North Texas (and Southwest) Welcomes the NBA All Stars

[mmillice]

Happy NBA All-Star 2010 Weekend!!! 

We couldn’t be more excited that our good friends at the NBA picked our hometown to host their premier event!

We kicked off the weekend yesterday with our President Emeritus, Colleen Barrett, and NBA Legend, Spud Webb.  Together, they checked Customers in for flights at Dallas' Love Field Airport in the snowy weather, and the surprised one of our deserving Rapid Reward Members with tickets to All-Star Saturday Night and to the All-Star game on Sunday.  We handed out basketball-shaped cookies, and Spud Webb handed out autographed basketballs and pictures.  Check out the video.

As the Official Airline of the NBA, we thought we should really have some fun with our Customers and Employees. We held several different contests and sweepstakes on southwest.com, rewarded Rapid Reward Members and SWA Biz Customers, and can’t wait for All-Star Saturday Night and for the All-Star game Sunday.  Some very lucky fans in a very lucky section will be surprised Saturday Night, and 4500 lucky fans at Cowboys Stadium will receive a token of our love.

We’re also trying some fun new things with our great partner. If you go to the schedule page on www.nba.com you’ll see our Southwest Airlines travel button.  In one easy step you can follow your favorite NBA team on the road. 

Maybe if you’re lucky, you’ll be following your team on the road on Slam Dunk One!  In 2005, to commemorate our relationship with the NBA, Southwest painted one of our Boeing 737’s in an NBA theme.  If you’re in Dallas this weekend, you’ll see Slam Dunk One flying in and out of Love field. 

(Photo is from our Flickr group and was taken by "SWA Blog Boy.")

Hope you have a great weekend!

Welcome to Dallas NBA fans!  We’re glad you’re here.

[Jeramy_Brian2]

GO LAKERS. 2010 NBA CHAMPS BABY!

[No_Longer_Your_]

Because of the Kevin Smith situation, I will NEVER fly with your company again. I've used your poor services several times this year and have dealt with the terrible customer service because it's slightly cheaper. I'm with Jet Blue from now on.

[Anonymous206]

Gosh, how could Southwest possibly fly professional football and basketball players? Many of them---especially football players---are far to large to conform with Southwest and other US airline standards regarding passenger size. Perhaps Southwest just kicks off fat people who appear to be unknowns. Every time planes are remodeled US airline companies seem to reduce the passenger space in coach a little more. Meanwhile, Americans are getting larger. At the same time, they develop more and more ways to charge passengers extra after the passengers are hooked to non-refundable tickets. With all the hassles airlines are giving customers, is it any wonder they are losing customers. It gets easier and faster to ride trains and buses every year. Amtrak doesn't frisk you nor pat you down or charge you for extra bags or leave you sitting in a cramped up position without a bathroom or food for hours and hours or kick you off after they have taken your money because you are fat or make you sit in a seat 14 inches wide with only 15 inches of knee room or subject you to body scan ex-rays or take your toothpaste away from you or change your schedule at the last minute so you miss your arrival time or do any of a hundred other insulting and rude things you have to suffer to fly. By the way Southwest and other commerical airline executives in America, you should take a trip in coach on Singapore Airline to see how a quality airline operation provides space and service for its customers. Alaska Air is the only US company I have found that comes even remotely close to Singapore for service and even Alaska's First Class Accommodations are only about equal to those that Singapore provides in coach. But, then, Singapore doesn't spend two-thirds of its gross income on executive salaries and bonuses so it can afford to treat passengers better. The best way to deal with irrational airline policies or rude treatment is to simply publicize it widely and encourage others to refuse to use their services. Over 25 years ago United Airline employees treated my wife and I badly on several different trips. I wrote long complaints to the company on two separate dates and called to complain without success. I included a promise that if the company did not address my concern, I would stop using United Airline. When I received no response, I advised all the people I managed that I would not sign a travel authorization on United unless there was absolutely no other alternative, and I have stuck with that for over 25 years. I imagine United has lost well over $200,000 in travel as a result. Not a large amount for United, but I assume that thousands of others in the country have taken similar action and contributed to United's financial failure. I suggest that heavy people who are abused by airlines pass the information along the internet, and all other fat people avoid buying tickets on the offending airlines. Maybe eventually airlines who value customers will begin to provide considerate space and service to all customers.....not just skinny ones and kids.

[JS]

If you listen to Kevin Smith's discussion at smodcast, he explains that when he was put on a later flight he had a second seat per the SWA fat rules. there was a large girl sitting on the other side of the empty seat in the "aisle" seat, and the SWA flight attendants pulled the girl off the plane and told her that SHE would also have to pay for another seat due to her fatness, EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS THE EMPTY, UNUSED SEAT BETWEEN HER AND KEVIN SMITH.... THERE WAS NO ONE SITTING IN THE EMPTY SEAT NEXT TO HER. She wasn't invading anyone's space, the flight attendants were just being rude and disrespectful to a customer because they feel empowered to be so. Southwest is just the worst. Cheap tickets = rude, cheap service.

[Holly4]

Hmmm.... wonder if you will kick off the football players! Some of those guys are *gasp* obese. And we know you won't throw out the NBA players for being too tall. Your company will go under because of your sizeist mentality toward average large people. The writing is on the wall. Good luck. Holly

[rch]

I agree with the policy!!!!They only people who are upset by it are the over weight and over sensitive people. I paid for a full seat not 2/3 of one. If you are big and want to go somewhere buy two seats or take the bus! Stop holding up the boarding by trying to wedge yourself into a seat you don't fit in. If you wear a size 13 shoe then don't buy a size 6 and complain to the salesman because you don't fit!