Southwest Airlines Community

What do fall, adult beverages and delicious snacks, and a big screen TV all have in common?  It’s Sunday night, which means it’s time to kick back with family and friends to catch the football game!  When you’re inviting everyone over to enjoy the big game, don’t forget to party with your green filter to keep the waste to a minimum and not party too hard on the environment.  Here are a few ways you can do that. E-mail your invite instead of snail mail.  Send an online party invite using free services like http://www.evite.com.  You’ll be able to save some paper and manage your guest list electronically.  Evite also has a free mobile app, so you can even send and manage invitations on the go! Serve those delicious snacks on reusable tableware.  Find some fun matching plates and silverware that you can use just for parties.  That way you can clean them afterward and use them next time.  Paper and plastic plates and, dare I even think about the dreaded Styrofoam, just end up in our landfills.  Don’t contribute to the waste! Have spare blankets and sweatshirts for your guests.  Remember going to your high school or college football games huddling together to stay warm?  I bet you might have a blanket or even a sweatshirt from your alma mater.  Resurrect those to keep everyone warm rather than turning up the thermostat.  It will save on your heating system and your energy bill! Serve up some green-friendly adult beverages.  You might be surprised to know that there are some brewing companies out there trying to operate more with a green filter.  Here’s an interesting fact—the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company uses vegetable oil from the tap-room and brewery restaurant, which is then turned into bio-diesel on site and used to fuel the company's longhaul and local-route trucks. Another one to try—Eel River Brewing Company became the first 100 percent certified organic brewery in the country.  What does organic brewing mean?  The ingredients used to make your fermented refreshment are spared the application of unhealthy chemical inputs like toxic insecticides.  It’s also good to know that even beer giants like Anheuser-Busch and Miller Coors are working to improve their manufacturing and packaging processes, like using recycled glass for bottles to minimize environmental impact. Treat everyone with organic snacks.  They’re healthier and better for the environment—just like I mentioned above, organic snacks also lack pesticides.  One of my favorite snacks is nachos.  This time, try adding the organic twist by layering organic tortilla rounds, add a cooked organic meat of your choice—I like chicken, melted organic cheese, organic black beans, and top it off with sour cream, guacamole, and/or organic salsa.  They’re yum! Let us know how you party green by commenting below.  DING!  You are now free to be green! ... View more

Last year was the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and recognizing our Planet’s precious resources and the importance of working and living with a Green filter.  In honor of Southwest’s 40th anniversary and more than 40 years of celebrating Earth Day, here are 40 ways you can go Green. 1. Start carrying a reusable bag. 2. Bring a travel mug to your favorite coffee shop. 3. Eat an all-local meal. 4. Take public transit.  5. Walk or bike instead of driving. 6. Install a water filter on your tap so you don't feel the need to drink bottled water. 7. Install an aerator on your kitchen tap to reduce water use. 8. Replace old toilets with dual flush models. 9. Invest in rechargeable batteries. 10. Start buying and using compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) or LED light bulbs. 11. Take hazardous waste to your local drop-off center. 12. Switch to all-natural cleaners (homemade or store-bought). 13. Stop using paper plates. 14. Buy a bunch of tea towels and ban paper towels from your home. 15. Build a backyard compost bin. 16. Plant a garden to help promote biodiversity. 17. Switch to eating organics, especially fruits and vegetables. 18. Purchase products with minimal packaging. 19. Install a water-saving shower head. 20. Invest in cloth napkins and stop buying paper ones! 21. Plant a tree in your yard. 22. Share your green know-how with others. 23. Try a locally-brewed and/or organic beer. 24. Plug your electronics into a smart power strip, which automatically senses when electronics aren't being used and cuts power to avoid phantom power use. 25. Take a short shower (5 to 10 minutes). 26. Head to the library to indulge your reading habit instead of the bookstore. 27. Turn your thermostat down at night or when you're at work. 28. Throw a clothing swap. 29. Rake and sweep rather than using a leaf blower. 30. Recycle your old sneakers with Nike's Reuse a Shoe program. 31. Get a solar charger for your iPod and other electronics with built-in batteries. 32. If you're not doing it already, start recycling! 33. Learn and follow your local recycling guidelines. 34. Switch to a renewable energy provider. 35. Carpool with coworkers or friends who work close to your office. 36. Walk or ride your bicycle instead of driving. 37. Stop buying plastic water bottles. 38. Recycle your old electronics at Best Buy. 39. Donate your old phone to a charity. 40. Become a Green Ambassador! ... View more

Asking Customers to hand over those aluminum cans and newspapers to our Flight Attendants has continued to pay off by diverting waste from our landfills and saving money on our bottom-line.  The waste diversion numbers are in for April, and the results have success written all over them. Whether you’re a Flight Attendant making an announcement to let Customers know we recycle or a Provisioning Agent collecting the co-mingled recycling items off of the aircraft or one of the Stations, Bases or Centers that recycles, with the help of all of our Employees, we’re proud to share that in April we diverted the most we ever have in one month with nearly half a million pounds, or 245 tons, from our landfill space.  That's the weight of almost six Boeing 737-700 aircraft! Now, that deserves some recognition, or if you’re Facilities Programs Manager Debbie N., you’re doing a happy dance right about now.  Why is this important?  First, because environmental decisions also make good business sense, we are saving money for the Company.  When we divert waste into the recycling stream, we’re saving money by reducing waste pickups, for which the Company has to pay – this is direct, bottom-line savings.  Second, we get a rebate on our recycled goods, which pays for the recycling program and allows us to purchase equipment to help make our recycling program more efficient and robust.  Third, we help protect our natural resources.  And, there is still another reason!  Our co-mingled recycling program also minimizes gas emissions which in turn reduce our carbon footprint - we preserve raw materials as well as the energy and water required for the processing raw materials.    Bottom line, our results from April show that the proof is in the pudding when you look at the success of our Green efforts.  Thanks to all Employees for making our Customers aware that we recycle and operate with a Green filter.  And, thanks to our Customers for supporting our co-mingled recycling program by handing over those aluminum cans and paper. It’s really paying off for the environment and for the business. ... View more

There’s an app for that!  A few weeks ago, I found an app on Facebook that helps you keep track of your water footprint, how you match up against your friends, and how you can take action to reduce your impact, save water, and save money.  The water calculator on the app allows you to input your personal information about your household water and gives you a score.  You can check that out here.   There are actually lots more out there!  Many of the green apps I’ve seen are free or are $1 to $2.  Here are a few other apps I’ve come across that are worth checking out: •  GoodGuide: This app helps you find safe, healthy, and sustainable products while you shop.  Just take a photo of a product’s bar code, and Voilà!, you can instantly discover information about how green the product is.  Even better—this app is free! •  Green Genie: Right off the bat, you can find out 100 different ways to go green.  Whether it’s bringing your own bag to the grocery store to finding ways to get paid (yes, paid!) for reducing your emissions, this $0.99 app is well worth the download.  It was also named “Top 5 Green Apps” by PlanetGreen.com and AppConsumer.com. •  MeterRead : Here’s a simple tool to read your electricity meter and monitor your energy consumption.  The creator of the app, Mark Barton, started saving $50 a month once he started monitoring his own meter.  The download only costs you $0.99.  Once you open the app, you’ll have a choice of five possible meters.  Just pick yours, hit “record,” then start reading the meter on your iPhone over the next few days to find out how you can use less energy. •   Green Gas Saver: This iPhone app tracks your driving habits and shows you how to save gas.  This is another free one! •   Light Bulb Finder: Not sure which energy-efficient bulbs to buy for your home?  This free app can show you how to switch—just open up the app and compare your bulb to pictures and descriptions of greener bulbs.  Time saver—if you can’t find the bulb at your neighborhood store, you can purchase the right one via the app. What apps have you downloaded to help you be green?  Let us know with your comments below.  DING!  You are now free to be green! ... View more

Landing one of Southwest’s red bellies at Greenville-Spartanburg on March 12 to kick off Southwest’s inaugural weekend celebration was just the beginning of Captain Bert Godwin’s involvement in his hometown airport. Last month, Captain Godwin took his Adopt-A-Pilot class from Westcliff Elementary school to the GSP airport to have the opportunity to experience aviation first-hand. GSP Station Manager Brian Williams joined Captain Godwin along with Westcliff fifth –grade teacher Mark Joseph to meet with an Air Traffic Controller, talk with airport Employees to learn about their jobs and responsibilities, tour the airport and watch a Southwest plane land, and even enjoy some pizza. Nearly 90 percent of the students shared they had never been inside an airport. From this video courtesy of Greenville HD at www.greenvillehd.com, you’ll see the impact Southwest is already having in the Upstate community and the difference Captain Godwin is making with his involvement in the Adopt-A-Pilot program now going 14 years strong. ... View more

I don’t have a lot of green in my wardrobe, but why is it that the only day I should grab that green t-shirt in my closet, I forget??  On St. Patrick’s Day, this leads to lots of unwanted pinches for those who are just looking for people not wearing green.  Well, this year, I forgot again (ouch!), but hopefully these five ways to stay green will give me some ammo as to why I shouldn’t get pinched.    Check these out: 1.       Recycle.  I know most of you are already recycling your aluminum cans, paper, and glass, but whatever you do, don’t toss your old electronics in the trash.  There are several retail stores out there like Office Depot and Staples who offer recycling services.  If you don’t have one of these retail stores near you, check out local recycling facilities who participate. 2.       Show your auto some LUV.  Be sure to take your car in for routine checkups to improve your fuel economy.  Also, check your air filter to make sure it’s fresh to increase your gas mileage.  Find more helpful tips on energy efficiency from the U.S. Department of Energy. 3.       Browse the Internet.  Pay your bills online and save not only the paper your creditor has to send you, but a stamp and that check out of your wallet.  I use mycheckfree.com to pay several of my bills all in one place.  Or, if you’re wanting to send someone a message from a Leprechaun, take advantage of Hallmark’s online greeting cards (lots of them are free!). 4.       Power down your computer.  The sleep mode on your computer can reduce energy by 60 percent, but powering down is even better.  How about this savings—a high-end computer left on 24/7 would cost about $405 per year versus about $5.50 to run a lesser-energy computer for two hours per day.  Think I’ll start powering down. 5.       Paper or plastic? How about neither.  Those cloth or canvas bags typically only cost about $0.99, plus, you can usually carry a lot more in them without worrying about your groceries falling out of your bag on the way to the car.  Just keep some in trunk, and grab them on your way into the store! What are you doing this St. Patrick’s Day to be Green (other than drinking green beer or looking for that four-leafed clover)?  Let us know by posting your comments below.  DING!  You are now free to be Green! ... View more

I feel like I blinked, and the whole weekend was over!  But, what an amazing welcome from the Upstate—the celebration of Greenville-Spartanburg as our 70 th destination was certainly a weekend I will never forget.   Hundreds gathered at Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) on Saturday, March 12, to watch our ferry flight nearing the runway, filled with Employees ready to spread the LUV at GSP!   I looked around and saw the crowd smiling and cheering to see Southwest Airlines landing at their airport.   Upon landing, our red belly was met by a water arch and a sea of new Southwest friends and family in the Upstate community.   To kick off our arrival, we hosted a plane pull with Jeremiah Dew from the Greenville Drive as our Emcee.  One thing I learned quickly—the Upcountry doesn’t mess around when competition is involved.  When we first told the Chambers of Commerce in Anderson, Greenville, Greer, and Spartanburg that we wanted them to compete head to head to see who could pull our 83,000 pound Boeing 737 in the fastest time, they immediately started trying to one-up each other.  These folks have never seen a plane pull, but they did know they wanted to win.  Remember, I told you that the Upstate takes competition seriously?  Well, I wasn’t kidding.  The Spartanburg plane pull team recruited football players from Wofford College and beat out the other teams by five seconds with a time of 16 seconds.  Unreal.  But, all walked away with two roundtrip tickets for their local Chamber of Commerce, a fancy trophy, and bragging rights to say they competed in GSP’s inaugural Southwest plane pull. Saturday evening, the celebration continued in downtown Greenville, which I affectionately call, the Paris of the South.  More than 50 local community members, social media peeps, and our brand new GSP Employees were given the red carpet treatment in four downtown restaurants—Rick Erwin’s, Larkin’s on the River, The Lazy Goat, and The Nose Dive—to get a taste of the signature pairing each has to offer.  At the end of the night, we all gathered at Barley’s Taproom to toast a wonderful night and give away roundtrip tickets.   Sunday morning we were all up bright and early to send off our first flights with breakfast, coffee, massages, and, of course smiles, for every plane and every Customer.  GSP’s new Station Manager, Brian Williams, did a tremendous job leading his Southwest Warriors for a memorable first day of service.  More fun on our first day—a group of locals headed to Chicago Midway on our first flight for a day trip just to experience some authentic Chicago-style deep dish pizza.  Many of them told me they spent a lot more on pizza and beer than their airfare on Southwest! Our Employees Shared the Spirit Sunday afternoon with a tree planting at the airport entrance in honor of Mr. Roger Milliken, who had such a passion for the Upstate community and was a strong advocate to bring our Boeing 737s to GSP.  Mr. Milliken was GSP’s only Chairman since its inception in 1959 until his passing last year.  After the ceremony, Employees split up into two groups to head to Greenville and Spartanburg counties to show our deep roots by planting trees in local parks.   Our Chairman, President, and CEO, Gary Kelly, and Ginger Hardage, our Senior Vice President Culture and Communications,  joined us Monday morning at the airside garden to officially kick off our new service at GSP.  The Clemson University mascots and cheerleaders joined us for the celebration, and, just like they kick off all of their home football games with the tradition of running down the grassy hill toward Howard’s Rock for good luck—also known as the 25 most exciting seconds in college football, we shared in that tradition with about 20 Southwest Employees led by Clemson cheering:   S-O-U-T-H-W-E-S-T LUVS SC LUVS SC GSP! What a weekend—and what a way to kick off an amazing partnership at 30,000 feet.  As you watch this video, you’ll hear the stories of a community who wanted the freedom to fly.  And, now they have it.  If you are like me, the passion and energy you’ll feel from the folks who live and work in this beautiful region of the county will give you goose bumps.  About 30 seconds in, I find myself saying out loud each time I watch this—it gets me every time.   I’m already counting down the days until my next visit to the Upstate.  This place certainly has a special place in my heart.   ... View more

“It’s expensive.”  “I’m frustrated.”  “It’s not fair.”  It wouldn’t be uncommon to hear these things said from the Upstate South Carolina community when considering driving to their local airport only minutes away at Greenville-Spartanburg International airport.  Not anymore.  This Sunday, LUV is heading to the Palmetto State to launch our new service to the Upstate with big planes and little fares.  Greenville-Spartanburg (GSP) joins Southwest’s network as the 70 th destination with seven daily nonstop departures—two daily nonstops each to/from Baltimore/Washington and Chicago Midway and one daily nonstop each to/from Nashville, Houston, and Orlando. Honestly, I can’t believe this weekend is finally here.  I landed at GSP on Thursday and thought, this will be the last time I fly on (insert carrier name here!).  My smile started to get a lot bigger just thinking about flying one of our Canyon Blue planes home on Monday after our weekend of festivities wraps up.  Seeing our brand new ticket counter made it all the more real. Planning a new city opening has been one of my favorite parts of my job during the last six months.  For me, finding ways to celebrate our new service in Greenville-Spartanburg meant finding the passion points of this community.  Starting today with our ferry flight bringing dozens of Southwest Warriors to kick off our inaugural weekend to a plane pull where the local cities will compete head to head against the clock to a progressive dinner social to fill up on the local flare to our community service project on Sunday to plant a tree at the airport in honor of the late Mr. Roger Milliken (in addition to planting trees in local Greenville and Spartanburg county parks)—it all leads up to officially celebrating our new service to the Upstate with our first flights on Sunday, March 13! Last night, the airport and community gave Southwest an amazing welcome at the Upcountry Museum in downtown Greenville.  Hundreds gathered to celebrate LUV coming to their airport.  From Southwest-themed cupcakes to even our very own Southwest 737 cocktail, the night was full of folks talking about their next, and some their first upcoming trip on our Canyon Blue planes. Our new GSP Employees who came from all over the system to this beautiful region of the country received a red carpet welcome and were the toast of the night.  After learning that 18 of our 40 GSP Employees are couples, LUV is certainly in the air in the Upstate! In my visits to Greenville-Spartanburg, the welcome I received was unlike any other.  It’s more than just a heart-warming welcome—it’s the stories the people in the Upstate leave me with.   I can’t get enough of hearing about how folks can now go see their grandchildren more than once a year or that trip they always wanted to take is now becoming a reality. To the community of Greenville-Spartanburg, we couldn’t be more thrilled about this partnership we’ve made at 30,000 feet, and we can hardly wait to win over the hearts of the Upstate when our Captain operating our inaugural flight says, welcome aboard Southwest Airlines.   ... View more

Doing our part—it’s important for Southwest Airlines to be a good neighbor in not only the communities we currently serve, but where our canyon blue planes will soon touch down for the first time.  March will be a busy month for Southwest as we open three new cities—Greenville/Spartanburg (GSP) and Charleston (CHS) on March 13, and Newark (EWR) on March 27.  On top of the fun festivities and community events planned to celebrate our entrance into these communities, we’ll also do our part on the ground to open these cities with brand new electric ground support equipment (GSE) on Day One.   Over the past decade, we have focused our efforts on converting our diesel GSE fleet to environmentally-friendly electric-powered equipment.  These modifications curb greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.  Mother Earth thanks us for reducing our carbon footprint through fuel savings and emissions reduction.  And, because environmentally responsible decisions make good business sense, these conversions not only position Southwest as a sustainable innovator in GSE, but also contributed to saving Southwest millions of dollars in new equipment costs.    With an industry-leading electric GSE program, we’re excited to continue operating with our green filter to open GSP, CHS, EWR, and any future new cities with this technology on Day One to improve air quality and conserve energy.   Let us know how you live, work, or celebrate Green by posting your comments below.  DING!  You are now free to be green! ... View more