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The movie buff in you probably recognizes the parallel of the title of this video and the movie Snakes on a Plane, but does the historian in you make the connection of the actual St. Patrick and snakes?  Legend credits Patrick with banishing snakes from Ireland, though evidence suggests that the post-glacial island never had snakes. Enough about snakes and saints, this video is a fun look at two very fun LUVing Employees who were willing to dress up as Leprechauns and go out in public! ... View more

American Idol has become a juggernaut of American TV and has launched a number of similar shows in other countries—but if you want to experience American Idol without actually having to wait with thousands to audition, or know someone who works at Fox to get you in the TV audience, you need to go to Disney’s Hollywood Studios and the American Idol Experience in Orlando. (pictured above with the media in front.) The following is my first hand report to accompany my Red Belly Radio podcast about this event. It was sort of a last minute thing, I was asked to go to cover the event with Olga Romero from our Public Relations Department and one of our superstar Flight Attendants Bruce Campbell (pictured left with Mitch English from the Daily Buzz) to go interview and be interviewed at this year’s Disney Resort Showcase. As it worked out for me, the showcase was to feature the new American Idol Experience, and I am a huge fan of the show. (My boss had no idea.) It began with a parade. Each idol perched on the back of his or her own convertible was driven down the main street of the Disney Hollywood Studio theme park. (me pictured below Olga and Sanjayah) The Oscar’s and other award shows have red carpet—this one had blue. Not just any color blue—American Idol blue! After all of the Idols were driven down the carpet lined street waving and being interviewed by former Idol Kimberly Locke for Entertainment Tonight, they one-by-one got out, worked the line, and made their way into the theater. Lucky for me, we were already seated (on the fourth row—cool!) and got to see a lot of them come in. After a very funny comedian kicked off the event, the host (not the actual Ryan Seacrest, but a good facsimile) took over. He welcomed the crowd and instructed us to be very quiet, just as they do on the show before Ryan announces the now famous……”THIS, is American Idol!” So we all got quiet, the theme music started, and, of course, the real Ryan Seacrest made the announcement. Ryan kind of took over emceeing at this point, I guess he’s earned it, and introduced the five contestants who would be singing that night. These fab five had gone through the audition process earlier that day and wound up singing to what was the most musically and media-influential audience they will probably ever sing to. I can’t imagine the nerves they were feeling but they all sang very well. At 750 seats, the American Idol Experience Theater (right) is smaller than the Kodak Theater, but it looks like the real deal. You know that animated logo on American Idol that is several spinning concentric circles? Disney recreated them on each side of the stage—just like in the Kodak. That big arch of a video monitor that plays all the patterns of video behind the singers? Yep it’s there, too. And of course there are the judges. The three judges seemed to remind me of three other judges I have seen somewhere. The first judge typically proclaimed a solid performance and called the performers “Dawg.” The second judge was a pretty woman who commented on the outfits and "loved their spirit," and the third said what everyone is thinking. He happened to be a Brit, and he also happened to be named Simon. Coincidence? Is anything left to chance at Disney? While the contestants were singing, a camera operator jumped up on stage and ran around behind the singer to get the shot with the SteadyCam. Seeing the workings of the show is very different than watching it on TV—I have never been to an airing of the American Idol TV show, but I feel pretty safe in saying that the American Idol Experience is a LOT like actually going to Hollywood! They each took their turn singing and the audience watched a recap—just like on the show. Unlike the TV show, we used a keypad in the armrest of our seats to vote. They eliminated the bottom two, and then the third place, and then went to the old “And the winner will be announced after this!” On cue, the audience groans but we were well rewarded for the wait. (Pictured right: the five contestants, the three judges, and the two producers. The four in the front row are believed to be unknown gate crashers.) American Idol season seven winner David Cook came out and sang a song with his band. Then Carrie Underwood came out with her group, sang one song, and then started “Go your own way” by Fleetwood Mac and David Cook joined her to make it a duet.  Maybe because I had not heard the song in some time, or because I was so star-struck by Carrie (trust me, she looked good), or because I was just so pumped from the event, their version was fantastic! They went back to the show-at-hand and announced Mark Ellis as the winner. I talked to him later that night, and he was very excited and a real nice guy. He won the golden ticket which can put him at the front of the line at any real American Idol audition. As it works out, Mark will be testing one quality of the Experience. Anyone can audition and sing and even win, but if you are too old to actually be on the TV show, you can give your ticket to someone and they can attend the audition and laugh at the thousands waiting in line. So Mark, being the heck of a guy he is (and technically too old to be on the TV show), opted to give his go-to-the-head-of-the-line card to that night’s second place singer, Alaina. Back to the show: With David and Carrie already on stage there was only one thing left to do. Have you ever noticed that the winner of American Idol does not get some kind of trophy for their accomplishment? Well they do now. The other five Idols were brought out and presented with the new trophy, and all Idol winners going forward will receive one on the season finale. It was the first time all of the American Idols were assembled in one place. For details on what happened the next day, you will need to listen to Red Belly Radio. I talk with Chris Sligh, Phil Stacy, Brooke White, Melinda Doolittle, Mandisa, Jason Castro’s mom, and Taylor Hicks tells his story about how Southwest Airlines was responsible for his attending his Idol audition. Now for a few pictures: Me with who may be the nicest person I have ever met Brooke White from Season 7, me with David Archuleta (sort of) also from season 7, me with season 5 winner Taylor Hicks who can thank hurricane Katrina and Southwest Airlines for even getting t o the audition in Las Vegas that year.   It took several tries to get this picture. Mickey kept blinking!           ... View more

Length: 38:16 The longest Red Belly Radio episode yet, but it is also the best! I got to be one of 750 people in the very first American Idol Experience show at the Disney Hollywood Studios. ... View more

I’d like to thank the artist Prince (btw—his real first name) for making the decision to forsake that name and go by a symbol between 1993 and 2000. The symbol was unique and of course did not have a sound associated with it although there was a spelling of it:  O(+> which was really an emoticon that falls way south in popularity behind 😉 Any singer has to promote albums and such but no one could pronounce the symbol, this left media hosts needing to say something before introducing him. I remember David Letterman holding up the symbol to announce his musical guest that night—he made fun of it but you could tell it was awkward. I guess it was someone in the media who first coined “The Artist Formerly Known as Prince.” It was accurate, fulfilled his wish to not be called Prince yet identified the viewer as to who they were about to see. [asset|aid=410|format=image|formatter=asset|title=CSS01.jpg|width=300|height=252|resizable=true|align=right]Departments in large companies do not just go around changing their names on a whim. But when the duties of a department change over time, then a name change might be necessary. Introducing our newest department: Customer Support & Services! Can you guess their old name? Reservations. Can you guess what many Employees have been calling the group? Yep, “The Department Formerly Known as Reservations.” Partly as a tribute to “The Artist” as he was sometimes called, and partly because we are not used to saying Customer Support & Services or even CS&S. We will get there, just as people got used to calling Prince something different. On this episode of Red Belly Radio, I speak with Tammy Shafer about the change and how the Employees’ jobs have changed. One thing will stay the same, the phone number to contact Southwest Airlines 800 435 9792 which spells 800 I Fly SWA. Program it in your phone now so you will have it when you need it. Photo: T-shirt showing the dates of all of the Reservations centers' opening dates. ... View more

Length: 10:00 Departments in large companies do not just go around changing their names on a whim. But when the duties of a department change over time, then a name change might be necessary. Introducing our newest department: Customer Support & Services! Can you guess their old name? Reservations. Can you guess what many Employees have been calling the group? Yep, “The Department Formerly Known as Reservations.” ... View more

Red Belly Radio, used to be only for the Employees of Southwest Airlines. From time to time I pull from the archives and replay shows. This show was originally released in August of 2007. I wanted to replay this episode as part of Black History month but also because I just don’t think this group can get enough recognition. I am talking about the Tuskegee Airmen and those involved with the Tuskegee Aviation Experiment. The Tuskegee Airmen is the popular name for a group of almost 1,000 African American pilots who flew during World War II as the 332nd Fighter Group of the US Army Air Corps. Prior to the Tuskegee Airmen, no U.S. military pilots had been of African descent. The Airmen didn’t just fly missions; they flew them VERY well, escorting  bombing raids into Austria, Hungary, Poland, and Germany. In all, 992 pilots were trained in Tuskegee from 1940 to 1946; about 445 deployed overseas; and 150 Airmen lost their lives in training or combat.  After the war, all but one of them were forced to return to ground-based jobs due to racist hiring practices of the time. On this episode of Red Belly Radio, I interview one of the original Tuskegee Airmen and historian, Leroy Gilleed, about how the Airmen came about and the war for these men was not only fought overseas, but right here at home.  Also on this episode is Southwest Airlines Founder Herb Kelleher and Chicago Captain Lou Freeman,  the first African-American Chief Pilot for a commercial airline. Photos: Top, Lou Freeman, Southwest’s Chicago Chief Pilot and the first African-American Chief Pilot for a commercial airline, retired Lieutenant Colonel Robert Ashby, first Tuskegee Airmen commercial Pilot, and Herb Kelleher, unveiled a commemorative aircraft to honor the Tuskegee Airmen. Bottom: Tuskegee Airmen, Herb Kelleher, and John McCaa, in front of the commemorative aircraft honoring the Tuskegee Airmen. ... View more

In this episode of Red Belly Radio, Manager in Properties, Steve Sisnerios talks about our newest city to be announced. Actually, the Boston area is not new for us but Boston Logan (BOS) is a new airport! Also learn about the Boston Marathon and why the city is called Beantown. Hankering for a few quotes from Cheers? Yep, it’s in there. ... View more

I haven’t talked about it yet in Red Belly Radio, but I won a contest. Several months ago I learned that celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck was going to be opening a restaurant in Dallas. It was going in to the Reunion tower, which is a Dallas landmark; it rotates 360 degrees and has wonderful views over looking the city. The trouble was Wolfgang needed a name for his newest property so he held a contest. A Coworker of mine told me about it, and I thought about it for a day or two and submitted my ideas. A couple of months later I got an e-mail informing me that my name was selected! Cool! I am going to get to eat there once a month for a year, some cookware, and other stuff. But the fun part was the fancy party simply for e-mailing the name: 560 by Wolfgang Puck. (In reference to the height of the tower) After hanging out with (and interviewing Wolfgang for a future edition of Red Belly Radio) I was talking to my friend Laura, the one who told me about the contest to begin with. Who comes walking in the swankest new place in Dallas? Jason Castro! He’s the singer with the dred locks who got fourth place on American Idol in 2008! Cool! I’m in with the in crowd! Being a huge American Idol fan, I had to approach Jason. But what to say? I know, I’ll tell him that I am heading to Disney World and am going to the new American Idol Experience at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park. Of all the possible answers he could give, he said, “So am I!” Okay, now I know I’m hip. First podcasting for the world’s greatest airline, now this! What are the odds of my winning the contest, which enabled me to meet Jason to have a chance to see him again two days later as part of the team to represent Southwest airlines at Walt Disney World? I need to go to Vegas, no wait, I just got back from there and I lost $134. Maybe that doesn’t work. Southwest Airlines is a partner with Disney and I am at the resort showcase. That is where media from around the U.S. and UK and Canada come here to learn about all the new features that Disney is offering this year. I’ll be blogging and recording for future Red Belly Radio episodes so stay tuned. Later tonight, we will get to go to the American Idol Gala. I’m sure Simon and I will be hanging, and I’ll be able to ask Jason to come over and Simon will be impressed that I know him. Well, met him once. I am here with one of my Coworkers from Southwest Airlines named Bruce Campbell. (In the picture on the right) He is one of those Flight Attendants who likes to make his plane laugh. Very funny, quick with a come back and does impersonations such as Dr. Evil, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ross Perot ,and several more. This morning, Bruce was interviewed by Mitch (on the left) from the Daily Buzz—the nation-wide morning show and has been doing interviews with radio stations all morning. There is a cool feature that Disney is calling the Dream Player. There are videos featuring Bruce, and Disney will be adding new footage from the American Idol Gala tonight. I will be recording and trying to get interviews with the really beautiful people—those who flew Southwest to get here! ... View more

This episode of Red Belly Radio is from mobile studio N901WN, also known as one of our aircraft. But this aircraft is the first in our fleet with Wi-Fi! A group of Employees along with the company who developed the equipment, took a test flight recently. I interview Angela Vargo from Marketing, Doug Murri from Flight Ops Technologies, and Bill McNary the Vice President Business Development of AeroSat, the company who developed the satellite antenna. Photo: aircraft with radome cover. (The little bump on the right) ... View more

Did you know that Wi-Fi doesn’t actually stand for anything? Sure it sounds like Hi-Fi which is (was?) short for High Fidelity—as in better sound quality of stereo records over their monaural cousins. But the name “Wi-Fi” was invented by a company called Interbrand. It seems that the founding members of the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance, (who were later renamed the Wi-Fi Alliance) hired Interbrand to come up with something better than "IEEE 802.11b Direct Sequence" the original name of the technology. Interbrand also created "Prozac", "Compaq" "oneworld", and "Imation" among other company and product names.   [asset|aid=355|format=image|formatter=asset|title=UnderRadome.jpg|width=222|height=153|resizable=true|align=right]This episode of Red Belly Radio was recorded on mobile studio N901WN, also known as one of our aircraft. But this aircraft is the first in our fleet with Wi-Fi! A group of Employees along with representatives from the company who developed the equipment, took a test flight recently. Interviews include Angela Vargo from Marketing, Doug Murri from Flight Ops Technologies, and Bill McNary the Vice President Business Development of AeroSat, the company who developed the satellite antenna. The video this week was from the test flight where the podcast was recorded. The photo on the right is of the antenna with the radome cover removed. ... View more

The Adopt-A-Pilot program is for fifth-grade class rooms. It is where Southwest Airlines Pilots are "Adopted" and the Pilot teaches various aspects of being a pilot. This episode of Red Belly Radio cover the award presentation for the annual necktie design. ... View more

I won’t go on too much about the Adopt-A-Pilot program for fifth-grade classes or even the event that this week’s episode of Red Belly Radio covers...I’ll let blogger Casey Welch explain all that. What I will talk about is Daniel Bernoulli. The Bernoulli Principle is more than fun to say, it is part of the physics that keep our planes aloft. (Err, that’s all planes not just ours). I am considering an entire episode about this, but since Captain Stone mentions it in my interview with him and since I said that I was going to add some links, I thought I’d follow through with my promise and provide those here: This is a nice explanation from Discovery Channel on YouTube.com And for those of you who want to kick it old school or want to see what an enthusiastic TV physics professor of the early 1960 can bring, check out Julius Sumner Miller on YouTube.com ... View more

If you don’t know, winglets or blended winglets are those swooshy extensions that stick up at the tip of the wings. It seems that they do more than just look cool. Listen to this episode of Red Belly Radio to learn about the status of the addition of winglets to our fleet and how they help save fuel. ... View more

One of the dedicated Red Belly Radio listeners actually took me up on my suggestion and sent a show idea. And just to prove I actually read those emails I thought I’d try to get an answer. John Arvin wanted to know more about the winglets on our aircraft and I think I found an answer. No one would know better than the folks in our Maintenance Operation Center so I sat down with Shawn to try to get some answers. If you don’t know, winglets or blended winglets are those swooshy extensions that stick up at the tip of the wings. It seems that they do more than just look cool. Listen to this episode of Red Belly Radio to learn about the status of the addition of winglets to our fleet and how they help save fuel. ... View more

My guest is Jay from Ground Ops Training, and he walks us through an aircraft deicing and discloses the answer to what led me to seeking someone for this interview in the first place. Listen to learn what city uses the most deicing fluid in Southwest's 64-city route network. ... View more

Propylene glycol. Sounds fascinating, no? Is it a food additive? Is it used to regulate humidity in cigar humidors? Perhaps it is used to make artificial smoke such as you would find at your local night club? Maybe it is used in cat food? Well, no, it is not used in cat food for some reason, but propylene glycol is used to deice our aircraft and in all of the above uses (except the cat food--that was a joke) as well and a whole lot more. This episode of Red Belly Radio is about propylene glycol which our Ground Ops Employees call “deicing fluid.” My guest is Jay from Ground Ops Training, and he walks us through an aircraft deicing and discloses the answer to what led me to seeking someone for this interview in the first place. Listen to learn what city uses the most deicing fluid in Southwest's 64-city route network. ... View more

My guest on this episode of Red Belly Radio is Monica from our Legislative Communications and Grassroots group and she knows quite a bit about the election process, but we talk mostly about fun facts about President Elect Barack Obama—including his new Secret Service code name. See the title of this blog for a hint—and it's not "red" or "belly." ... View more

[asset|aid=240|format=image|formatter=asset|title=RBRiPodLogoSmall.gif|width=180|height=179|resizable=true|align=right]I feel presidential inaugurations are a lot like Super Bowls—it doesn’t matter who is playing, a lot of people travel to see it happen. But the travel industry seems a little busier than my memory serves about inaugurations past. The media keeps talking about record crowds and how hard it is to get tickets—they are probably right, I haven’t tried. If my Super Bowl analogy holds true, then a presidential inauguration is probably best viewed on television in the comfort of your own home or office—or home office. No $8 hot dogs, no security lines, and climate controlled. Did I mention I have never been to a Super Bowl either? I vote in every election but I have never been much of a political wonk. I am also one of those Texans whose winter and summer wardrobes are about the same except for a coat. I don’t much like the cold, I find it easier to cool off than to warm up, and it is apt to be cold in D.C. in January. Okay, back to the topic at hand. Barack Hussein Obama II will be sworn in as the 44th president of the United States next week and Southwest Airlines is gearing up for the crowds (at our airports, not the capitol steps). I hope the weather is nice, not only for the people in attendance but the days surrounding the event for travel purposes. Southwest Airlines has added extra flights into the D.C. area airports which are Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI) 28 miles from the nation’s capital; Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) 23 miles; or Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) 123 miles. If you are one of the lucky inauguration ticket holders, or just a party goer, and don’t have travel plans yet, give southwest.com a try. There are some good travel tips on the home page—good for any busy travel period, not just inaugurations. My guest on this episode of Red Belly Radio is Monica from our Legislative Communications and Grassroots group and she knows quite a bit about the election process, but we talk mostly about fun facts about President Elect Barack Obama—including his new Secret Service code name. See the title of this blog for a hint—and it's not red or belly. ... View more

In this episode of Red Belly Radio, I ask Southwest Employees about their New Year’s resolutions and we discuss the origins of why black-eyed peas are eaten with the New Year in the South. Two words—Civil War. I also disclose why Herb doesn’t much care for leap years. ... View more

[asset|aid=240|format=image|formatter=asset|title=RBRiPodLogoSmall.gif|width=180|height=179|resizable=true|align=right]The tradition of the New Year's Resolutions dates back to 153 B.C. Janus, a mythical king of early Rome who had two faces, could look back on past events and forward to the future. Janus was placed at the head of the calendar which is where we get the word January. Janus became the ancient symbol for New Year’s resolutions as many Romans believed Janus could look back at the old year and forward to the new.   A new year’s day falling on January 1 is only for cultures that use a 365 ¼ day solar calendar. That solar calendar began in 46 B.C., when Julius Caesar developed a calendar that would more accurately reflect the seasons than previous calendars.   After Christian gained momentum in the Middle Ages, Christians changed New Year's Day to December 25, to coincide with the birth of Jesus. In the sixteenth century, Pope Gregory XIII revised the Julian calendar, and the celebration of the New Year was returned to January 1.   In this episode of Red Belly Radio, I ask Southwest Employees about their New Year’s resolutions and we discuss the origins of why black-eyed peas are eaten with the New Year in the South. Two words—Civil War. I also disclose why Legendary Southwest Airlines Founder Herb Kelleher doesn’t much care for leap years.   ... View more

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) asks air travelers NOT to wrap presents because sometimes they have to unwrap them to inspect them. If the G.I. Joe with the Kung Fu Grip you wrapped beautifully looks suspicious, you will be asked to unwrap the gift so that a visual inspection can be made.  If, however, you were in DEN, PHX, or DAL (and were flying Southwest Airlines) this week you would be in luck. The Container Store and several properly-trained Southwest Employees were helping Customers with their last-minute-gift-wrapping needs--even if the TSA didn’t make you open your wrapped gift! ... View more

While it is a security guideline every day of the year, it's a special challenge this time of year. I'm speaking of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) guideline that asks air travelers NOT to wrap presents because sometimes they have to unwrap them to inspect them. If the G.I. Joe with the Kung Fu Grip you wrapped beautifully looks suspicious, you will be asked to unwrap the gift so that a visual inspection can be made. Where does that leave you? Well, you could take extra care unwrapping like your grandmother and hope the tape resticks. If, however, you were in Denver International, Phoenix Sky Harbor, or Dallas Love Field (and were flying Southwest Airlines) this week you would be in luck. Once again this year Southwest Airlines teamed up with The Container Store to help people out of their tight spots. Even if the TSA didn’t make you open your wrapped gift, the nice ladies from The Container Store and several properly-trained Southwest Employees were helping Customers with their last-minute-gift-wrapping needs. On this episode of Red Belly Radio, I interview a couple of the aforementioned elves and pick up a tip or two about how to make your gifts look professionally wrapped. Here is a hint—crease your paper and yes, you can actually use too much tape. ... View more

My guest this week is Phil Davies. He wrote a radio script that for whatever reason never got made into an actual spot. This happens all the time in the ad game, but someone over at Oink Ink Radio apparently asked themselves “I wonder if we had a contest for spots that never got produced, if anyone would enter?” Well, yes they will! They call the contest Dead Radio and they actually bring the winning spot to life! ... View more

I know what you’re thinking (if you are of a certain age group) that I stole that headline from the early 80s sitcom, Bosom Buddies starring Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari. You would be correct. But if you are thinking that this blog, and the accompanying Red Belly Radio podcast is about 1980s sitcoms, you’d be wrong. Although I do like the potential of that as a show topic… This podcast is about a 60 second commercial. An award winning radio commercial to be exact! My guest on this episode of Red Belly Radio is a guy named Phil Davies, and he used to work for our advertising agency. When he was there he wrote a radio script that for whatever reason never got made into an actual spot. This happens all the time in the ad game, but someone over at Oink Ink Radio apparently asked themselves “I wonder if we had a contest for spots that never got produced, if anyone would enter?” Well, yes they will! They call the contest Dead Radio and they actually bring the winning spot to life! It works out that Phil wrote this spot, it never got used, he pulled it out of a drawer several months later and entered it. Had the spot been for any other company, I would probably not be talking about this right now, so for those of you who have already figured this out, just jump to the next paragraph. Yes, Phil won the contest and it was a spot for Southwest Airlines. Part of the prize is to actually produce the commerical, and I feature it on this podcast. Give this episode a listen to hear the creative stylings of Phil Davies. Bart Simpson and Tom and Ray Magliozzi (Car Talk on NPR) would be proud. ... View more

One tradition at Southwest Airlines is that all of the Inflight classes host what we call a “Liquor Mockup.” It has been done as long as I have been around and a lot longer than that.  I went to the liquor mockup for Flight Attendant class 246 to meet some of my new Coworkers and to try to find out when this tradition started and why. ... View more