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Charleston: Ready or Not, Here We Come!

Ana
Employee
Employee

After a lot of planning, hard work, and FUN we are finally ready to bring Southwest to Charleston, South Carolina! We’ve got some great activities lined up to celebrate this new relationship and we can’t wait to show the Lowcountry some LUV this weekend.

In fact, we started the celebration last night with about 350 Community Leaders who gathered at the Francis Marion Hotel for the Charleston County School District’s “An Evening with the Stars” Winter Gala.  

In collaboration with the Coastal Community Foundation, Southwest supported this night of celebration that included a gourmet dinner, music by The Joe Clark Big Band, Carolina Swag dancing (the official state dance of South Carolina), as well as a live auction complete with a special Southwest Airlines Vacation Package and trips to Nashville and San Diego that were awarded to the highest bidder. In fact, Brennen Daughtery and Michael Melton won both silent and live auction packages—a trip for two to San Diego including a hotel stay at the US Grant and two more roundtrip Southwest tickets that they were excited to use for a future vacation.

In recognition of the Charleston County School District’s quality educators, the gala proceeds will also allow for professional development by funding a Teacher Quality Symposium, aimed at improving student achievement and teacher effectiveness via coaching and job training.  One teacher from each school in the district was recognized for his or her outstanding work and awarded a little gold statue while the crowd applauded their accomplishments.   In honor of all teachers in attendance, we surprised one lucky teacher, Caley Jones, and announced that she was the grand prize winner--from a random drawing of all teachers in attendance—of two roundtrip tickets on Southwest Airlines.  It was a wonderful night to celebrate and thank the “STARS” of the evening— Charleston County School District Teachers!

This photo and the one above courtesy Jennifer Bearden

Tonight the celebration continues with a party at Southend Brewery for all 40 new Southwest Airlines Charleston Employees. Everyone loves a good costume party, so we’ll have a Roaring 20’s theme full of flappers and gangsters!

Saturday marks our Ferry Flight from Dallas to Charleston where Employee volunteers will be jetting off to join the FUN and be welcomed by a pep rally celebration at the airport! We are so excited to fly one of our SWA birds into Charleston and show them how to have a good time…Southwest style.

We won’t stop there, though. Saturday night we will host a progressive party in conjunction with Firefly Sweet Tea, hopping from place to place to show off all Charleston has to offer. Invited guests will enjoy fun specialty cocktails and appetizers at three locations throughout the night in honor of our nonstop markets!

After celebrating the Customers on our first flights out of Charleston on Sunday morning, we will show the Charleston community that Southwest truly cares by volunteering at the MUSC Children's Hospital and the Ronald McDonald House. Volunteers will be serving lunch, donating toys and pillowcases, and painting rooms and decorating rooms.

We’ll host a press conference on Monday officially commencing our start of service to the Lowcountry.  That’s a lot of LUV packed into one weekend and we are so excited to get to Charleston and show them we are here to stay!

7 Comments
Kyle_Patrick
Explorer C
Sounds great! As a South Carolinian, I know it's going to be a wonderful thing to have your presence in the Palmetto State. But, being a die hard South Carolinian, I gotta correct that official dance name to the Carolina SHAG, not SWAG. Just wanted to help you guys out! GO SOUTHWEST!
betsy11
Explorer C
The official SC State Dance is "The Shag"...... not "the Swag"...... LUV Southwesat Airlines!!
Anna_D_
Explorer C
Looks like a whole lot of fun in true SWA style! Miss the fun of opening a new city. Good luck Ana! Looks like you've already kicked it off properly!
Cindy_Russell
Explorer C
I want to go to Charleston! My grandbabies live there. We live in San Antonio and are so glad that you are flying to Charleston, SC now. I hope to go there soon.
Ann10
Explorer C
Welcome to Charleston! I hope that you will consider starting non-stop service to Newark/Liberty airport instead of having to go to from here to Chicago and then on to Newark and on the way back having to stop in Baltimore first. There are many, many people who go from here to the NY/NJ area airports who would benefit from non-stop service. Plus, as much as I really do love Southwest, having flown them before, I have found that out of our Charleston airport, Continental Airlines has a non-stop to Newark for less money than Southwest. I was rather disappointed to see that. Although I'd rather have a non-stop, I'd be willing to put up with the 1 stop each way if the price was much lower than Continental. I thought Southwest was the low fare airline?? Was so looking forward to flying with you but I guess it won't happen and I'll be staying with Continental. What a shame and a letdown.
Sharon_Crommett
Explorer C
I am SO glad that Southwest is serving Charleston! I fly from Charleston to Southern California two or three times a month and now that SW is here I will fly only SW from now on! Now I don't have to drive to Jacksonville just so that I can fly SW!
janice_woodside
Explorer C
What a let down i use to love swa but now looking at fare going from lax to charleston more expensive than delta aa and united.......... VERY EXSPENSIVE