Southwest Airlines Community

A month or so ago, we ran photos from Ray Stark that illustrated the first "storm of the winter" in Baltimore/Washington (BWI).  Well, the area around the nation's capital was hit again this weekend, and our folks there are calling it "Snowmageddon."   Here are some pics of last weekend's massive snow storm sent in from our folks at BWI, and as you can see, it looks more like Fairbanks than BWI.  The first is a look at the jetbridge steps:   Check out the snowcaps on the safety posts:   The snow is up almost halfway on the first floor of the terminal: This jetbridge is "snowed in"     ... View more

I’ve always been interested in what I call interim color schemes.  These are when one airline acquires an aircraft from another and then operates the airplane while it is wearing the original livery with only a few changes.  Enthusiast photographers value shots of aircraft in interim liveries because they are so temporary.  My own intrigue with the subject began as a child when I flew on a Convair 240 that Continental leased from American.  The Continental name and falcon symbol was placed on the all-metal American livery.  When I worked at Delta after the Western merger, we flew former Western aircraft in with Western stripe and the Delta “widget” and name on the fuselage.  When Delta acquired Pan Am’s European routes, Delta kept the white Pan Am color and just added small Delta titles and a small widget. Here at Southwest, we also have a rich history of interim color schemes both from merger and leasing/buying aircraft from other operators.  In a previous post, Gordon Guillory covered the 737-700s we acquired from the Ford Motor Company.  I am going to take a few Flashback Friday posts and look at some of the other interim liveries in which our aircraft have flown.  While digging through our archives, I found a poster featuring some of these liveries, and I will share that in a later post.  Today, however, I want to look back at the Morris Air merger at the end of 1994.  Above is the standard Morris livery.  This is a 737-317 (msn 23174), and it was originally delivered to Canadian Pacific as C-FCPI, and then it served with VASP in Brazil as PP-SNR.  Morris Air acquired it in 1993 and reregistered the aircraft as N775MA.  When Southwest acquired Morris, it was reregistered as N693SW.   The next aircraft  (msn 23826) wears the interim Southwest scheme, with Southwest titles on the fuselage and the Morris Air emblem on the tail.  This was delivered to Guiness Peat Aviation (GPA) as a 737-3Y0 with the registration EI-BTM, and it also served with VASP as PP-SNV.  It was returned to GPA and leased to Morris with the registration EI-CHE.  When we repainted it into full Southwest colors, it became N699SW.  In the future we will look at some of the old 737-200s in a variety of interim liveries.  But before that, next week, we will have some Valentine’s Day photos from the archives. ... View more

This was in Daniel Hamermesh's "Freakanomics Blog" today   A Good Reason to Fly Southwest By DANIEL HAMERMESH Photo: StuSeeger I earned two free one-way coupons on Southwest Airlines. I tried to redeem them for a round-trip flight in March, but there were no coupon seats on the return flight. So I redeemed one coupon, and have one left over. That’s a clever strategy by Southwest, as I will now use the other coupon as part of a second round trip. Unlike the older trunk carriers, Southwest prices solely on one-way tickets — there is no gain to buying a round trip. That means that I have an incentive to pay (either with cash or coupon) for two Southwest trips. When I use my mileage to obtain a “free” ticket on the other main carrier out of Austin (American Airlines), it always pays for me to use it for a round trip. Southwest’s pricing and coupon policy ties me more strongly to them. American’s policy does allow use of mileage for a one-way ticket; but given their pricing policy, it only pays if I am planning one-way travel. ... View more

The process began in 2001 with the delivery of two brand new 737-700s in our new Canyon Blue livery to mark our 30 th Anniversary.  Starting that year, all new deliveries to Southwest arrived wearing the new colors, and we began to repaint the existing fleet in the new colors with the exception of three aircraft we planned to keep in the original livery to commemorate our original three cities.  As I mentioned in my January 5 post, those aircraft are:   N711HK is dedicated to our Founder and Chairman Emeritus Herb Kelleher. N714CB is dedicated to the model of SOUTHWEST SPIRIT, our President Emeritus, Colleen Barrett. N792SW was the last aircraft delivered new in the original livery.      Until today, there was a fourth aircraft in the original livery, and that was N347SW.  Michael Bludworth at the 1940 Air Terminal Museum at Houston Hobby snapped this spectacular landing shot of N347SW at Hobby the week of January 18.  Thanks to Michael for his permission to use it, and if you have a chance, take a visit to their museum located in Hobby’s 1940 Terminal.   (Technically, N347SW is the only aircraft in the original livery; the three classics named above have a new paint that features gold flakes.)  My original post was a bit optimistic about when the aircraft would be repainted, but it left Dallas early this morning on its way to Seattle in its last day of revenue service wearing the original Southwest colors.  By tomorrow this time, it will be stripped to bare metal, and in about six weeks, it will emerge into the damp air of Puget Sound wearing shiny new Canyon Blue.   While it was too dark this morning to photograph the last departure from Dallas, we have an additional photo taken while N347SW patiently awaited its makeover.  This is from Rob Hahn in Customer Relations and Rob captured the aircraft departing Dallas a couple of weeks ago. My colleague, Brad Hawkins, will be with N347SW as it begins its transition, and we should have some video in the future.  Stay tuned.   ... View more

Longtime readers of Nuts About Southwest know that our own Paula Berg recently left us to move back to Colorado.  Paula will be participating in the webinar below:  (For more info, click on the link above.) Emerging Media Webinars People are caught up in the phenomenon of social media, as well they should be. It is highly compelling, incredibly influential, and amazingly sticky. Once people start using this technology, most get caught up in a tempo of communications unlike anything experienced before. One of the most wonderful aspects among users of emerging media is an incessant urge to learn. The challenge for many is quite simple - it's all so new and changing so fast. Is there a simple way to get immersed without drowning or looking stupid? The answer is yes. You will find great sympathy and empathy among people in all industries trying to get a handle on the medium. That said, encounters with consumers can be brutal. IAG's emerging media team is developing a series of webinars for people interested in getting involved in exploiting emerging media. The first in the series, "Crisis Management" , offers excellent insight on what to do and what not to do in the event of a crisis affecting your organization with a step by step plan you can use. Join us for 60 informative minutes with three industry experts describing their own experiences. There will be plenty of time for questions and discussion. In order to make the webinar effective we are limiting attendance so that everyone can ask questions and participate. Please reserve early to get a slot! Cost The charge is $99, please sign up below. Participants have access to the webinar, plus they get access to the on-demand version of the event as well as a document from IAG with suggested policies to handle the challenges discussed in the webinar. If you miss the webinar, but would like to view to the on-demand version and document, please register (even after the webinar) and we will provide you with access. Got a question or an idea for a future webinar? Please Email us. Webinar Date Information Sign up Crisis Management - IAG in cooperation with Air Transport World February 24 2010 at 11am EST For those who cannot make this time slot, please note we will provide a recording of the event if you sign up. So you miss the live event, but get to access all the content anyway. Three PR/social media experts describe their experience handling of aviation crises. Panelists: Michele McDonald - Editor, Travel Technology Update - and contributing writer Air Transport World will discuss missed opportunities: how damaging incidents could have been turned into public relations wins for the airline with the right tools. Ron Kulhmann - formerly District Manager with Swissair - Experience from the ill-fated Swissair 111 and the inability to control information in a social networking age. Paula Berg - formerly Manager of Emerging Media with Southwest Airlines - For nearly four years, Southwest Airlines has navigated the uncharted territory of social media, learning many lessons along the way. From virtual riots to an industry crisis, Southwest will share with you its key principles, goals, and realities of managing an online crisis. While aviation/airline focused, this webinar offers anyone interested in crisis management excellent insight on what to do and what not to do. ... View more

Posted by Andrew Compart As I mentioned in this earlier column, in which I warned that carriers should not get complacent about the impact of their fees, Southwest has taken a beating over the past year or so from Wall Street stock analysts who could not understand why Southwest would not join other carriers in charging for the first and second checked bag. That's because those carriers were reporting hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue from their checked bag fees, while Southwest was making a less tangible argument: that it was winning or would win new customers by not charging the fees. to read more, visit:  http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs/commercial_aviation/ThingsWithWings/index.jsp?plckController=Blog&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&newspaperUserId=7a78f54e-b3dd-4fa6-ae6e-dff2ffd7bdbb&plckPostId=Blog%3a7a78f54e-b3dd-4fa6-ae6e-dff2ffd7bdbbPost%3a62650d86-fa91-499f-9007-181482830356&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest   ... View more

ILA 2010 AwardPress Release – 2.2.10 American Advertising Federation to Present Southwest Airlines with Prestigious Advertising Innovation and Leadership Award Houston, Texas, January 15, 2010 — The American Advertising Federation (AAF) Tenth District will present its highest honor of leadership and innovation in advertising to Southwest Airlines and its portfolio of agencies on May 12, 2010. The award recognizes Southwest Airlines and its agencies for many years of uniquely inventive advertising programs. May 12 will mark the fourth year for AAF to host the Innovation and Leadership in Advertising Award (ILA). The ILA Award recognizes companies that exemplify excellence in four key areas: Media use – Extensive use of multimedia platforms using traditional and nontraditional media to create awareness or drive sales. Employment in District 10 – Extensive employment of people and businesses within the District 10 region of Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas. Diversity – Embracing diversity in their messaging and employment. Leadership-Demonstrating leadership and boldness in their advertising message and creative use of media. Dave Ridley, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Revenue Management for Southwest Airlines, and Kevin Krone, Vice President, Marketing, Sales and Distribution for Southwest Airlines, will accept the award at a special awards dinner in Austin, Texas, on May 12. Dave Ridley said, “Southwest Airlines is thrilled to be honored by AAF. Every day our Southwest Team and our partner agencies deliver strategic and uniquely fun and integrated brand marketing communications programs that continually reward our Customers’ brand loyalty.” Southwest Airlines’ partner advertising agencies include: GSD&M Idea City – Austin; Camelot Communications, Inc. – Dallas; Y&R Brands/Wunderman Southern California – Irvine; Dieste, Inc. – Dallas; and Dae Advertising – San Francisco. Jim Datri, AAF national president and CEO, will be on hand from Washington, D.C., with AAF Tenth District governor Blake Goldston, to present the award to Southwest Airlines and its advertising agencies at a dinner ceremony at GSD&M Idea City. The event will be co‐hosted by the Austin Ad Federation. Ridley and Krone will be keynote speakers for the event and will provide an overview of Southwest’s campaign. In addition to the award, Southwest will offer a summer internship for an ILA Scholarship recipient this summer. The internship winner will receive a $5,000 scholarship from the AAF Tenth District. The scholarship will be presented by Dana Williams, Director of Marketing and Communications for Southwest Airlines, at the District’s Annual Convention in Amarillo on April 16, 2010. Seating at the May 12 awards event will be limited, and table reservations and tickets are available by contacting Kevin Dobbs, Executive Director, American Advertising Federation 10th District, at 1-800-808-4473, or email: dobbsprt@nts-online.net. ABOUT THE AAF The American Advertising Federation (AAF) headquartered in Washington, D.C., acts as the “Unifying Voice for Advertising.” The AAF is the oldest national advertising trade association, representing 40,000 professionals in the advertising industry. The AAF has a national network of 200 ad clubs located in ad communities across the country. Through its 225 college chapters, the AAF provides nearly 7,500 advertising students with real‐world case studies and recruitment connections to corporate America. The AAF also has 130 blue‐chip corporate members that are advertisers, agencies and media companies, comprising the nation’s leading brands and corporations. For more information, visit the AAF’s Web site at www.aaf.org. For more information: Ann Iverson, Chair, ILA 2010, annci@sbcglobal.net, 713.622.6936; John Aguillard, CoChair, ILA 2010, john@wisdomgroup.com, 210.313.6600; Kevin Dobbs, Executive Director AAF Tenth District, dobbsprt@ntsonline.net, 432.559.8559. ... View more

A few weeks ago in Flashback Fridays, I wrote about the upcoming final flight of N680AA.  Well it took longer than expected for that last flight to depart thanks to some issues about its return, but it finally left this morning as Flight 8700 to Greenwood, Mississippi.  Here are some pics of its last Southwest flight.  The first shot is N680AA leaving the hangar here in Dallas: Shortly, it was taxiing past the Love Field terminal for the last time.   Without a passenger load, N680AA leapt into the air from Runway 31Left. (Note the aircraft in the background landing on Runway 31Right.)   And, N680AA flies off into retirement. ... View more

From the day the current Dallas Love Field terminal opened on January 20, 1958, the facility has been under constant modification.  Upper levels to concourses were added, the terminal expanded then contracted, operations shifted, and now the next renovation is underway which will consolidate all the gates into a new, state of the art concourse, along with new lobby areas.  One time of great change for the building happened after the other airlines moved to the Dallas/Fort Worth Regional (now International) Airport on January 13, 1974.  This is the first of several Flashback Fridays that will look at that period. Today, we take a look back at some old black and white photos.  From the destination sign at one of the gates in the picture below, which shows a flight departing to Midland/Odessa (MAF), the photos must have been taken sometime after May 20, 1977, because that was the date we began service to MAF.  After all the other airlines moved to DFW, we moved our gates to the former American Airlines concourse (also known as the West Concourse).  Prior to that, we had operated out of gates next to Delta’s operation on the North Concourse.  Even though the photo below was taken at least three years after that move, it retains the look of American’s gates.  From the limited view we have outside the window, this appears to be Gate 2 because of the light pole outside.  (As our Love Field operation grew, we opened more of the gates on this concourse.) When the other carriers left the airport, we moved our Ticket Counter from the original ticketing wing over to its current location, the area where the old Dobbs House Coffee Shop was located.  From the same roll of film, we have these views of the counter as it looked during the late 1970s.  Note that the heart motif played a dominant role in the backdrop of the counter, and check out the rest of the graphics.  (Very 70’s, dude!)  One thing that puzzles me is that the high-traffic area in front of the counter was carpeted then, but the gate area in the photo above isn’t. The next photo shows the original pathway from the main lobby to the North Concourse.  At this date, Southwest Customers accessed their flights on the West Concourse via the connection next to the baggage claim area (the one that most of our deplaning  Customers use to access the terminal and baggage claim).  If I remember my terminal geography/history correctly, the original main lobby and concourse entrances were closed off from travelers because the main lobby housed an ice rink.  (Yes, I have found pictures of that, stay tuned.)  As we will see later, several airport offices were located on this concourse.  The railings you see down both sides of the hallway were old moving sidewalks.  When the terminal opened in 1958, the moving sidewalks were the world's first installed at an airport. Below, we see the lower level entrance to the North Concourse.  Unlike the West Concourse which has all the public areas on the upper level, Delta Customers used escalators from the North Concourse’s lower level to access the upper level gates.  This hallway retains its original look (and the smell that takes me back to my childhood) even today.  In this view, we see that Piper Aircraft has a sales office on the concourse, and the walls of the office extend out into the concourse.  The area immediately to the left of the picture is a small ground-level gate, and a similar gate is located out of the view to the right.  Update:  Longtime SWA Employee Mark Monse tells us that the Piper office later became the airport police station.  I think he is right, and that would mean this is a view from the West Concourse looking toward the East Concourse.  The North Concourse entrance is to the left. This final photo below is still a bit of a mystery to me.  I do know that it is a view along the lower level of the North Concourse because the tile pillar at the very left of the frame was only found on the lower floor of concourses.  The doors appear to be leaning against the concourse wall.  To be honest, the track lighting is confusing me, though because the concourse hallway had no need for such lights.  I have two guesses about the subject of the photo:  The first is that this might be a remodeling of the old Piper office seen above and we are looking at the area behind the “false wall” that was erected out into the concourse.  The second is that this is a remodeling of former Delta operations offices to house our Dallas Marketing offices.  Can anyone help with details on this? ... View more

Unlike the past few “Flashback Fridays” post, this one is a bit more current—like today or maybe next week.  However, it still has historical value.  Today we say goodbye to a trusted member of our fleet as N680AA heads off on its final flight.  The timing of that is a bit uncertain because of the bad weather out west which has disrupted our Crews and our regular schedule.  Here is a picture of the 737 as it waits here in Dallas to take off on its final flight.  (If I am able, I will add photos of the last flight when that happens.)   My fellow geeks out there probably noticed the “AA” at the end of the aircraft’s registration.  Yes, that does stand for American Airlines, and it is their suffix of choice for their aircraft registrations.  So, how did a Southwest airplane, and a 737-300 at that, wind up with an American Airlines registration?  Therein lies the interesting part about this last flight.  This particular airplane started its career with AirCal (formerly Air California) on the West Coast back in 1986.  It is a 737-3A4 (manufacturer's serial number 23505) and flew with AirCal a short time before American acquired the carrier in July 1987.  For awhile it flew in a hybrid livery as shown below with the AirCal colors and “American” on the tail.  Bruce H. was kind enough to give us permission to use his AIRLINERS.NET photo that was taken at Los Angeles.   American finally put the aircraft in its all-metal trademark livery and reregistered the aircraft to N680AA in 1988.  The 737-300s were “’orphans” in American’s fleet of MD-80s, and Southwest acquired the aircraft in 1991.  Ironically, it wound up flying many of the same routes with us as it did with AirCal.  Joe Dillbeck, our Director Fleet Planning, tells me that in its faithful service to three airlines, this aircraft has accumulated 61, 726 flight cycles.  Soon it will complete its 61, 727 th cycle and retire to the sun of the Arizona desert.    Thanks to Bruce and Joe for the information and to N680AA for its dedicated service to our Customers. ... View more