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Southwest Airlines Community

A New Look for southwest.com

cbarrett1
Explorer A
Starting today (Monday, January 15), you will see a new look on our primary web site, southwest.com. All of the most popular booking features are right there on the home page. With a single link, you can access Book a Flight, Check-In Online, Check Flight Status, and View or Change Your Flight. In addition, you have clear access to your MySouthwest account from the new home page, and because Southwest is all about low fares, our new "Fly For Less" page will allow you to find the most up-to-date specials. If you are interested in the latest news about Southwest (and I am guessing that most of you are since you read our blog), visit the "What's New" page. We have also revamped the menus at the top of the home page so you can easily find more Special Offers, Rapid Rewards information, and Travel Tools. We want the home page to belong to you, and the page will feature photos from our Customers and Employees. As a big fan of this blog and having read most of our Customer letters over the past almost 36 years, I know how creative you are, and now, southwest.com offers you the opportunity to contribute your favorite Southwest travel photos. Please stay tuned to the site for details. Like any innovation, the new southwest.com is the result of a lot of hard work by our Marketing and Technology Employees, and you have had a hand in the redesign of the site. We used your feedback, along with surveys, focus groups, usability tests, and web site reviews to incorporate a design that features what you value most: improved ease of usage and quick access to the information that you need the most through a simplified layout. If you haven't done so yet, take a gander at the new southwest.com, and while you are there, why not take advantage of our low fares by booking a fun trip to a new destination?
73 Comments
Joan6
Explorer C
I luv the changes!
FriendofBlogBoy
Frequent Flyer B
Colleen, I just took a gander... WOW! It looks cool! As time permits, I'll have to check it out more thoroughly, but I'm impressed so far! One minor suggestion: how about a "search" field on the home page? More when I have time! Thanks for the fantastic update, Kim 🙂
scott_bogdan
Explorer C
the look and feel of the new site is very clean and efficient. i would recommend reducing the size of the main body of the landing page (i.e. book a flight, check in online...) so it does not require you to scroll down to see the entire page. my personal preference would be to have the "my southwest" at the top rather than the bottom. in any case, i love the site and think you have the best one from a functional standpoint
Donna2
Explorer C
The new look is great and finding things is so easy! However, the home page doesn't fit neatly into my screen, so i have to scroll up/down and side to side to read the page. Is there anyway to make it fit better?
Jeff_Minor
Explorer C
I love the new look. Fabulous! I also have to say how much I like flying your airline. If you look at the last year, you can see I fly it a ton. Anytime I have to travel to one of our offices that isn't in a city Southwest services, I always think, WHEN WILL THEY GET HERE?!?!?! Thanks, Jeff
Michael_Freedma
Explorer C
This revamped website is a absolutely so much better! Everything is right at your fingertips and so it is easier to select what you need to do. Congradulations to the staffers who worked on this.
Norma_Morse
Explorer C
Your New Look is Great! Much easier! As usual Southwest Soars Higher all the time. Norma
Troy_Farrell
Explorer C
I like the new look. It is cleaner, brighter and more welcoming. The tableless design is wonderful. That having been said, it is invalid XHTML, so it has the wrong DOCTYPE. Element names need to be lowercase and link, image, and br elements (to note a few) need to be closed. The XHTML XML namespace attribute is missing, but the java namespace is defined (oddly.) My hands are not clean, though, as I send XHTML 1.1 as text/html. http://www.w3.org/MarkUp/2004/xhtml-faq#mime11 All things considered, it is much better. Well done.
Nancy_Batten
Explorer C
I like the look, but can't book a flight using the Mozilla browser! Please fix your website. Thanks
Geoff2
Explorer C
Like the new look! One suggestion from a web product manager... I think the core use case for the majority of people coming to the site is to look up prices/book a flight. I'd have the book a flight option pre-selected so that the form div is displayed by default when a user comes to the site. Otherwise, it's nice.
Anne_Rock
Explorer C
I would like to echo the thoughts above. Reduced the size of the navigation buttons on the right so the viewer doesn't have to scroll to find everything. I'd like My Southwest at the top too. I use it every time I visit the site. I like the Travel Alert in the top banner area. LUV the idea of posting customers travel pictures. Way to go SW......you are my favorite!!
Leah3
Adventurer B
I LUV the new look! I was surprised to see it; it looks great! 🙂
JillSH
Explorer C
Great new look. I love the big type! (great for old eyes)
joe-mdw-plane-d
Frequent Flyer C
What a surprise when I went to check flight status this morning. Well, 2 actually. One was the new homepage and the other was all of the first dtw departures were cancelled. I like the new design. Those with screensize problems... Have you tried resizing your desktop? The webmaster could put "site best viewed in 1040x580 " or whatever the size is. Joe
Marc31
Explorer C
congrats on the new look! it's been awhile and I'm sure it was very difficult to get it launched. I love it!
Marc31
Explorer C
"and now, southwest.com offers you the opportunity to contribute your favorite Southwest travel photos. Please visit the site for details." where can we find this new feature???
Rob_Ross
Explorer C
Nice job on the website; sleek and clean. The drop downs are much faster when checking flight status. Thanks for all you do1 rob
Kevin211
Explorer A
Nice home page, Speaking of pics from the Customers and Employees. How about a Photo Gallery?
Carolyn11
Explorer C
I am loving the new site layout! Another winner from Southwest!
David39
Explorer C
The new look is great - you've updated your website - I sure wish that you'd update your flight schedule now. I've flown SWA for years - my family has flown SWA for the last five consecutive years for our annual vacation at the end of May - in three of the last five years, we've booked our tickets by now (1/24/03, 1/4/04, 1/12/05, and 1/2/06) - As of the 16th of January, 2007 - you're still only taking reservations through 5/10/07. Why? I could book passage on every other airline EXCEPT SWA to where I'm going. Are you guys just trying to help Delta out of bankruptcy?
Troy_Farrell
Explorer C
Regarding the booking of flights in Firefox 2, it's a bug in the HTML. If you change the form submission input to be closed (i.e., from to ) then the form works properly. It's amazing what well formed documents will do! I'm really surprised this slipped through. In my web development team, we're always being reminded to test in IE as we all use Firefox when coding.
Connie3
Explorer C
You've come of age...both on your new website as well as the big 40!! The sight looks great and it's easy to find things. What makes you cool is your kids know you have a blog....way cool.....
blusk
Aviator C
Hi Marc, The details about submitting photos will be coming shortly on southwest.com. Stay tuned for details. Brian
Keezer
Explorer C
Hi Everyone, I'm glad to hear so much positive feedback regarding our new homepage design! As for those who are inquiring about the Customer photos that will be submitted, we are working hard to finish up the photo gallery so that we can begin accepting them. We can't wait to see all of the fantastic photos and hope to have the information posted very soon. Thanks! Kelly
Barbara8
Explorer C
My daughter recently moved to the Los Angles area from the suburbs of Philadelphia....need I say more??? Southwest was our choice to transport us and her belongs, that fit in 8 suitcases and 2 carry-ons to her new location. There will be many more flights back and forth as she loves it there. We have always found that Southwest has the best prices and the most enjoyable flights. Keep up the good work. I also have a great shot after taking off at LAX of The Pacific and the towns around Manhattan Beach.
Juli
Explorer C
I have to agree with David's comment from yesterday. I have never encountered such a delay in the scheduling of Southwest's fares as I am now. Every other carrier has their fares posted through September while Southwest has yet to complete their May schedule. What is the delay??
Anne_Llewellyn
Explorer C
I was on a business trip a few weeks ago and connected through Tampa on my way to Fort Lauderedale. The plane took off on time, but once we were up in the air, the pilot noted that there was some mechanical trouble and we would need to land in Tampa. Needless to say, the packed plane was NOT happy. Southwest did a good job at re-scheduling all of us onto the next 3 flights. As I checked in the same day as travel, I was booked on the last flight (10:30pm). A few weeks later, I received a letter in the mail with a voucher for $125.00 for my inconvenience. Needless to say I was shocked that any airline would do that. This is just one of the many reasons why Southwest is #1! Thank you for being considerate of your passengers safety as well as their time! Anne Llewellyn, RN.C, MS, BHSA, CCM, CRRN Editor in Chief Dorlandhealthcare Information 954-254-2950
Vicki4
Explorer C
I like the new look! It looks so clean and neat!
Rocco_Cappeto
Explorer C
You guys are missing a great opportunity! Your customers can be your best advertisers. Why don't you ask us why we fly SWA instead of other airlines. Regardless of your "low cost airline" reputation, that's not why most of us fly you. Put real people in your ads telling everybody your merits. The top reasons I fly SWA are (not in any order): 1. A real person answers the phone. 2. The web-site is great! 3. Non-assigned seating gets butts in the seats and keeps them there. No lollygagging because "my seat is reserved". 4. The door of the plane opens right away when the plane gets to the the gate. 5. All fares are one-way. 6. There is no penalty for changing flights (stuff happens in life, especially on business trips). I do miss the old days of PSA when flights between SFO & LAX were $16 and came in coupon books which were taken at the door of the plane by stewardesses in hot pants but, short of that, SWA is the BEST.
sha
Explorer C
The new page looks great! One suggestion - change "Travel Tools" to "Travel Center"
Mark7
Explorer C
Your redesigned website looks good. One small error I noticed is that in the Check In Online box it states "Your Confirmation Number uses the letter O and I ...". I think it should be "letters" instead of "letter". For that matter, why don't you just convert the zero and one to I and O automatically since zero and one are never used? Then the customer doesn't have to deal with the issue.
annette1
Explorer C
Your new home page design is so much more intuative and excellent in the usability area. As a human factors specialist I am very impressed with the new look and the ease of functionality.
Pat_Deasy
Explorer C
Kudos to the Baggage Handlers! I want to "THANK" all of the Baggage Handlers for flights 2644 (8:05AM from Phoenix) and 123 (2:30PM from Nashville) on 12/20/06. It was Christmas time and I'm sure there was a lot more luggage being handled yet my package made it without incidence. I had a box packed with 7 kinds of Christmas cookies for a total of almost 800 to be used as gifts back East. We labeled the box: FRAGILE, Please Handle with Care. This box made it across the country through two airports completely unscathed and I'm sure it was touched be several individuals. Everyone handling this box deserves a lot of credit. The Southwest staff treated my box as if it was their own and I am extremely appreciative. Everyone told me that all of the cookies would be crushed and broken by the time they made it to their destination. I was thrilled to be able to prove that SW took good care of the cookies. All of the baggage handlers on those flights deserve to be recognized for their efforts during this busy season!! Thanks to all involved!! Pat and Don Deasy
Tony_Whitman
Explorer C
I'm disappointed in your new look. The photo is beautiful, but now the "Book a Flight" part of your website looks just like USAirways or any other dumb airline. What a bummer! I liked the old look MUCH better, and I loved jumping right into the lists of cities, without needing to click & drop down on "From" and "To."
Jon4
Explorer C
Your new homepage is great, but what about the rest of the site? It's generally not a good idea to have a global navigation differ so much between the homepage and the rest of the website. I also think the book a flight on the homepage should just go directly to the old booking system. It has always been really easy to use, why alter it?
Mike12
Explorer C
i don't like it, just because you change it does not mean it is better. Must be some job justification going on a Southwest!!!
Valerie_Smith
Explorer C
Wow! This is quite the update - and one that will take a bit of getting used to, especially as I need to scroll back and forth to follow the links and book my tickets (ok, I know I need a new computer/monitor). Here are a couple of suggestions: 1) Have a "Home" link on every page, so that if we have to start over, we don't have to put southwest.com in the url window. 2) Add an e-mail contact link on your Contact Us page, so that we can offer our comments. Sometimes we want to call you; other times, we want to e-mail you. Thank you, at least, for having a real person answer the phone in a reasonable amount of time; that's a godsend in this increasingly automated world. Valerie Smith Chicago
Michael_Leggett
Explorer C
I too agree with David's comments. Love the new site, but PLEASE, for the love of God, UPDATE YOUR FLIGHT SCHEDULE! We're past 4 months... I've called the 1-800 number and custom service in Dallas... and all I'm told is, "we don't know" and "download Ding". My wedding is in mid May (N. California) and 90% of the guests are from out of town. We're all waiting on you to update your flight schedule and many are getting antsy as everyone else's rates increase. 😞
Chris3
Explorer A
Is there any chance that the system will be interfacing with web sites like Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, etc.?
Venkatesh
Explorer C
Colleen, thanks for the update. I like the new website. I had a suggestion for the "DIng". It is difficult for users like me who are always travelling to use DING since we log onto internet from different PCs/devices. I would like to suggest that ding should integrate with AIM/Yahoo/MSN. I should be able to add "Ding user" as a buddy, so the alerts are delivered over any of the above mentioned IM networks. This also alleviates the need to install DING on every PC the user uses. Since using this approach would involve just adding another "buddy" in IM, I am sure more users will be interested. Rgds
Judy_Ross
Explorer C
Great job on your new look. Very functionaly and easy to navigate. Even your e-mail confirmation is the best!!! The link to the "check in online" and all the information needed is laid out in a 100% improved format compared to the old confirmation look. Keep up the great work. My favorite airline. E-mail link on the contact page is a good idea too.
Robert_Perino
Explorer C
I like the look of the new web site, but since you still wont allow bookings past May 10, I havent been able to use it. I have been needing to make some reservations for the last week of May for 2 months now. You have had a May 10 cutoff date up for over 2 months. Are you going to stop flying after may 10? Why havent you changed this cutoff date. Im sure there are a lot of people that want to finalise their summer vacation plans as I do. You are keeping us from doing that.
Jennifer18
Explorer C
I love the look. The pictures and icons are great. I do agree about adding the option to make reservations further out than just 2 months.
Annette4
Explorer C
My family has been trying to plan a trip for the past 3 months and your May 10 schedule cutoff is making that hard to do. We really prefer to fly this airline, since we have for the past 4 years. I think you guys are losing alot of money by not having your schedule available. But it seems as if you should know that, being that some of your competitors have had their schedule available since the later part of last year
Elizabeth_Downe
Explorer C
Waaay cool web site upgrade!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Luv it! 🙂
Bill
Employee
Employee
Annette, Sorry to delay your travel planning!!! We realize we're a little different in our availability timing (the "booking window") than the other guys--hopefully we'll be worth your wait. In fact, I'm doing a blog piece on this very subject that should be posted in a week or so. However--just so you'll know--we are TENTATIVELY planning to make May, as well as June, July, and most of August, available for booking on or about February 8. This date can change, which is why we don't typically publicize it. Look for my blog piece explaining the "method to our madness" soon! Bill
Elaine10
Explorer C
What a great "up-dated" look !! Southwest is the only airline my husband and I use. Great prices, courteous flight attendants and pilots. THANKS
Steve11
Explorer C
Bill: Your response on the schedule simply is not acceptable. Southwest has an obligation to its loyal customers to put out a decent schedule. The current schedule ends May 10. Your proposed date of Feb.8 would leave less than 3 full months on the schedule (with a 28 day February). That is too short and will force many of us to book elsewhere. Perhaps the current fares are too low. Perhaps you want us to book elsewhere so we don't accumulate more RR credits and redeem more free flights. Maybe you and your co-workers have a different agenda. I don't know, nor do I care. But its time to expand the schedule NOW through the end of May (and Memorial Day weekends) This is the shortest schedule in recent memory. "Sorry to delay your travel planning!!! We realize weÃ
m__landis
Explorer C
I can't believe you don't have calendar widgets on your front page reservations! you expect people to know the exact dates and sequencing for trips, especially when they are trying to figure timeframes and don't have a calendar in front of them? This is bad GUI! you need to have your web designer go back to web design 101. sorry but if you look at most web sites....they have this feature...its a no brainer. :-)
Jim13
Adventurer C
The new home page is clean, bold and pleasant on the eyes. But like all new things, there are a few areas that could be improved. 1 - The scroll down city list used at http://www.southwest.com/cgi-bin/buildItinerary2?src=bktrvl_gn (the 'old' system) is easier than the drop down list on the "Book A Flight" tab at the new home page. I know spacing is tight since the customer photo takes up so much real estate on the home page, but it is doable. 2 - When I use the calendar icon to choose my departure date, today's date is highlighted - that is correct. But when I use the calendar icon to choose the return date, today's date is still the default. The correct default for the return date should be one to four days beyond my departure date. It is done that way on the old system. 1+2 - I would rather click the "Book Travel" top tab (which takes me to the old system) than the "Book A Flight" tab. 3 - Checking in. Somebody above made a suggestion about zero and one and the letters I and O - couldn't you remove the letters I and O from the alphabet that creates confirmation numbers? Then there will never be any confusion. 4 - The "My Southwest" needs to be a sixth tab across the top. 5 - Why not put a link to this blog on your home page?