Southwest Airlines Community

DALLAS - For the last few months, Air New Zealand and Southwest Airlines have been in a match to show who's cheekier. To read more, visit: http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/Southwest-Airlines-Responds-to-Bare-Essentials-Challenge-79266417.html ... View more

It took me a few months to figure out that all Twitter users are not created equal and don’t have the same agenda. It’s much more complex than “cool people talking about cool things.” In order for you to come up to speed faster than I did, here is an explanation of the principle types of Twitter users, how they predominantly tweet, and a recommended approach to each of them. to read more, visit: http://www.openforum.com/idea-hub/topics/the-world/article/the-six-twitter-types-guy-kawasaki ... View more

There are many, many promotions. But there are only a few really, really good ones. In this monthly roundup, we highlight the five most lucrative offers (or categories of offer) currently available to members of airline and hotel loyalty programs. to read more, visit: http://www.smartertravel.com/blogs/up-front-with-tim-winship/the-top-five-frequent-flyer-deals-for-december-2009.html?id=3966831 ... View more

By Charisse Jones, USA TODAY Bummed about paying $20 to check a bag? Southwest sure hopes so. Southwest (LUV) is the only U.S. airline that lets passengers check two pieces of luggage for free. And as it heads into the Christmas travel season, Southwest is continuing its "bags fly free" ad campaign, which it says has shown results. to read more, visit: http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2009-12-13-southwest-checked-bags_N.htm ... View more

“On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to meeeee…” Nope, it’s not a partridge in a pear tree. But, it could be a $1,000 southwestgiftcard® if you’re lucky! Whozawhatsit?!! You heard me right, beginning today and running for (duh) 12 days, Southwest is partnering with our travel buddy, Visa, for a holiday giveaway extravanganza! Here are the details: On December 11th-December 22nd, be sure to follow @southwestair on Twitter if you aren’t already. (If you aren’t, shame on you! You’ve been missing some fabulous stuff.) For 12 days,  @southwestair will ask (at a certain time of day) for a holiday-themed photo…kind of like a photo scavenger hunt. I can’t tell you what it’ll be, that’s what makes it so fun. But I can promise you it’ll be wacky, zany, and fun—just like Southwest. The best picture of the day will win a $1000 southwestgiftcard®. That can pay for a lot of trips! So quit reading this blog post and hop on Twitter. The contest starts…now! Be sure to read the rules and regulations as well. This is one contest you don’t want to pass up! ... View more

I don't want to brag, but I think it's fair to say Southwest is probably the "funniest" airline out there. We've got the rapping Flight Attendant, Herb Kelleher doing the "Just Plane Fun Shuffle Fun" music video, and a gazillion hilarous commercials...including some oldies that are still floating around on YouTube. I also think it's fair to say Second City, the worldwide famous improv-based sketch comedy troupe in Chicago, can also say they're the funniest, too. They completely changed the face of Chicago comedy, and are especially famous for providing Saturday Night Live and Hollywood with fresh comedy stars on an annual basis. Where am I going with all this? Well, just hold your horses. Second City and Southwest have teamed up this Friday to fly an all-Second City star-filled flight from LAX to Chicago Midway. The flight will be met by a red carpet event, fellow celebrities, and even the Governor of Illinois. Stay tuned to this blog for pictures of the event...we'll also be tweeting live, so be sure to follow @southwestair for the inside scoop on Second City's 50th Anniversary weekend extravaganza! Our fabulous and hard-working Flight Crew. The fabulous Rachel Dratch.   ... View more

DALLAS (TheStreet) -- Southwest(LUV Quote) says its strategy of eschewing fees for baggage handling and other amenities has boosted revenue by nearly $800 million annually, CEO Gary Kelly said. to read more, visit: http://www.thestreet.com/_catholic/story/10642403/1/southwest-ceo-free-bags-800-million.html ... View more

The Tourism Development Council is already gearing up for a special New Year's Eve celebration. The board announced Tuesday morning that Southwest Airlines will be the official sponsor of Panama City Beach's beach ball drop at Pier Park this year. to read more, visit: http://www.wjhg.com/home/headlines/78813697.html ... View more

NORTH ST. LOUIS COUNTY — When Rolando Lopez noticed that the woman who handed him his dry cleaning for years had been missing for a few weeks, he asked the shop's owner about her. Cheryl Pool, 53, had gone to an emergency room because she was having trouble breathing, he learned. In the ER, doctors broke the news: She had late-stage breast cancer. She started treatment in May and since then, the cancer has spread. She now has 14 tumors in her brain. Lopez, whose wife is a breast cancer survivor, knew Pool as the woman with an infectious smile who would always cut him a break when he forgot his dry cleaning coupons at home. The Chesterfield resident wanted to help her and turned to his colleagues who work for Southwest Airlines at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. to read more, visit: http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/A2A77139FC41E540862576860017050D?OpenDocument ... View more

Southwest Airlines is the latest example of a company turning to social media - Facebook in this case - to promote a service or special offer. It joins countless of other companies, from Fortune 500 to start ups, that are using these sites, in addition to standard - and still primary - methods as email marketing. New figures, along with anecdotal examples such as Southwest's experiences, though, suggest that a growing number of companies are willing to devote more to this alternative category - once, that is, they can get a handle on ROI and resource issues. to read more, visit: http://www.marketingvox.com/video-contest-part-of-southwests-socnets-strategy-045699/?utm_campaign=rssfeed&utm_source=mv&utm_medium=textlink ... View more

A couple of weeks ago we had yet another amazing contest on this blog and Twitter. We asked all you smart people why you’d rather be skiing than working. The prize? Two roundtrip tickets on Southwest Airlines and an EPIC Season Pass from Vail Resorts, which gives you a full season of phenomenal skiing at six of the finest mountains on the planet: Vail, Beaver Creek, Heavenly, Breckenridge, Keystone and Arapahoe Basin--with no restrictions and no black-out dates. The responses poured in, and we had many hysterical/zany/inappropriate responses. The winner? @notyoutoo on twitter. His response? "Harfd tio tyupe wif miyttfens onm." An instant classic, I must say. Congrats to Darryl Lee (his real name). We hope you have an EPIC season of skiing!     ... View more

 By Tim Eaton  | Monday, December 7, 2009, 11:21 AM Southwest Airlines and JetBlue Airways have added additional nonstop flights to Southern California for the BCS National Championship game between The University of Texas and The University of Alabama. to read more, visit: http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/theticker/entries/2009/12/07/southwest_airlines_jetblue_air.html ... View more

I’m sure many of you noticed a missing link on the blog over the past couple of months. The FlyerTalk forums have also been strangely absent. The cause? Our own Brian Lusk broke his “wing” while on a trip in PDX back in October. Thanks to his family, friends, and physical therapy, we are happy to have Brian back in the fold! Puns, aviation history, and overall merriment may now resume. ... View more

"We now have a new Passenger," announced a Flight Attendant on Southwest flight #441 heading from Chicago Midway to Salt Lake City today. The flight was about 100 miles north of Denver when one of our Customers went into labor.  Thanks to the heroic actions of our Flight Crew as well as the doctors and nurses onboard...a new Customer entered the world while he was 30,000 feet in the air….yes, it was a boy. The plane diverted and safely landed at Denver International Airport, where medical personnel met the plane.  We’ve heard that the mother and baby are doing well, and we wish them the best. We'd also like to suggest "T.J. Luv" (Southwest’s lovable mascot) as a possible name for this new little peanut. Our heroic Flight Crew! L-R   PHX First Officer Seth Koppenhaver; OAK Flight Attendants Jeff Perkins,  Lisa Hamm, and Sherry Osborne; and PHX Captain Gary Jesperson   OAK Flight Attendants Lisa Hamm (L) and Sherry Osborne (R) share the story of their “Labor of LUV” with media in Boise this afternoon after delivering a baby onboard Southwest Airlines flight #441 today.     ... View more

A woman flying on a Southwest Airlines flight Friday entered a whole different type of a mile-high club: She gave birth to a baby boy at about 30,000 feet over the country. Southwest Airlines flight 441 from Chicago's Midway Airport to Salt Lake City was about 100 miles north of Denver when the pilot asked if anyone onboard had medical training. That's when a blanket was put down in the back of the plane, and a doctor who was on the flight delivered the baby boy, according to ABC affiliate KMGH-TV in Denver. to read more, visit: http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/BusinessTraveler/woman-birth-baby-boy-southwest-airlines-flight/story?id=9251477&page=1 ... View more

One of our Midway-based Flight Attendants, Jim Hawkins, was kind enough to share this photo with us. Taken from the cockpit of one of our Boeing 737-700s, it's truly a once-in-a-lifetime shot. Jim's story is below:   "Our flight from Baltimore to Fort Meyers put us 70 miles west of the Kennedy Space Center on November 16th, and at the exact time of the launch of the STS-129 Space Shuttle. Captain John Goslink called me to bring my camera to the cockpit and get photos of the event: my very first shuttle launch. What a thrill to be at 36,000 feet and see this spectacle! We saw the engines ignite, lighting up like a huge fireball, then watched as the shuttle soared through the cloud layers and sped into the blackness of space. It made its twisting turn right about our altitude, then disappeared into space..." to see more inspiring photos, check out our Flickr page! ... View more

If you fly Southwest Airlines this Holiday season, you may recognize the city being featured in their Spirit Magazine. to read more, visit: http://www.fox23news.com/news/local/story/Albany-Featured-in-Airline-Magazine/nL2S2iczjk2mRL3C8Ek6cA.cspx?rss=39 ... View more

DALLAS, TEXAS – December 4, 2009 -- Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) announced today that the Company flew 5.9 billion revenue passenger miles (RPMs) in November 2009, an 11.7 percent increase from the 5.3 billion RPMs flown in November 2008.  Available seat miles (ASMs) decreased 7.7 percent to 7.7 billion from the November 2008 level of 8.3 billion.  The load factor for the month was 76.5 percent, compared to 63.2 percent for the same period last year.  For November 2009, passenger revenue per ASM is estimated to have increased in the 12 percent range as compared to November 2008. For the eleven months ended November 30, 2009, Southwest flew 68.5 billion RPMs, compared to 67.7 billion RPMs for the same period in 2008, an increase of 1.2 percent.  Available seat miles decreased 5.0 percent to 90.2 billion from the 2008 level of 95.0 billion.  The year-to-date load factor was 76.0 percent, compared to 71.3 percent for the same period last year.               This release, as well as past news releases on Southwest, are available online at southwest.com. ... View more

New to Market? Do what Southwest Airlines did and have a tailgate party for the die-hard football fans of Milwaukee. Make it comfy and fun, grill some brats, provide cold brew, give-away great prizes like free airline tickets and you’ve got a party! to read more, visit: http://www.liberateyourbrand.us/blog/switch-hits/new-to-a-market-find-your-passion-point-and-make-a-splash/ ... View more

If you've flown Southwest Airlines you know they're tops in airline customer service, driven by a leadership style that creates a company-wide culture where all employees own that culture. According to SWA Chairman, President and CEO Gary Kelly, as reported in the company's in-flight magazine, "every company has a culture, whether that culture is supportive or stifling, active or passive, fun or discouraging." to read more, visit: http://ericjacobsononmanagement.blogspot.com/2009/12/be-more-like-southwest-airlines.html ... View more

 PAT KELLY / News Herald Writer WEST  BAY — Southwest Airlines officials toured the terminal of the new airport site Wednesday morning as construction crews began assessing possible wind and rain damage from the recent storm front. to read more, visit: http://www.newsherald.com/articles/west-79578-airport-new.html ... View more

Sometimes I think marketing is a pretty easy business. Do right by your customers and they’ll do right by you – follow the Golden Rule. One company that makes a hard business look easy and that rocks my marketing world is Southwest Airlines. Since 1999, Southwest’s domestic market share has increased by 48%, while the five network carriers have seen their combined passenger base shrink 20%. This year, Southwest will fly about 28 million more people than it did in 1999, while its rivals will fly a total of 62 million fewer passengers! to read more, visit: http://www.brandmill.com/featured/southwest-airlines-rocks//featured/southwest-airlines-rocks/ ... View more

“Bags fly free!” I’ve been extolling Southwest airline’s now-famous tag line for days; been tweeting it as well. I flew Southwest to Kansas City for Thanksgiving. Family of five. Four of them girls. That’s a lot of bags. And guess what: my bags flew free! I’m a big fan of the service (it seems ridiculous and unfair for airlines to charge for suitcases) and I’m an even bigger fan of the phrase. This is a piece of copy that says what it does, in no uncertain terms. There is a noun (bags) a verb (fly) and an adjective (free). Nothing more… for nothing more is needed. The line is as frugal and pragmatic as the airline it was written for. to read more, visit: http://godsofadvertising.wordpress.com/2009/12/02/for-southwest-airlines-its-on-heres-to-ad-copy-no-strings-attached/ ... View more

You may think that you snagged a great deal on that flight home for the holidays, but if you’re planning on traveling with bags, think again. Not only are there fees galore just for checking a bag, but there are also fees for oversized and overweight luggage that could cost you as much as $300 per bag (each way!). That, alone, could easily top the price of your ticket.  Check out the numbers in the above diagram! LearnVest shows you how to not be a sucker: 1.  Fly JetBlue Or Southwest. Airlines with budget-friendly airfares are also friendly to your bags. JetBlue allows one checked bag per passenger free of charge and Southwest allows two. Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2009/12/01/2009-12-01_5_tips_         ... View more

I travel in my job. A lot. While I am not necessarily thrilled with being at the airport or in the air all that much there are a few things I take refuge in that make it tolerable. One of those is Southwest Airlines. I love Southwest Airlines. It is amazing to me that their business model not only works but that Southwest consistently posts the highest rates for customer satisfaction and on-time flights…while at the same time having a low incidence of lost luggage. Let’s take a look at what makes Southwest work and relate it to being successful at customer service. to read more, visit: http://www.visioncareproducts.com/ME2/Audiences/dirmod.asp?AudID=6885CE1E5B9D4FE89D6AB336E4378B13&id=12BBB6C9961447C2B386445AA8EC8DD4&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791&mod=Publications%3a%3aArticle&nm=Customer+Service&tier=4&type=Publishing&sid=A12797E212BF47AE94D3C4DEC7C175AB ... View more

Even though the ad has been out for some time now, I wanted to officially say that the campaign rocks to read more, visit: http://input.textboxagency.com/2009/11/16/southwest-airlines-bags-fly-free/     ... View more

Project manager Jones Lang LaSalle also offers "inside the fence" distribution development opportunities; Southwest and Delta committed to passenger service PANAMA CITY, Fla., Nov. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Air freight carriers, manufacturers, distributors and other aviation-related users have a rare occasion for greenfield "inside the fence" development opportunities at Florida's first truly green airport and industrial business park, located at the new Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport. On schedule to open in May 2010, the 4,000-acre airport includes 1,400 acres of commercial and industrial land available for development with favorable zoning. Opportunities include parcels of all sizes with direct runway access, as well as select off-runway parcels to accommodate both traditional airfield and compatible non-traditional airfield based users. Jones Lang LaSalle represents the Bay County Airport and Industrial District ( the "Authority") in arranging long-term leases to facilitate development, and also serves as project manager for developing the Property adjacent to Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport. Southwest Airlines and Delta Airlines have committed to passenger service at the new airport. In addition, the Authority is in the process of obtaining foreign trade zone status. According to Bob Montgomery, Southwest's vice president of properties, current plans call for eight non-stop flights a day from four different cities, totaling about 2,000 passengers per day coming into the new airport. "I'm just so happy to be here and so happy that this day has finally come," Montgomery said, noting that the airline would help make the region more accessible to a broader market across the country. Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport was designed to be the nation's greenest airport. Development includes extensive use of sustainable construction materials, a landscaping plan that will not require supplemental irrigation, and a terminal building that is on track to become the first LEED Certified airport terminal in the United States. "Panama City's great transportation infrastructure, central location, strong defense/aerospace presence, and educated workforce makes it ideal for air freight distribution, manufacturing and high-tech aviation-related services, and the opportunity for direct runway access at a greenfield site makes this airport a unique opportunity for a number of different user types," said Richard Norton, Vice President at Jones Lang LaSalle. "The fact that Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport is one of the greenest airports in the country will be a strong consideration as companies become more and more conscious of their environmental impact." To help mitigate the development of the Airport, 9,600 acres of West Bay coastline, wetlands, and pine forest have been set aside as part of the Airport Conservation Easement. The Authority has also developed detailed plans for wetlands mitigation, wildlife management, a state-of-the-art storm water management system and wastewater treatment that all greatly exceed minimum requirements set by Florida law by voluntarily committing to follow Outstanding Florida Water standards for storm water, the highest standard in the state of Florida. The Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport anchors the 75,000-acre West Bay Sector Plan, a long term land use plan for mixed-use residential, commercial and business development. It features permanent protection of 41,000 acres of environmentally sensitive land, including 33 miles of shoreline on West Bay and 44 miles of local creeks and tributaries. Please call Richard Norton at 312.228.2388 or visit the Property web site for additional information: WWW.JLLNEWFLAIRPORT.COM. About Jones Lang LaSalle Jones Lang LaSalle (NYSE: JLL) is a financial and professional services firm specializing in real estate. The firm offers integrated services delivered by expert teams worldwide to clients seeking increased value by owning, occupying or investing in real estate. With 2008 global revenue of $2.7 billion, Jones Lang LaSalle serves clients in 60 countries from 750 locations worldwide, including 180 corporate offices. The firm is an industry leader in property and corporate facility management services, with a portfolio of approximately 1.4 billion square feet worldwide. LaSalle Investment Management, the company's investment management business, is one of the world's largest and most diverse in real estate with more than $37 billion of assets under management. For further information, please visit our Web site, www.joneslanglasalle.com SOURCE Jones Lang LaSalle /CONTACT: Craig Bloomfield, +1-312-228-2774, craig.bloomfield@am.jll.com /Web site: http://www.joneslanglasalle.com ... View more