Southwest Airlines Community

Effective August 1, Southwest is adding fast, easy nonstop flights between the Long Beach Airport and California’s capital city, Sacramento.  Our new Long Beach-Sacramento service, operating twice each weekday, not only adds another link between Southern and Northern California—it also adds another convenient way to connect Long Beach with the rest of the large Southwest network from the Pacific Northwest to the East Coast, and everywhere in between!       Southwest CEO Gary Kelly met this afternoon with Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia to share the new service we’ll be starting as a result of the city’s allocation of two additional slot pairings.   Our new nonstops between Long Beach and Sacramento bring the total number of nonstop markets Southwest serves within the Golden State to 46. That’s a far cry from our initial intra-California offering of just two markets thirty-five years ago in 1983!  And with almost 175,000 seats now offered within California every week aboard Southwest’s fleet of Boeing 737—far more than any other airline— it’s no wonder that we carry more passengers between California airports than all other airlines combined.  That’s a huge commitment to staying California Strong!   Southwest Airlines is very grateful to the Long Beach Airport for granting the slots to enable us to operate this new Long Beach-Sacramento service.  We appreciate the slot award—and hope California travelers enjoy the new service! ... View more

Seventy-five years ago today, it was a chilly, sunny Sunday morning in Fort Worth, Texas. On the town’s Northside, at Rosen Heights Baptist Church the Pastor was wrapping up his sermon with the choir and congregation singing “Just as I Am” while he closed with the Invitation—just like every other Southern Baptist church was doing that morning. Sitting near the pews were my mom, aunt, uncle, and grandmother. Mom said about halfway through the song one of the church deacons came in with a big radio and whispered in the Pastor’s ear, and from the grave look on both of their faces she knew something was up. He held his hand up and to shush everyone as the deacon plugged in the radio to warm up. “Japan has been bombed by Hawaii this morning,” he said to a hushed and gasping congregation. “The radio says many ships and lives have been lost. Will the congregation please hold hands? We’ll pray for the dead, for the wounded, and for those that lived.” and after clasping hands, everyone bowed their heads and did just that, followed by recitation of the 23rd Psalm—“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil … ”     Four thousand miles away, a beautiful Hawaiian morning was dawning over Pearl Harbor. The trade winds blew softly as the sailors of the Pacific Fleet, anchored in the Harbor, were waking up. Cecil Hollingshead was assigned to the USS Oklahoma but hadn’t yet reported in, staying instead in the barracks. He was just going to breakfast at the PX when the attack started. “I heard loud explosions coming from the hangar area, about 200 feet from me, and saw planes were strafing the buildings first before moving to attack the ships. I’ve never heard noise that loud. I looked out into the distance and I could see them—hundreds, thousands of airplanes zooming down the central valley. They looked like a swarm of angry yellow jackets.” But the airplanes weren’t yellow. They had the red ball of the Empire of Japan on them. “We picked up guns that were so heavy we had to put them on one man’s back then take turns shooting. We ran out of ammo after about thirty minutes and they were still attacking us. We all got hit by shrapnel—I just got grazed but one of the guys alternating doing the shooting got hit right in the throat and died right there. We couldn’t stop his bleeding.” He said several of the other men got minor injuries too, but they were able to carry on.   After the ammunition supply was exhausted and there was nothing more to shoot with, they ran for the harbor to help get men—or bodies—out of the water. When asked if he had thought to run for cover, he laughed and said, “We all knew a war had just started, and we weren’t about to tuck tail and run. We were going to do what we could and help whoever needed it.” Many of the men they pulled from the water were alive; others were injured, some severely; others were dead. “But we must have pulled a hundred ‘live ones’ from the water that morning.” As they pulled their compatriots to safety, he watched the USS Arizona get hit, then sink, followed by the USS Oklahoma—the ship he was to have boarded later that day. Just on those two ships alone over 1,700 lives were lost.   I was lucky enough to talk to Mr. Hollingshead earlier this year, and while it was easy to get him to talk about Pearl Harbor, after he noticed the Southwest logo emblazoned on my shirt, he was more eager to talk about our airline than his past. “You people are just so good and so nice. Always looking to help everybody.” And when he said that, I wanted to reply “Wait, YOU ran into battle to save others despite being shot at, and WE are the ones that help everybody??” But I just smiled and said thank you.   And that’s the part of our conversation that keeps playing in my head. The men and women involved that day showed both Warrior Spirit and Servants’ Hearts by the ton, despite over 3,500 of them either being wounded or killed. They lived, and died, bravely protecting their country and others, ignoring the carnage and mayhem all around them. While it’s not surprising the first reaction of the congregation at Rosen Heights Baptist would be to pray for the soldiers and their safety, it amazes me still that all of those brave soldiers ran into harm’s way to help their fellow soldiers and sailors. And Mr. Hollingshead, after telling many stories and jokes, definitely proved he has a Fun-LUVing Attitude!      At 96, he was a little unsteady on his feet, but his memories were still sharp as a tack.  Unfortunately, I’ve heard he fell a while ago and was badly injured. His story-telling days are over. That’s why it’s important to hear the stories of the survivors first-hand while we can, as we’re losing them fast. Of the 60,000 that survived the attack on Pearl Harbor, all are in their 90s or above. Only 2,500 to 3,000 remain, and several die each day.   Today, if you can, make some time to think about all of those people in and around Pearl Harbor that were living the Southwest Way 75 years ago, long before there was a Southwest Airlines. They were not only, as Tom Brokaw dubbed them, “the Greatest Generation.” Those at Pearl Harbor and thousands of others went onto save humanity from the tyranny of Japanese Imperialism, Mussolini’s Fascism, and the horrors of Hitler’s Nazi party. And three-quarters of a century later, we—the 54,000 men and women of Southwest Airlines—carry on the characteristics they lived by: Warrior Spirit, Servants’ Hearts, and Fun-LUVing Attitude.   God bless and protect all of those that have, and still do, keep us safe and free. Have a good day, everyone. ... View more

  The highly-anticipated new Southwest service to the “Pearl of the Caribbean,” Cuba—easily, our most eagerly awaited new service in many years—is now loaded and available! We’ll begin by adding double-daily service between Ft. Lauderdale and Varadero effective November 13, which will be the 99th airport in Southwest’s Network. Varadero is situated on a peninsula about 100 miles east of Havana. The city is known for its beautiful beaches but also for the many historical museums of colonial days as well as pre-revolutionary, early twentieth-century Cuban culture.   Then, on Monday, December 12, Southwest will begin service to Havana, the “Rome of the Caribbean,” with two daily flights between Havana and our Ft. Lauderdale Gateway and the only nonstop roundtrip between Havana and Tampa Bay. As both the capital and the largest city in Cuba, Havana is unique among its Cuban peers, with more of everything—more beaches, more museums, more history, more culture, and more vintage American cars. Yes, Havana is where 1950s American sedans have been kept running through a combination of loving care and skillful restoration!   Havana will also take a special place on the Southwest route map as our 100th airport served! What a wonderful milestone we’ve reached together—and it’s no coincidence that our 100th airport is part of our new and growing international network. Cheers, everyone, to airport 100—and here is to 100 more!   Schedules and fares for our new nonstop and connecting service to Cuba are now available on southwest.com. Please note that travel on Southwest  to Cuba is subject to Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) restrictions; please consult the U.S. State Department for quick information on travel to Cuba and check out the OFAC page for Cuba at the U.S. Department of the Treasury for any particulars. But after you do that, come on! Hop on a flight, and I’ll see you in C-U-B-A!! ... View more

Ever notice the few airports in our network that just don’t feel or look like the rest? I have. I’m a big architecture buff, and that includes airport designs. In particular, six U.S. mid-twentieth-century airports are based on three most unusual designs, all of which were incredibly innovative for their time.   The “Drive to Your Plane” Concept The two current examples of this design are Kansas City’s Mid-Continent International and the Dallas/Fort Worth International airport, which opened within a year of each other in the early ’70s. The goal of their designs was to allow Customers to park close to their departure gate and breeze right through the terminal to the gate podium for their flight, thereby minimizing walk time and maximizing convenience. However, this type of design doesn’t work well for a hub airport reliant on large numbers of Connecting Customers without extensive, expensive modifications to increase the size of the hold rooms and moving much of the passenger concessions into the secure areas.   Both airports eventually made improvements to their designs with mixed results. DFW was the first of the two to blow out the airside wall to create more space back in the 1980s. It is now nearly finished with another multi-billion-dollar upgrade and improvement cycle. Because of the improvements, it’s had great success growing its hub status and long-haul international destination list tremendously, with nonstops available between DFW and over 200 airports on four continents. Overhead shot of the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport   MCI, however, never found similar success; several airlines’ attempts to build hubs there have failed—including TWA, United, Braniff One and Two, Eastern, and Vanguard—even though they expanded the terminal footprint nearly a decade ago. Actually, the “Best of Times” is now, with a stable and lengthy list of more than 60 nonstop destinations, mostly on Southwest Airlines. (And now I’ll have everyone singing that song from La Cage aux Folles—high-kicks optional!) View of Kansas City's Mid-Continent International Airport from above   Planes, Trains, and Automobiles Like the “drive to the plane” concept, the goal of this concept was to minimize the amount of walking in the airport for Customers by using elevators, escalators, and trains to move them from their cars through ticketing and to their flights. The first of these opened in Tampa in 1971, followed by a similar but MUCH bigger facility in Orlando in 1981.   Both airports have similar characteristics. You park in a multi-level garage atop the rest of the airport, then take an elevator down to ticketing/check-in (or, if desired, check in at the onsite hotel). The ticketing level is full of shops and services—and at Orlando, retail establishments include outlet shops for all three major area theme parks! From there, you proceed a few hundred feet to an automated train going to the airside structure for your airline.   Overall the TPA and MCO facilities are designed almost identically (except for size) with one exception: at TPA, security is in each airside, after you have taken the train; while at MCO, the security formalities are done in the landside building just before getting onto the train to the airside. Tampa International Airport Orlando International Airport    “Pigs at the Trough” Anyone remember the old Atlanta Hartsfield or Denver Stapleton airports? They typified the old-school airport design of the 1950s. By the 1970s, both airports were severely overcrowded and badly in need of rebuilding.   Atlanta went first and used a radical new design to maximize the ease of making Customer connections as well as effectively operating hub-and-spoke schedules. The main design features a central ticketing building and multiple perpendicular gate concourses reached by an underground high-speed train. The first time my country-bumpkin cousin landed there, she looked out the window and said, “Well lookey there! The airplanes are lined up all up and down the building like pigs at the trough!” (For me, the description was apt and has stuck all these years!) The airport has expanded several times over the years and has strayed a bit from the original design to fit modern needs, but the basic principles remain. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport   Denver followed Atlanta, opening in 1995 based on a very similar design concept. The facility is definitely not as utilitarian as its sister airport in ATL, with the main ticketing/baggage claim building topped by a peaked fiberglass roof built to evoke images of the distant snow-capped Rockies as well as the Native American teepees that used to dot the land on which the airport now stands. Denver International Airport   The Next Big Thing Surprisingly, nothing truly new and innovative in airport design is in progress or planning. The most recent significant trends are hard to track as very few full-scale rebuilds or new airports are on the drawing boards. Probably the most significant current trend for airport terminals is a conscious effort to “right-size” new facilities; not every new terminal is going to be a hub, and with the expense involved, cities realize now you can’t “build the church for Easter Sunday.”   And there is always the question of where new airports go. Due to rampant  “not-in-my-backyard” mentality, everyone wants a new airport, but nobody wants it near them. LAX fought this battle for decades,  and everyone knows San Diego needs both more space and a bigger terminal. But where should it go? Offshore on a man-made island didn’t work so well for Osaka (although it’s been debated for years), and other options are equally unattractive. But one thing’s for certain: airline design architects will keep dreaming up innovative airport design for the future, hopefully coming up with more hits than misses.   Enjoy your travels—and take a second glance at the airports you visit. There are sure to be a few surprises that you’ve never noticed before! ... View more

Skylines. Every large city has one, every smaller city wants one. They are the statement of “who” a city is and who it aspires to be. And it sparks as much debate as whose sports teams or local food is better! But “better” is a subjective matter, coming from the eye (and heart) of the beholder. As a longtime airline Employee I know one thing I always remember about a city (besides the airport) is that city’s skyline. After looking at other “best skyline” lists and going through my own memories, here is my top 10 skyline list (in Letterman order), based on three subjective lists and a heavy dose of opinion thrown in. I’ll also include factoids about each skyline if available. (Rules: Cities on this list must be in the United States and must be served by Southwest Airlines. List based on those by thrillist and by USAToday; additional history based on my memories and the book Skylines: American Cities Yesterday and Today by Goodspeed, Gjevere and Blakeway) #10. Pittsburgh: At the point where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers marry to create the Ohio River lies a beautiful surprise—downtown Pittsburgh! It’s a de-facto river “island in the stream” filled with gleaming glass and steel towers of every architectural style, all crammed close together. I dare anyone to pop out of the Ft. Pitt Tunnel and catch their first glimpse of Steel City USA and not gasp! In fact, much of the steel used in the construction of these skyscrapers was manufactured by the U.S. Steel Corporation, which is headquartered in the tallest building in Pittsburgh.  Clad in dark glass with an exoskeleton of steel, the metal supporting the building was designed to beautify as it aged by acquiring an ever-deepening patina of non-destructive rust (which was a very 1960’s design technique). Add the surrounding lush hills which frame the downtown area and you have an under-appreciated selection at #10 on our list! #9. Las Vegas: Okay, it’s hard to call the buildings that line the Strip a true “skyline.” They’re basically all the same height because of their proximity to the airport, but there the similarities end. The compilation of mega casino resorts that line Las Vegas Boulevard of every architectural shape make up a veritable trip around the world, from the Pyramids to the Eiffel Tower to NYC, with much fantasy in between. These architects know how to get their message across, and the message is  “SPEND MONEY HERE!” But it’s by night that the city shines brightest, when the Las Vegas skyline shimmers in the desert darkness with each building lit up like a Christmas tree on December 24 th .  But, hey—it’s Vegas, baby! #8. Atlanta: In the South, one wants to blend in, yet display a touch of flair. Nowhere is that more evident than in downtown Atlanta, where every street seems to be named “Peachtree” and every skyscraper seems to be adorned with some sort of spire or feature. What makes them all work as a cohesive and beautiful skyline is their variety. There is something for everyone! Just like the city they anchor, the diversity of Atlanta’s skyline components run the gamut, from the slender round glass Westin Hotel to the gothic spires of the Bank of America and One Atlantic buildings. Find a shady spot in Centennial Olympic Park, then soak in the modern, edgy skyline view of the #8 pick, Atlanta. #7. Philadelphia: For many years no building in Philadelphia could be taller than or block the view of the statue of William Penn atop Philadelphia City Hall. So, no downtown Philly skyscrapers are older than the mid-1980s, which is when developers crashed through “Penn’s Ceiling." Now, downtown Philly contains many super tall visual allusions to hypodermic needles, thumb drives, and the occasional glass box—all watched from below by William Penn, who is remembered by history but has been eclipsed by construction. The skyline is also the most compact skyline on this list which makes it a walker’s dream, and so easy to look at as you eat your cheesesteak at Pat’s or Geno’s. #6. Houston: Energy City has perhaps the oddest collection of skyscrapers in America. Where else can you find a skyscraper topped with a faux Mayan temple? Or how about one of the most honored modern skyscrapers in the world, which looks like three buildings of increasing height bolted together, each topped by dozens of little imitations of the gargoyles atop Dutch canal houses? Downtown Houston’s skyscrapers are named for civic leaders old and new, energy firms thriving and extinct, and the occasional boring street address. Still, despite its diversity, downtown Houston is world-class bold and beautiful and even more so when viewed from Sam Houston Park. It’s a breathtaking and futuristic skyline—very much befitting the city named for the first word ever transmitted from the Moon to Mother Earth. #5. San Francisco: Most of us have left our hearts in San Francisco, where the little cable cars climb halfway to the stars. But, because The City (they capitalize the T and the C) is spread across steep hills, the skyline of Fog City can be surprisingly misleading. For example, the iconic Transamerica Pyramid, which sits at sea level, appears from a distance to be the same height as 555 California St., a building which is 100 feet shorter but sits on much higher ground. Fun fact: Triple Five” California was the building used as the basis of the fictional “Glass House” in the 1974 disaster flick “The Towering Inferno." Still, illusions aside, the San Francisco skyline is a tightly-clustered group of buildings lining Market and California Streets and is made up of every imaginable style, some unique in the world, and is easily seen and photographed from the nearly any angle. If you want to see it destroyed, watch the really bad movie, “San Andreas” staring “The Rock." Better yet—grab some sourdough and a bottle of white, climb Telegraph Hill, and enjoy the San Francisco skyline in the shadow of Coit Tower. #4. New York: Volumes have been written about the jaw-dropping Manhattan skyline, or skylines—these days it’s more than just one. Lower Manhattan, best seen from the Brooklyn Promenade or better yet from the Hudson River Line, is maybe the most iconic cityscape on the planet, and new buildings are adding their own style and modern verve to the downtown area annually. Midtown, from roughly 35 th St. up to Central Park, is where you’ll find old favorites like the Chrysler and Empire State buildings. But now, Midtown is HOT—as of this writing there are 18 buildings proposed or under construction in Midtown that will top out at or over 1,000 feet! Still, the beauty of the NYC Skyline is spread out over a lot of real estate, which prevents an immediate and singular “OMG!” and knocks it out of the #1 spot. Like the city itself, New York’s skyline has to be unlocked one building (or neighborhood, or bar, or restaurant) at a time ... and nothing is more fun for an architecture junkie! #3. Seattle: It’s hard not to love a skyline that falls nearly 700 feet in elevation from the I-5 to the waterfront, is bordered by the Space Needle on the North and world-class stadiums on the South, and has snowy, shadowy Mt. Rainer keeping watch of the city from the South on clear days. Views from the top of the Needle are amazing, as are those from the top of the Columbia Tower (the dark-brown glass one that’s the current title holder of “tallest” in Seattle—taller ones are coming!). But not all of the tallest structures are made up of new construction. The very slender white tower on the South end of downtown, which is now known as the Smith Tower, was built as the headquarters of the Smith and Wesson company and opened in 1914.  Wild Wild West indeed! #2. Chicago: “Second City” is actually the first city in the world when it comes to architecture and skyscrapers. In fact, the word “skyscraper” was re-purposed in the late 1800’s to describe the ever-climbing early Chicago skyline, home of the first skyscrapers. “The Loop” contains dozens of older high-rises by architects like van der Rohe, Kahn, Sullivan, and SOM, joined by newer, taller ones like The Studio Gang, Pelli and Hadid. What might be even cooler is what’s not there, as there have been many buildings never built that would have really set archinerds’ tongues a’wagging, such as The Spire by Calatrava or The Illinois by Wright. It’s the diverse, large and historic collection of high rises that puts Chicago high on any skyscraper list, and for good reason—it’s enough to make you want to return to the Windy city again and again. That, and the hot dogs at the Billy Goat Café. #1. Dallas: Okay, this was NOT my doing; Dallas was named #1 in a USAToday poll. You can argue on the validity of any poll conducted by McPaper, but the fact is that Dallas came in #1. And I can give you three reasons why my hometown won. One, it’s a very compact, viewable cluster of skyscrapers with several “anchor” whiz-bang structures, such as Reunion Tower, the B of A Plaza (the Green Rocket), and the Chase Tower (the one with a hole in the top). Two, because of constant growth. The construction crane is our official bird these days. The view is always changing, especially for visitors that don’t see the skyline every day. And three, most importantly, Dallas is the most “lit” skyline in the world. Many of the major buildings downtown have some sort of external (and colorful) lighting built into them, from the new Omni hotel, which can actually scroll messages depending on who pays for them, to the campiness of the “ball” atop Reunion Tower, to the B of A “Big Green Monster” (which can change its colors into any hue in the rainbow). Now, truthfully, I expect this to be a “one-and-done” award, but you never know:  as the civic slogan says, Dallas is BIG ... who knows if we’ll prevail again! ... View more

Schedules for our new service to our 98 th airport—Long Beach, California—are now available! Effective June 5, Southwest will add four roundtrips between Long Beach and Oakland, California (three roundtrips on Saturdays).  Long Beach will be the fifth airport Southwest serves in Southern California (along with San Diego, Orange County, Ontario, Los Angeles, and Burbank), and with this new service between Long Beach and Oakland (the largest of our four Northern California airports) we’ll extend our Long Beach reach by offering connecting service beyond the Bay Area to 18 other Southwest destinations.  Of course, our new Long Beach-Oakland nonstops will especially benefit our Customers that want a new and more convenient way to fly between the Basin and the Bay! Long beach airport, Los Angeles Area, California. Copyright: xmarchant / 123RF Stock Photo The Long Beach Airport is just off the 405 Freeway, and is about half-way between LAX and the Orange County airports.  And for aviation enthusiasts this airport qualifies as hallowed ground!  It was here that Donald Douglas Sr. created and manufactured an aircraft that changed the face of flying in the 1930s—the venerable DC-3 (and its military sibling, the C-47) followed by the every commercial aircraft manufactured by Douglas Aircraft and its successors up to and including the DC-10 and the 717.  So important to the airport’s history was Donald Douglas that the City named the road into the airport after him.  The airport’s terminal is also hallowed ground to another group—architectural preservationists.  The main terminal building, opened in 1942, is an art-deco beauty and has been designated a “Cultural Heritage Landmark” (although the passenger concourse itself is new, opening in 2012). Southwest is very grateful to the City of Long Beach for awarding us the four slot pairs to operate this new service.  And what better way to show our gratitude than by operating full flights!  Come visit Southwest’s newest landing spot in Southern California.  Great value and lots of smiles are a given—sunscreen is optional. Featured image:  Longbeach's skyline, promenade, and marina.  Copyright: rigucci / 123RF Stock Photo ... View more

We all know that Southwest is the LUV airline—not just on Valentine’s Day, but 365 days a year. LUV has helped bring thousands of couples, both Customers and Employees, together, and each couple has a great story to tell. But the stories I love are ones in which, out of the blue, LUV unexpectedly swoops in like avenging Cupid to help turn a love story into a happily-ever-after story. This one could be my favorite! Meet Shweta and Peter.  Both are avid travelers (Shweta using her Southwest Employee Flight Benefits, Peter travelling during school breaks). They met and became friends while travelling through distant, exotic, romantic locales. As often happens, their friendship gradually deepened into the kind of love that leads to a lifetime together.  But seldom do memorable love stories lead directly to bliss, and there was one big problem looming large on the English horizon for newly-engaged Shweta and Peter:  she had a great job with Southwest, nearly 5,000 miles away in Dallas, while Peter was still in school in the UK. Love and the Law The best option would be for Peter to join Shweta in Dallas after he finished his studies—but it’s never that easy, is it? Obtaining permission for a foreign national without existing legal ties to the U.S. to move to America is notoriously difficult, but luckily as the fiancé of an American Citizen, Peter could petition the U.S. State Department for a “Fiancé Visa." So for the next entire year, Peter collected documentation that would establish their relationship in the eyes of the State Department and qualify him for a visa. And while Peter compiled his case, Shweta kept the transatlantic love light gleaming by using her Southwest Airlines flight benefits to commute as often as possible between the U.S. and the UK. With the documentation collected, Peter's next step was to plead his case during an interview with State Department personnel. Thousands try, yet only a small percentage walk away with the elusive “APPROVED” stamp on their application. Twenty Seconds that Changed a Life In order to even have their case heard, applicants spend hours standing in endless queues, are subjected to multiple security checks, have every page of their documentation examined in minute detail and, finally, must pass a notoriously intimidating one-on-one interview with a U.S. State Department official who ultimately holds the final decision-making authority on granting the visa. When the day of his appointment arrived, a very nervous Peter was acutely aware as he walked into the U.S. Embassy near Hyde Park in London that this indeed was “show time” in his quest to join the love of his life in Texas for their fairy-tale forever. Soon Peter's name was called, and he was shown to a shadowy interview room that contained a chair and a young woman sitting behind a desk filling out forms.  Peter sat down. The young woman didn’t look up as she held her hand out in his direction and said “paperwork.” Keeping her head down, she glanced over the paper and occasionally asked Peter questions in a bored monotone.  "Are you a British national?"  "Is your fiancée employed?" "Yes, she is," Peter replied, handing her Shweta’s letter of employment verification on Southwest letterhead. And right then … the Cupid of LUV burst into the American Embassy in London! The young woman looked up from the verification form with a beaming, surprised smile.  “Southwest Airlines?  Your fiancée works for Southwest Airlines?” "Yes, she does," answered Peter.  "For more than seven years." To which she responded, “Oh I LUV Southwest! I’m from Austin, and they’re the only airline I fly when I’m home,” she gushed. And with that she reached for a rubber seal and stamped Peter’s application with it, leaving the word “APPROVED” in large capital letters on the form. The whole interview process had taken twenty seconds. For the next few minutes it was as if Peter and the young woman were old friends, with her asking all about wedding plans and how he and Shweta had met, all the while gushing about Southwest Airlines. When he walked out of the Embassy shortly thereafter—his APPROVED Fiancé Visa form firmly in hand—he wasn’t sure exactly what had just happened, but he knew that it was a wonderful harbinger of a long and happy life with Shweta. The Future is Bright Peter is now settled in Dallas, and he and Shweta are busily putting final touches on their wedding plans. But neither one of them will ever forget how the loyalty and LUV that our Customers have for our airline extends far beyond the cities we serve. It can show up in the most surprising places—like London! Congratulations, Shweta and Peter—may you have a long and happy life together on the wings of LUV. ... View more