Southwest Airlines Community

The short answer to that question: kind of!   In what must be a first for Southwest Airlines, our logo (airplane over .com) is currently being displayed to drivers alongside major roadways in Guadalajara, Morelia and Zacatecas Mexico (all in central Mexico). Of course these are billboards placed by our partner carrier Volaris but they are promoting Southwest destinations and one even calls out SWA destinations Denver, Las Vegas and Phoenix. Llega  mas lejos translates as “going further.” And Te llevamos a mas de 50 destinos translates as “We take you to more than 50 destinations.” This one, “De aqui palla y aculla” is commonly used slang in Mexico which means “from here to there and anywhere” or “to jump from one place to another” conveying the message of going everywhere. As a relatively young company, Volaris believes strongly in this broad type of advertising and always conveys a sense of style and fun. The Southwest logo is occupying space that normally isn’t used on Volaris billboards so it should be getting noticed. The reason for this latest channel of communication is that in early April, Volaris.com actually added Southwest cities to its selection options in order to drive their Customers to our International Connect booking tool. Traffic to the booking tool has seen strong growth as a result. So, this is a reminder….Southwest is becoming more of an International carrier every day! ... View more

Puntos Puntos Puntos. That’s points and lots of ‘em…as in 2,000! That’s right, for the first time, starting June 9 th , Rapid Rewards members will have the chance to earn points for flights completed on partner airline, Volaris! Rapid Reward members who register at http://www.southwest.com/rapidrewards/promotions can earn 2,000 points for a roundtrip itinerary between many of Southwest’s U.S. airports and all of the Volaris Mexican gateway airports when booked at southwest.com between June 9 and July 31, 2011 for flights flown until September 30, 2011. These bonus points will be in addition to the points which will already be earned for flying on the Southwest portion of the itinerary. Ever since the international connections to Mexico rolled out last November we’ve wanted to add a Rapid Rewards feature to the product so that our loyal domestic travelers could be converted to loyal international adventurers! Now that the “All New Rapid Rewards” program began in March the prospects for points has become a reality, albeit for a limited time! If our Customers show support for this short term accrual opportunity our hope is that we can bring it back again and then of course add a redemption component in the future as well. So if you’re debating whether to book at Southwest.com to attend your niece’s quinceanera party in Morelia, visit your grandmother in Zacatecas or find the best Mole to eat in Mexico City then think of the points…er Puntos Puntos Puntos! ... View more

Have you ever wished you could eat a Krispy Kreme doughnut on an early morning flight or perhaps enjoy a cold complimentary Corona in-flight after a tough day of international business negotiations? Well if you have, you’re probably pretty pumped about Southwest’s first international airline partner (that is if you don’t include our interline agreement with Iceland Air back in 1996!), which is Volaris. Yes it’s true, Volaris is a Mexican carrier that goes above and beyond to offer a muy muy excellente Customer service experience, just like another airline I am very familiar with! Southwest isn’t flying our own birds to Mexico yet but we are helping our Customers get to Mexico by using southwest.com to book flights designed to connect to our airline partner, Volaris. Southwest has been selling this product since November with connections from 20 of our Western cities. However what is truly exciting is that with recent city openings by Volaris in Chicago (Midway) and Las Vegas (LAS), our Customers can now access Mexico from over 55 Southwest cities … truly a national scope.  Mexican destinations include Guadalajara, Mexico City (both airports, MEX and Toluca (TLC)), Cancun, Morelia, and Zacatecas. All of these connections currently take place at Chicago-Midway (MDW), Las Vegas (LAS), Los Angeles (LAX), Oakland (OAK) or San Jose, CA (SJC); however the connecting networks of both carriers will grow as Volaris increases its presence in the U.S. The following are some key points to know about our growing international product:   Throughout the booking process we make fare and product differences between carriers readily apparent. We offer a mixture of combined products that give our Customers the flexibility to choose a flight that best suits their financial and convenience needs.  We’ll transfer your checked baggage.  For itineraries which include both airlines, you will be issued two tickets, one for each carrier. Your credit card will be billed by each carrier for its respective portion of your journey. Check in with each carrier (whether at the airport or online). When landing at your connecting city, refer to the back of Spirit magazine or to terminal gate screens for the location of the connecting Volaris or Southwest flight. We’ve provided a 24 hour bilingual international helpdesk (1-888-329-8776) in case you need assistance with your bookings. We’ve provided additional information about Volaris and FAQs about the product at www.southwest.com/mexico. We believe that Volaris is the ideal first international connecting airline for Southwest. Volaris is the second largest carrier in Mexico and has established a reputation for friendly service, top safety standards, excellent Employee relations, recognized green credentials and financial stability. As a matter of fact, they remind us a lot of ourselves! To celebrate this recent expansion we are offering a fun “Explore Mexico” Sweepstakes that only requires entering to win. See www.southwest.com/mexicogiveaway to enter and for complete rules. This contest runs through the end of May and hopefully there should be another one later in the year.  So perhaps you’re sitting in front of your computer in Boston, Detroit, Minneapolis or Seattle and wondering about the best way to see the Teotihuacan Pyramids of Mexico City or the Guadalajara Cathedral. If you are, then don’t forget the friendly service and low fares to Mexico at southwest.com! ... View more