Southwest Airlines Community

1. Allow extra time to get to the airport. Just like your favorite shopping center, the airport is “the place to be” during the holidays, especially on peak travel days. Though our Employees and airport personnel will be working diligently to ensure a pleasant airport experience, we recommend that you allow yourself a bit more time than usual, as many folks will be traveling during holiday time. Be sure to review the Suggested Airport Arrival Times at the Southwest Cities included in your holiday travel plans prior to your trip. 2. Bring proper ID for all travelers. The Transportation Security Administration requires that all ticketed and traveling Customers carry a government-issued photo ID and will be asked to show identification at the security checkpoint. In addition to your photo ID, all Customers will be required to present a Security Document or Boarding Pass at the security checkpoint in order to proceed to the gate. Parents must also provide proof of age for children under the age of two traveling as a lap child. Visit our Baby On Board page for more information on traveling with little ones. In addition, the TSA has implemented a new program called Secure Flight, which is intended to enhance the security of commercial air travel. Under Secure Flight, airlines are now required to ask traveling passengers for their full legal name as it appears on the government-issued photo ID they intend to travel with, along with their gender and date of birth. We encourage you to update your MySouthwest account with this information prior to your trip. 3. Become familiar with our policies if you’re traveling with little ones (or if your little ones are traveling alone). We want to ensure a pleasant travel experience for all parents traveling with their young children, as well as Unaccompanied Minors.  As such, we ask you to take a few minutes to become familiar with our policies and procedures on the same by reviewing our Children/Unaccompanied Minors Policy, and our Family Travel Tips. 4. Pack your liquids and other prohibited items in your (2 free!) checked bags. It’s always more difficult to pack only one bag during the holidays. Thankfully on Southwest Airlines, your first two checked bags fly free, through baggage weight and size limits still apply. And remember that if you plan to bring gifts onboard, all wrapped packages must be opened for inspection by airport security. Please consult our Baggage Policies for additional information. If you’re not sure whether an item will be accepted past the security checkpoint, it’s probably best to travel without it or pack it in your checked baggage. Review the TSA’s list of prohibited items prior to your trip. In the new era of security procedures, many hotel chains are assisting Customers by maintaining a supply of essential toiletries. And if you’re traveling to see loved ones, why not ask if you can borrow some of their household items? After all, ‘tis the season for sharing! 5. Plan ahead when picking up family, friends, or unaccompanied minors from the airport. If you’re meeting an Unaccompanied Minor (a child traveling alone) or someone needing extra assistance, you must obtain a Non-Passenger Escort pass from the ticket counter to get through the security checkpoint. In order to get a pass, you must present a photo ID and a copy of the passenger's reservation. Please allow yourself plenty of time to arrive at the gate early. When making arrangements to meet friends and family, be sure to decide on a meeting place before your trip. We suggest designating a location in the terminal building - such as the baggage claim area. ... View more

Ever wonder whose job it is to keep track of the 3,200 flights we operate across the country each day, in and out of the 67 airports (as of August 16) that we serve? Well, meet the folks in Dispatch.  They are located in our Operations Coordination Center (OCC) at our Headquarters  in Dallas, Texas.  The OCC is a large entity consisting of a variety of specialized departments and groups:  Superintendents of Dispatch (SODs); Dispatchers (DPs) and Assistant Dispatchers (Asst. DPs); Customer Service Coordinators (CSC); Air Traffic Control Specialists (ATC Specialists); Dispatch Specialists; Maintenance Control (MX Control); and Flight Following (FLIFO).  "Back in the day," we started the Dispatch Office with one Superintendent.  Today, there are 22 Dispatch Superintendents; and, if you combine all the years of service that these dedicated Employees have given our Company, you get over 400 years of Southwest Airlines experience! Operating the published flight schedule, like putting a puzzle together, isn't always as easy as looking at the picture on the front of the box; and at any given time, there are three specific objectives for the SODs on duty.   Communication SOD The Communication SOD is a newly created position within the SOD group.  These "guys" initiate and monitor communication between our airports, Dispatchers, and other SODs so everyone is on the same page regarding our operational gameplan and challenges. Additionally, the Communication SOD is responsible for keeping other departments and Teams in the loop about urgent situations.   Regional SOD From a SOD's point of view, the country is divided into three different areas:  West, Central, and East.  As you might imagine, there is a SOD for each region.    The Regional SOD's primary function is to keep the airline running seamlessly and ontime to provide an exceptional Customer Experience.  This isn't an easy task; the West, Central, and East SODs react to any potential disruption. From a "big picture" perspective, the SODs work with Crew Scheduling to ensure the Pilots and Flight Attendants are in position to work their assigned flights.  The SODs also juggle input from CSC in order to discuss the best resolution for a disrupted flight from the Customer's point of view; they react to the decisions about mechanical issues and service checks from MX Control and adjust the flight schedule based on the available aircraft; and they consult with the ATC Specialists for guidance about route constraints (due to groundstops, Ground Delay Programs, and/or Airspace Flow Program).  After collecting the information from these groups, the Regional SODs make the best resolution for our Customers and our Company.   Next Day Router SOD This position can be very challenging.  The Next Day Router SOD makes sure that there is an aircraft assigned to each flight for the following day, and to do that, all Maintenance requirements must be considered.  For instance, one swap made by a Regional SOD can really throw a "monkey wrench" into the Router's plan.  When this happens, the Next Day Router SOD must review the aircraft routing to comply with the required Maintenance checks.  Essentially, the Router SOD is the guru that works her/his magic to keep the fleet balanced (meaning, making sure the airplanes are where they need to be).   A Glimpse into the SOD "World" Day-to-day, the Superintendents of Dispatch are in the business of practicing (as one of the SODs describes) "operational resolution techniques." Take a look at a computer screen that a SOD utilizes to observe and track flights constantly. In this SWIFT (Southwest Integrated Flight Tracking) screenshot, a row holds a "line of flight" which shows the route that a particular aircraft is operating (for instance, the top row line of flight is Amarillo – Denver – San Francisco – San Diego).  Each row is numbered for an aircraft scheduled to operate in that timeframe.  A "puck" is a segment (for example, Denver – San Francisco) of that "line of flight."  Each color represents a different operational status:  red (the flight is running late); light blue (the flight is en route); dark blue (the flight is in range); and gold (the flight is in the gate).   The SOD's Lingo I've covered what the SODs do; talked about their roles within the group; and looked into their "world."  But, SOD’s (and the rest of the OCC) also have their own lingo.  Here's a sample of their vernacular: TERMINATOR - A “terminator” for the OCC’s purposes isn’t the Governor of California, but rather a flight ending their line at a particular station (i.e. Dallas has an average of 17 terminators a night).  ORIGINATOR - An “originator” is a flight that starts their line at a certain station (i.e. MDW has 22 originators a day).  FLAG STOP - A “flag stop” is a flight that makes a stop that is not part of the schedule (i.e., to drop off or pick up Customers from a cancelled flight).  FUEL STOP - A “fuel stop” is a flight that makes an unscheduled stop for additional fuel (i.e., due to heavy load and hot weather). OTS - “OTS” refers to an aircraft that is out of service.  RTS - “RTS” refers to an aircraft that returns to service.   POSITION FERRY - A “position ferry” is a flight that is operated without Customers to “position” the aircraft for fleet balance (the location of the aircraft is where it needs to be for operational reasons or Maintenance checks).  All in a Day's Work As you can see, these “guys” have their hands full and a lot to monitor throughout their shifts.  With communication, coordination, and collaboration with one another and the OCC Department, they succeed in keeping our flights moving efficiently every day!   ... View more

Did you know that our Company has its own Meteorologists? Most airlines outsource their Meteorology. Not us. Meet the Men of Meteorology at Southwest Airlines–Rick Curtis and Brian Collins.    Rick and Brian have been with the Company for twelve years and three years, respectively. The Meteorology department itself has been around since 2003.   Our Meteorologists play a key role in helping our Operations Coordination Center (OCC) develop its operational game plan. Day-to-day, our weather guys expend lots of energy preparing for all that forecasting.  Beginning hours before their daily morning meetings, they use various forecasting models from the National Weather Service (NWS) to look at our 65 stations and the entire country to identify areas of concern.   They compare their own data with that of the NWS. They evaluate the potential for operational disruptions and meet with the Superintendent of Dispatch to brief them on the conditions.   They present a forecast twice a day—once in the morning (at our daily Morning Operational Meeting…aka…MOM) and once in the afternoon (at our daily shift briefing).  At the start of each of these meetings, while using a U.S. map projected on a large screen, our Meteorologist will outline in detail the stations that may potentially be impacted by Mother Nature and answers any questions that our Dispatch, Customer Service, Ground Operations, and Flight Operations Teams may have.  In the event of severe weather, Rick and Brian will send informational emails to the Southwest Airlines’ stations, centers, and facilities that may be affected.   Some of you may recall the havoc the weather caused this past winter (Who could forget, right?) These guys helped the OCC gauge the extent and severity of each of those weather systems: snow in Las Vegas; snow/mixed precipitation in Spokane, Seattle, and Portland; snow/low visibility/freezing temperatures in Chicago; and the cold/blustery weather that moved over the Northeast.  Through it all, our Meteorologists did their very best to stay ahead of all the impending precipitation that was in play from coast-to-coast.  In addition to the important daily forecasting, these guys do a lot of ad-hoc projects for other departments (i.e., Safety, Ground Operations, and Crew Scheduling).    Are you curious to know how these “Men of Meteorology” obtained their expertise?  Both have degrees in Meteorology—Rick attended Lyndon State College in Vermont and Brian attended Northern Illinois University. Before joining Southwest, Rick worked for a company that forecasted weather for highways and airport operators; while Brian implemented weather forecasting tools and provided equipment training at both FAA facilities and airlines. ... View more