Southwest Airlines Community

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Southwest Airlines announced today the addition of The Venetian and The Palazzo Resort-Hotel-Casino properties as new preferred partners of the carrier’s frequent flyer program, Rapid Rewards.  Rapid Rewards Members now have the option to earn Rapid Rewards credit for each qualifying stay at both hotel properties.  Additionally, Members who book their hotel stays on southwest.com by Nov. 5, 2009, can earn double credit for stays through Dec. 31, 2009.  To book a reservation, visit: southwest.com.     “Southwest is the largest airline serving Las Vegas, and this new partnership with The Venetian and The Palazzo brings added value to the millions of Customers we transport to Las Vegas each year,” said Ryan Green, Southwest’s director of customer loyalty.     “We are pleased to be the first and only Las Vegas Resort-Hotel-Casino property to partner with Southwest Airlines on their renowned Rapid Rewards Program,” stated Manny Olaiz, senior vice president of leisure sales for The Venetian and The Palazzo.  “Consumers who participate in this program and stay at one of our Las Vegas properties will enjoy luxurious amenities and excellent service while earning Rapid Reward credits towards their next flight on Southwest Airlines.  This is a great benefit and added value for our guests.” About Southwest Airlines It is fast and easy to earn free travel through Rapid Rewards.  Rapid Rewards Members earn credits by flying or using the program’s Preferred Partners.  It takes just eight roundtrips, or 16 credits, to qualify for an Award.  However, Members can accelerate their earnings by using the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Credit Card from Chase, doing business with any of the airline’s other Preferred Partners, or by purchasing Southwest’s Business Select fares when flying.  Plus, once it’s earned, Southwest Airlines allows the Member to transfer the Award to anyone.  The Award is free but subject to the U.S. government-imposed September 11th Security Fee of up to $10 roundtrip. After 38 years of service, Southwest Airlines continues to differentiate itself from other low fare carriers—offering a reliable product with exemplary Customer Service.  Southwest Airlines is the most productive airline in the sky and offers Customers a comfortable traveling experience.  Southwest recently updated its gate areas and improved its boarding procedure to make flying Southwest convenient and simple.  Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV), the nation's largest carrier in terms of domestic passengers enplaned, currently serves 67 cities in 34 states.  Based in Dallas, Southwest currently operates more than 3,200 flights a day and has more than 35,000 Employees systemwide. About The Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino Las Vegas The Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino, the largest property in the country to receive AAA’s Five Diamond Award and Mobil Four-Star, is one of the world’s most luxurious resort and convention destinations. Re-creating Venice’s legendary landmarks, the resort offers unmatched service and quality for leisure and corporate guests. Located in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip, The Venetian features The Grand Canal Shoppes, an indoor streetscape complete with gondolas and singing gondoliers, the Canyon Ranch SpaClub, world-class gaming, exquisite restaurants, and a wide variety of entertainment such as Phantom-The Las Vegas Spectacular, Blue Man Group, David Spade and Wayne Brady on its premises, as well as extensive convention and corporate services. For additional information, visit www.venetian.com. About The Palazzo Resort-Hotel-Casino Las Vegas With over 3,000 expansive suites, luxury shopping and world-class dining and entertainment, the $1.9 billion, 50-story Palazzo Las Vegas literally takes luxury to new heights.  Highlighted by a flagship, 85,000-square-foot Barneys New York, The Shoppes at The Palazzo features more than 60 luxury boutiques.  In addition, 20 remarkable stores and luxury brands made their Las Vegas debuts at The Palazzo, including Chloe, Tory Burch, Christian Louboutin, Diane Von Furstenberg, Van Cleef & Arpels, Catherine Malandrino, Anya Hindmarch, and Michael Kors.  Additionally, The Palazzo offers a variety of cuisines from a collection of award-winning chefs such as CarneVino by Mario Batali, CUT by Wolfgang Puck, Table 10 by Emeril Lagasse and Restaurant Charlie by Charlie Trotter. Other one-of-a-kind offerings include, Tony Award winning Broadway musical, JERSEY BOYS, the chic dining and nightlife LAVO, the world’s largest Canyon Ranch SpaClub, and Lagasse’s Stadium, the newest sportsbook and bar on the Strip.  For more information, please visit The Palazzo website at www.palazzolasvegas.com. ... View more

By Brian Gaar AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF If you watch football on Sundays, you've probably seen a commercial or two for Southwest Airlines Co., trumpeting the airline's features for budget-conscious travelers, such as no fees to check bags. Shot at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, the ads are part of a campaign that the airline launched this summer and has extended into the fall. Southwest officials credit GSD&M Idea City, the airline's longtime advertising agency, for the successful run. to read more, visit: http://www.statesman.com/business/content/business/stories/other/2009/10/01/1001southwest.html ... View more

Southwest Airlines employees have partnered with the American Red Cross to show support for people displaced by disasters across the nation. to read more, visit: http://www.newson6.com/global/story.asp?s=11259888 ... View more

Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) announced today that the Company flew 5.8 billion revenue passenger miles (RPMs) in September 2009, an 8.8 percent increase from the 5.3 billion RPMs flown in September 2008.  Available seat miles (ASMs) decreased 7.8 percent to 7.7 billion from the September 2008 level of 8.4 billion.  The load factor for the month was 74.7 percent, compared to 63.4 percent for the same period last year.  For September 2009, passenger revenue per ASM is estimated to have increased in the three percent range as compared to September 2008. For the third quarter 2009, Southwest flew 19.7 billion RPMs, compared to the 18.8 billion RPMs recorded for the same period in 2008, an increase of 4.7 percent.  Available seat miles decreased 5.8 percent to 24.8 billion from the third quarter 2008 level of 26.3 billion.  The third quarter 2009 load factor was 79.6 percent, compared to 71.6 percent for the same period last year.   For the nine months ended September 30, 2009, Southwest flew 56.3 billion RPMs, compared to the 56.2 billion RPMs recorded for the same period in 2008, an increase of 0.1 percent.  Available seat miles decreased 4.3 percent to 74.5 billion from the 2008 level of 77.8 billion.  The year-to-date load factor was 75.6 percent, compared to 72.3 percent for the same period last year. This press releases, as well as past releases on Southwest, are available online at southwest.com. ... View more

Southwest Airlines is celebrating 15 years of LUV in three cities today. On Oct. 4, 1994, the airline began service to Tucson International Airport, Salt Lake City International Airport, and Boise Airport. In celebration of this special occasion, Southwest Airlines’ Employees and Customers will enjoy food and FUN at each of these airports. Follow @SouthwestAir on Twitter to find out about the exciting events going on throughout the day. BOISE (BOI) statistics: Southwest began service to Boise with seven daily nonstop departures to three cities: Salt Lake City, Seattle/Tacoma, and Portland. Boise was the 41st city added in the Southwest system. Southwest Airlines now operates 16 daily nonstop departures to seven cities out of BOI. SALT LAKE CITY (SLC) statistics: Southwest began service to Salt Lake City with 41 daily nonstop departures to 13 cities. Boise, Las Vegas, Los Angeles (LAX), Oakland, Orange County, Phoenix, Portland, Reno/Tahoe, Sacramento, St. Louis, San Diego, Seattle/Tacoma, and Spokane. Salt Lake City was the 42nd city added in the Southwest system. Southwest Airlines now operates 43 daily nonstop departures to 14 cities out of SLC. TUCSON (TUS) statistics: Southwest began service to Tucson with eight daily nonstop departures to three cities: Las Vegas, Los Angeles (LAX), and San Diego. Tucson was the 43rd city added in the Southwest system. Southwest Airlines now operates 18 daily nonstop departures to six cities out of TUS. After 38 years of service, Southwest Airlines, the nation’s leading low-fare carrier, continues to stand above other airlines—offering a reliable product with exemplary Customer Service.  At Southwest Airlines, bags fly free. Customers can check their first two bags at no extra charge (size and weight limits apply). Southwest offers Customers a comfortable traveling experience with all premium leather seats and plenty of legroom.  Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV), the nation's largest carrier in terms of domestic passengers enplaned, currently serves 67 cities (adding Milwaukee Nov. 1, 2009) in 34 states.  Based in Dallas, Southwest currently operates more than 3,200 flights a day and has nearly 35,000 Employees systemwide. ... View more

Disney Parks today announced a new program that celebrates the spirit of volunteer service with a simple proposition: “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day.” Disney hopes to inspire families to volunteer in their communities during 2010 through this first-of-its-kind program. One million people who perform volunteer service for a participating organization will receive a free one-day admission ticket to a Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland Resort theme park. While the “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day” program kicks off Jan. 1, right now guests can learn more about the program and how to get their free one-day admission to a Walt Disney World or Disneyland theme park by visiting www.DisneyParks.com (for the United States and Puerto Rico) or www.DisneyParks.ca (for Canada). to read more, visit: http://wdwdailynews.com/2009/09/29/disney-parks-hopes-to-inspire-1-million-volunteers-beginning-jan-1/ ... View more

Fares are falling! Fares are falling! Fares are falling super low on southwest.com.  Southwest is offering Customers fares starting as low as $59 one-way to select destinations. Fares must be purchased by Oct. 15, 2009, and are available for travel every day except Fridays and Sundays from Oct. 13, 2009, through Feb. 11, 2010. To get these special fares online, visit www.southwest.com. Examples of fares include (see Additional Fare Rules below): ·         $59 one-way between Phoenix and San Diego ·         $69 one-way between Chicago Midway and Columbus ·         $89 one-way between Boston Area and Chicago Midway ·         $109 one-way between St. Louis and Tampa Bay “If you don’t find the fare you’re looking for right away, try using our Low Fare Calendar tool, Southwest Shortcut, to quickly find the lowest fare,” said Michael Van Houweling, Southwest’s Director of Online Marketing. “For travelers with flexible schedules, our Low Fare Calendar tool will show the lowest price available for each day using a monthly calendar view.” Look for the Low Fare Calendar links during your normal search or visit http://www.southwest.com/cgi-bin/lowFareFinderEntry directly to access this search option. To read more about the tool, visit Southwest Airlines’ Nuts About Southwest blog at http://www.blogsouthwest.com/blog/shortcutsouthwest-style. After 38 years of service, Southwest Airlines, the nation’s leading low-fare carrier, continues to stand above other airlines—offering a reliable product with exemplary Customer Service.  At Southwest Airlines, bags fly free. Customers can check their first two bags at no extra charge (size and weight limits apply). Southwest is the most productive airline in the sky and offers Customers a comfortable traveling experience with all premium leather seats and plenty of legroom.  Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV), the nation's largest carrier in terms of domestic passengers enplaned, currently serves 67 cities (adding Milwaukee Nov. 1, 2009) in 34 states.  Based in Dallas, Southwest currently operates more than 3,200 flights a day and has nearly 35,000 Employees systemwide. ADDITIONAL FARE RULES Southwest Airlines sale fares are available for purchase Sept. 29, 2009, through 11:59 p.m. PDT on Oct. 15, 2009, and travel must take place between Oct. 13, 2009, and Feb. 11, 2010.  Seats are limited and won’t be available on some flights between Nov. 24, 2009, and Dec. 1, 2009, and between Dec. 17, 2009, and Jan. 3, 2010, especially to popular destinations like Florida and Las Vegas. Use the link http://www.southwest.com/cgi-bin/lowFareFinderEntry  to find fare availability. Fares may vary by destinations, flight, and day of travel. Fares do not include a federal excise tax of $3.60 for each flight segment. A flight segment is defined as a takeoff and a landing.  Fares do not include airport-assessed passenger facility charges (PFC) of up to $9.00 and U.S. government-imposed September 11th Security Fee of up to $5.00 one-way. Travel to/from Washington Dulles starting at $69 one-way. Seats are limited. Fares are available for one-way travel. Fares may be combined with other combinable fares.  When combining fares, all rules and restrictions apply. Fares are nonrefundable but may be applied toward the purchase of future travel on Southwest Airlines.  Fares are not available through the Group Desk.  Any change in the itinerary may result in an increase in fare. Standby travel requires an upgrade to the Anytime fare. Fares are subject to change until ticketed. Offer applies to operated published, scheduled service only.    www.southwest.com Media Please Contact:   Southwest Airlines Public Relations at 214-792-4847 ... View more

I recently went on a business trip where I encountered “extreme customer service” every step of the way.  I was so delighted that I rhapsodized about my experience via Twitter and Facebook during and after my trip.  I’m hardly alone in using social media as a way to instantly communicate my pleasure (and sometimes displeasure) to a circle of friends and followers. Given the freewheeling frontier of Web 2.0, it’s clear that the most effective social media strategy that brands can employ is to focus on delivering “extreme customer service” or better yet, an “extreme customer experience,” encompassing an individual’s total experience of a brand not just the customer service aspect of that experience. On the aforementioned business trip where everything that could go right did, I happened to be flying Southwest Airlines. to read more, visit: http://blog.crt-tanaka.com/ ... View more

Southwest CEO Gary Kelly was one of the featured speakers on the airline CEO panel at NBTA earlier this month. After his talk, he took a few minutes to sit down with me, Johnny Jet, and Dan Webb (from Things in the Sky) to answer any questions we might have. I’m not sure how, but this draft fell through the cracks and didn’t get published. I still think it’s relevant and interesting, so, here are the highlights. Johnny kicked off the questioning, and he asked about international plans. to read more, visit: http://crankyflier.com/2009/09/24/talking-to-southwest-ceo-gary-kelly-about-new-airplanes-international-flying-more/ ... View more

Southwest Airlines and the Southwest Airlines Pilot’s Association (SWAPA) announced today the SWAPA Board of Directors has voted to send the proposed tentative agreement to the full SWAPA membership for a ratification vote. This new proposal is a five-year agreement through Aug. 31, 2011. The current Southwest Pilot contract became amendable on Aug. 31, 2006. SWAPA and Southwest Airlines began contract negotiations in September 2006.   “I applaud the negotiation teams and the SWAPA Board for recognizing the importance of this new tentative agreement,” said Gary Kelly, Southwest Airlines Chairman, President, and CEO. “Although this new proposal was negotiated during a very different and consistently challenging economic period than the previous tentative agreement, we are proud that we could still offer our hard working Pilots a proposal that is responsible, yet reflects the current uncertain economic outlook.” The current tentative agreement rewards SWAPA membership for the Company’s past two years of profitability, while making a critical move to tie the next two years' compensation to the Company’s financial performance. The tentative agreement is still subject to a ratification vote by the full SWAPA membership made up of more than 5,900 Pilots. The voting period will be determined by SWAPA.   After 38 years of service, Southwest Airlines, the nation’s leading low-fare carrier, continues to stand above other airlines—offering a reliable product with exemplary Customer Service.  At Southwest Airlines, bags fly free. Customers can check their first two bags at no extra charge (size and weight limits apply). Southwest is the most productive airline in the sky and offers Customers a comfortable traveling experience with all premium leather seats and plenty of legroom.  Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV), the nation's largest carrier in terms of domestic passengers enplaned, currently serves 67 cities (adding Milwaukee Nov. 1, 2009) in 34 states.  Based in Dallas, Southwest currently operates more than 3,200 flights a day and has nearly 35,000 Employees systemwide. www.southwest.com Southwest Airlines Media Contact: 214/792-4847 ... View more

Southwest Airlines announced today that Rapid Rewards frequent flyer program Members who register for the Double Credit promotion, book a flight, and travel between Sept. 17 and Oct. 31, 2009, will receive one bonus Rapid Rewards credit per one-way flight—no matter where they fly.  By taking advantage of this promotion, Members can rack up four credits when traveling a single roundtrip from any city that Southwest serves. Customers will be able to earn a free flight after four roundtrips during the promotional period (after receiving a total of 16 credits). Check out the details of the promotion at www.southwest.com. “Southwest Airlines is rewarding our loyal Members by giving them an added benefit to flying with Southwest,” said Ryan Green, Southwest’s Director of Customer Loyalty Marketing. “Our Business Select Customers will especially enjoy this offer because they will receive 2.25 credits for shorthaul flights and 3.0 credits for medium and longhaul flights—earning them a free Southwest Award flight in no time!” Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards program allows Members to earn free flights to Southwest Airlines’ 67 destinations simply by flying eight roundtrips in 24 consecutive months. Southwest Customers that aren’t Rapid Rewards Members can enroll at www.southwest.com/rrbonus to become a Member and be automatically registered in the promotion. After 38 years of service, Southwest Airlines, the nation’s leading low-fare carrier, continues to stand above other airlines—offering a reliable product with exemplary Customer Service.  At Southwest Airlines, bags fly free. Customers can check their first two bags at no extra charge (size and weight limits apply). Southwest is the most productive airline in the sky and offers Customers a comfortable traveling experience with all premium leather seats and plenty of legroom.  Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV), the nation's largest carrier in terms of domestic passengers enplaned, currently serves 67 cities (adding Milwaukee Nov. 1, 2009) in 34 states.  Based in Dallas, Southwest currently operates more than 3,200 flights a day and has nearly 35,000 Employees systemwide.   RULES: One additional credit per one-way flight will be issued regardless of fare purchased.  Members must register for this promotion between Sept. 17 and Oct. 31, 2009 to qualify, and registration must be completed prior to commencement of travel.  Reservations must be booked between Sept. 17 and Oct. 31, 2009.  Travel must be completed between Sept. 17 and Oct. 31, 2009.  The Rapid Rewards Award is free, but travel is subject to the government-imposed September 11th Security Fee of up to $10 per roundtrip.   Business Select Customers will receive 2.25 credits for flights less than 750 miles and 3.0 credits for flights 750 miles or longer.  Visit www.southwest.com/rapid_rewards/rr_promotions for complete Terms and Conditions.  All Rapid Rewards rules and regulations apply. www.southwest.com   Media Please Contact: Southwest Airlines Public Relations at (214) 792-4847   ... View more

Starting Oct. 1, Dallas-based Southwest will quit offering lemons as part of its beverage service. Instead, it's going green and will provide only lime slices to the citrusly inclined. to read more, visit: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/091709dnbuslemons.3882b7f.html ... View more

“Please welcome our ‘flight attendant in training,’ Linda, as she comes through the cabin to collect your trash.” The great crew on my Southwest flight from Phoenix to Providence today thus announced me as I learned what it’s like to be on the OTHER side of the aisle. to read more, visit: http://www.lindavandevrede.com/uncategorized/my-life-as-a-southwest-flight-attendant/#more-337 ... View more