05-27-2009
08:25 AM
335 Loves
Sometimes you just have to stop and smell the oranges. Especially yesterday because Orange County celebrated 15 years of Service with Southwest Airlines, and we had a tubular time. Not to mention that SWA is SO in LUV with the OC. Fun in the fake sun was had with some summer classics blasting from a souped up iPod, and someone attempted faux surfing on a surfboard loaned to us by the US Open of Surfing, of which Southwest is the official sponsor. No one has ever said Southwest celebrates quietly. In lieu of catching waves--large bodies of water inside the Station, while fun, wouldn’t be conducive to our operations--Customers caught some sweet prizes. Our “Golden Ticket” contest gave California residents a chance to win a pair of roundtrip tickets if they received one of the 15 bags of peanuts that has a special code that deems them a winner. And our Click ‘N Save® Enter-to-Win contest gives anyone a chance to win the same prize by simply filling out an entry form. How bodacious is that? To cool off, a complimentary OJ and ginger ale beverage called the OC LUV Splash was served up along with some scrumptious cookies. Sure, Southwest’s fares can definitely go low, but how low can our Customers go? We tried answering that question with a rousing game of limbo. Everyone AND their grandmas dug it and pushed their spines to seemingly impossible limits to clear the very low limbo bar in hopes of being awarded some Southwest schwag. Even those who were unfortunate enough to lose balance mid-backward-bend were given a consolation prize. That’s the Southwest way! Our Employees and Customers are also boogey-ing down because Southwest now offers direct service to San Francisco. One of the most amazing products the LUV Airline offers is the Freedom to Fly without worrying about emptying your bank account, and a quick trip to the Golden Gate City is just one leg of many that follows the wallet-friendly rubric. The Beach Boys song “I Get Around” comes to mind when thinking about the 65 cities we service (soon to be 68 with service to LaGuardia, Boston Logan, and Milwaukee on our horizon). While the skies may be cloudy outside, everyone’s Spirit at the Station is bright and sunny. The Southwest Effect is more than just challenging other airlines with low fares, it’s the LUV and Heart our Employees give our Customers every day. Thank you, Employees of SNA, for following the Southwest Way in everything you do. Happy Anniversary Orange County!
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Hello all! This is Boy George--er…Ray Buffington, blogging to you from Indianapolis, Indiana in light of a totally awesome occasion--Indy’s 20 th Anniversary of service with Southwest Airlines! SWA began service to IND April 3rd, two decades ago, as the 27 th city in the Southwest Airlines system. Like, how radical is that? In celebration, Aqua Net is flowing aplenty, there are Scrunchies galore, and I think I may have even spotted a Def Leppard tattoo here at the Indianapolis International Airport. The 80's atmosphere is tangible with posters of Pretty in Pink and Dirty Dancing plastered to the windows, a group of vintage arcade games for Customers to play for free while they wait for the flights (including none other than the ultimate game of all games “Pacman")and a rad DJ who is spinning all of the 80's classics. We’ve definitely gone Back to the…Past in honor of this amazing milestone. More importantly, we’re celebrating the amazing work the Indianapolis Employees have contributed these past twenty years to making this city one of the most successful when it comes to Customer Service. Did you know that IND has a 7 to 1 ratio when it comes to Customer Commendations? Those numbers are tubular! It’s a comfort that, while current times may be a little stormy, the strength, hard work, and LUV of Southwest Airlines’ loyal Employees Companywide will undoubtedly result in the Company’s perseverance. One thing is for certain--Indianapolis has some bodacious Employees. Check out their outfits below! As a little treat for those of you who were unable to make the party, I’ve whipped up some savory Southwest Airlines lyrics to the tune to my--er…Boy George’s famous song “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?” Enjoy. "Do you really want to pay hidden fees? Do you really want to get nickel & dimed? Southwest Airlines lets you fly with ease, Just sit back, relax, and everything will be just fine. Other airlines make you pay for courtesies, We just don’t think that’s right. Peanuts, soft drinks, and change fees are free, Our job is to make sure we do you right." This is Boy George--er…Ray Buffington, signing out. Happy Anniversary IND!!!
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10-24-2008
07:09 AM
516 Loves
Before I began my Internship at Southwest Airlines, I had a preconceived notion that I would be fine-tuning my filing skills, perfecting my ability to make a good cup of coffee and mastering the art of ordering lunch by phone. Boy, was I wrong. Since the first day I stepped foot into the Public Relations Department, I’ve been involved arms and elbows in major projects such as Media Day and the Pigskin Plane Pull, and I’m currently working on my third story for Southwest Airline’s inflight magazine Spirit. Every last drop of my creative juices has been squeezed out of me and any given time of a work day I’m working on five or more tasks--and I’m loving every minute of it. The PR Department has created the perfect learning environment that hones my current skills, challenges me to learn new skills, and gives me a chance to work independently. Two weeks in as an Intern, Public Relations Manager Brandy King gave me the opportunity to actually create my own PR event. Talk about pressure. From an Intern’s perspective, being given the responsibility to create a corporate PR event from start to finish is a rare chance to really show what we are capable of, and I really didn’t want to disappoint those who I’ve come to think of as my mentors in fear of being stapled and Xerox-ed to death. (Disclaimer: No Interns were harmed in the designing of the event or writing of this blog.) The goal of the event was to acknowledge one of our Customers who has a very unique hobby--he visits college campuses. Steve Lake, a Las Vegas pit boss at Caesar’s Palace and PR firm owner, began a quest in 1984 to visit 500 universities and colleges nationally and internationally. He said he started this journey because he felt he never fully experienced the “college life,” being that he went to a college in Montreal in a small building rather than a sprawling campus. Twenty four years later, he was about to finally make that goal and visit his 500th college at San Antonio’s Our Lady of the Lake University. Because Southwest Airlines has flown him to many of these colleges, we wanted to congratulate him somehow for his achievement. I decided to throw him a graduation-themed gate party for when he arrived in San Antonio to fit in with the college motif. Luckily for me, Brandy’s wisdom and guidance was available to tap into, which I did liberally. A few weeks of planning, a couple of nights of sweating, and just a moment or two of crying later, October 11 (the date of the event) rolled around, and it was time to make it happen. I created a “staff” made up of Internal Customer Care Intern Abby Olmscheid and Dispatch Intern Brent Bowen to help wrangle the crowd, hand out peanuts and inflatables, keep a Monster drink in my hand at all times, and slap me occasionally when I freaked out. Thankfully, the freak-outs didn’t happen often. But having a Team made entirely up of Interns made this event even more special for me. Our Supervisors were letting go of our hands to see if we could take a few steps on our own without falling over. They respected and trusted us enough to create an important memory for one of our Customers without supervision. If that’s not flattering, I don’t know what is. We flew to San Antonio, set everything up, and waited for Steve to arrive. The actual event went without a hitch. I greeted Steve and his wife at the door of the plane and escorted him to the gate where he was greeted by a cheering crowd, hundreds of balloons, a large congratulatory banner, and a mariachi band. Southwest Airlines has a knack for going over the top, and I tried to make the event fit the Culture. He didn’t know what was in store for him. After he got over the shock, I congratulated him on his achievement, dressed him in a graduate’s cap and gown and gave him a “Final Exam” that consisted of very simple, but funny, questions. Once he passed (the test was rigged – I didn’t want to embarrass him with difficult questions), I gave him a diploma and two Southwest Airlines tickets and let him soak in the praise and glory of those present. In an instant, the event was over. It had lasted for about an hour, but only felt like five minutes. However, I learned a lot about the PR and airline world before and during the party – priceless experience to take with me as I begin my path into the professional world. The next week, I received an e-mail from Steve, thanking me for the “spectacular” gate party and wishing me luck in my future. Even though I threw the event, I have my own thank-you’s to give out: Thank you to the PR Department for welcoming me with open arms, laughs, and an awesome work ethic. Thank you to Brandy for giving me my very first PR event to stage. Thank you to my “staff,” Abby and Brent, for supporting me and helping make the event happen successfully--I couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you to the Graphics team for designing the fabulous banner. Thank you to Nancy Heinz for being the glue and Jacque Mallard for being the Scotch tape of the event. And thank you to Southwest Airlines for giving me the opportunity to participate in the most amazing Internship program in the country.
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