Southwest Airlines Community

Every year in March, the center of the music, film, and online interactive industries across the globe converge in Austin, Texas for ten days of networking, discovery, creativity, and some old-fashioned good times! This year, Southwest Airlines was proud to be the Official Domestic Airline of South By Southwest. What started as small music event with 700 registrants in 1987 has now grown to more than 32,000 participants taking part in music, film, and high-tech interactive conferences and events. Our fun Southwest brand was front and center with a Team of Employees participating and hosting several events including the BMI & Billboard Acoustic Brunch and The Fader Fort, a four-day musical event filled with musicians from across the globe. SXSW 2012 was a far cry from my first SXSW experience. Back in 1994, a certain clueless radio DJ volunteered to work the doors at several of the music venues, handing out wristbands and doing other rather unglamorous chores. The flip side was I got to see an undiscovered Beck perform and actually got to shake the hand of one of my idols, Johnny Cash, who was the keynote speaker that year. That’s the power of SXSW.  And this year proved to be no different.   Southwest’s brand, along with our legendary Customer Service were consistent themes with the SXSW partners we worked with the attendees with whom we crossed paths. The streets of the state capital of Texas are just now getting back to normal, but the effects of this year’s partnership with SXSW will be felt for many months to come.    Featured Picture: Southwest Airlines’ Laurel Moffat (second from the left) and Whitney Eichinger (far right) pause for a photo with The Lumineers at the BMI & Billboard Brunch. (Photo: Erika Goldring) ... View more

“People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball.  I'll tell you what I do.  I stare out the window and wait for spring.” --Rogers Hornsby Today is opening day for Major League Baseball. In 30 cities across the country, baseball fans begin the yearly ritual of checking box scores, agonizing over fantasy stats, or planning which home games to attend or which road trip to take to support their favorite team. Whether it’s the carnival-like atmosphere on Yawkey Way outside Fenway Park in Boston or the 100-year tradition of the current resident at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue throwing out the first pitch, baseball has a rich tradition, and Southwest Airlines is proud to be a supporter of America’s pastime.  We're especially proud to help you support your teams--both home and away--since we fly into the vast majority of Major League cities across the country. To take our support of America's pastime to the next level, Southwest is excited to announce thatwe are also the official airline for three major league teams: the Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore Orioles, and Texas Rangers. To commemorate these partnerships, Employees will be at each home opener visiting with baseball fans, handing out promotional items, and sharing in the excitement that only baseball can bring! Today, you can find our Team Southwest at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. On Friday, April 9, we’ll be at the beautiful Oriole Park at Camden Yards cheering on the Baltimore Orioles, and on Monday, April 12, catch our Southwest Road Warriors in front of Citizens Bank Park as the defending National League Champions Philadelphia Phillies make another run for the World Series. As a special benefit for Phillies and Orioles fans, we even created a ten percent Fare Saver for travel to and from Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) and Philadelphia International Airport (PHL). Visit southwest.com  and purchase tickets today and tomorrow (April 5-6, 2010) for travel April 12 – August 31 (see Web site for terms and conditions). Phillies fans can also go to www.southwest.com/philly to take advantage of this great offer.  Phillies and Orioles fans, start saving today and stay tuned throughout the year for more stories from our baseball cities. Play Ball!   ... View more

Growing up an Air Force brat and the proud son of a Vietnam Vet, Independence Day was always a big deal. Granted, when you lived on a military base, every day was like a mini Fourth of July. Every morning at dawn, the honor guard raised the large American flag up the large flagpole in the middle of base. And, every evening, the flag was taken down as the "Star Spangled Banner" played on loudspeakers that could be heard several miles away. It didn’t matter if we had a mean game of football or basketball going, we all stopped what we were doing, put hand to heart (cars even stopped along the busy roads), and faced the big flag as it was lowered for the evening. Those sights and sounds are still with me to this very day. Independence Day will be a day of reflection, remembrance, and celebration for me for several reasons. This Fourth of July marks the first under the leadership of an African American U.S. President. No matter your political view, the significance of this should not be lost on anyone. This also marks my first Fourth of July working here at Southwest Airlines. To work for a great American success story is a liberating and humbling experience. The talented and diverse People who work for this Company are truly focused on the unifying notions of living The Golden Rule and giving everyone, “the Freedom to Fly.” Every day I am blown away by their dedication to Customers and LUV for one another. The beauty of this holiday is that it gives all of us the opportunity to take a break from our busy lives to celebrate with our friends and family the Freedoms that generations of men and women fought for, and to focus on what unites, not divides us. Whether your celebration includes grilling in the backyard, visiting Willie Nelson at his Fourth of July Picnic, or heading to Beantown to watch the legendary Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular, take note of the patriotic sights and sounds of this weekend. Here are just a few songs on my Fourth of July Playlist (Francis Scott Key and Lee Greenwood aside) that remind me of what an incredible country we live in and, despite all our differences, we really are united in both in good times and in bad. "America the Beautiful" by Ray Charles--Legendary song from a legendary musician “Pink House’s” by John Mellencamp--“Ain’t that America, you and me…” “Born in the U.S.A.” and “The Rising” by Bruce Springsteen--It’s the Boss, need I say more? “Air Force Anthem (Off We Go Into The Wild Blue Yonder)”--This one goes out to all my fellow Air Force brats who heard this song played religiously during Fourth of July celebrations and many other events! “Pride (in the Name of Love)” by U2--Great song about the central figure in the non-violent struggle for civil rights. “America” by Neil Diamond--“They’re coming to America, Today!” Now, where’s my spangled jumpsuit…? “Stars and Stripes forever” by John Phillip Sousa--The soundtrack to firework displays all across America What’s on your playlist? ... View more