Southwest Airlines Community

By Bob Thaxton The Gazette-Enterprise      SEGUIN — “Success Outside the Box” will be the topic when Gary Kelly, chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer of Southwest Airlines, speaks at a special event luncheon hosted by the Seguin Area Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, April 7, at the Seguin Coliseum. to read more, visit:  http://seguingazette.com/story.lasso?ewcd=526022e4cf5dbfae ... View more

For the third straight year, Southwest Airlines Co. carried more passengers than any other U.S. carrier, while American Airlines Inc. carried the most international passengers, the government said Monday. to read more, visit: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-airtraffic_30bus.ART.State.Edition1.4024435.html ... View more

An extensive package of stories about Milwaukee is featured in the latest issue of Spirit, the inflight magazine of Southwest Airlines. The Dallas-based airline, the country’s largest discount carrier, launched service at Milwaukee’s General Mitchell International Airport in November 2009. to read more, visit: http://milwaukee.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/blog/2010/03/southwest_inflight_pub_touts_milwaukee.html?surround=lfn ... View more

(CNN) -- Forget dreamy clouds and joyful airport reunions. The latest airline commercials have two of the country's most popular low-cost carriers poking fun at each other with the help of topless men and mooing passengers. First, let's meet the contenders. In one corner, we have Southwest Airlines, customer satisfaction champ and financial success story even in the midst of some very tough times for the industry. to read more, visit: http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/03/29/southwest.vs.airtran.ads/index.html?eref=ib_travel ... View more

Business traveler tips from Linhart PR This past Tuesday, Dawn and I headed to sunny Los Angeles for a client meeting. While the forecast in L.A. called for 75 degree temperatures and sunshine, the forecast in Denver was not so springy – up to 18 inches of snow in the Denver Metro area. March is, after all, historically one of the snowiest months of the year in Denver. to read more, visit: http://www.linhartpr.com/dialogue/?p=1067 ... View more

Southwest Airlines Cargo is proud to announce it was recognized for its excellence in air cargo for the sixth straight year, being named “Airline of the Year” by the Express Delivery & Logistics Association (XLA). Southwest Airlines has placed on XLA’s Airline of the Year list for nine consecutive years. In addition, Southwest Airlines Cargo won XLA’s award for Excellence in Web Site and Technology. The award follows Southwest Cargo’s redesign of its website. In November 2008, Southwest Cargo launched a new and improved site, swacargo.com, which offers easy, one-click navigation and real-time flight status, along with shipment tracking. To top it off, Southwest Airlines Cargo also was named Carrier of the Year by the Airforwarders Association.  AFA members voted on the Airforwarders Association member carrier with the best ontime performance, Customer Service, problem resolution, claims handling, technology support, service options, and overall value.  Southwest was chosen in each category as the clear winner among association members.  “Our amazing people have done it again!  We’re honored to accept these awards earned by the dedicated Cargo, Operations, and Ramp Employees across our system,” said Matt Buckley, Senior Director of Southwest Airlines Cargo. “Southwest Cargo Customers count on our Employees to consistently deliver reliable, ontime, and friendly service.  We are determined to win the hearts of our Customers as we strive for continuous improvement in our overall experience and value.” The XLA Awards are based on an annual survey of association members who use the services of commercial passenger airlines for their express deliveries around the world.  Southwest took top honors in 2002, 2003, and 2005 through 2009, and finished second in the rankings in 2001 and 2004.   Founded in 1976, XLA is a nonprofit association whose members include large firms with global delivery networks and smaller businesses with strong regional delivery networks.  The association represents the interest of the air courier and express delivery industry by communicating positions to legislative and regulatory officials.  In addition, they provide a forum for the exchange of information regarding trends and developments within the industry, and they promote the use of air courier and express services. The Airforwarders Association is an alliance of Indirect Air Carriers, Cargo Airlines, and affiliated businesses located throughout the global transportation community. Southwest Airlines Cargo is recognized as an industry leader, winning numerous awards for ontime performance, value, Customer Service, and communication.  Southwest Airlines Cargo currently serves more than 70 cities and has more than 200 million pounds of available cargo lift per month.  Based in Dallas, Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) has a fleet of 500+ Boeing jets and has nearly 35,000 Employees systemwide.  For more information, visit www.swacargo.com.           ... View more

DALLAS, March 25 – Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) has been named Official Airline of the National Hispanic PR Conference to be held May 10-13 in Dallas.  The gathering of more than 400 public relations professionals hopes to foster discussion of new trends and common needs of Hispanic audiences. "Southwest Airlines believes this is a great opportunity to openly discuss the emergence of new markets and how to best create effective and relevant communication strategies for those audiences," said Olga Romero, Bilingual Communications Specialist for Southwest.  "We are proud the National Hispanic PR Conference will be held in our hometown, Dallas, and hope for great conversation not only about the mission of the conference, but also about Dallas as a destination suited for grand events." Southwest Airlines' headquarters in the city of Dallas supports more than 5,000 Employees based in or near Dallas Love Field airport. To register attendance for the conference, please visit www.hispanicprconference.com and for the best deals in travel, visit www.southwest.com. "Southwest Airlines' sponsorship of our industry's first-ever conference is itself an endorsement, not just of the terrific niche work our industry does in Hispanic public relations, but of diversity," said Manny Ruiz, President of the Hispanic PR Conference. "We're truly delighted to work with a company that is not only based in Dallas, the home for our first national conference, but that practices what it preaches about diversity." After more than 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.  Southwest Airlines 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, the nation's largest carrier in terms of domestic passengers enplaned, currently serves 68 cities in 35 states. Southwest currently operates more than 3,200 flights a day and has nearly 35,000 Employees systemwide. http://www.southwest.com ... View more

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif., March 23 /PRNewswire/ -- TECOM Industries, Inc. today announced that its customer, Row 44 (Westlake Village, CA), a provider of airborne broadband connectivity, will install TECOM Industries' KuStream™ 1000 antenna system on Southwest Airlines' commercial fleet.  In January 2010, Southwest Airlines announced plans to equip more than 500 aircraft with Row 44's In-flight Broadband Connectivity System. The KuStream 1000 antenna system enables the Row 44 In-flight Broadband Connectivity System to provide passengers with live entertainment and communication, including high data rate applications such as full Internet access, VoIP services, cell phone roaming (via pico-cells in markets with appropriate regulation) and live television using IPTV.  The KuStream 1000 is a joint development effort of TECOM Industries and QEST Quantenelektronische Systeme GmbH of Germany.  QEST contributed core RF components such as the antenna aperture and the polarization control module, with TECOM contributing systems engineering, antenna positioning and control subsystems, product qualification, certification and after-sale support. Arsen Melconian, President of TECOM, said: "This selection by Row 44 validates our technical approach and is an acknowledgement of the hard work accomplished by the development team, our partner QEST, and all the major vendors.  I am extremely pleased about this installation and this is a major event for TECOM." "After careful evaluation, Row 44 selected the TECOM KuStream antenna system," said John Guidon, CEO of Row 44.  "We are pleased to have them as our supplier for the Southwest Airlines program." The KuStream 1000 has received FCC licensing for airborne transmit and receive.  TECOM has completed the requirements for environmental qualification of the KuStream 1000 and has appliedfor FAA Parts Manufacture Approval. About TECOM Industries, Inc. TECOM Industries, Inc., part of Smiths Interconnect, is a leader in innovative design and manufacturing of high performance antennas and antenna systems for the aerospace, defense and commercial wireless applications.  TECOM's antenna systems meet challenging RF requirements in telemetry, electronic warfare and broadband communications in the most demanding and severe environments.  As a key partner to blue chip customers, the TECOM team is adept at development and production of high volume antenna systems with excellent quality, reliability and on-time delivery.  TECOM is headquartered in Thousand Oaks, CA.  For more information visit our web site at www.tecom-ind.com. About Smiths Interconnect Smiths Interconnect http://www.smithsinterconnect.com is a recognised leader in technically differentiated electronic components and sub-systems providing signal, power and microwave solutions.  Our products connect, protect and control critical systems for wireless communications, aerospace, defence, space, medical, rail and industrial markets.  It is part of Smiths Group www.smiths.com, a global leader in applying advanced technologies for markets in threat and contraband detection, energy, medical devices, communications and engineered components.  Smiths Group employs around 22,000 people in more than 50 countries. KuStream™ is a registered trademark of TECOM Industries, Inc. Media Contact     Camille Cox     OnRamp Communications     805.391.0378     camille@onrampcomm.com SOURCE TECOM Industries, Inc. ... View more

We’ve told you about all the weird stuff that you can bring on the plane, but now that the spring weather has arrived across most of the country it’s time for a little practical advice. Bringing your bicycle with you on our next trip isn’t just earth friendly, but it will save you big bucks if you can bypass the rental car counter. Sure it’s not totally possible to bike everywhere, but if you’re a fan of two wheels, here’s a rundown of which airlines are eager to take that Schwinn off your hands and stash it in the luggage hold. · Southwest Airlines At this point you should really know that Southwest Airlines has a thing for bags—have you seen their newest commercial?—and they love bicycles too. Bikes can be checked as luggage for free as long as they don’t have motors or other features that promote laziness. However, you need to pack it up in a box within the 62-inch sizing limit, and it has to weigh less than 50 pounds. to read more, visit: http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/3/21/214640/242/travel/Have%20Bike,%20Will%20Travel%20::%20A%20Guide%20to%20Airline%20Fees%20and%20Policies%20for%20Bikes#postcomment ... View more

In 2006 the responsibility of Southwest Airlines' social media efforts fell into my lap. I knew nothing about social media at the time - I didn't read blogs, Twitter didn't even exist, and I playfully mocked a couple of ex-boyfriends who were on MySpace. But, with my new assignment, I had no choice but to make it part of my life. So I did the only reasonable thing. I locked myself in my office every night with a bottle of wine and tried to figure it out. And, like my first Phish concert, I discovered an amazing world that I hadn't previously known existed. to read more of the amazing Paula Berg, visit: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paula-berg/4-tips-for-measuring-soci_b_493882.html ... View more

from Things with Wings  by Christopher Fotos My colleague Benet Wilson tweeted her discovery of Orlando (Fla.) International Airport's Facebook page, a slice of social media that I think is a real winner for airports.   to read more, visit:  http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs/commercial_aviation/ThingsWithWings/index.jsp?plckController=Blog&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog%3a7a78f54e-b3dd-4fa6-ae6e-dff2ffd7bdbbPost%3abd739d90-8288-41fb-b81f-a73077881489 ... View more

Southwest Airlines Cargo was recognized as the top airline in the world in Air Cargo World's annual Air Cargo Excellence (ACE) Survey released today. Rated against 84 airlines, Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) earned the highest overall airline score, led all airlines in the Performance and Value categories, and received the highest honor, the Diamond Award. The Air Cargo Excellence Survey, established five years ago and published annually by Air Cargo World, acknowledged Southwest Airlines Cargo for achievements in air cargo excellence in four key areas:  Customer Service, Performance, Information Technology, and Value. "Customers rely on our Southwest Airlines Cargo Employees to deliver," said Matt Buckley, Senior Director of Southwest Airlines Cargo. "We appreciate that our dedication to excellence continues to be recognized." The ACE rankings are based on a survey conducted by Air Cargo World of more than 300 members of the airline and freight forwarding industries. Southwest Airlines Cargo is proud to serve more than 70 cities and have more than 200 million pounds of available cargo lift per month. www.swacargo.com SOURCE Southwest Airlines     Media Contact: Southwest Airlines Public Relations, +1-214-792-4847 ... View more

Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) has been invited to speak at the J.P. Morgan Aviation, Transportation, & Defense Conference.  J.P. Morgan will be webcasting the audio presentation live, and a link to the webcast will be made available via the Investor Relations homepage on the Southwest Airlines web site.  Details of the audio webcast are as follows:               Date:            Tuesday, March 9, 2010          Time:            11:50 a.m. Eastern Time          Speaker:         Laura Wright, Senior Vice President Finance and Chief                      Financial Officer          Web Address:     www.southwest.com          Contact:         Investor Relations (214) 792-4415                To access the live audio webcast on the Investor Relations homepage, go to www.southwest.com and click on "Investor Relations" under the "About Southwest" menu at the bottom of the page.  A replay of the Southwest Airlines presentation will be available on the Events Calendar in the Investor Relations section of www.southwest.com.   Minimum Requirements to listen to broadcast: Windows Media Player software, downloadable free from http://www.microsoft.com, and at least a 56K bps connection to the Internet.  If you experience problems listening to the webcast, click on the help menu in the webcast browser SOURCE Southwest Airlines Co.     Media Contact: Investor Relations of Southwest Airlines Co., +1-214-792-4415 Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040715/DATH028-a Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010718/SWNULOOK Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010724/SWALOGO Photo: AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org Photo: PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com Web Site: http://www.southwest.com ... View more

Local Southwest Airline employees recently collected more than 500 men's, women's and children's coats and distributed them to three local charities. The Light House shelter in Annapolis was the recipient of more than 130 coats. to read more, visit: http://www.hometownannapolis.com/news/lif/2010/02/28-46/My-Time-Southwest-Airlines-employees-give-back.html ... View more

Although it's already Day Three of the Disney World Resort Showcase, I didn't get a chance to cover the wonderful welcome reception thrown by Southwest Airlines on the first night as I slipped in a report on lunch with Cat Cora  to read more, visit: http://www.examiner.com/x-2200-Orlando-Theme-Parks-Examiner~y2010m2d9-Southwest-Airlines-throws-a-bash-at-Walt-Disney-World-Details-of-the-Resort-Showcase-welcome  ... View more

Southwest has caught a tailwind in these tough economic times. The all-coach, low-fare carrier is flying more passengers and making money while most big competitors struggle. to read more, visit: http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/airlines/southwest-ceo-talks-baggage-fees-economic-realities-overweight-celebrities/1075579  ... View more