Southwest Airlines Community

steve, i truely hope you get this, i have several questions about the geek shmeek pod cast and i would appreciate if you could give me an email for you. im 15 and i have the same passion, only not for my own airline but for southwest. my email is mrmonk93@aim.com ~Ryan, aka SouthwestFreak ... View more

I love hearing about stories like this. It brings me back to my childhood when I wanted to learn everything there is to know about aviation. My grandfather was a private pilot, which influenced my love for aviation. He bought me books, took me on flights, and since he lived in Tampa and I lived in Buffalo, we always flew down so it was always a treat to board a jetliner. Now that I'm in my twenty's and work for Southwest, I still feel that adrenaline rush every time I get on one of our 737's. I always wanted to be a pilot, but working on the ramp in BUF I still feel like I am an important part of the flight process. As much as passengers depend on the pilot doing a great job in the skies, the pilots depend on the ramp to get the aircraft in tip top shape for flight. One piece of advice I can give to anyone who wants to work in this industry...don't give up the dream. Some people were born to fly...LIVE IT! ... View more

Hey Steve, I'm not a coffee drinker either but I have a great coffee story to tell you sometime. Another good show - John ... View more

I love this coffee!! Beats out any other coffee. I would love to buy LIft coffee to brew at home.. Where can I buy Lift coffee??? Help me please!! ... View more

The Boeing 737 is the workhorse of the sky's, and probably the best plane ever made ... View more

Just another reason why Southwest is the top airline in the US. P.S. I've always been intrigued by those flights that depart and arrive at the "same" time. Seems like it would confuse me. But I'm glad that Southwest is on top of it. ... View more

Bob, As I read about the WestJet relationship that Southwest had considered, I was curious as to whether or not Southwest has considered an industry changing bold move. Southwest acquires AA, for global expansion, and maintains the AA brand. Crazy yes, but hear me out. I've always felt that the airlines have followed a very similar business path as the telecom carriers. Going through similar phases from being heavily regulated, to deregulated, fragmentation, hyper competition, high capital costs, high losses, which inevitably leads to reconsolidation. In addition to the business cycles, arguably we even use the same terminology; Telecom had smaller point to point networks (Baby Bells), and the LD hub and spoke International carriers (AT&T, Worldcom). The local point to point carriers of course were making money, while the hub/spoke networks were hemorraging money. Sounds awfully familar. So in the case of the telcos, we find Southwesstern Bell making the first move, and acquires AT&T, and sheds their managment, while retaining their brand, and the LD International reach. Seeing the inevitable consolidation cycle, Verizon feels compelled to grab the considerably less attractive second prize, Worldcom. After that, there was nothing left for Qwest, and you can see where that left them, a tertiary player in an industry now dominated by AT&T and Verizon. So in the airline carrier space, it seems that Southwest is in a very similar place to Southwestern Bell. Dominating the point to point local networking business, and making fairly consistent profits, in an industry that is hemoraging money. However, at some point, similar to Southwestern Bell, Wall Street has to ask the tough question....how do you grow your enterprise when you dominate your traditional sector. Growing into the LD/International space was the obvious answer for Southwestern Bell, as I believe it is for Southwest. But just like Southwestern Bell, you've got to ask yourself, does it make sense to build out a new LD/International network, when the market is already saturated with excess capacity? Clearly not. Better to buy and integrate the valuable LD/International assets, and shed the rest. So Southwest acquires AA, sheds their Eagle RJs and the obsolete MD80s, in favor of continuing with Southwest's proven domestic model. Under the new AA Global brand (similar to the New AT&T), Southwest tweaks their schedule to allow connections at their newly acquired "International Gateways" (i.e. LAX, JFK, MIA, DFW, ORD), where their customers can now enjoy seamless connections to AA Globals International cities on both their own fleet of 777/767s, and the worldwide reach of the oneworld network, and the amenities business travellers expect for long haul travel (Admirals Club network, premium service handling, first/business class seating, etc.). Even closing Love Field and consolidation of operations at DFW is considered. Huge efficiencies are to be gained through the shedding of the complexity of AA's domestic fleet, and rationalization of the transcon and international fleet to the 777s and 767s, with one being replaced by the upcoming Dreamliners. Consolidated M&E, Airport operations, and certainly a significant portion of the AA backoffice/management team would become redundant. More importantly, the bold move would signal once and for that the long overdue consolidation cycle is upon us. Other carriers would have to react (just like Verizon did), but after Southwest's first mover advantage, there wouldn't be much opportunity for consolidation except for the old legacy carriers getting married up. One dinosaur marries another dinosaur, doesn't generate a game changing model, but rather just adds more complexity into the mix, with the inevitable higher costs resulting. Yes, some would point to the culture challenges, and historical animosity between AA and Southwest. Perhaps, but again, this is not a merger...but an acquisition...with Southwest running the company and shedding a lot of the detractors (similar to Southwest). The key to the success of the acquisition is not being at all ambiguous about the intent, and who is running the new AA. Some might also point to DOJ concerns. While acknowledging that this would likely cause some challenges, depending upon the timing of the acquisition....say, right after United pairs up with someone, I suspect a case could be made that with the new dominance of Delta and United, is it terribly uncompetitive for Southwest to acquire to continue to compete with these new global powerhouses? So, perhaps the idea is too bold, and some would say it goes against the historical separation of LCCs vs. Network Carriers...but everyone said the same thing in the telco busines until Southwestern Bell made the first move. Curious in Dallas. ... View more

Great job Steve and Christi! Made me feel like I was there only without the bad after affects. I hope one day I can participate in one of the "LAST" cookoffs. ... View more

This peanut contest is just one example I am learning of how SWA attempts to change every passengers in-flight experience. For me, the flight is the awful barricade between me and my good time on vacation. I dread those hours at the airport and on the plane, I’m sure I am not alone. Something as small as this peanut guessing contest would most certainly pull me out of the drab mood flying puts me in. In the hopes to win a drink ticket – I would be all over this action! A friend recently sent this video clip of the “Rapping Flight Attendant” David Holmes who wants you to “sit back, relax, and have a good time.” Here’s the video in case you forgot: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbR_0hGxfZI&feature=related. It’s the simple things in life that make people smile and I appreciate Southwest’s efforts to hold on to that. Considering I was never aware of these efforts until a couple days ago, how many other consumers are out in the dark about your practices? SWA does such a good job to differentiate themselves from the competition, I would hate for these valiant efforts to go unnoticed… ... View more

this is so great! ... View more

I hope I used all of those words correctly--they are not part of my normal vocabulary. BTW if you look up thesaurus in a thesaurus it suggests dictionary as an alternative word. ... View more

I can't belive I never thought of Ray "of Sunshine" Buffington...nice. LR - I thought your half-hearted enthusiasm in contrast to Ray's all-out performance really added to the entertainment value of the video. That, and your socks. ... View more

Thanks for the wonderful articles! Former American Idol Contestant, Melinda Doolittle. Melinda Doolittle (Season 6), Chikezie (Season 7), Gina Glocksen (Season 6) and Phil Stacey (Season 6) will be entertaining the masses once again as they embark on a Spring Tour which launches March 15th in Fort Pierce, FL and will make stops in 14 cities across the US. . The "American Stars in Concert: Spring Break" tour dates and cities are at Melinda Doolittle official website www.melindadoolittle.com or fans website www.melindasbackups.com she may be coming near you. Don't miss the opportunity to hear her sing live! ... View more

As an employee of a World Class Customer Service Call Center (VSP) I have found myself comparing the service I am empowered to provide with other providers on a daily basis. I have to say that never in my yearly or sometimes more travels have I encountered experiences with SWA to be less than stellar! There is only one company I would consider leaving mine for...and that IS yours. ROCK on SWA! ... View more

Steve-- It was driving me crazy - that "560" name-- I heard that was the new name, but no one explained it. I thought that someone didn't know that a sphere had 360 degrees! Thanks for clearing that up. I sent in at least a dozen names for that contest. I was hoping for something like Lolly or Riverball or Sphere or Cafe Sumida.... Congratulations on the win! ... View more

Wifi on planes is an absolutely fantastic idea. It will do incredibly well for SWA. If you make it free for 3 Mbytes / passenger / flight hour, and pay as you go beyond that (per flight or per month), you can provide a nice blend of service w/ fee. When people ask about laptop power, look at the emerging technology of PoE+, or power over ethernet plus. IEEE 802.3at. In a couple of years, we will be ridding ourselves of those proprietary laptop power bricks, and using power over ethernet ports to provide charging power. The system is sufficiently intelligent that it can manage power in an avionics environment, and the weight / seat is less than existing flight rated power systems. The cabling qualifies as safety low voltage, is 100% electrically protected, short circuit protected, you name it... widely available in plenium rated... and looks exactly the same as the Ethernet jack in most offices. Thank you, Mark ... View more