract talks, said union officials. Members of the Transport Workers Union, which represents more than 7,000 employees, said planned picketing was to...

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.

As I sat in the lobby of the Southwest Airlines Headquarters I couldn’t help feeling a little nervous, I mean, who wouldn’t on their first day of work?  Would I like the work?  Would I like the people I worked with?  All legitimate concerns when starting a new job.  I couldn’t help but look around at all the history that adorns the walls of the building.  To see where Southwest came from, to see where it is now, and to know that I was going to be a part of this somehow…I think this is something I want to be a part of.

I have to mention the welcome that awaited me at my new desk.  “Welcome Aboard, Caleb” along with Inflatable Boeing 737s and balloons.  I was definitely impressed.  I felt special enough that someone took the time to decorate my desk.

You hear that Southwest is one of the best companies to work for but you really never realize until you are inside and it hits you.  You know that usually everywhere you work there is that one person who you want to avoid at all cost, I mean, the person that not seeing makes your day better, sort of like Dwight from "The Office"; I have yet to find that individual at Southwest, and I don’t think I will.  Everyone I talk to is one of the nicest people I have ever met, and I especially love the hugs that I get from people I have known a week.  I think this is something I want to be a part of.

Well, my first week really flew by.  Out of the first five days I was here, I have two T-shirts to add to my collection.  I guess it is time to start changing out the wardrobe.  I was able to go to my first event.  Kidd’s Kids in Hanger 5.  What an incredible event to see these kids get to do something so cool with their families.  I must say this is the best first week of my life.  You know what…I think this is something I want to be a part of.

Picture: Millie Richter handing me my first T-shirt here at Southwest at my new desk.  The shirt highlights the best University in the world.

Discount airline Southwest Airlines plans to eliminate a quartet routes, and pare back a number of others, beginning May 9. The flights to be axed include non-stop Detroit (DTW) flights to Orlando (MCO); Manchester, NH (MHT) to Fort Lauderdale (FLL);...

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!  

 

Good things in life tend to fly by fast, so if you plan on booking Austin flights consider discount airline Southwest’s latest array of Austin discount airfares. Southwest is offering discount airfares to and from the Austin-Bergstrom International for as...

I'm about to celebrate my two week anniversary here at Southwest (cupcakes, anyone?) and have had some time to reflect on being the new kid on the block. My first day began with a Wild Turkey Call Contest at lunch--a rite of passage I think everyone should go through. The next day I was treated to a Thanksgiving feast that put my Grammy's down-home affair to shame (sorry, Grammy.) As I'm settling in, I realize the rumors are true. Everyone is incredibly sweet and helpful, a sense of family is prevalent anywhere you go, and there are always snacks in the break room. I look forward to gaining my Southwest Freshman 15. Oh, and I get to go on field trips to faraway, exotic lands: like Studios 21 in Fort Worth, TX for an official Live Chat.

Okay, so it wasn’t necessarily live, but it was a “bright lights, big studio” situation. I had the pleasure and privilege of being a studio audience member on Tuesday, December 1st. Patrick Lencioni, president of the Table Group, sat down with our own Colleen Barrett to get her words of wisdom on the secret of Southwest’s success.

Turns out, there are no secrets. And in the beginning, there was no master plan. In fact, Colleen’s reply to Patrick’s question about retaining their underdog status was surprising. She said if it hadn’t been for bigger and wealthier airlines picking on us, Southwest could have failed within the first year. As it was, our legal battles and early challenges gave birth to one of our Core Values: the Warrior Spirit. Turns out constantly being pushed to search for innovative solutions to early start-up problems was actually a blessing in disguise. So when life gives you lemons, make…Wild Turkey on the rocks? 

As many of you may know, living the Southwest way has called for embracing three Core Values: the Warrior Spirit, a Servant’s Heart, and a Fun-LUVing attitude. But it turns out Colleen was against putting these intangible attitudes into writing for a long time.

“I fought with them eight or nine months,” she said concerning the effort. She felt (and for good reason) that trying to define a company’s spirit in just a few words would limit them. Another anecdote I loved had to do with Herb Kelleher, Colleen, and a bunch of consultants trying to come up with the Company’s mission statement. After hours of frustration, Herb politely asked the consultants to go: “We’ll pay you your money, but just leave. We’ll write it ourselves.”

It’s that can-do, stubborn, entrepreneurial spirit that lives on at Southwest today. And it was a trait Patrick couldn’t get enough of. He praised Southwest’s uniqueness and humility, while emphasizing that he was not on the company payroll! As the president of The Table Group, a consulting firm focused on building healthy organizations, Patrick’s admiration of Southwest was heartfelt. “It’s an outstanding company, but it’s also messy. There are no ‘Stepford Wives’ types there.” As he went on to describe Southwest as “the one family on the block with toys and tricycles in the front yard, and always-open doors,” I felt extremely lucky to have found my way into this “messy” family—tricycles or not.
 
If you happen to have access to the SkillSoft’s Leadership Development Channel, I highly recommend you check this Live Chat out. You can find more information at http://www.skillsoft.com/products/LDC/ I'll be the one waving in the back.

 

 

As you know, at Southwest we never turn down a chance to party. This year, we’re thrilled to sing “Happy Birthday to Click ‘n Save”, as our weekly special offers e-mail program has turned ten!

Always the maverick, in 1998 Southwest Airlines revolutionized industry standards once again by offering Customers the opportunity to receive e-mail notifications of sales and special promotions available on our web site, which at the time was named the Southwest Home Gate. Customers could opt-in by clicking a small mail icon on the Home Gate, and a confirmation e-mail would be delivered to the e-mail address provided. Later that same year the name Click ‘n Save was born, and to this day remains the call-sign for our weekly e-mail distribution.

In 2000, we began partnering with rental car companies to offer even more deals to complete our Customers’ overall travel experience. Hertz, Alamo, and Budget were the first to hop onboard, with hotels and other partners joining soon thereafter. As more and more partners joined our cause Click ‘n Save grew to what it is today, an information source for the latest and greatest travel deals on the web.

Today, millions of subscribers are benefitting from Click ‘n Save. In addition fantastic deals on air travel, rental cars, and hotels, our weekly offers now include special rates on vacation packages, cruises, and theme park tickets as well. As a subscriber, you’ll also notice that the weekly e-mail is themed around a Featured Destination. Each week, a different Southwest city or partner is highlighted and special rates are offered on airfare, rental cars, hotels, and local area attractions.

Unlike other airlines’ e-mail subscription programs, Customers are not required to become members of our frequent flyer program in order to receive the deals. Anyone can subscribe, and with benefits this great, why would you not?

While many of you have been clicking and saving with us for years now, we know there may be a few Click ‘n Save rookies out there. If you’re new to Click ‘n Save, you couldn’t have picked a better time to join. Help us commemorate ten years of travel deals by signing up for Click ‘n Save today. New members enrolling now through January 31, 2009 will be entered into a drawing to win a vacation for ten as part of our Click ‘n Celebrate sweepstakes.

Existing Click ‘n Save members, we can’t blow out the candles without you! In recognition of your loyalty, you are also eligible to participate in our Click ‘n Celebrate sweepstakes. The chance to win a dream trip for you and nine of your closest friends…..now that’s quite a thank you note!

In true Southwest fashion, we’re thankful for the past and excited about the future. As you can see, after ten great years of monumental deals, with Click ‘n Save the party’s just begun!

It has been my plight for ten years.  I have been ridiculed and mocked and had to defend myself more times than I care to count for it.  Yes, I am a devoted Britney Spears fan. 

On this day (Britney's Birthday!), as her “comeback” CD is released, I wanted to put it out there to the world--I love Britney.  I’ve felt connected to her since the beginning; a Louisiana girl like me, making it big singing and dancing and basically owning the world--she has lived all of my wildest dreams...including dating Justin Timberlake.  My adoration of Britney has always been just plain fun… until I had to start constantly defending her.

It hasn’t been easy, trying to explain to people that I don’t agree with some of the things she does, but no one could deny her stage talent.  Then that awful VMA performance last year happened--why, Britney, why?  I had nothing left to back up my argument; her star had burned out…or so everyone thought. 

Fast forward several months—her dad swooped in with what might go down in history as the best conservatorship ever granted by a judge and, voila!, my Britney is back!  She looks amazing, she’s taking her babies to a pumpkin patch, she’s back in the studio—her comeback has officially begun!

But wait, why is this being called her comeback? Britney never went away, did she? Was I dreaming or were we all glued to celebrity gossip blogs and reading tabloid magazines to see her latest shenanigans, wondering if she finally got rid of KFed? When she shaved her head I got so many text messages and breaking news alerts on my e-mail that you would have thought a major world crisis had occurred. America became obsessed with Britney’s antics and we all formed our own opinions of the pop princess; but mine never wavered.

Everyone thinks I’m weird for wanting to blog about this, just like they think I am weird for having such undying love for my favorite celebrity.  But think of it this way: if you had a friend you admired, wanted to be like, talked about all the time, and knew everything about, and that friend went through some REALLY hard times, would you stop loving them?  And when that friend finally seemed to get their act together and was about to prove it to the world, wouldn’t you be so happy for them that you would want to blog about it?  Okay, maybe not the blog part, but wouldn’t you be excited?

 I know I am not the only SWA Employee that feels this way.  If I were, do you think there would be so many “Britneys” popping up in Halloween skits every year?  I think not! 

I’ve heard rumors that KFed often flies Southwest Airlines to Vegas—hook us up, “Fed-Ex”!—tell Britney about the outstanding Customer Service you get on our flights!  And let her know that no matter what, she will always have a fan in this SWA Employee. 

Okay, I need to get to Target to get my CD!

 

I've talked before about my role on the Board of National Safe Place. I recently had the pleasure of hosting the first HEROES Awards ceremony in Louisville, Ky. This was an event to celebrate heroes who have worked tirelessly to make this world a better, safer place for children. In conjunction with the 25-year Anniversary of the Safe Place program, National Safe Place (NSP) established a recognition program to honor up to ten individuals who have made extraordinary contributions nationally to the services for at-risk youth. This year's award winners, which I was honored to introduce, will comprise the initial "Hall of Fame" class, and one individual will be recognized annually from now on.
 
What the HEROES Award stands for:
H  Hear the voices of at-risk youth
E  Engage in the discussion
R  Respond to the call
O  Observe the need for change and take action
E   Educate and Encourage key stakeholders to make a positive difference
S   Significantly change the lives of at-risk youth for the better

The 2008 winners of the HEROES Awards were:
*Marian Wright Edelman, President, Children's Defense Fund
*Dr. Gary W. Harper, decorated scholar who has dedicated his research to examining HIV risk and protective factors among homeless and inner-city ethnic-minority youth
*Trudee Able-Peterson, author who developed the first outreach project to homeless youth in New York City's Times Square, The Streetwork Project.
*Ernie Allen, President and CEO of the  National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)
*Larry Wooldridge, Founder, Safe Place
 
Here is a link to the video that was shown at the event: http://nationalsafeplace.org/heroes/

 
And above is a photo of me (third from left) with the honorees:  The lives and work of these individuals provide an opportunity to learn about both the important strides that have been made in serving at-risk youth and the challenges still inherent in the field. It also serves as a celebration, as each of the honorees will have worked toward NSP's anniversary theme of "Building A Safety Net For Youth."

Be sure and listen to this week's Red Belly Radio episode this week that features some of our Reservations folks, along with CEO Gary Kelly and his wife Carole as they cook Thanksgiving Dinner at the Ronald McDonald House.

 

My family and in-laws are all local, so our gathering is usually quite large. We always manage to "adopt" several single friends and other folks whose kids are scattered to the corners of our country. One of my favorite memories of our gatherings is the first time my son was old enough to offer the Thanksgiving thought, a tradition we started many years ago. He'd written something in class and was both proud and scared to deliver his "Thanksgiving address." We all gathered in the kitchen (well, as much as 24 people can actually gather in a kitchen) to hear Matthew give the blessing. He carefully pulled a step stool into the middle of the crowd, grabbed his paper, and began his profound remarks. Tears were in my eyes as he mentioned love of family, blessings of freedom, and the sacrifices our military were making so we could share a holiday like Thanksgiving together. I looked around. Not a dry eye. Then, to break the somber mood, another family member shouted, "Hey I've got my own blessing. Look out teeth, watch out gums, bless this food 'cause here it comes! Can we eat now?" Yeah, families. Never a dull moment. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. My wish for you is that you are able to spend the time with those who mean the most to you.

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!

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday since it involves family, food, and football--all ranked in order of importance.  But Thanksgiving has been a bit different for me as of late since I no longer have any living parents.  So the dynamics have changed, but certainly not the meaning or significance, and I’m thankful for the many loving memories of Turkey Days of the past.  This will be my second year missing out on my mother’s turkey, and my wife and I were lucky enough last year to have my sister (an exceptional cook) step in and cook Thanksgiving dinner for us. 

Now my sister is in college on the East Coast, and my wife and I are left to cook the turkey for ourselves for the very first time and start memories of our own.  This should be an interesting experiment.  I wanted to take the manly-man approach and fry the turkey, but my wife is more of a traditionalist (and even though she won’t admit it, she fears I’ll set the house on fire).  This all lead to another first - I visited Butterball.com.  It appears we are all set and have a pretty good turkey cooking battle plan laid out.  This will be good practice before we actually have kids and people over for future Thanksgivings.

In case the turkey burns our turns out like rubber, our backup plan includes frozen pizza.

Southwest Airlines has been named the official airline of the State Farm Bayou Classic, the annual face-off between Grambling State University and Southern University. The event, which is a showcase of the best of Black College football, will take place...

This year we are hosting Thanksgiving dinner at my house; my parents are driving up from China, Texas; my sister and brother who live locally will be joining us along with their families; and we are having a few friends over as well. Over the years, I have noticed that our Thanksgiving meals started to become real elaborate, and we started having a lot of fancy casseroles and dishes that I could not pronounce.  So, I decided to go back to my roots with the Thanksgiving meal “China Style”:  Traditional baked turkey, deep fried turkey, Cajun dirty rice, cornbread dressing, and other side dishes and desserts that I grew up with.

 

When my wife sent out the electronic invitation, we got back some great responses, and everyone was excited about what we decided to do. So it’s going to be very nice to have Thanksgiving with my family like old times. And the other tradition in the Guillory house hold on Thanksgiving Day is watching the Dallas Cowboys; that’s one thing that has never changed no matter how fancy the meal gets.

 

Hope you all have a Happy and safe Thanksgiving.

No matter what your current situation is, you can always find someone and/or something that brings a smile to your face and inspires you to give thanks.  If you were to make a list of all the people and things in your life for which you are grateful, how long would it be?  As Thanksgiving approaches, I've been reflecting on my own "Thanksgiving List," and if I were to reveal all the people and things in my life that bring me joy and happiness, this blog post would go on for hours.  So for today, I'll just say that I'm thankful for health, loving family and friends, and the opportunity to work for the greatest airline on the planet.  What’s on your Thanksgiving List?

Family, the smell of pinion in the outside air, homemade cheeseballs for snacking, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, football on the tv all day, family, mom's big black turkey pan that she has used since I can remember, the china and crystal place setting we see twice a year, family, the STUFFING (my fav), my sister-in-law's sweet potato stuff with the gooey marshmallow topping, my dad eating a dozen rolls himself, family, the urge to dress up my sweatpants so I look nice and can grow in the mid area, feeding the leftovers to the dogs and cats, mimosas, naps, and family.   These are just a few of things that make my memories so happy when I think of Thanksgiving.  

We continue our special Thanksgiving week posts with more thoughts on the holiday from our Blog Team. 

 

I admit that, in the past, I have taken Thanksgiving for granted, but not since 1991.  Here’s why.  For the month of November 1991, I had the incredible opportunity to work in Paris (France—not Texas!).  My former employer, Delta Air Lines, had just purchased most of Pan Am’s European routes, and they needed experienced Employees to work alongside the former Pan Am folks.  I had always wanted to work for an airline, so I put my name in the hat and was assigned Paris.  My time at Orly Airport was incredible, and I got to walk the ramp among so many airlines that I had only read about like Air Algerie, Royal Air Maroc, Middle East Airlines (MEA), and Iran Air (they had a Concorde model in Iran Air livery in their ramp office).  For the airplane geeks out there, I saw some rare aircraft including some charter Caravelles, MEA’s Boeing 707s on the Paris-Beirut route, and a DC-10 leased by Cubana, but the rarest of all were the Dassault Mercures of Air Inter (the domestic French airline) running out their last few weeks of service.  Only ten Mercures were built (even fewer than Concorde), and its nickname was the “French 737.”

Since it was November, it meant I would be spending Thanksgiving away from home, and it was just another work day in France.  Even though my French Coworkers treated me fantastically, I think that was the most homesick I felt during the month I was away.  Thanksgiving is the holiday that expresses the ideals that makes America great and unique, and you don’t realize that until you are away from her shores.  After that Thanksgiving, I made a vow to never be away from home on that date, and for 16 straight years, I have kept that vow, even when I had to fly home standby during a strike by American Airlines.  It took a creative routing, but I made it home.

I left Paris on a grey day in early December, and a flood of emotions washed over me as the big L-1011 lifted off from Orly’s runway.  I guess my feelings were pretty evident because as I cleared Customs in the Atlanta Airport, the inspector handed my passport back and gave me a heartfelt, “Welcome home!”  That is the only time I have had a Customs Inspector tell me that, and it took me back a second.  I recovered quickly and said:  “Thank you!  It is good to be home.”