A LUV Story

[cbarrett1]

One of my favorite holidays is Valentine's Day, but it always raises one of those internal "chicken or the egg"dilemmas  with me.  Do I like it so much because of Southwest's LUV associations with the holiday?  Or, are those associations the result of my love of Valentine's Day?  The answer is "yes."  Both are correct, and I wrote about this in my Spirit magazine column last February. I want to share it here because you probably have seen the word "LUV" associated with Southwest Airlines in some regard.  However,  if you are new to Southwest or, even better,  a new Customer (and by the way, what took you so long?), you may be puzzled by this association.  Since we are running other St. Valentine's Day posts this week, I thought this would be a good time to explain how this "LUV Story" came to be. Almost 37 years ago, our first jets took flight from our home, Dallas Love Field.  Although we do everything possible to show how much we love our Customers, the airport's name has nothing to do with romance or geniality because its origin goes back to 1913 when Army First Lieutenant Moss Lee Love was killed in a training accident in San Diego.  To honor him, the Army named their Dallas aviation facility, Dallas Love Field.  When we became the "new kids on the block" in 1971, we had a lot of fun with the airport's name.  Society and the airline industry were much different then, and we needed to establish our own personality built around FUN and our uniqueness.  Back then, only businessmen traveled by air on a regular basis, and we thus clad our "sexy" (not considered a bad word in the 70s) Flight Attendants in hot pants and go-go boots.  Our onboard "menu" included "Love Bites" (peanuts) and "Love Potions" (cocktails), and the cash registers that dispensed our tickets were known as "Love Machines." Obviously, the world has changed a lot since 1971, and while we are proud of our mildly "racy" past, we have matured as a Company, in much the same way that love evolves from physical attraction to emotional attachment.  Likewise, "Southwest Love" has evolved into "LUV" (which also became our stock symbol in 1975).  Today's LUV has nothing to do with double entendre and has everything to do with compassion, joy, and Family. We absolutely LUV what we do--getting you to your destination safely, affordably, comfortably, and with a smile on your face.  LUV is the compassion and joy we share with each other and with you.  Acting from the heart, even something as simple as saying "thank you" or "we're sorry," defines LUV. Most of all, LUV is a passion for the Freedom to Fly Revolution that we started in 1971.  Needless to say, we are head over heals in LUV with you, no matter if you have just started "courting" us or if you have been a "part of the family" for years.  So, once again this February 14th, I join with the 33,000+ Southwest Employees in asking you to be our Valentine.

[joe-mdw-plane-d]

Thank you Colleen and happy valentines day to you! Ding! boy joe!

[Diane_Chesla]

Hi Colleen! I read your Valentine's story with great enthusiasm & a big smirk on my face. I started a very funny company - dirty girls run - that has morphed into -dirty runner - this year. I could soooooo relate to what you're saying. We have a TON of fun being goofy and LOVE is one of the values that we promote in funny ways. Valentine's Day, for example, was the day race registration opened for my trail race here in Canada & we gave gals who signed up leg gaiters that have a "Sweet Tart" pattern! Funny, yes, but bottom line is that anyone that interacts with my company is treated like gold!!!! Values are the core of what makes us strong & attracts people to our events/products. Thanks for being a leader in the field of marketing innovation with a sound base in what you truly believe!!! diane

[kelli-bartlett-]

Colleen, We all know you are the heart of Southwest Airlines, and we LUV you more than you will ever know! I enjoyed your cute story. Thank you for the little history lesson. I never knew the reason behind the name of Dallas Love Field. Happy Valentine's Day to our #1 Sweetheart! With Love Always, Kelli

[FriendofBlogBoy]

Happy Valentine's Day and Best Wishes to Colleen and all of my dear friends at Southwest Airlines!! With LUV, Kim External Blog Boy 🙂

[Pat_Pardee]

I loved you story and wanted to comment on fights 1476 and 39 from Tulsa to Dallas to Midland that we had taken last week. My husband is on crutches with a broken ankle and everyone was so helpful getting him on and off the plane which he insisted on doing without a wheel chair. We always luv flying Southwest and were so grateful for all the kindness. Thanks Pat Pardee

[bob_hopkins]

I have been flying to florida every year for the past 16 years. I was very excited when Southwest started to schedule flights out of albany, NY. Well, it has been about 10 years now and I have never found flights that were cheaper than USAir, Contiental, or any other airlineflying out of Albany. What is the deal with you guys? Bob

[Carol_Lynn_Wood]

Dear Colleen, I was able to experience the LUV your company shows when I interviewed a few weeks ago. The interview team was kind and attentive. And all of the employees I ran into were warm and friendly. I certainly felt at home at SWA. I met you a few years ago during a SWA open house. I didn't have any expectations, and was blown away by your company's energy and fun. I didn't know who you were when I met you, but you were so nice to me. Later I realized who you were and was flabergasted. It shows you care. I was just a pilot with a few hundred hours of time back then. Since then it has been my mission to build my time so I could apply for a job with SWA. I hope to join this awesome organization. Thank you for all the care you have shown your employees and me. And thanks to the interview board for giving me this opportunity. LUV, Carol Wood