Southwest Airlines Community

Earlier this week, we asked our Facebook faithful about the quirkiest places they've traveled to from a Southwest city.  If you’re a clam chowder-a-holic like I am, it’s all but confirmed that Fisherman’s Wharf in the heart of San Francisco is your motherland.  If bread bowls are your scene, then allow me to keep you from making a rookie mistake on your next trip to the Bay. Avoid the touristy spots and head straight to the diviest of dives….Tait’s!    While internet rumors are swirling that the rent got too high and it has been turned into a parking lot (say it ain’t so!), I personally cannot confirm and will therefore choose to ignore these musings with hope that it still exists. While the flies are aplenty, the tables and benches a bit rickety, and the employees slightly rough around the edges, their clam chowder is hands down the best you’ll find on the Wharf (not to mention the cheapest!). Since my first visit to San Fran as a middle schooler, I’ve returned time and time again to chow down on chowder at Tait’s and it has yet to disappoint. Various family members, including my husband the picky-eater, along with several Southwest Airlines’ co-workers also agree. So look for the sign (you can’t miss this beauty), avoid the well-fed seagulls (as you can see, they’re fans too), leave your pre-conceived notions behind and enjoy the best of the best for a bargain price at one of San Francisco’s most ‘off the beaten path’ institutions.   But enough about my quirky travels, let's check out some of your adventures:   Andrew G. - Panama City, FL Airport - Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park. Home of one of the largest and deepest freshwater springs in the world, this park plays host to an abundance of wildlife, including alligators, turtles, deer, and birds. The Wakulla Springs Lodge was built in 1937 by financier Edward Ball the DuPont family financial manager. All rooms have a telephone and data port. For a quiet and relaxing stay, rooms have no televisions. Located on the second floor, guestrooms are accessible via the elevator or numerous staircases. The Ball Room Restaurant, located on the ground floor, overlooks Wakulla Spring and features daily specials and fresh seafood. A true hidden treasure. Mickie O. - White Rocks, Utah beautiful drove there via Steamboat Springs from Denver, oddly enough on Southwest's birthday taking our grandaughter to see horses for her birthday. A wonderful trip! Mary-Theresa B. - In the High Desert of Arizona, we chanced upon Arcosanti a few years back--a communal living project from years back! Cool! (From the Phoenix Sky Harbor airport) Deb D. - Thanks to Southwest, my husband and I took two incredible trips that gave us an awesome view of the Western U.S (we are in New England). In the first, we flew to Omaha and rented a car to do a loop trip through South Dakota (Badlands), Montana, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, Grand Tetons National Park, and back through Nebraska. The second trip, we did "Amazing Race"- style. I did not know where we were going and had to open clues around the way. We flew from Hartford to Albuquerque, drove up through New Mexico, Colorado (Rocky Mountains), Nevada, over to Yosemite, to San Francisco, and flew home from Oakland to Hartford. Thank you SWA!! Aileen W. - Sunspot, NM, 2 hours from ELP. A national scenic highway takes you to the National Solar Observatory. Gorgeous forest and great views down on White Sands. Be sure to stop in Cloudcroft on the way coming or going. Kim F. - Virginia City, Nevada - got lost on the way to Lake Tahoe due to road closures and detours and ended up in this most charming city in time for a parade! What an unexpected fun day - never made to Tahoe... Barbara L. - Outside of Providence, in Wickford....an old stagecoach that is now a great restaurant....Duffy's Tavern,that serves the freshest shrimp for $.10 apiece, and phenomenal lobster caught from their own boats.... Melissa H. - Joe T Garcia's Mexican Restaurant in Fort Worth, TX. The food is AMAZING! They wont give you a menu - they simply tell you what they are serving. You are bascially given two choices (A family style dinner or Fajitas). The restaurant was established in 1935. The walls are lined with autographed photos of famous people who have eaten there. If you are in Fort Worth - you must try it. Such a great atmosphere for an evening out or evening with friends. Gerald B. - Fly to Manchester, New Hampshire. Travel 2-3 hours north into the remote area of the Great North Woods, where you will find the highest peak in the Eastern United States, Mount Washington, with the 2nd highest ever recorded wind speed on Earth, the highest elevated town between Maine and Colorado, Bethlehem, and an area that is so remote that you can go snowmobiling for 40-50 miles without seeing anything but trees and wildlife. Ski resorts abound. It's almost as if you were in Alaska in the lower 48. Travel an hour south of Manchester and you'll run into Boston, go an hour north and you're on one of the most beautiful lakes, Lake Winnipesaukee. Go northwest and you'll be in the rural towns of Vermont, where you'll still find family farms, maple syrup as an industry, and some of the most beautiful land in the east. Ranger L. - PDX. Voodoo Donuts (Home of the Bacon Maple Bar) and Powell's bookstore (the finest used and new book store I've ever been to - It is it's own city block). Ryan D. - Mexican Hat Rock, UT, near Monument Valley at the Utah/Arizona border. Flew from Nashville to Las Vegas and then took a huge trip through canyon country to lots of national parks! Jyl D. - Flew into Pittsburgh last month and had to stop by The Worlds Largest Teapot in Chester, West Virginia. 🙂   ... View more

Well, friends, the time of year is finally upon us-- can you hear the millions of teachers, parents, and students from sea to shining sea shouting with joy? I sure can! And I must say, as a year-round, cubicle-bound Employee, I’m more than a wee bit jealous…but I digress. A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of visiting Mrs. Anderson’s 4 th grade class at Patton Elementary School in Austin, TX. Talk about ready for summer! These kiddos were clamoring to tell me about their fun plans (insert more jealousy here). From trips to Disney to cross-country treks to visit family, they were ready to hit the road (and take to the skies). Dylan, pictured here, went above and beyond, incorporating one of our beautiful aircraft into the illustration accompanying his writing assignment. Gold star, buddy! Since I was in the presence of such an enthusiastic crowd, I thought, "What better way to kick off the summer travel season than with a bit of Southwest Airlines trivia?" Having served the Austin market for almost 34 years, I was curious to know if this generation was as Southwest-obsessed as I was as a child (more on that later). They did not disappoint!  When asked which animal was featured on one of our specialty planes, not only did I get a resounding “Shamu!”, but the first student to raise her hand responded very matter-of-factly with “an orca.”  Wow, really?!?!  So impressed! Peanuts, playing cards, and inflatable airplane hats were enjoyed by all.  And yes, in case you picked up on the resemblance, Mrs. Anderson (pictured with me and the class at the top) is most definitely my Mom! Boy did this fun afternoon bring back memories of summer vacations gone by (and a bit of déjà vu, as I am a proud Patton Pioneer myself --- the place hasn’t changed much since the 80’s). My family’s annual summer vacation centered around another one of Southwest’s long-time Texas destinations: Corpus Christi. This long-standing summer ritual dates back to my Dad’s childhood, as his parents took him and his brother to the same spot each year. The Sandy Shores Motel was, and still is, legendary! Every year my brother and I had Southwest Airlines envy, as our cousins from Dallas always taxied in on a gleaming desert gold jet (while we typically hit the road “family-truckster style” from Austin in our rockin’ minivan). But once we all arrived by plane, train, and automobile, the fun began! Spending all day in the Gulf of Mexico collecting shells, making sand castles, feeding hungry seagulls, and fending off jellyfish was my idea of the best vacation ever! So whenever I get a little blue about having to stare at the four grey walls of my cubicle, I remember this ear-to-ear smile. I then immediately make plans to hop on a canyon blue jet that weekend to recreate this summer splendor in one of our 72 destinations (and counting). School’s out for summer indeed, and flight benefits rock almost as much as a twelve-week break from the books…so look out beach, here I come! ... View more

Alright stop, collaborate, and listen….Southwest’s back with a brand new invention…. Remix! Certain things make me a little cranky. That post-vacation pile of laundry that never seems to dwindle, leaving home without my beloved drink coupons….and of course, sitting next to that inevitable traveler who likes to hear the sound of their own voice for an entire 3 hour flight to Vegas (no sir, I actually don’t care to know how many times you’ve hit it big on The Price Is Right slot machine in the airport!). Whether you “wanna get rocked” with a little Def Leppard or the latest grooves from Brit-Brit help you get “in the zone”, chances are you’re a little out of sorts if you forget your iPod, iPhone, or, iPad while traveling. I know it drives this girl NUTS! Fellow inflight conversation-avoiders, fear not! Your friends at Southwest are doing our part to bring you entertainment on-the-fly.  We’re excited to introduce InAirtainment on southwest.com – which lets you browse top entertainment that is available to download on the iTunes Store.  And to kick things off in style (for a limited-time-only), we’re offering a free 20-song playlist featuring up and coming artists “about to fly” in their music careers. You won’t want to miss this awesome compilation of jams --- visit the InAirtainment page  for more info on how to download the free playlist! And in typical Southwest fashion….there’s more where that awesomeness came from. As you know, this June we celebrate 40 years of being the rockin’-est, rollin’-est airline around. To commemorate this milestone, and many more throughout the course of the year, we have even more fun offers in the works….so stay tuned! In the meantime, go get your free music pronto! And while you’re at it, stock up on even more InAirtainment options for the next time that you’re on-the-fly with us (or on the train, trying desperately to avoid eye-contact with the nose-breather next to you, or in the waiting room at the pediatrician’s office with two unruly kiddos, or sitting in your cubicle pretending to be hard at work on a project (not that I’ve ever done any of these things!). The opportunities for self-improvement are endless! Yo man, let’s get outta here….word to your mother! ... View more

As the saying goes "there’s no crying in baseball". So while, admittedly, I’m a bit bummed that the World Series is over, I’m trying to focus on the positive. My beloved Texas Rangers made it to the big show for the first time in franchise history and I got to be there in person to witness their big win in Game 3! You’ve been able to feel the excitement in the air throughout the entire month of October in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and hosting the Fall Classic for the first time in history was the icing on the cake! Hailing from Austin, I never had a true home team to root for when it came to Major League Baseball. But for some reason, from day one, my family gravitated toward the Rangers. Even after marrying a born and bred Houstonian (read: Astros fan), my loyalty remained strong. Ruben Sierra, Julio Franco, Steve Buechele, and of course, the often imitated (never duplicated) Nolan Ryan….those were my boys! Not just a Rangers fan, but a die-hard baseball fan in general, my husband and I set out on a quest to visit each and every Major League ballpark the second I got hired at Southwest. We couldn’t think of a better way to put our newly acquired flight benefits to work! I have to admit that I got a bit of a head start….my family started visiting ballparks back when I was in junior high, so my better half had a bit of catching up to do. But we were determined. Between 2005 and 2010, we managed to catch games at all 30 Major League ballparks! And whenever a new stadium opens, you can bet we’re on the first flight out! Here are a few fan favorites: Wrigley Field - Chicago, IL Nationals Park - Washington, D.C. Target Field - Minneapolis, MN But even after criss-crossing the country taking in games in some of the most iconic parks around, nothing compares to what we experienced during this year’s Rangers playoffs run. To see the entire "claw & antlers" nation come together in a sea of blue and red to support this year’s star team on the Dallas sports scene was simply incredible. And the fact that Southwest has been a partner of the Rangers (and currently the official airline) for 13 years made the experience even more special. So I’d like to tip my cap to the entire Rangers organization in celebration of a season that was destined for the history books. From winning the AL West to paving the way for the first-ever World Series held in North Texas, they’ve given us fans memories that will last a lifetime. Here’s to an off-season full of rest, relaxation, and successful contract re-negotiation (oops, did I just say that?!?!). Anxiously waiting to hear the words "Play Ball" on Opening Day 2011! ... View more

Quite a bit, apparently. At least we think so. It all started with a few dozen donuts, kolaches, (it’s a Czech-Texan thing…see pic below) and a dream. A dream that a group of Marketing and Communications Employees wouldn’t get completely loopy from all the sugar in the room and actually come up with a creative name for our newest e-mail. kolache [kuh-lah-chee]: a type of pastry consisting of fillings ranging from fruits to cheeses inside a bread roll Well ladies and gentlemen, our mission was successful. Thanks to a productive kick-off meeting, an even larger brainstorming session that included all Southwest Marketing and Communications Employees, and 20 tickets to a Dallas Stars game as bait, we finally settled on a name for our latest creation. Drumroll, please…..  Gotta keep you in suspense a bit longer. You don’t even know what I’m talking about yet! Name for what? Well BlogSouthwest loyalists may recall my mention in a previous “e-mail geek” post about more fun and exciting e-mail news to come. We’ll it’s time to let the cat out of the bag, folks. Not only did we re-design our fun and fabulous Click ‘n Save weekly deals e-mail, we went a step further and did what no other airline has done before (not exactly true, but it sounds good, right?). We’ve created a new e-mail to specifically highlight our News & Promotions. Everything to make your experience with Southwest more convenient, informative, and FUN delivered to you “In A Nutshell” (shout out to PR Manager Brad Hawkins for masterminding the perfect e-mail name!). Here’s a sneak peek at our inaugural edition: Call me a mind-reader, but I know you might be thinking “Great. Another e-mail. My inbox is full already!” We get it. Ours are full too. And the last thing that we want is to annoy you with pointless information in a boring format. We’ll leave that to our competitors (oops, did I say that?!?!). In A Nutshell will only be distributed once a month, and will feature Southwest announcements (i.e. new cities, new product offerings, etc), promotions, events, contests, and ways to make your travel experience with us more FUN! So hypothetically, you might ask, how would one sign up to receive this e-mail masterpiece? Well friends, it’s easy. If you currently subscribe to our weekly Click ‘n Save e-mails, you don’t even have to click your mouse. You should’ve already received the first two editions of In A Nutshell that were sent in November and December. If you don’t subscribe to our Click ‘n Save e-mails highlighting our weekly travel deals (shame on you!), then you can learn more and sign up by clicking here. And while you’re at it, be sure to check the box to receive In A Nutshell as well. We’re excited to bring you yet another opportunity to be in the loop on the latest Southwest scoop. Until next time, fellow e-mail geeks. ... View more

1995 was quite the year. The DVD was invented. Kodak introduced us to the world of digital photography. eBay was founded. While these major milestones were occurring, we here at Southwest were ready to debut our own innovation that would change travel as we knew it. In 1995, southwest.com was born. Let’s kick it old school for a bit, just for grins. Admittedly, our original site (known as the Southwest Homegate) was pretty basic. But then again, the Internet revolution was brand spankin’ new, so it still deserves some major props. The Homegate featured information on our Company, the cities that we served at the time, flight schedules, and vacation packages. The following year we turned up the dial a bit and introduced online booking, otherwise known as Ticketless Travel. In case you were busy listening to the latest Alanis Morrisette CD on your Sony DiscMan and weren’t dialing up the Internet to book travel at the time, you weren’t alone. We were at the forefront of the online travel revolution. You may remember that our original homepage featured a Ticket Counter with flight schedules displayed exactly as they would have been at one of our airports. There’s a picture of a phone because that’s how Customers were accustomed to making their flight reservations at the time. Our Founder and Chairman Emeritus Herb Kelleher was pictured because at the time our Customers didn’t all trust the Internet, but they trusted Herb. The original southwest.com was a very literal interpretation of our booking process at the airport and over the phone, a procedure with which Customers were familiar. Here’s a glimpse of what the Southwest Homegate looked like. Does it remind anyone else of their favorite Nintendo game? Or have I just played one too many rounds of Duck Hunt? Time flies when you’re having fun, doesn’t it? Lately, it seems like things have been progressing at warp speed. Over the past year we’ve made a slew of enhancements and added functionality to make southwest.com even more user friendly. As the #1 airline website in terms of sales and revenue and the #3 site (across all categories) in time spent online, we average 11 million unique visitors per month. So we’ve got to keep our appearances up! Here’s a peek at a few of our new features that were introduced this year. And we’re hard at work on even more. Since ‘95, a lot has changed. But don’t worry, we haven’t lost sight of where we came from. The southwest.com of today is still consistently acclaimed for its simple, user-friendly design allowing you to plan and purchase all aspects of your trip with ease.  And, it’s still the only place on the web where you can book our low fares.  We also pride ourselves in being a one-stop shop for all things travel offering great deals on flights, hotels, rental cars, vacation packages, cruises, theme park tickets, shuttle transportation, and more. But that’s not all. In addition to our standard site functionality, we have several handy tools to help you find our best deals in short order. The Southwest Shortcut displays our lowest fares in an easy-to-navigate calendar format and our downloadable DING! Desktop application allows you to get live updates on deeply discounted, exclusive pricing from your hometown or other airports of your choice.   You can also store preferences and frequent trips as well as view upcoming itineraries and travel history in your MySouthwest account. And I’m barely scratching the surface. I could go on for days! Well, I think I’ve driven the point home (pardon me for rambling). Today’s web site is certainly Not Yo Mama’s southwest.com. My Mama just so happens to be an elementary school English teacher, and as you can imagine, I’ve grown up receiving lots of feedback on my writing. One of her favorite pieces of advice to students is to “put it on a bumper sticker” (translation: you’ve made your point, now sum it up!). So in honor of you Mom, I’ll do just that. Make southwest.com your first (and only) stop for all of your travel needs. You want it, we’ve got it. And if we don’t have it yet, we will. So add us to your Favorites list today, and most importantly...BOOK NOW! ... View more

For those of you that subscribe to our weekly Click 'n Save emails, when you check your inbox today, you may notice a difference. Call it what you will, a transformation, an extreme makeover….we’re not trying to hide the fact that we’ve “had some work done.” In fact, we’re pretty proud of it and ready to strut our stuff! Admittedly, being on a Team of self-proclaimed “e-mail geeks”, introducing a new look to our e-mail may excite me a little more than most. But if we didn’t think you’d LUV it, then our work would be in vain, right? Here’s the scoop. Our weekly Click ‘n Save e-mails will continue to highlight our deals of the week. We’ve created a user-friendly format that showcases our best deals on Southwest flights, rental cars, hotels, vacation packages, and cruises. By keeping the layout consistent each week, we hope you’ll be able to easily find the travel deals that best apply to you, helping you plan your next vacation or business trip in short order. Other news, announcements, and promotions that we have going on will now be the focus of a new e-mail. More to come on that later. The “new and improved” version of Click ‘n Save will make its debut in our current subscribers’ inboxes starting today. But if you’re like me and don’t want to wait to see the “next big thing”, check out a sneak preview of the new e-mail below. Pretty snazzy if I do say so myself (way to go Team!). And just in case you’ve been reading this entire post thinking, “what in the world is Click ‘n Save?” (ahhem, shame on you!), Sign Up ‘n Save today and see what all the hype is about! From now through the end of the year, we’re awarding subscribers who open our weekly e-mails with a chance to win free flights and a 7-day Cruise during our Click ‘n Save & Win promotion.  So you couldn’t have picked a better time to join the fun! Now that you’ve probably heard more about e-mail than you ever thought an airline Employee could (or should) know, I’ll sign off for now. We hope you like our latest creation, and stay tuned….because we’ve got more exciting e-mail news to share very soon. But for now, I’ll leave you on the edge of your seat…. ... View more

As you know, at Southwest we never turn down a chance to party. This year, we’re thrilled to sing “Happy Birthday to Click ‘n Save”, as our weekly special offers e-mail program has turned ten! Always the maverick, in 1998 Southwest Airlines revolutionized industry standards once again by offering Customers the opportunity to receive e-mail notifications of sales and special promotions available on our web site, which at the time was named the Southwest Home Gate. Customers could opt-in by clicking a small mail icon on the Home Gate, and a confirmation e-mail would be delivered to the e-mail address provided. Later that same year the name Click ‘n Save was born, and to this day remains the call-sign for our weekly e-mail distribution. In 2000, we began partnering with rental car companies to offer even more deals to complete our Customers’ overall travel experience. Hertz, Alamo, and Budget were the first to hop onboard, with hotels and other partners joining soon thereafter. As more and more partners joined our cause Click ‘n Save grew to what it is today, an information source for the latest and greatest travel deals on the web. Today, millions of subscribers are benefitting from Click ‘n Save. In addition fantastic deals on air travel, rental cars, and hotels, our weekly offers now include special rates on vacation packages, cruises, and theme park tickets as well. As a subscriber, you’ll also notice that the weekly e-mail is themed around a Featured Destination. Each week, a different Southwest city or partner is highlighted and special rates are offered on airfare, rental cars, hotels, and local area attractions. Unlike other airlines’ e-mail subscription programs, Customers are not required to become members of our frequent flyer program in order to receive the deals. Anyone can subscribe, and with benefits this great, why would you not? While many of you have been clicking and saving with us for years now, we know there may be a few Click ‘n Save rookies out there. If you’re new to Click ‘n Save, you couldn’t have picked a better time to join. Help us commemorate ten years of travel deals by signing up for Click ‘n Save today. New members enrolling now through January 31, 2009 will be entered into a drawing to win a vacation for ten as part of our Click ‘n Celebrate sweepstakes. Existing Click ‘n Save members, we can’t blow out the candles without you! In recognition of your loyalty, you are also eligible to participate in our Click ‘n Celebrate sweepstakes. The chance to win a dream trip for you and nine of your closest friends…..now that’s quite a thank you note! In true Southwest fashion, we’re thankful for the past and excited about the future. As you can see, after ten great years of monumental deals, with Click ‘n Save the party’s just begun! ... View more