Southwest Airlines Community

Southwest Airlines is making the right call for college sports fans planning to travel to Miami for the Bowl Game on Jan. 7, 2013.  Today we introduced additional flights to accommodate Customers traveling to South Florida, including service not normally offered between Birmingham (BHM) and Ft. Lauderdale (FLL), specifically for the big game.   Additional flights added to accommodate Customers traveling to South Florida include the following and are on sale now at southwest.com! Southwest Airlines Additional Service on Jan. 5: Two daily nonstops between Chicago-Midway and Ft. Lauderdale Two daily nonstops between Birmingham and Ft. Lauderdale Southwest Airlines Additional Service on Jan. 8: Two daily nonstops between Ft. Lauderdale and Chicago-Midway Two daily nonstops between Ft. Lauderdale and Birmingham AirTran Airways Additional Service on Jan. 5: One daily nonstop between Chicago-Midway and Atlanta AirTran Airways Additional Service on Jan. 8: Three daily nonstops between Ft. Lauderdale and Atlanta Southwest Airlines is showing its support by dedicating these extra flights to the fans.  Flight #120 and Flight #505 from Chicago-Midway to Ft. Lauderdale celebrate Blue and Gold’s 12-0 season and star players who both wear #5; and Flight #42 from Birmingham to Ft. Lauderdale is for the Crimson fans cheering on their star running back! Doesn’t matter to us who you’re rooting for … let us take you to the game!  Visit www.southwest.com or call our amazing agents at 1-800-I-FLY-SWA and book today! ... View more

Here we are, barely past the first freeze of the season in the Dallas area, and Southwest Airlines already has our mind on next summer!  Today we opened the Southwest and AirTran schedules for sale through August 9, 2013.  As usual there are lots of changes to talk about—we’ve really had our schedule optimizer working overtime to make travel more convenient than ever for Summer ’13! As we continue to integrate AirTran operations into Southwest Airlines, starting June 2, 2013 we will convert service at Wichita, Kansas from AirTran to Southwest.  At Wichita’s Mid-Continent airport, we will substitute three AirTran nonstop flights between Wichita and Atlanta with two Southwest nonstops between Wichita and both Dallas/Love and Chicago/Midway, and daily Southwest nonstop service between Wichita and Las Vegas.   This will give Southwest five daily departures, with direct and connecting service to another 70 Southwest cities across America.   Mid-Continent Airport’s slogan is “Convenient.  Friendly.  Affordable.”   That sounds just like Southwest Airlines! Integration between Southwest and AirTran also continues in the Caribbean!  On the same day next June we will convert existing AirTran nonstop service between Baltimore/Washington and beautiful San Juan, Puerto Rico to Southwest Airlines, and will add a fourth daily roundtrip between San Juan and Orlando.  All of Southwest’s service to San Juan utilizes our amazing 737-800 complete with Boeing’s beautiful Sky Interior. We’ve also made changes in many other Southwest markets.  The biggest news is the addition of two daily nonstop roundtrips between Houston/Hobby and New York’s LaGuardia Airport!  We’ve gotten lots of requests for this new market and we’re SUPER excited to add it to our route map.  We will also add new nonstop service between Chicago/Midway and Tulsa, another market that has been requested for quite a while, especially since we added our service between Chicago/Midway and Oklahoma City a few months ago.  Other nonstop markets that will seasonally return will be daily nonstops between Seattle and Atlanta, Nashville, Houston/Hobby, and Kansas City, between Austin and Portland OR, and between Las Vegas and Manchester.  We will end Southwest nonstop service in five markets—Albuquerque-Tucson, Oakland-Reno, Little Rock-St. Louis, and between Birmingham and both Jacksonville and New Orleans.  In addition, we’ll eliminate seasonal nonstops between Hartford and Ft. Myers, weekend-only nonstops in the Norfolk-Tampa Bay and Providence-Ft. Myers markets, and will seasonally shift Southwest nonstop service between Ft. Lauderdale and both Raleigh/Durham and Milwaukee to AirTran.  Elsewhere across the network we’ll reduce frequency in 40 roundtrip markets and increase service in 49 others, winding up with an average of 3,382 departures each weekday—which represents an overall increase in roughly 18 midweek departures per day.  As always, you can find schedules and fares at southwest.com. On the AirTran network, even though we’re knee-deep in conversion to Southwest, we’re also making changes next summer.  Besides the integration-related swaps detailed above, we’ll add a second daily nonstop roundtrip between John Wayne International Airport in Orange County and San Jose del Cabo, Mexico!  Frequency on the Baltimore/Washington-Bermuda nonstops, which restart on May 16 th four times weekly, will become daily.  We’ll also introduce AirTran nonstop service between Tampa Bay and both Houston hobby and Raleigh/Durham, both of which will supplement continuing Southwest nonstop service in both markets.  Just as we have on the Southwest network, we’ve adjusted frequencies in a number of AirTran markets, decreasing flights in roughly a dozen roundtrip markets while adding flights in 44 markets.  Schedules and fares are available at airtran.com. This week, as you’re digesting your Thanksgiving dinner, take some time to daydream about a perfect Summer vacation.  Sail fishing off the Baja Coast?  Climbing Mt. Rainier?  Sunning on the beach in Aruba?  Shopping in Manhattan?  Southwest and AirTran can take you there—and lots of other places.  While you’re at it, take some time to be thankful for all that you have and know that we are thankful as well.  We’re thankful for you!  Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. ... View more

Today, we opened our April/May 2013 Schedules, and effective April 14, we will convert AirTran Airways service at Charlotte, North Carolina; Flint, Mich..; Portland, Maine; and Rochester, New York, to Southwest service. We’ll also open sales out through May 31, 2013, giving us 221 days of bookable inventory. Lots of changes to discuss … so read on! At Charlotte, Southwest will transfer AirTran’s two daily Charlotte-Baltimore/Washington roundtrips to Southwest, replace AirTran’s nonstops between Charlotte and Atlanta with one daily nonstop roundtrip between Charlotte and both Houston/Hobby and Orlando, and add two daily roundtrips between Charlotte and Chicago/Midway.  In addition to nonstops to four airports, we’ll offer Charlotte direct or connecting service to or from 71 other Southwest destinations. At Flint, Southwest will replace AirTran’s nonstops between Flint and Atlanta with three daily roundtrips between Flint and Baltimore/Washington, and shift AirTran’s daily roundtrip nonstops between Flint and both Orlando and Tampa Bay to Southwest. AirTran’s seasonal nonstops between Flint and Ft. Myers will end. In all, Southwest will offer Flint Customers service to three nonstop and up to 56 direct or connecting Southwest airports! In the Northeast, we’ll convert AirTran’s three nonstop roundtrips between Portland, Maine, and Baltimore/Washington to three Southwest nonstops, enabling direct or connecting itineraries to 57 additional Southwest points. At Rochester, Southwest will replace AirTran’s nonstop Rochester-Atlanta service with two new Southwest nonstops between Rochester and Chicago/Midway, will convert AirTran’s double-daily nonstop service between Rochester and both Baltimore/Washington and Orlando to Southwest, and will replace AirTran’s two daily nonstops between Rochester and Tampa Bay with one nonstop on Southwest. This will allow Southwest to offer service to four nonstop and another 67 direct or connecting destinations to Rochester Customers! And, after this round of city conversions, we’ll only have five airports that aren’t either fully converted to Southwest or that continue to see both Southwest and AirTran aircraft—Grand Rapids, Memphis, Pensacola, Richmond, and Wichita—so we’re definitely making great progress on the integration front! As with any schedule extension, the April/May 2013 Southwest schedule is completely re-optimized, so you’ll find that itineraries in nearly every market have shifted around a bit.  You’ll notice continued evidence of our fleet modernization initiative, with more of our beautiful (and efficient!) new 737-800s flying across America, replacing older 737-300s and -500s. Expected annual changes in wind patterns mean flying times will change, and because of seasonal traffic shifts we will make a number of other service changes. We’ll add two new roundtrip nonstops between Boston Logan and Kansas City and one nonstop roundtrip between Houston/Hobby and Pittsburgh. We’ll also bring back seasonal nonstops in the Baltimore/Washington-Seattle, Cleveland-Las Vegas, Kansas City-Oakland, and San Diego-St. Louis markets. To pay for that new service, Southwest will permanently discontinue service between Boise and Portland, Ore.; between Burbank and Denver; and between Houston/Hobby and Philadelphia.  We’ll also end seasonal nonstop service between Ft. Myers and Nashville, Boston, Long Island/ Logan, Islip, and Philadelphia, between Orlando and Dayton and Indianapolis, and between West Palm Beach and Pittsburgh and Providence.  And, we will make frequency adjustments in hundreds of other Southwest nonstop markets, as we do with each schedule release. Naturally, a number of changes also will happen across the AirTran network.  In addition to the conversion of Charlotte; Flint; Portland, Maine; and Rochester, AirTran will add new nonstop roundtrips between Baltimore/Washington and the beautiful beaches of Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. AirTran nonstop service will replace nonstops on Southwest in the Buffalo-Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood, Orlando-Minneapolis/St. Paul, Philadelphia-West Palm Beach, and Ft. Myers-Philadelphia markets.  AirTran will supplement Southwest service by adding nonstops between Orlando and both St. Louis and Kansas City, between Buffalo and Tampa Bay, and between Chicago/Midway and Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood.  AirTran will also seasonally join Southwest nonstops between Boston Logan and Milwaukee and between Tampa Bay and both Chicago/Midway and Columbus.  AirTran will end seasonal nonstops between Tampa Bay and Grand Rapids, and between Ft. Myers and Akron/Canton, Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Flint. Fifty-seven other AirTran markets will have their frequencies adjusted. With this schedule extension, we’ll have 221 days of bookable inventory, with the next schedule extension (the Summer 2013 Schedule!) coming later this Fall.  So everyone—enjoy the great weather, and have a fantastic week! ... View more

Today, Southwest Airlines and AirTran Airways open our schedules from March 9 through April 12, 2013.  This covers the PEAK of Spring Break vacation season as well as both Easter and Passover.  It’s going to be a busy time—and we have some fun changes to talk about! Conversion from AirTran to Southwest continues steadily.  Biggest news in this new schedule is:  BRANSON!  We’re converting Branson, Missouri, from AirTran to Southwest service on March 9, and we’re shuffling the operational deck there to maximize service in markets with lots of local travelers as well as enhance connectivity to the Southwest network.  We’ll go into Branson with daily nonstops to Dallas, Chicago Midway, and Houston Hobby, as well as weekly Saturday service between Branson and Orlando.  Adding direct and connecting flights, we’ll offer service between Branson and 67 Southwest cities!  With the conversion, we’ll eliminate AirTran’s daily nonstops between Branson and Atlanta and convert their Orlando weekly flight to Southwest, yet overall we’ll be nearly tripling the number of weekly seats to and from the “Live Music Show Capital of the World.”  And there’s LOTS more for all ages to do in Branson than music—boating on beautiful Table Rock Lake, enjoying the Silver Dollar City amusement park, excellent value-centered “retail therapy,” and a whole host of other attractions.  GREAT destination—make plans now to visit! We’ve been busy “twisting the dials” on our schedule optimization engine to take advantage of the expected March traffic shifts, be they permanent or seasonal, and it’s produced some significant changes.  For starters, we’re re-engineering Southwest’s schedule at Newark by eliminating three daily Newark-Baltimore/Washington roundtrips and, instead, adding daily nonstop service between Newark and both Austin and New Orleans, and twice daily nonstop service between Newark and Nashville.  We’ll also increase our presence at two new “conversion” airports, with the addition of seasonal Southwest service between Dayton and Orlando and first-ever service between Key West and New Orleans (bet that one will be rocking around Mardi Gras!).  In addition, nonstop service between New York LaGuardia and Milwaukee and between Columbus and Tampa Bay will transition from AirTran to Southwest service.  Seasonally we’re going to reinstate nonstop Southwest service between Panama City Beach and St. Louis, between Albuquerque and Portland, between Jacksonville and La$ Vega$, and between Phoenix and Raleigh-Durham.   On Saturdays, we’ll add nonstop service between Cleveland and Orlando, between Cleveland and Ft. Myers, between Detroit and Orlando, between Chicago Midway and West Palm Beach, and between San Diego and St. Louis. AirTran is adding new markets as well. We’ll supplement existing Southwest service with AirTran flights between Orlando and Houston Hobby, New Orleans, and Raleigh-Durham. We’ll also add new AirTran seasonal roundtrips between Buffalo and Ft. Myers, and between Philadelphia and Tampa Bay. Of course, like all new base schedules, the entire deck is re-shuffled, taking seasonal weather and wind changes into account.  You can find all of our new schedules on southwest.com, and you can look forward to a couple of “behind-the-scenes” blog posts from me over the next couple of weeks about what we go through to create the Southwest and AirTran schedules—and why they sometimes look a bit odd!  Have a great week, everyone.  Book those Spring Break excursions now, and meet me back here soon! ... View more

Good morning!  Today we opened the Southwest and AirTran schedules for sale from February 14 through March 8, 2013.  And I have good news to report!  We do not eliminate any nonstop markets on either network; we’re adding capacity back into both systems in anticipation of winter vacation travel; and I’ve even got some new markets to talk about.  Details below!  Southwest will follow Interstate 35 north out of Kansas City by adding new nonstops between K.C. and Minneapolis-St. Paul!  Two roundtrips each weekday will tie the two stations together and give Minnesota travelers another way to access Texas, Florida, and the West via Southwest.  This will be our seventh nonstop destination from the Twin Cities, and our twenty-first nonstop market from Kansas City. Seasonally we’ve got several additions of note—after an absence of only one month we’re bringing back nonstop Albany-Las Vegas roundtrips, plus we’re bringing back nonstop Albuquerque-Orlando, Hartford/Springfield-Las Vegas, Long Island/Islip-Ft. Myers, and Providence-Ft. Myers service.  We’re also adding our first-ever nonstop service between West Palm Beach and both Pittsburgh and Providence on a seasonal basis.  We’re bringing back seasonal AirTran nonstops between Chicago Midway and Ft. Myers, plus AirTran’s first-ever nonstop service between Ft. Myers and Detroit. Overall, our February schedule increases daily departures on both the AirTran and the Southwest networks by about six percent, primarily in winter-oriented markets.   For greater detail, you can always check the schedule in your favorite market(s) at southwest.com.  Happy booking—and have a great week! ... View more

Good morning, everyone!  Today we opened our schedule through Feb. 13, 2013.  We have the usual seasonal shifts planned for the January/February timeframe (which is historically the slowest traffic period of the year) and adjustments for the annual seasonal wind shifts as well as winter operations.  But we have a couple of surprises as well—let’s get into the details! Let’s talk LaGuardia first.  We fought hard to get operating slots at “Fiorello’s Folly” and to make maximum use of them—we’re shuffling the deck.  We’re eliminating our LaGuardia-Baltimore/Washington nonstop service, currently at three departures daily, and shifting that to two new LaGuardia-Nashville nonstops and a sixth LaGuardia-Chicago Midway flight.  Our LaGuardia Customers can still access our network via Nashville and Chicago, and the new service really enhances LaGuardia’s access to our Midwestern, Southern, and Western network.  Watching the internet like I do, I know that many people have wondered, “When is Southwest going to start flying to Nashville from LaGuardia?”  Well, now you know—it starts on Jan. 6, 2013! In other new service news, Southwest will add seasonal nonstop service in four markets:  Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood-Phoenix, Nashville-Ft. Myers, Ontario-Reno, and Milwaukee-New Orleans.  We’ll convert the AirTran nonstop service between Milwaukee and New Orleans to Southwest metal just in time for Mardi Gras (which falls on Tuesday, February 12).  We will discontinue service between Orlando and Ft. Lauderdale; Orlando and Panama City; Tampa Bay and West Palm Beach; Reno and Salt Lake City; and Albuquerque and El Paso.  All of these discontinued markets are shorthaul and carry a very high percentage of connecting, longer-haul Customers, and we have more convenient ways of getting them to their destinations.  For the winter, we’re seasonally suspending service between Albuquerque and both Portland and St. Louis; between Las Vegas and Albany, Jacksonville, and Providence; between Kansas City and both Oakland and Seattle; and between Phoenix and Raleigh-Durham.  All of these markets are expected to get nonstop service again in future schedules, and in the meantime will maintain connecting service. On the AirTran network, we’re converting Atlanta-Phoenix service to Southwest metal (from Mighty Teal to Canyon Blue!), and are seasonally eliminating nonstops between Buffalo and Tampa Bay and between Chicago Midway and Ft. Myers (connecting service will still be available on both AirTran and Southwest). Our next schedule extension will be Monday, July 16.  Stay tuned, and have a great summer week, everyone! ... View more

One of the things that I love most about my wonderful Company is how involved Southwest is in the many communities we serve, including community partnerships with organizations with kindred missions.  And the one most dear to my heart is the partnership between Southwest Airlines and GLAAD, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.  It’s a partnership about telling the truth about my community … but it’s also so much more! GLAAD focuses on giving a voice to the LGBT community to make sure we’re represented honestly in the media, that bias against the LGBT community is not tolerated unchallenged, and for educating people that we are just like any other communities.  GLAAD tells the stories of struggles, triumphs, families, allies, and they tell those stories with integrity and respect.  GLAAD also gives back to their corporate partners, making sure they’re represented correctly and fairly in the media when it comes to LGBT issues—and we LUV them for that.  Besides Southwest, GLAAD has wonderful support from all corners of corporate America including competitors like our friends at Delta Air Lines and American Airlines; financial institutions like Wells Fargo, Citi, and Prudential; and large corporations like IBM, AT&T, and Time-Warner.  Nearly every major network (both broadcast and cable) on the books is a supporter of GLAAD. Why is Southwest’s support of GLAAD important?  Very simple.  They share our basic principles:  focusing on the situation or issue, not the person; maintaining the self-confidence/esteem of others; maintaining constructive relationships; making things better; and leading by example. GLAAD lives by all of these principles that are central to Southwest’s success and Culture.  And by adhering to them, GLAAD has become a powerful voice for many various stakeholders.   “Southwest Airlines is an airline by the People, for the People … all People from all walks of life,” said Linda Rutherford, Southwest’s Vice President of Communication and Strategic Outreach.  “We get involved in organizations and associations—like GLAAD—that help connect us to people all over the globe so together we can celebrate a commitment to the communities we serve.”  Herndon Graddick, President of GLAAD, agrees, saying, “By partnering with GLAAD, Southwest Airlines not only promotes the stories of their diverse Employees and Customers, but grows acceptance and understanding of the LGBT community across America.  Every person deserves to be treated fairly and equally, and we are proud to work with Southwest Airlines to make sure that the voices of LGBT people everywhere continue to be heard.”  GLAAD has become a very personal cause for my partner and me.  We’ve been fortunate enough to volunteer to attend the GLAAD Media Awards in NYC and San Francisco representing SWA over the past two years, and I can’t tell you how profoundly we’ve been affected by the people we’ve met and the stories we’ve heard.  People like Ft. Worth City Councilman Joel Burns, who delivered an incredibly moving “It Gets Better” speech that has gone viral on YouTube.  And Growing Pains actress Tracey Gold, who has become vocal in her support of the LGBT community.  Or Zach Wahls, the Iowa man raised by two moms who delivered an impassioned speech to the Iowa State Legislature.  Besides being contributors, my partner Kent and I have pledged to join with GLAAD as “upstanders” … not “bystanders.” Southwest believes in GLAAD’s mission to change hearts and minds for our community.  You can go to www.glaad.org to learn more about this organization!  ... View more

Father’s Day is bittersweet for me.  Reminds me of my Pops, who passed in 1991, and it also reminds me that I won’t be around forever for my son, The Officer, and my stepdaughters, and my upcoming granddaughter, Vivian. I miss Pops like crazy… but like any good father he taught me so many wonderful things. Family comes before anything.  Be a parent first, be a friend second.  Shut the toilet lid.  Fight for what you believe in.  Be honest and tell the truth in everything you do. Perhaps the most important thing Pops taught me is to find something you love to do, and then find a way to make a living doing it.  That pretty much describes my journey here at Southwest Airlines.  I do what I do because I love scheduling an airline (OMG it is so much fun!!!) but I came here because of the Culture.  Our Culture is so inclusive and amazing—I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Pops was alive for about a year after I joined Southwest, and after a few non-rev experiences, he told me “You made the right choice…they made me feel like family.”   He LUVed this wonderful airline….and so do I! Taking it down to my generation—as I’ve raised my son, The Officer, his life has been totally infused with Southwest Airlines.  Our Culture has taught him so much about how to be active in his community, how to be a great Leader, and how to be a wonderful friend.  And as we get closer to Vivian’s arrival—my first grandbaby!—you will certainly hear more about how Southwest’s Culture can translate to each of our families! This Father’s Day, please appreciate the fathers in your life, whether they’re blood or acquired, if they’re alive or if they’ve passed.  And take a second to take a nod to Southwest’s Culture…after all, our birthday and Father’s Day are nearly on the same day, and both share common bonds. Sharing.  Serving.  And LUVing. Happy Father’s Day folks! Much LUV— Bill ... View more

Good Monday morning!  Schedules are now available for both Southwest and AirTran for travel effective Nov. 4, 2012, and going all the way out until Jan.  4, 2013—including the Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Year’s holidays!  Transitioning cities…transferring markets…new nonstops…multiple schedule variations…there’s lots of cool stuff in our November schedules! Probably the biggest “oh REALLY?” in this new schedule is that, effective November 4, we will transition Key West, Florida, from an AirTran market to a Southwest market.  Southwest will operate one daily nonstop flight each between Key West and both Orlando and Tampa Bay, offering direct and connecting service to up to 53 other Southwest cities.  Whether you prefer Pirates or Hemingway, if you like tropical FUN (not to mention AMAZING sunsets!), you’re going to LUV Key West!  Southwest will also add new nonstop service in five markets—one daily roundtrip between Denver and Louisville, between Houston and Orange County, between Kansas City and New Orleans, and two daily roundtrips between Houston and Indianapolis and between Dallas and Harlingen.  (Historical note:  this will be the first time we’ve offered nonstop, daily service between Dallas and Harlingen in around 30 years!)  We will also transition a dozen or so Milwaukee flights from AirTran to Southwest.  Southwest will take over five daily roundtrips to Minneapolis/St. Paul, two to Boston, three additional nonstops to New York/LaGuardia, and one each to Ft. Lauderdale and San Francisco.  Each of these Southwest additions at Milwaukee corresponds to an equivalent reduction using AirTran aircraft. Seasonal additions for the winter/holiday season will be daily roundtrip nonstops between Ft. Myers and both Boston and Hartford; Ft. Lauderdale and both Kansas City and Manchester; and Milwaukee and Tampa Bay.  Southwest will also discontinue service for the winter season between Hartford and Las Vegas and between Birmingham and Phoenix (connecting service will continue to be available in both of these markets), and will permanently discontinue service in three short-haul nonstop markets, ending nonstop Southwest service between Birmingham and Nashville, between Chicago Midway and Indianapolis, and between Ft. Myers and Orlando. Over at our subsidiary, AirTran Airways, we’re equally busy with the process of integration as well as responding to seasonal changes in Customer traffic.  In addition to those markets that are transitioning service to Southwest mentioned above, we’re adding seasonal daily nonstop roundtrips between Tampa Bay and Buffalo, Columbus, Pittsburgh, and Rochester; and between Ft. Lauderdale and Columbus, Indianapolis, and Philadelphia.  We’ll also add four weekly nonstops between Ft. Myers and both Flint and Grand Rapids, and Saturday-only nonstop service between Grand Rapids and Tampa Bay.  We’ll discontinue seasonal AirTran service between Baltimore/Washington and Bermuda, and between Branson, Missouri, and Houston Hobby, Baltimore/Washington, and Chicago Midway. Even more so than in previous schedule changes, we’ve made extensive frequency adjustments in this schedule—more than 100 markets are adjusted on the Southwest network and more than 60 on the AirTran network, and that’s not including the new or discontinued markets discussed earlier!  Making this schedule even more interesting is that there are additional frequency changes even within the schedule, particularly during the holiday weeks. For example, the Wednesday before and the Sunday after Thanksgiving are such busy travel days that we create special schedules with extra flights just for those days!    I know it’s hard to get too excited about the Holidays before we’ve even officially gotten to summer, but we’re pretty pumped about this schedule.  Let me know if you have questions….and have a great week! ... View more

It’s a wonderful day at Southwest and our subsidiary, AirTran!  Today marks the first in a series of new International routes that AirTran will be starting over the next couple of months.  Brand new nonstop service between Denver and Cancun, Mexico, takes to the sky today with the scheduled 10:40 a.m. departure of AirTran flight 74, which will arrive Cancun at 3:25 p.m. local time.  Returning, AirTran flight 75 will depart Cancun at 4:20 p.m. local time and arrive Denver sin parar (nonstop!) at 7:30 p.m. Mountain time.  AirTran will operate the flight daily through July 7 th , and then daily except Monday and Friday through August 12, and on Saturdays and Sundays only through November 2 nd (the end of the available schedule). Of course, neither of these are new markets for us.  AirTran has served Denver for nearly a decade since starting service in May of 2002, and has served Cancun since February of 2009.  But this does mark the first international service AirTran has ever offered out of Denver, and it joins existing nonstop AirTran service from Denver to Atlanta and Milwaukee.  Together, Southwest and AirTran offer 166 weekday departures from Denver to 52 destinations from the Atlantic to the Pacific—and now, with Cancun, the Caribbean! But we’re just getting started.  Next month, we open two more new nonstop Mexico markets.  On May 24 th , AirTran will start daily nonstop service between San Antonio and Mexico City*, and four weekly nonstops between San Antonio and Cancun.  The next day, we’ll start four weekly nonstop Austin-Cancun roundtrips.  Then, on June 3 rd , we inaugurate the first ever nonstop service to Mexico from Orange County’s new International terminal with daily roundtrip nonstops between Orange County and both Cabo San Lucas/San Jose Del Cabo and Mexico City*.  That same day we begin our recently-awarded nonstops between Chicago-Midway and Cancun*. Join me in celebrating the new service by enjoying a nice chilled beverage with a little umbrella in it…after 5:00 p.m., of course. Have a great week, everyone! *pending foreign government approval ... View more

So…if we announced all of this yesterday, you’d think it was an April Fool’s joke.  BUT IT’S NOT!  We’ve just unveiled lots of service adjustments in the Summer/Fall 2012 schedules. Headline News:  Southwest is adding THREE new cities!  Effective August 12, Southwest will begin daily service at Akron-Canton (CAK) and Dayton, Ohio (DAY).   At Akron-Canton, we’ll begin with two daily roundtrips to Chicago Midway and a daily roundtrip to Denver alongside AirTran’s 10 daily flights to five markets.  At Dayton, we’ll begin with one daily roundtrip to Denver alongside FL’s eight daily flights to four markets.  Then, on September 30, we’ll begin service to Iowa’s Capital—Des Moines (DSM)—with two roundtrips to Chicago Midway, effectively converting that airport to the Southwest brand.  The new Southwest service will offer Customers in Ohio and Iowa fantastic access to the rest of the Southwest network.    We also unveiled a number of other schedule changes.  On June 3, we’ll shift the one remaining AirTran flight between Milwaukee and Denver to Southwest, giving us three daily Milwaukee-Denver roundtrips!  We’ll also add two AirTran roundtrips daily in the Atlanta-Houston and Atlanta-Chicago Midway markets, and one AirTran roundtrip between Atlanta and Baltimore/Washington, Denver, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas.  Southwest also will add one new seasonal nonstop flight between St. Louis and Panama City Beach, FL (where “Everyone Can Party!”) and between Austin and Portland, Ore., as well as an additional nonstop between St. Louis and Boston and between Dallas and Austin. Starting August 12, in addition to our new service to Akron-Canton and Dayton, we’ll be shifting one roundtrip daily from Southwest to AirTran between Atlanta and Los Angeles, Chicago Midway, and Phoenix, as well as adding AirTran frequency between Atlanta and Boston, Baltimore/Washington, and Houston Hobby.  We’ll also shift one roundtrip from AirTran to Southwest between Milwaukee and both Las Vegas and Phoenix.  We’re also implementing similar service swaps in numerous markets effective September 30, in addition to our new service at Des Moines.  These schedule changes mark the first time that we’ve shifted existing, out-for-sale service between the Southwest and AirTran networks, which will go a long way toward aligning both networks to provide even better Customer access (note:  if you have reservations on service that’s affected, we’ll contact you very soon!).  Of course, we’re also incredibly hard at work to make the ultimate in network alignment possible— allowing Customers to fly across the Southwest and AirTran networks!  We’re making progress, but it’s a very large job, since neither Southwest nor AirTran’s reservation system had the capability to connect the networks prior to the acquisition.  Hopefully we’ll have the capability ready to roll out to our Customers in 2013.  Until then, again—welcome to Southwest, Akron-Canton, Dayton, and Des Moines.  Have a great day, everyone! ... View more

Here’s a riddle for you:  what do Zeppo Marx, Harry Connick Jr., Julie Newmar, Abraham Lincoln, Marlon Brando, Jamie Lee Curtis, me, and five other members of the Southwest Airlines Network Planning Department have in common? Answer:  we’ve all been named as inventors in a United States Patent! It’s true!  Six of us in SWA’s Network Planning Department were named in a U.S. Patent that was awarded last November.  Our patent—number 8,050,936—was issued to the itinerary generation engine of our schedule editing and publishing software, named SPN, that the six of us worked for years to create.  One of the many cool things SPN does is to create all possible connecting itineraries inside SWA’s point-to-point network based on geography and a very large set of parameters; then it applies a very complex, specific, and unique set of selection rules to rank, then select, only the best itineraries for publication.  We designed it to be totally unlike any other itinerary generation engine in the industry, and the U.S. Patent Office and its attorneys agreed!  Obtaining a U.S. Patent isn’t easy.  You could say it’s like the Academy Awards of inventing, but it’s way more than that—it’s an amazingly complex and incredibly time-consuming process that’s heavy on staking claims and even heavier on proving them!   Creating, documenting, and “shepherding” the application through the patent pipeline took a tremendous effort by Southwest’s Legal Team and their associates.  I’m sure the U.S. Patent Department people have probably seen everything, twice, and they’re very thorough at determining what truly is unique vs. what is a knock-off…and although it takes a long period of time for this process to play out, our Legal Team eventually persevered!  It took nearly six years from the time Southwest first filed for the patent in December of 2006 to the time we were awarded it in November of 2011, so besides uniqueness, a patent takes patience—which Southwest has! This isn’t Southwest’s first time at the patent “rodeo.”  Our Legal Department colleagues have really gotten good at making sure that Southwest’s uniqueness is covered by patent protection where possible.  SWA has received a number of patents that name Employees as inventors on things like the cool electronic power stations in our gate areas, many aspects of our award-winning website, southwest.com, and even certain pieces of our unique schedule optimizer. Building the SPN Connection Generator was a tremendous challenge, but it was also a LOT of fun, due in large part to the huge dose of Southwest Spirit that infused the project.  Very, very special thanks to the SWA Technology Employees who worked with us—no, who partnered with us—to define our business requirements and then built and delivered the SPN “vision” (we had the “Dream Team” of developers and analysts and, amazingly, most of them are still with the Team!).    And to my fellow Network Planning brothers co-named in US Patent 8,050,936—it doesn’t get any better than this! ... View more

Today we published the Southwest Airlines and AirTran Airways schedules out through Nov. 2, 2012, making 256 days of travel available for sale.  The majority of this Schedule is in October, a month known for a number of things:  great weather … football … fall foliage … and no major changes in Customer demand!  This new schedule reflects those subtle changes.  In fact, the small list of added and eliminated markets should look very familiar—the vast majority of them are markets we’ve flown before, are old seasonal standards leaving us temporarily, or are part of the transition from the AirTran brand to Southwest. To get specific, we’re bringing back daily seasonal service on the AirTran side between Baltimore/Washington and Ft. Myers and between Grand Rapids and Orlando—with returning Saturday nonstops between Flint and Tampa Bay.  Southwest is bringing back nonstop daily service between Orlando and both Jackson and Indianapolis, plus a real Motown-style oldie comes back with the return of nonstop service between Detroit and Las Vegas, which we’ve not seen since 2006.  Two brand-new Southwest markets are brand transitions, with Southwest replacing AirTran’s two daily roundtrips between Atlanta and San Francisco, and one of ten daily AirTran roundtrips between Atlanta and Orlando moving over to Southwest “metal.”  We’ll also discontinue the two daily AirTran roundtrips between Atlanta and Phoenix, with the two existing Southwest nonstops in that market covering the Customer demand. Discontinued markets are all seasonal in nature, and all on the Southwest side.  Seasonal eliminations are between Seattle/Tacoma and both Atlanta and Nashville; Las Vegas and both Cleveland and Norfolk; and between Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood and Phoenix.  And just as we did in the August schedule, we’re re-directing an AirTran market, as we’ll end service between Des Moines and Milwaukee and simultaneously add new nonstop service between Des Moines and Chicago Midway.  Besides those changes, we’ll be making minor frequency changes on both networks—48 roundtrip markets will change for Southwest (resulting in a system net decrease of nine daily roundtrips), and 28 roundtrip markets will change on the AirTran system (net system decrease of eight daily roundtrips).  Aircraft conversion from AirTran to Southwest continues, with one former AirTran 737-700 entering Southwest service in mid-October.  There are also other exciting fleet changes coming throughout October, as we’re planning to increase the number of 737-800s flying the Southwest network by two to 24, and the number of 737-700s configured with the amazing Evolve interiors is planned to grow to over 200! Coming up, the next schedule opening will be perhaps the biggest of the year, as our November/December schedule is planned to open for sale on May 21.  This (of course!) will include the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Holidays, and that open-for-sale date could change, so feel free check the date on southwest.com as we get closer.  Until then, enjoy the winter and start planning those Fall 2012 trips now—and thanks for your business.  Have a great week!     ... View more

Today, we announced new U.S. gateways for Customers traveling to Mexico—Denver and Austin! We have received route authority approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for AirTran to operate new international flights between Denver International Airport and Cancun International Airport and between Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and Cancun International Airport.* Austin is a new market for AirTran Airways, and we’re excited to offer new opportunities to folks in the Live Music Capital. AirTran’s new international flight schedule will now include the following flights:    Between Denver and Cancun:  Daily roundtrip service starting April 16, 2012, through July 7, 2012 Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday roundtrip service starting July 8, 2012, through Aug. 12, 2012 Saturday and Sunday roundtrip service starting Aug. 13, 2012, through the end of the schedule (currently Sept. 28, 2012) Between Austin and Cancun: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday roundtrip flights starting May 25, 2012, through Aug. 31, 2012 Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday roundtrip flights starting Sept. 1, 2012, through the end of the schedule (currently Sept. 28, 2012) *These flights and start dates are subject to foreign government approval. In addition to the international service, AirTran will operate new domestic roundtrip service between Houston Hobby and San Antonio and between Houston Hobby and Austin to support the international flying.  The new service between Houston and San Antonio begins May 24, 2012, and the new service between Houston and Austin begins May 25, 2012. Both roundtrips are scheduled to operate through the end of the current flight schedule (which is Sept. 28, 2012). To book these flights, please visit www.airtranairways.com or www.southwest.com. As you can see, our Customers are already realizing the benefits of the acquisition. Today’s announcement adds to the new AirTran international service announced in November and scheduled to begin May 24, 2012, between San Antonio and Cancun and between San Antonio and Mexico City; and service scheduled to begin June 3, 2012, between Orange County, Calif., and Cabo San Lucas/San Jose del Cabo and between Orange County and Mexico City. So break out the beach towels, sunglasses, and sandals, and pack your bags, because we’re headed to Mexico! Olé! ... View more

A milestone event happened today at Southwest!  Today, we changed our schedule by introducing aircraft with the new “Evolve” interior that we unveiled on Jan. 17, and the 737-800.  The new equipment types were planned in advance, so these are equipment changes on existing flights with no “net-new” flying.  This particular milestone comes from a tremendous amount of behind-the-scenes preparation work, and takes us a giant step down the path towards the future of Southwest Airlines.  The first new type added to the schedule today is our 737-700s with the innovative eco-friendly “Evolve” interior.  Southwest’s Maintenance Crews are preparing to install the interiors on our -700s in March, and the first few aircraft sporting the new interior until April.  Beginning on April 11, we will start assigning “Evolve” aircraft to specific lines of flying, starting with 10 aircraft and increasing the number of planes almost weekly. In fact, the number of “Evolve” aircraft will be going up as fast as a car’s odometer zipping up the interstate, reaching 100 aircraft by June.  For those of you with access to industry schedule feeds, we’re using the equipment code “73W” for the “Evolve” -700s, instead of the industry-standard equipment code 73G.  The second new equipment change (and the “bigger” news with nearly 30 percent increased capacity than the -700!) is the introduction of our brand-new 737-800s, which also will enter service on April 11.    Our newest Boeing planes will come equipped with the “Sky Interior,” which has larger window treatments, cool variable lighting, and larger overhead bins for a little change to your flying experience.  The aircraft will seat 175 Passengers and will give us the capability of long-range overwater flights (which involves a lengthy yet interesting certification process that I’ll blog about later).   Our -800 adventure starts small, with just two aircraft overnighting at Chicago Midway and Baltimore/Washington and flying to and from Florida.  After that, the -800 fleet will grow gradually, adding two more on April 22, two more on May 13, and by the August schedule, we’ll have more than 20 -800s flying longer-haul routes like between Chicago Midway and the West Coast, between Baltimore/Washington and California, and between Florida and Las Vegas.  These flights will carry the code “73H.” For anyone out there (and I’m one of you!) who tracks “first flights,” our first 737-800 flight is scheduled to be flight #1717, Chicago Midway to Ft. Lauderdale, leaving Wednesday, April 11 at 7:00 a.m. CST. This is just one of a number of steps in Southwest’s evolution in 2012.  It’s going to be a phenomenal year, folks—come join us and fasten your seat belts, because it’s going to be a GREAT ride! ... View more

WE HEARD YOU, NEW ENGLAND FANS!  SUPER EXTRA SECTIONS BETWEEN PROVIDENCE AND INDIANAPOLIS NOW AVAILABLE FOR SUPER GAME WEEKEND!  After I blogged yesterday about our Super Extra Sections to/from Indianapolis, lots of you very rightly corrected our shocking lack of knowledge about the New England Patriots and which airport is closer to them.  And here’s our response!  Now available for sale—extra service between T. F. Green Airport in Providence and Indianapolis for the Friday before the big game (February 3 rd ) and the Monday after (February 6 th ).   Enjoy, folks….and thanks for the heads-ups! -- PICTURE IT.  Indianapolis.  Sunday, February 5 th , 2012.  A Very Large Football Game being played at Lucas Oil Stadium.  And YOU….ARE….THERE.  But to attend the game and root for either the Patriots or the Giants—you have to score tickets.  We can’t help you with tickets to the game itself, but we can help you get tickets to fly to and from Indianapolis!  We’re loading in extra sections on both Southwest and AirTran from both Boston and Long Island MacArthur Airport to/from Indianapolis to accommodate Big Game demand, and they’ll shortly be available for sale.  We’re adding: Friday, February 3 rd : Southwest: extra sections Boston-Indianapolis and Long Island MacArthur Airport-Indianapolis AirTran: extra section Boston-Indianapolis Monday, February 6 th : Southwest: extra sections Indianapolis-Boston and Indianapolis-Long Island MacArthur Airport AirTran: extra sections Indianapolis-Boston and Indianapolis-Atlanta Book these extra sections FAST because if history is any indication, our BIG GAME extra sections will sell out quickly!  And if you are fortunate enough to go enjoy the huge party that will be going on in Indianapolis that weekend, do what I’d do—eat well, party hard, and yell loud!  Hopefully the weather will be better than it was in Texas last year.  (snicker!)  Or, if you’ll be enjoying the festivities with friends and family at home…..do the same thing!  Have a good week, everyone. ... View more

Today, we put out the Southwest and AirTran schedules for sale from August 12 through September 28, 2012.  And if you thought some of the previous schedule changes I’ve walked you guys through have been complex…stand by for a NEW standard of complexity!  Conversion, network harmonization, market changes, and a smaller schedule design that reflects the normal Customer demand changes coming out of what looks like a very busy Summer—our August and September schedules have it all.  Both networks were created using our unique schedule optimization process, so we have lots of territory to cover.  Let’s get started! Starting with the Southwest side, we’re adding new nonstop service in nine roundtrip markets.  We’ll begin three weekday roundtrip flights between both Atlanta and Norfolk and between Atlanta and Louisville (note:  these are not markets currently served by AirTran), as well as two weekday roundtrip flights between both St. Louis and New York/LaGuardia and between St. Louis and San Antonio.  With the additional flights, our daily departure count from St. Louis is up to 90, which I believe is a new record!  As we continue the conversion of AirTran service and aircraft to the Southwest brand (after receiving a Single Operating Certificate), we’ll begin new nonstop SWA service that replaces existing service operated by AirTran between: Atlanta-Seattle/Tacoma:  one daily roundtrip Denver-New York/LaGuardia:  two daily roundtrips Los Angeles-Milwaukee:  two daily roundtrips Milwaukee-New York/LaGuardia:  two daily roundtrips (three additional remain on AirTran) Milwaukee-Seattle/Tacoma:  one daily roundtrip Southwest will also add two more flights between Atlanta and Los Angeles, which will replace two AirTran flights.  Milestones abound in this schedule, but one is particularly noteworthy:  this marks our very first full city conversion, as Southwest will completely assimilate all AirTran service effective with this August ’12 schedule! Across the rest of the Southwest network, the total number of weekday departures declines from our summer high of 3,422 to 3,250, with a flat aircraft count.  While we increase frequency in seven roundtrip markets (in addition to the Atlanta-Los Angeles increase mentioned above), we’ll reduce nonstop service in 88 roundtrip markets from their summertime highs.  We eliminate nonstop service in 11 roundtrip markets—some seasonal, some covered by existing AirTran service, and some that are simply no longer profitable in this high-cost environment.  The nonstop markets being eliminated are: Albuquerque-Lubbock Albuquerque-Midland/Odessa Albuquerque-Orlando Baltimore/Washington-Seattle/Tacoma (seasonal) Ft. Lauderdale-Kansas City (seasonal) Houston/Hobby-Seattle/Tacoma (seasonal) Indianapolis-Orlando (service remains on AirTran) Jackson-Orlando Jacksonville-Tampa Bay Milwaukee-Tampa Bay (seasonal—service remains on AirTran) San Diego-St. Louis (seasonal) AirTran’s new August/September 2012 Schedule contains a pretty complex set of changes as well.  Just like in the Southwest schedule, AirTran’s new schedule reflects the seasonal softening of Customer demand as well as the need to “free up” aircraft to go through the conversion process, so we’ll decrease systemwide daily departures from 680 on a typical Friday to 568, a reduction of 112.  In addition to the market eliminations announced Friday here as well as the AirTran-to-Southwest conversions listed above, we’re adjusting frequencies upwards in seven markets and downwards in 25 others.  Seasonal summer nonstop service in the following 11 markets will be cancelled, although connecting service will continue to be available on either AirTran or Southwest: Baltimore/Washington-Ft. Myers Baltimore/Washington-New Orleans Baltimore/Washington-San Francisco Baltimore/Washington-Seattle/Tacoma Charlotte-Orlando Columbus-Ft. Lauderdale Flint-Tampa Bay Ft. Lauderdale-Indianapolis Grand Rapids-Orlando Grand Rapids-Tampa Bay Rochester-Tampa Bay We’re also “moving some cheese” by eliminating our double-daily roundtrip nonstops between Akron/Canton and Milwaukee and replacing them with two daily Akron/Canton-Chicago-Midway nonstops. To view a comprehensive chart of all the changes for both carriers, visit www.swamedia.com. Like I told you, we’ve got a lot of changes to our schedule that start in August of 2012, and we’re just inches into the schedule integration process…so we’ve got a long way yet to go on this road.  Stay tuned, because we’re planning to open the October schedule in mid-February.  Have a great Sunday, everyone—GO NINERS!!!—and happy booking!  ... View more

We’re adding new seasonal nonstop service between February 12th and April 9th, 2012 to accommodate winter and Spring Break demand next year!  Southwest will add three new nonstop markets to the SWA network for the period—one daily roundtrip between Ft. Myers and both Hartford/Springfield and Providence, and new nonstop roundtrip service between Baltimore/Washington and Tucson, Arizona!  All of these new nonstops are in addition to existing connecting and/or direct itineraries in these markets.  The Northeast-Ft. Myers flights are timed for the local markets, and the Baltimore/Washington-Tucson roundtrip flight is timed perfectly for wonderful, quick connecting itineraries between our Stations in the East and Southern Arizona.  Special fares and schedules are now available at southwest.com, and if I can editorialize for just a second—both Ft. Myers and Tucson are two of my absolutely favorite destinations on our network.  In Ft. Myers you have fantastic beaches, amazing blue waters, and the best beach shelling on this planet (truly amazing!).  And Tucson re-defines laid-back desert chic with a Saguaro cactus always in the backdrop.  Visit either—or visit both!!!  And thank me later. 🙂 Updates as they happen.  Stay tuned! ... View more

Olé, y’all!! We’ve received U.S. DOT approval for our new service to Mexico! Starting June 3, 2012, our subsidiary AirTran Airways will start daily, nonstop service between Orange County, Calif., and both Cabo San Lucas/San Jose del Cabo and Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City. In addition, to enable us to keep the AirTran 737-700’s used on the international service “route-able” through the AirTran network, on the same day AirTran will add one daily roundtrip between Orange County and both San Francisco and Las Vegas. At the John Wayne International Airport in Orange County, AirTran and Southwest Airlines flights will operate from beautiful new Terminal C! And in Mexico City, all of our new AirTran service will operate out of Terminal 1. Beginning on May 24, 2012, AirTran will start daily nonstops between San Antonio and Mexico City as well as four weekly roundtrips between San Antonio and Cancun. This new service “south of the border” is in addition to our existing four daily AirTran flights between Atlanta and San Antonio, all of which operate from Southwest’s gates in Terminal B. And in beautiful Cancun, the new San Antonio service is in addition to our existing AirTran service between the “Mayan Rivera” and Atlanta, Baltimore, and Milwaukee. To celebrate the new international service, AirTran launched a fare sale today with fares as low as $109 one-way between the new destinations.  Customers must book by Dec. 19, 2011, in order to take advantage of these low fares (see Fare Rules below). Currently, all reservations for AirTran flights—including international destinations—must be booked on www.airtran.com, by calling AirTran reservations at (800) 247-8726, or through a travel agent. Southwest Customers can now see AirTran’s nonstop international routes on southwest.com through its new web referral tool which links Customers directly to www.airtran.com. All flights booked on www.airtran.com will be subject to AirTran’s policies and procedures. We are all SO excited to offer all of this new international service to Mexico—and is a perfect example of how the integration of Southwest Airlines and AirTran Airways is going to let us take our Customers to more places than ever before! So whether your wanting to stroll down the Paseo de la Reforma, body surf in the crystal-blue waters of Mexico’s Caribbean, or go deep-sea fishing for humongous marlin in the Pacific, starting next summer we’re your airline! Schedules and great low fares are available at www.southwest.com or www.airtran.com. Introductory Fare Rules All fares are one-way. Fares do not include segment taxes of $3.70 per segment. A segment is defined as a takeoff and a landing. Fares shown do not include Airport Passenger Facility Charges of up to $18 roundtrip. The September 11th Security Fee of up to $10 roundtrip is not included. Fares to/from Bermuda, Mexico and the Caribbean do not include additional government taxes of up to $100. All fares are nonrefundable and a $75 fee per person applies to any change made after purchase, plus any applicable increase in airfare. Seats are limited, subject to availability, and may not be available on all flights. Fares available for purchase Dec. 5, 2011, through Dec. 19, 2011, 11:59 p.m. PST. Fares are available for travel between San Antonio and Cancun or Mexico City beginning May 24, 2012, through June 26, 2012, with a blackout date of May 28, 2012. Fares are available for travel between Orange County and Cabo San Lucas/San Jose del Cabo or Mexico City beginning June 3, 2012, through June 26, 2012, with blackout dates of June 10, June 17, and June 24, 2012. Sale fares between San Antonio and Cancun or Mexico City are valid for travel every day except Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Sale fares between Orange County and Cabo San Lucas/San Jose del Cabo or Mexico City are valid for travel every day except Fridays and Saturdays. A first bag may be checked for a fee of $20 each way and a second bag may be checked for a fee of $25 each way. Reservations may be made via AirTran Airways Telephone Reservations Center for a fee of $15. Reservations may also be changed via AirTran Airways Telephone Reservations Center for a $15 fee plus any applicable change fees and fare differences. Fares, routes, and schedules are subject to change without notice. ... View more

Just as the weather’s getting chilly, Southwest is heating things up again by opening up our schedule for next summer—along with a LOT of exciting new service!  We’re now accepting reservations all the way out to August 10, 2012, on both the Southwest network, available at southwest.com, as well as the AirTran network, bookable at airtran.com.  This will give us 271 days of bookable inventory (which translates into roughly 3.8 Kardashian marriages), which is among the widest booking windows we’ve ever offered.  I’ve got lots of details—so let’s dive in! We’ve got new service to talk about!  On the AirTran side, we’re adding new service between Ft. Lauderdale and San Juan, Puerto Rico, with two daily flights starting May 24,   which will help South Floridians “get their mofongo on!”  Of course, this is in addition to our existing AirTran service between San Juan and Orlando, Tampa, Atlanta, and Baltimore/Washington.  Then we turn our attention to Mexico, as AirTran will file for authority to fly the following routes: San Antonio to both Cancun and Mexico City beginning May 2012, and Orange County, Calif. to Cabo San Lucas and Mexico City beginning June 2012. Both Mexico City and Cabo San Lucas are brand new destinations for AirTran, and we’ll announce schedules for all the new international service and make them available for purchase at a later date—but what’s cool is that this will be AirTran’s first international service from San Antonio, and it’ll be the first international service EVER planned from Orange County’s brand new international terminal!  Domestically, we’re adding new AirTran nonstop service between Mile-High Powerhouse Denver and Dayton (one daily roundtrip), Akron/Canton (one daily roundtrip), and New York LaGuardia (two daily roundtrips).  We will also add new seasonal AirTran service between Baltimore/Washington and both Seattle-Tacoma and Los Angeles (two daily roundtrips each), and between Baltimore/Washington and both New Orleans and San Francisco (one daily roundtrip each).  And because we’re now using Southwest’s schedule optimization engine for the AirTran schedule, there are lots of market-level frequency changes, and we’ll continue to “tweak the freqs” (making minor changes to frequencies in nonstop markets) after we open for sale … so stay tuned! On the Southwest side, we expect Summer ’12 to be a busy one!   Just as we’ve done on the AirTran side, we’ve completely re-optimized the Southwest network for the June-August schedule.  We’re adding seasonal new service between Houston Hobby and Seattle-Tacoma, Kansas City, and Raleigh-Durham (one daily roundtrip in each), all of which are brand new nonstop markets for us, as well new nonstop service between Chicago Midway and Oklahoma City (which has been one of our most frequently asked-for new markets!).  We’re also bringing back seasonal nonstop service between Nashville and Seattle-Tacoma, between St. Louis and San Diego, and between Norfolk and Las Vegas.  In total, we “tweak the freqs” (I’m starting to love that phrase!) in a total of 61 roundtrip markets.  Forty markets see slight increases, 21 see minor decreases, and after everything is tabulated, the Southwest network grows by 36 daily departures for a total of 3,398 Southwest flights each weekday. Stoke the fires, enjoy the winter, but start dreaming of next summer … then make some plans AND some reservations.  Southwest and AirTran are ready for you!  Have a great week, everyone. ... View more

This morning we extended our schedule out through the first of June of next year, which gives us 242 days of bookable inventory!  We’ve re-optimized the schedule to allow for typical seasonal changes (traffic, weather) which drove changes in 50 markets (and all market changes noted are roundtrip).  Nineteen markets will decrease slightly, 24 will increase slightly, we’re bringing two nonstop markets back seasonally (Baltimore/Washington-Seattle/Tacoma and Las Vegas-Manchester) and eliminating five markets—four seasonally (Ft. Lauderdale-Manchester, Ft. Myers-Long Island, Ft. Myers-Nashville, and San Diego-St. Louis) and one permanently (Reno-San Jose).  In all of the discontinued nonstop markets, we’ll continue to offer lots of connecting itineraries. The next significant schedule opening is planned to happen on November 14th, when we intend to open the Summer 2012 Schedule.  So, while you’re making definite plans for holidays in a couple of months—start thinking about your adventures for next summer.  You’ll be able to book them before you know it! ... View more

Holiday?  What Holiday!  Today, Labor Day, Southwest opened our Spring Break 2012 flight schedule for sale, adding availability from March 10 th through April 9 th , 2012.    Front-and-center in our schedule for next spring is the addition of two new nonstop markets from Atlanta—service to Las Vegas as well as Phoenix!  We’ve timed our flights in these markets to provide great connectivity to Southwest’s dense Western network, but they’ll also give our new Georgia Customers some “quality time” in the Valley of the Sun as well as all up and down the Vegas Strip.  This will give us 17 weekday departures from Atlanta (we begin service on February 12 th to Austin, Baltimore/Washington, Chicago/Midway, Denver, and Houston) and will increase the number of Southwest airports with links to Atlanta to 50.  Of course, this is all in addition to the 173 nonstops each day that our colleagues at AirTran will be operating between Atlanta and 51 cities! Also returning next March are nonstops between Birmingham and Phoenix, as well as Saturday-only service between Orlando and both Cleveland and Detroit.  Overall, we’ll be offering 3,358 weekday departures, an increase of 138 daily flights over the February schedule with no increase in aircraft.  Our new nonstops as well as other service increases to beach, ski, and big-city destinations for Spring Breakers are, as usual, funded by frequency changes in dozens of markets, all of which are “stitched together” by our unique schedule optimization process.  Even though we’ve now published our schedules through the entire first quarter of 2012, we’re already hard at work on the rest of next year.  Of course, you’ll read about it here first—so check back here frequently.  And start planning that Spring Break trip now!  Happy Labor Day, folks! ... View more

When I was a kid growing up here in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area (when the population was 1/3 of what it is today), Summer was my absolute favorite season.  No school. Playing every day with my friends (most of whom I still see regularly) from when we woke up until when we had to be home. Swimming in the public pool. It was every schoolkid’s dream! And there are other special, very sensory Summer memories I’ve cherished since then. Minor, wonderful things like standing on the concrete of our street as a rainshower moved over on a hot day, and watching the falling raindrops make a psychedelic array of big gray blobs on the white concrete only to quickly disappear as they evaporated. Chasing fireflies in the yard, trying to catch them in mason jars (and yes, we used to have fireflies here, as well as horned frogs). The screech of the cicadas—which we called locusts—so loud during the day that you had to shout at your friends to be heard. Staying up all one night by my friend Trina’s pool (with her parents) watching a total eclipse of the moon unfold above us.  And of course, going for picnic lunches with Mom and other families at Bachman Lake to watch airplanes…including those oddly-colored ones of that new airline, Southwest. The absolute most special thing about summer for me was vacation.  Back in the ‘60s and early ‘70s, there was no Southwest Airlines, and vacation travel was by and large by car—and we did more than our share of road trips down to Galveston, South Padre, and Ruidoso. But my ultimate favorite memories were of the rare occasions that my Mom and Dad would take us on airplanes, which I still remember like they were yesterday. Flights like Dallas-Love Field to Little Rock on an American Airlines 707.  Little Rock to Memphis on a Trans-Texas DC-3.  Houston-Hobby to Dallas-Love Field on a Braniff Lockheed Electra.  And my first flight by myself when I was a ‘tween, after Disney World opened, when during a family driving vacation to the Magic Kingdom I had to get home before the rest of the family.  The itinerary:  Orlando-Atlanta on a Delta L-1011 connecting (at the OLD Atlanta Airport!) to an Atlanta-DFW flight on a DC-8-61.  Have I told you lately that I’ve always been an airline geek? Even as a very young summer traveller, I could talk to anybody.  I actually invited the entire American Airlines crew from the Dallas-Little Rock American Airlines flight to come swimming with my Dad and I in Little Rock, which I was ribbed about until Dad passed!  As I met people during my travels, I learned that, particularly in the summer, people travel for every reason possible.  Other times of the year it’s heavy on business, or during the holidays it’s heavy on family travel, and during Spring Break it’s heavy on…well, Spring Breakers.  But during the summer, the reasons why someone climbs onto an airplane run the absolute gamut.  Happy reasons, sad reasons, inspiring reasons, and “huh???” reasons.  Over the next few weeks, I’m going to be bringing you stories that showcase interesting reasons why the person sitting next to you may be traveling. Until my next story shows up ... I’d love for you to tell me about your favorite Summer travel story.  Please post a comment on what your most memorable summer trip has been.  And in the meantime—stay cool, and stay tuned!  ... View more

We extended our schedule this morning to March 9 th of next year, giving us 228 days of bookable inventory.  And there are some changes, but I’m sure you guys expected that!  This is actually two pieces of schedule work in one—the January 8-February 11 schedule is completely different from the February 12-March 9 one—making reporting about this new schedule just a tad complex!  We’ve done this before, due to the big seasonal traffic changes going from December (Holidays, family visits, merriment) into January (cold, long nights, holiday credit card spending) into February (cabin fever, President’s Day three-day-weekend, and GET ME SOME WARMTH!).  So again, you’ll notice the January network is “thinner” than November by about 51 daily roundtrips, with the reductions spread across 81 markets and increases coming to 35 markets.  However, we more than make up for the January decreases in February, when the network gains 60 added weekday roundtrips, adding flights back into 72 markets while taking further slight reductions in 13 others. To view a comprehensive list of the Southwest changes, please visit: www.swamedia.com Diving into the specifics, starting with January, we’re adding two-brand-new markets, Denver-Providence and Ft. Lauderdale-Milwaukee.  Two seasonal markets will be coming back—Nashville-Ft. Myers and Ft. Lauderdale-Manchester.  We will also exit 12 markets on a nonstop basis, and will temporarily halt nonstops in three markets, which will return in February.    Markets we will temporarily suspend that will return in February: Albuquerque-Portland Hartford-Las Vegas Kansas City-Oakland Markets we are exiting on a nonstop basis: Birmingham-Louisville Boise-Reno/Tahoe Boise-Salt Lake City Boise-Seattle/Tacoma Jacksonville-Philadelphia Kansas City-Seattle/Tacoma Manchester-Las Vegas Manchester-Philadelphia Philadelphia-Pittsburgh Philadelphia-Providence Spokane-Seattle/Tacoma   Phoenix-Providence     A number of factors are at play behind the scenes in the construction of these schedules.  First, have you noticed the price of oil lately?  In a word:  volatile.  For that reason our Planners have shown a high degree of caution in the initial publication of this schedule because of the uncertainty of the price of fuel in 1Q12.  If it looks like we need to add more flights, we can!  But the really cool thing that happened with this schedule is that it marks the first base schedule on which Southwest has been able to collaborate with our new BFF’s—our former competitors and new colleagues from AirTran—on our network design, down to the frequency-by-market level.  So, some of the January/February changes reflect our initial efforts to harmonize our combined capacity, and to create the new Southwest network. Besides the market exits detailed above, there are a number of markets in which we’re beginning to shift some AirTran capacity over to the Southwest brand, such as Baltimore/Washington to Boston, Orlando and New Orleans, Columbus and St. Louis to Orlando, and Pittsburgh-Tampa Bay/St. Pete.  Of course, that marks the start of a long process that has one goal:  bringing two airlines together to spread low fares farther.   In the “are there more changes coming for January and February?” department….I can share with you at least one schedule addition that’s in the works.  Assuming the NFL gets its act together and actually has a season this year, we have some airplane time set aside on some of the late January/early February weekends to allow us to replicate our highly successful BIG BIG GAME Extra Section program (we aren’t allowed to use the actual name of the big football championship game).  Of course, we have no idea where the flights will need to come from, although we know the destination will be Indianapolis.   Have a GREAT week, everyone!     ... View more

So here we go!  The first joint schedule move by Southwest Airlines and our subsidiary, AirTran Airways—but most definitely, not the last.  And we begin with Milwaukee!!! Effective September 6 th , Southwest will add two daily flights between Milwaukee and St. Louis.  We’ll also add one Southwest Milwaukee-Denver nonstop to complement AirTran’s existing flight in that market, bringing our combined total to two and providing connections to dozens of Southwest destinations via our Mile-High Powerhouse!  On the same day, our colleagues at AirTran will begin two daily nonstop roundtrips between Milwaukee and Des Moines, as well as two daily trips between Milwaukee and Akron-Canton, Ohio. On the Southwest side, these schedule additions should be instant winners with our Customers to and from Milwaukee.  On the AirTran side, the new service coincides with the end of the marketing agreement between AirTran and SkyWest Airlines. AirTran will contact all affected Customers to assist with travel options, including those announced today. The new Boeing 717 service from Akron-Canton and Des Moines will allow easy alternative arrangements to and from those cities since the 117 seat jet increases capacity from the 50-seat SkyWest service.  Why am I so excited over three new Southwest roundtrips, and four new AirTran roundtrips?  Simple.  This is the first time we’ve made schedule and market decisions together, as one Company.  This is a MILESTONE, folks!!  And most certainly the shape of things to come.   Welcome to the future, everyone….we’ve got a long road ahead, but the integration of AirTran into Southwest has begun! ... View more

It always seems weird to talk about our schedule for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and the end of the year when the calendar hasn’t even hit Memorial Day.  But that’s life for an airline scheduler—well, for everyone, really.  After all—you have to plan ahead to “make the Season bright!” WE’RE OPEN!  Bookings are now being accepted through January 6, 2012.  I know how eager you guys are to get your reservations for this Holiday Season.   You can now book that holiday trip on southwest.com, or through our CS&S Centers by calling 1-800-I-FLY-SWA, whether you’re planning Thanksgiving with the family, Christmas in the Rockies, or NYE in the NYC! ... View more

As all of the Employees of Southwest Airlines and the Crew Members of AirTran Airways get ready to celebrate next week the “marriage” of our Companies on Monday, another wedding is on my mind.  Tomorrow, a member of the extended family of Airline Employees is saying “I Do.” In London. At Westminster Abbey. To a Prince, the heir-apparent to the British throne. AND I LUV IT! I’m talking about Catherine Middleton, who tomorrow is marrying His Royal Highness Prince William Arthur Philip Louis.  I think almost anyone on this planet has probably heard that Prince William is marrying a “commoner.”  But what many don’t realize is just how common Kate is—or, put another way, what all airline employees have in common with her and her parents!  Her mum and dad—Carole and Michael Middleton—worked for years at British Airways.  In fact, they met and married while with BA, Carole as a Flight Attendant and Mike as a dispatcher, where they remained after Kate’s birth until they started their mail-order/internet children’s party business. Of course, airline employees marrying (and having kids!) is nothing new.  Southwest, being the LUV Airline, has a surprising number of Employee couples, with over 2,400 Southwest Employees are married to other Employees, at last count.  But to my knowledge none of our “SWA Two-fers”—our married Employee couples—have ever had one of their kids marry into royalty! Tomorrow morning (Central time), while I’m up at dark-thirty sipping Earl Grey, eating scones, and watching all of the royals and hangers-on arrive at Westminster for the ceremony, I’m sure that all of the good folks at Waterside (BA’s world headquarters near London Heathrow Airport) are going to feel a special excitement knowing that they have a connection with the Middletons.  And I’m going to relish the fact that the Father of the Bride knows how to file a flight release, and that the Mother of the Bride knows how to evacuate passengers from an aircraft in an emergency.  And that the future Queen of England—even if only in a dim, childhood memories—knows the exhilaration (and terror!) of trying to travel standby on full flights as a “perk” of being the daughter of an employee! So cheers, Wills and Kate.  Congratulations!  Southwest Airlines LUVs you and wishes you the best of everything from our side of the Atlantic to yours.  And after all the champagne is poured and the confetti settles at Buck House from your merriment tomorrow, look across the pond on Monday to see a wedding party of a different kind.  Southwest and AirTran are going to have a marriage celebration of our own—and while it may not be royal, it, too, will be historic! ... View more

Recently, I was fortunate enough to attend the launch of Southwest’s service at Newark Liberty International Airport.  Inaugural service festivities are always a lot of fun, with tons of excitement, celebration, and SWA Spirit, and this one was no different!   To get up to Newark for the fun, I was one of over 100 Southwest Employees who rode aboard the “ferry flight,” a non-revenue, nonstop flight from Dallas Love Field to Newark to position an aircraft to begin our new service on Sunday, March27.   As we cruised from Texas to New Jersey, I did some reminiscing of my very first commercial flight—also a nonstop from Dallas Love to Newark.  It, too, was aboard a Boeing jet—only instead of a 737-700, my trip in 1964 was aboard an American Airlines 707.  Our departure in 2011 from Love Field was not extremely different than mine in 1964—last weekend, we departed from Love Field’s Gate 1, and back in 1964, American was operating from almost the exact same location in the then brand-new terminal.    However, today’s Newark Airport is a vastly different animal than what my family and I encountered when we arrived in 1964.  Newark Liberty in 2011 is a bustling, airy facility with multiple terminals linked by an elevated train which also provides great, quick access to commuter rail service to Penn Station in Manhattan, as well as Amtrak’s entire Northeast train grid.   Newark Airport in 1964 was a single-level, dingy, relatively unpopular facility with minimal amenities and no “modern” conveniences (such as jetbridges!).  I remember climbing down air stairs in the snow when we arrived, slipping and sliding across the icy ramp towards the terminal, and nearly getting blown over by the prop wash from a passing propeller plane.  (Remember, I was much younger—and lighter—then!) These pictures from 1962 and 1964 (supplied by the Port Authority of NY/NJ) show how relatively small and antiquated the airport was back in the early days of the Jet Era.  It also illustrates what Newark Airport’s primary role was back then, which was for the most part short-haul regional service operated by propeller planes. For you airplane geeks, also note the United Airlines French-made Caravelle twinjet—love the triangular cabin windows!)     Other parts of the airport were equally cramped.  This picture shows how passengers walked in close proximity with service vehicles across the ramp between the aircraft and the gate—a good concept for sunny Southern California, but more problematic for New Jersey!     Here we see the sixties-era cab of the control tower, as well as the old tower itself (in the previous photo).      Again, for all of you airplane geeks—note that in this picture, there are two AA tails in the shot, one of which was of the elusive Convair 990!     The last in this series of photos shows the congested ticketing lobby of the old terminal (note the group of school kids, presumably touring the airport, in the foreground).     Newark’s modern, new terminal complex opened in phases, with the first phase (current terminals A and B) opening in the mid-1970’s, Terminal C in the 80’s, and improvements and enhancements continuing almost unabated to this day.  My thanks to Carol at the PANYNJ for providing a pictorial guide for my trip down memory lane.  After looking at them, however, I much prefer today’s Newark Liberty International Airport—specifically, Southwest’s new operation there.   We’ve set up shop in Terminal A, gates 14, 15, and 16, and we’re excited to be here.   If you’re in town, come on over and say “howdy,” and make some great new memories of your own. ... View more