Southwest Airlines Community

Hey USS Blog Boy, If you really don't like ABQ, why don't you just say so? LOL Exterior Blog Boy 🙂 ... View more

Jill, Thanks for bring this comedy sketch to our attention! I am in your corner; I think David Letterman is wonderful (sorry, Francisco) and I really am NOT a fan of either Leno or Conan, so I never saw this. Although I know that the incident was surely not funny for either JetBlue's pax or employees, seeing Southwest being featured so favorably as the punch line to this joke was rewarding. I've been on plenty of Southwest flights over the years that were late leaving or arriving, but have also been on lots of flights that left exactly on time and arrived early. However, I agree with Paco above; I just cannot imagine SWA holding their Customers hostage on a plane for 8, 10 or 12+ hours to start with, and find it equally unlikely that Gary or Colleen or Herb would produce such insulting quotes as the CEO of JetBlue did. Even though the Employees of Southwest do a FANTASTIC job every day, it makes it even EASIER to look great when your "competition" is so mediocre! Maybe they should modify their advertising tag line to say, "You are now free to move about the taxiways, runways AND the country on time." Kim 🙂 ... View more

Since Brian has been nice enough to start an entire blog section on our favorite airports, I throw my two cents' worth in over here about Dallas Love Field. But, since I so eloquently expressed my feelings already, I'll just copy and paste from the other blog section! (I ain't clever, I'm just too lazy to retype all that stuff) Having flown to more than half of the 63/64 airports that SW serves, I still have a special fondness for the Field that I Love... Oh, and I'm still waiting to see who can correctly answer the trivia question about the world map inlay... :-) ********** copied from another section: Well, if weà ... View more

Michelle, Why did you wait until NOW to suggest that, after The Cookbook Committee has SOLD OUT of the Official Southwest Airlines Cookbooks?!? That would have been a great addition to Blog Boy's own chapter, which included Candy Corn Soup, Caesar Salad with Candy Corn garnish, Veal Candy Corn Casserole and of course, Candy Corn ala Mode for dessert. I can't wait until next October when it is time for the State Fair of Texas once again. As famous as Brian has made his favorite treat now, I'll bet they'll be selling Fried Candy Corn on the Midway! Kim 🙂 ... View more

Well, if we're gonna get nostalgic about the favorite parts of our favorite airports, I have some special memories about DAL. As a small boy, I remember thinking how BIG the world was as I would walk all around the globe there on the floor of the main terminal at Love Field. Ron Chapman, a local radio DJ legend, once said something about a trivia question involving that map inlay. Apparently, there is a misspelled name somewhere "in the world", but I never heard the answer and I never found it myself. If anyone knows the answer, I'd love to find out! Second, I fondly remember going upstairs and outside from the main lobby to the observation deck to watch planes coming and going. Folks were able to walk along a nice wide sidewalk that ran the full width of the lobby and extended out across the top of the north concourse. The exit to the outside area was right next to the entrance to the Trader Vic's restaurant, if memory serves correctly. Third, once I made it to high school and the "freedom to move about the city" in my own car, a friend of mine and I would drive down to Love Field on a Saturday and park in the remote Braniff parking lot. Then, we would board the Braniff Jetrail monorail that would whisk us quickly across the parking lots about thirty feet in the air and right INTO the Braniff terminal, where it would stop inside the building. As I recall, the parking was something like 50 cents an hour and the Jetrail was free. For the investment of about three or four dollars apiece, we'd have a three- to four-hour adventure roaming around Love Field that included lunch, a round trip Jetrail ride, all the plane watching we wanted and parking! Fourth, as a proud Texan (that's redundant, isn't it?), I always enjoyed, from the time I was a small boy until now, when I'm a taller boy, walking into the terminal and seeing the reassuring presence of the statue of the Texas Ranger. For you non-Texans, I'm not talking about a baseball player, but rather one of the legendary Texas lawmen that still have statewide jurisdiction and are known for their toughness (somewhat represented by Chuck Norris in 'Walker, Texas Ranger'). The title on the base of the statue is: "One Riot, One Ranger", which refers to the storied response by a Texas Ranger sent to quell a major unrest when questioned by the folks greeting him upon arrival. The incredulous townspeople, expecting a large group of lawmen, asked where everyone else was. His response was, "there's one riot, so they sent one ranger". Various versions of that story have circulated, including the one on their official website: http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/director_staff/texas_rangers/ Whichever version or exaggeration of the story is accurate, it has been a tall symbol of Texas in the Love Field lobby since 1961. We may not have our observation deck or monorail anymore, but our Ranger is still protecting us today, stationed right in front of the world map that is on the floor! Kim 🙂 ... View more

Matt and Linda, You're fortunate because not only do you work at a place that keeps their Employees happy, you also both apparently have the good manners to not "air your dirty laundry" in public. I am often surprised by what people will say in public when they have no idea who is around them or what those people might know. Airplanes seem to bring out that ignorance in folks almost as easily as cell phones do. On at least three occasions on a Southwest flight, I've easily overheard conversations about my employer, about one of my customers or a next-door neighbor of mine. I've also seen countless documents being read at arm's length by a seat companion, including sensitive legal briefs (no, I don't mean that I saw some lawyer's undies! 🙂 ) and have had ample opprotunities to easily peruse spreadsheets displayed on a neighbor's laptop screen. I used to surprise salesmen that I trained by telling them not to leave file folders containing customer information flipped open on their front or back seats of their cars when eating at a restaurant or even more importantly when parked in the parklng lot of a customer. It seemed that they would flip open a file to review the specifics of their last visit or to check out an invoice and then just leave the file open in plain sight. Bear in mind that these are probably the same kind of folks who work for the CIA or some of our defense labs and who leave their government laptops sitting in a retail coffee establishment and then wonder how folks get a hold of our secrets... Kim ... View more

Dear Rabbit, Wow, what a bittersweet story! Thank you for sharing that and for writing it so well. Best wishes to you both, Kim ... View more

Gee, Leah and Francisco, the way this is headed, I just have to ask one question...at your wedding, should I sit on the left side or the right side? Or is there a special spot reserved for the matchmaker that got the two of you together? LOL Kim 🙂 ... View more

Kevin, I agree with you! ABQ is a beautiful airport and the remodeling done there a few years ago really "spiffed" up the place. A good indicator of how "flyer-friendly" an airport might be is when they offer an observation area like ABQ does. Any of us plane nuts (sorta like the SWA ad slogan from a few years ago, I'm "just plane nuts") get all excited by an airport that gives us a designated, comfortable place with a great view to watch the runways and to enjoy the comings and goings of aircraft! But, as much as you like ABQ, we're all partial to our "home" airports. My family lived two blocks from DAL when I was born, and I've always had a fond spot in my heart for the hometown headquarters of Southwest. It is a great place with a lot of wonderful memories for me, and they obviously embody the spirit of Southwest Airlines, since it is the only Field in the country with LUV, errr, "Love" in its name! Kim 🙂 ... View more

Captain Evans, Thanks for sharing this photo! Even though it is not the way the SWA guys and gals try to stack your baggage carts, the humor and irreverence seem to go hand-in-hand with the Southwest concept of a "fun-loving attitude"! If we can't laugh at ourselves, we're in bad shape -- and it looks like someone in Sacramento is able to chuckle about the mountain of baggage that they handle! Kim 🙂 ... View more

Hey Joe, Do you know why duct tape is like The Force? It has a dark side and a light side and it holds the universe together! LOL -- may The Force be with you.... Pssssst.... Luke? I'm NOT your father. External Blog Boy 🙂 ... View more

Congratulations to the awesome ICC Team! I am a big believer in supporting friends and luved ones in both good times and bad, and I know that y'all do that quite well. In keeping with the philosphy of SWA striving to take good care of their Employees, it makes perfect sense to have a group of people designated to do just what you do. Tell Brian I said he has to share some of his candy corn with you! Best wishes, Kim 🙂 ... View more

Candy corn also makes great artificial teeth for otherwise attractive female Southwest Employees, but I ain't sayin' how I know that any more than I'm sayin' how I know what Leah looks like. My lips are sealed (with canyon blue duct tape) Kim ... View more

We could hearken back to the days of the Roman Empire... Brian could be Blog Boy the Great and I could be Blog Boy the Lesser? I've tried to think up a clever mnemonic, but I'm scared that if I do, it will wind up being like the one from the movie "Accepted" that my college-age son rented over the holidays. I could find myself creating an acronym similar to 'South Hampton Institute of Technology'... Kim E.B.B. 🙂 ... View more

Gordon, Thank you for sharing this very moving tribute to a very deserving group of people. Being a bit of a history buff in addition to being a military enthusiast (secondary to my SWA enthusiasm, of course!), I am familiar with both the contributions of the Tuskegee Airmen and the enforced obscurity that they had thrown over their efforts. I am proud that, as Paul Harvey says, "the rest of the story" is coming out now, because those gentlemen served with honor and distinction. I share a bit of your regret regarding learning about things well after the fact. My father was a member of a top secret army group during World War II, and even after the war and his discharge, the members were sworn to secrecy. He died never revealing a thing to me about that portion of his European service, but in 1996, 50 years after the unit was formally disbanded, their story was revealed and one of the men in his team contacted me. Now, several books have been written about what they did and how valuable it was to the war effort. Like the Tuskegee Airmen, many of my Dad's peers did not live long enough to receive the public recognition that they deserved. I applaud you for working to keep their memory alive! Kim Landlubber Blog Boy 🙂 ... View more

Francisco, Ya know, if Colleen is a bit too distant for you, maybe you will automatically rule this idea out, too. But...Leah really IS a very pretty and very nice young lady, and Tulsa isn't soooo far away. However, if that is too far for YOU to travel, bear in mind that coming to see you would just give dear Leah another chance to ride on her favorite airline! Kim 🙂 ... View more

Francisco, You can be "the sailor blog boy" without any dispute, but Brian is the original Blog Boy. Since he carries the big stick here (or the big candy corn) and can control what does and doesn't get on the blog, it is hard to argue with the fact that he MUST be THE Blog Boy. And, as much as I appreciate our military, I'm afraid I predate you on the blog, so I qualify as Blog Boy Junior, or Blog Boy II or Son of Blog Boy or Blog Boy-San whatever your choice. If "Sailor Blog Boy" seems too awkward, you can always opt for "Blog Boy III". Sorry about that, buddy... LOL Kim 🙂 ... View more

Dear Sleepless, Boy, are you in luck! I know the "perfect" woman!! She is sweet, fun-loving, has a warrior spirit and a servant heart. She is generous and caring and gives great hugs. Well, she's almost perfect. You'll have to do the driving when you go places. She even has her own webpage: http://www.swamedia.com/swamedia/bios/colleen_barrett.html She's a keeper! Kim 🙂 ... View more

Francisco, I should introduce you to Leah...she's a great young lady and you two would probably hit it off. You both LUV Southwest Airlines! Kim P. S. I know what you mean about being stuck with the same Valentine for a long time; I've had mine for almost 29 years. Plus, having a wife sure makes it harder to find cute young Valentines! LOL 🙂 ... View more

Duffer, I have heard from anonymous sources that the REAL reason they are unable to release that MTTF video is that it contains "material unsuitable for general audiences." No, it isn't sexually suggestive, nor does it contain offensive language or gratuitous violence. Apparently, it contains footage of Brian and his candy corn and...well, suffice it to say that it ain't a pretty sight. However, I have it on good authority that there may just be some tail kickin' this year, so stay tuned and watch for great things from a great organization! Kim 🙂 ... View more

Interestingly enough, I stopped by that hotel last week to take some pictures of its architecture and its beauty. I did not know that Colleen had preceded me there by a few days, but at least now I understand why the place seemed brighter and had a residual atmosphere of "LUV" still in the air! Blog Boy Junior 🙂 ... View more

Rose, It sounds as if something must have happened around April of 2002 that was a really unpleasant experience for you. That is certainly regrettable, but I am curious -- have you given anyone at Southwest the opportunity to address your concerns? If this event was something that involved Southwest, then it seems only reasonable that you make them aware of it and give them the chance to discuss it with you. Even if the experience is something that no one can "fix" to your satisfaction, I've never seen the value in judging an entire company or group of people based on the actions of a few or a single event. In my 30+ years of traveling, I've had problems at places that have traditionally been providers of great service, or at a location of a company that normally treats me quite well in other places. Usually, these are isolated incidents and don't reflect the true nature of what I can expect from them. Heck, I even had a surly and grouchy Southwest FA once! (I still think he was a spy from a rivaal aairline) Please don't give up on Southwest -- they truly are the BEST airline in the world and I've given them about 34 years to prove otherwise to me, but they haven't succeeded yet! Kim 🙂 ... View more

I join my fellow bloggers in sending condolences to the Muse family at the death of this legend of the airline industry. Growing up in Dallas, I well remember the impact that he had on TTA (Trans Texas Airlines, or as we called it, Tree Top Airlines) and Southwest. (and yes, Brian, I can remember seeing the "lousy $13" ad in the Dallas Times Herald) I agree with my pal Joe that for better or worse, Lamar Muse was a huge factor in Southwest becoming what we know it as. I also remember the white Muse Air planes that I'd see in Houston and the public rivalry that he fostered with his former employer. I never quite knew if it was as real as it seemed or was just a lot of hype to get more publicity. Maybe he was also an early pioneer of the sport that we now know as "trash talking" your opponent? I certainly respect him for all that he accomplished, but to be candid, I lost a fair amount of respect trying to read his book "Southwest Passage". What started out as a nice history of Southwest turned into a very bitter condemnation of many of the people there. It would have been nicer to have written a less spiteful book and slipped away into our aviation memories as a fellow with several notable success stories under his belt. But, from what Joe says above, he would not have been true to himself if he had done so. Apparently, there was a lot of vinegar in the soft-spoken airline genius, or to use the term that Herb used to define Mr. Muse's genius in the Dallas paper today, maybe he was just "cantankerous". Is it just me, or does it seem like so many of our "legends", whether from the corporate world, sports world or entertainment world are leaving us so much more quickly these days? Maybe we just aren't growing new legends fast enough to replace them, or maybe us old fellas just aren't embracing the younger legends... Thanks to Lamar Muse for all that he did to make Southwest a great airline! Kim ... View more

Hey, DAL FA, Who, moi? Stir up trouble? Au contraire, K...I was merely answering Leah's question above. It would be so unlike me to stir up any trouble among the very ladies who could pour a cup of cold Coca-Cola over my head while I slept in my comfy aisle seat! If any of them knew what I looked like, of course... LOL Speaking of FAs, did you hear about the blonde FA who... Hee hee, Kim 🙂 ... View more

Meg, Ummmm, ten bachelorettes? Perhaps Brian, our illustrious BlogMaster, could arrange a special charter to pick you ladies up and fly you wherever you want. Please forward pictures of the nine ladies and yourself and we'll talk. LMAO Kim 🙂 ... View more

Hmmmmm, I sat glued to the local bowling channel waiting for this "Super Bowl" thing to come on, but I must have missed it... Clueless about such things, Blog Boy #3 🙂 ... View more

David, Bravo on a great blog entry! Being a "student" of corporate cultures over the years (and being in sales, I am exposed to a LOT of different companies), I can wholeheartedly agree with you about the atmosphere that exists within the SWA organization. As my fellow responders above have indicated, the environment IS unique and is most likely NOT reproducible in another version. There are some things that "just ARE" and can't be copied. In your travels, you've no doubt seen the same thing that I have over the years -- a really great restaurant in a particular town will try to open a second location, and for whatever reason, it just never "takes off" like the original. Other airlines have tried to emulate parts of Southwest, but they have never quite gotten the recipe right, and the result is just not the same. As I've said over and over on this blog, anyone with deep enough pockets could buy hundreds of 737s, ground support equipment and fancy airport gate counters. But, they couldn't "buy" the Culture that flows through the Employees. And, in my experience, that Culture, at Southwest or in any organization, ALWAYS flows from the top DOWN. You can build the best mousetrap in the world, but if you've got a selfish, greedy, untrustworthy leader (or leaders) at the top, your firm will fail. Companies always adapt the personality of their leaders. In the case of my favorite airline, you are absolutely correct; just take a look at Herb, Colleen and Gary and you can extrapolate downward through the organizational chart and find their influence permeating the company. Obviously, much of the credit for the "personality" of SW is due to Herb, but certainly Colleen has spent years nurturing that personality into something bigger than Herb. In addition, as you said, Gary has definitely not gotten as much notice as his Wild Turkey-drinking boss outside of Southwest, but he has built the airline into the financial powerhouse that it is today. However, you pointed out one attribute that leaders can't buy or create just by wearing outlandish Elvis outfits or by arm-wrestling their competitors. Trust. That is something that is earned, day in and day out, by making decisions that are good for the company. Maybe they aren't always the best ones for a particular individual, but if a leader consistently shows themselves to be looking out for the best interests of the company, they will earn that trust. I can't think of a better example of trust than when some of the contracts for one of the unions expires during negotiations, but the members keep working anyway without threatening to strike, because they KNOW that ultimately, the leaders will do their best to take care of them while also doing their best for the company. You and the other 31,999 Employees at Southwest have a fantastic situation and you should be proud to tell anyone where you work! Best wishes from a fellow with a bit fewer hotel nights a year, Kim 🙂 ... View more

That's ok, Mr. Boy, it is not that I wanted to see it, I was just curious if I should watch for a review in the Observer... LOL 🙂 ... View more

Shelley, Is it true that at the Message to the Field, there is a special time when Brian "Blog Boy" dances on a table wearing nothing but strategically placed pieces of candy corn? Kim 🙂 ... View more

Leah, Yes, there is a mandatory retirement age for FAs. It is not highly publicized, but it is an obscure rule that Southwest vigorously enforces. They use this unilateral measurement device and apply it to all FAs, so there can be no question of age or gender bias. No matter your tenure with the company, if you can no longer pass this test, you are terminated. But, I'm sure you can understand that they are thinking of the overall safety of the passengers and the ability of each FA to perform their jobs in a way that is expected of them. I've heard that many FAs have tried to manipulate the test artificially, that some have tried bribing the evaluators and that some have even tried to convince friends to stand in for them for the test. Nevertheless, none of this works, as the SW testing committee is used to all sorts of tricks and schemes. By now, you may be wondering just how strenuous and complicated this test is. It is actually quite simple. A flight attendant is summarily dismissed on the spot once they can no longer toss a bag of peanuts from the aisle all the way to the tray table of the sleeping businessman in the window seat. Kim 🙂 ... View more