Hidden fees and holiday surcharges? Those belong on the naughty list.
While other carriers insist on being grinches and adding outrageous bag fee surcharges during the holiday season, Southwest continues in its 45-year tradition of up to two bags that fly free (size and weight limits apply), no change fees (though fare differences may apply), and consistently low fares. To celebrate our LUV for you--our Customers--and remind you that you won’t be surprised by hidden fees when it comes to flying with us, Southwest Airlines named Tuesday, December 15, ‘Hidden #FeesDontFly’ Day.
We encouraged thousands of you to use the hashtag #FeesDontFly on your social platforms to share experiences with excessive fees that the other carriers charge, which were more like the nightmare before Christmas. And boy did you deliver! We then decided to spread the holiday cheer and surprised a handful of holiday travelers with both a Visa® gift card to cover those sneaky hidden fees on other airlines, and a ticket for future travel on Southwest reassuring them that we are the carrier that offers the friendly, transparent, and low-cost air travel.
Take a look at this video as we surprised and delighted Customers at Dallas Love with their gift card and a Southwest ticket.
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Southwest has been awarded Best Low-Cost Carrier in North America by Premier Traveler for the third consecutive year! Our purpose at Southwest Airlines is to connect YOU to what’s important in your life through friendly, reliable, and low-cost air travel. We continue to honor the tradition of providing the highest quality of Customer Service and consistent transparent low fares to our Customers and thank you for your vote. !
Premier Traveler’s readers participated in the Best of 2015 survey May 1 through September 25, 2015, which was posted on premiertravelerusa.com. The survey consisted of open-ended questions and company names were neither suggested nor choices provided to the participants. More than 30,000 surveys were submitted by travelers, and the results concluded that when you think ‘low cost’ they think Southwest!
This award is more than a title, it is further proof that Southwest continues to outshine our competitors, which is why we launched Transfarency in October. Transfarency is our belief that you should always be treated honestly and fairly, and low fares actually stay low—with no unexpected bag fees, change fees, or hidden fees. The Transfarency philosophy was created by and is practiced exclusively by Southwest Airlines.
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The Southwest Airlines product team has been sitting around on the job. Wait! It’s not what you think.
They’ve been working hard researching, testing, and developing new seats that will launch on the 737-800 expected for delivery in mid-2016, and on the—get excited (because we are!)—the 737 MAX to be delivered in mid-2017. The final seat selection was announced this morning to align with the Airport Interiors Conference in Hamburg-Messe, Germany, where development partner and seat producer B/E Aerospace has a seat on display. And Southwest didn’t just pick a seat out of a lineup. Southwest is the launch Customer for this unique design working closely with B/E Aerospace in the development. The new seat—the widest economy seat in the 737 market—offers overall increased personal space, an adjustable headrest, a sleek eco-friendly eLeather seat cover, and enhanced cushion comfort.
BE Aerospace and Southwest got together a few years ago to take a look at what our Customers want. The answer? More space. Southwest doesn’t weigh down our aircraft with expensive seat-embedded TVs. That just increases the price of your ticket and slows us down. And frankly, we’re in a hurry to get you where you want to go. Here’s a headline: Bring your own personal device. Instead of spending money on flashy, trendy interiors we’re creating more personal space by moving the info pocket up creating a seatback pocket Customers can own for their personal devices, books, and more to get comfortable on the ride. The seat gives you more space to work, or entertain yourself with streaming music provided by Beats Music or on-demand movies and television shows, as well as nearly 20 channels of free, live TV compliments of our valued Partners.
This 3D animation shared on Facebook and Twitter earlier today points out many of the cool, new features you will see on some aircraft beginning in mid-2016. While this is a big change some things never change here like: bags fly free, no change fees, and an ever-increasing network both domestic and global. This Next Evolution of aircraft seats is getting polished and shined where it will be ready to take you to LaGuardia and back, or San Diego and back, or to the moon and back—wait, not the moon. Well, maybe one day.
To read the news release and see additional photos and illustrations visit www.swamedia.com.
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11-19-2014
04:56 PM
8 Loves
Did you hear the news today? Feeling a bit blue, perhaps, at the thought of yet another bag fee out there? Don’t fear—Southwest Airlines has your back, and your bag—and you can take great comfort in knowing that bags fly free for all at Southwest.com!* Today, we stand alone as the only domestic airline that can say that, which is a tremendous source of pride for the nearly 46,000 People of Southwest Airlines.
So why hold out as the only carrier to not charge for the first two checked bags? Simple—our Customers hate those fees. For us, we think it’s pretty logical that if you’re going on a trip, you just might want to pack some clothes in a bag to take along with you. So why would we charge you for something so basic that it should be included in your (low) fare? At Southwest Airlines, we don’t nickel and dime our Customers, and we don’t surprise them at the airport with hidden fees.
It’s easy to follow the crowd, but Southwest has always been a maverick—zigging when the other guys zag. When the other guys started charging for just about everything you could imagine, we stood up for our Customers and stood out from the crowd, once again staking our claim as the nation’s true low fare leader.
Southwest Airlines has been the low fare policeman on the airline beat for the past 43 years. So cheer up and rest easy knowing that there is still law and order in the land of low fares with no hidden fees out there—you just have to go to Southwest.com to find it.
* First and second checked bags. Weight and size limits apply.
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This is the first in this year’s series of posts about our fifth annual integrated report, the 2013 Southwest Airlines One Report™, where we illustrate our triple bottom line approach that takes into account our Performance and productivity, the importance of our People and the Communities we serve, and our commitment to efficiency and the Planet.
As Southwest’s Chief Commercial Officer and the President of AirTran Airways, I’m proud to have led the ongoing integration of Southwest Airlines and AirTran Airways, and I am excited to announce that we are on track to complete the integration by the end of 2014. This past year has been remarkable—we’ve crossed into new international frontiers, while staying true to our legendary brand and delivering exceptional Customer Service. Just to name a few highlights in 2013:
"In 2013, we completed the steps necessary to implement Southwest’s international reservation system in January 2014, and that is expected to bring international expansion opportunities, enhanced revenue capabilities, operational benefits; and, lays the foundation for the replacement of our domestic reservations platform."
Reported record net income of $754 million and, excluding special items, record net income of$805 million.
Ended the year 2013 with Southwest service in all domestic AirTran airports.
Let’s take a minute to highlight last year’s hard work and productivity. The photos below are highlights from the 2013 Southwest Airlines One Report™, and illustrate our dedication to Performance.
Fact: In 2013, we completed the retrofit of the Southwest -700 fleet with an updated cabin interior intended to enhance the Customer comfort, personal space and overall travel experience.
Fact: In January 2014, we began selling our first international itineraries and on July 1, we began service to Jamaica (Montego Bay), The Bahamas (Nassau), and Aruba (Oranjestad).
Fact: We estimate the -800s added to our fleet in 2013 have reduced our GHG emissions by more than 42,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2013.
Today, more than four decades after our founding, we remain steadfast in our Purpose of connecting people to what’s important in their lives through friendly, reliable, and low-cost airline travel. We hope you’ll enjoy our upcoming blog posts each month and follow along on Instagram and Pinterest each week with photos and fun facts tagged #SWAOneReport as we share how we’re working to be the best in the business. You can check out and download the full report online at www.southwestonereport.com.
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This is the second in a series of posts about our fourth annual integrated report, the 2012 Southwest Airlines One Report™, where we illustrate our triple bottomline approach that takes into account our Performance and productivity, the importance of our People and the Communities we serve, and our commitment to efficiency and the Planet.
As Southwest’s Chief Commercial Officer and the President of AirTran Airways, I’ve had to privilege to lead the ongoing integration of two incredible airlines into one Southwest Family while continually working to improve the Customer Experience. Just to name a few highlights in 2012, we:
Welcomed more than 2,100 AirTran Employees as they transferred to the Southwest Family
Converted four AirTran cities to Southwest, including Key West
Remained on track with our plan to fully integrate AirTran into Southwest by the end of 2014
We have initiatives underway that will continue to improve our Performance. For example, through our fleet modernization plan, we are acquiring more fuel-efficient aircraft—737-700s and -800s—which enable us to reduce our unit operating costs as well as our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Let’s take a minute to highlight last year’s hard work and productivity. The photos below are highlights from the 2012 Southwest Airlines One Report™, and illustrate our dedication to Performance.
Fact: As a result of the AirTran acquisition through our connected networks, we now provide international service to eight destinations in six countries—Cancun, Mexico City, and Cabo San Lucas in Mexico; Montego Bay, Jamaica; Nassau, Bahamas; Oranjestad, Aruba; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; and Bermuda.
Fact: The -800s increased seating capacity by over 20 percent compared to the -700, transporting more Customers more economically with lower overall unit costs.
Fact: In 2012, the first full calendar year of our new Rapid Rewards program, our Members flew more and earned more points.
Fact: Fleet modernization provides new revenue opportunities and reduces unit operating costs and greenhouse gas emissions.
Today, more than four decades after our founding, we remain steadfast in our Purpose of connecting people to what’s important in their lives through friendly, reliable, and low-cost airline travel. We hope you’ll enjoy our upcoming blog posts each month and follow along on Instagram and Pinterest each week with photos and fun facts tagged #SWAOneReport as we share how we’re working to be the best in the business. You can check out and download the full report online at www.southwestonereport.com.
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One of the most satisfying aspects of my job is to work alongside my colleagues to plan and execute exciting major companywide strategic initiatives. I’m pleased to report significant progress that we’ve made recently on one of these, which is a fleet modernization plan to ensure that we maintain a safe, efficient, and Customer-friendly fleet. Last month, we made a huge announcement regarding the evolution of our planes with the 737 MAX expected to join the Southwest fleet in 2017. Today, we have more big news regarding the interior of our Boeing 737-700s. Allow me to introduce you to EVOLVE: The New Southwest Interior, an eco-friendly, cost-efficient new look for our cabin with an emphasis on comfort and personal space.
We will begin retro-fitting our Boeing 737-700 aircraft with the new interior this March, and we expect to have that done by the end of next year (2013).
EVOLVE will maximize the space inside our planes, and grants us the opportunity to increase the number of seats on board from 137 to 143, without sacrificing the Customers' personal space. In fact, sleeker seats will provide additional space under each seat for carryon luggage and approved pet carriers. To be clear, it was never our objective to add a row of seats, and the extra row isn't the main reason for this redesign. Once we examined how much space would be saved, it was determined we could accommodate the increase, without sacrificing comfort.
Remember the Green Plane? The materials tested on the Green Plane are being incorporated into the Evolve interior. Each seat is lighter by nearly six pounds, which adds up to a savings of 635 pounds per aircraft (even with the extra row) and is expected to result in more than $10 million in ongoing annual cost savings. The new seats are made using E-Leather, an eco-friendly, lightweight, and scuff resistant alternative to traditional leather. E-Leather is made from natural leather fiber that is upgraded and combined with a high performance core utilizing eco-friendly technology. The seat cover is manufactured by Irvin Automotive of Pontiac, MI, and they produce high quality covers quickly and at a much lower cost than our current manufacturer.
The new design also makes the bottom cushion lighter and more comfortable. These seats are better for your back, and provide better lumbar support.
We're also installing a fixed wing headrest on each seat that will provide for a more relaxing experience, especially if you decide to take a snooze.
We've replaced the seatback pocket with a netted pocket that's not only more form-fitting to the seat which allows for more knee room, but also makes it easier to see what items have been stowed in it.
Additionally, we're rolling out some new carpet… well, quite the opposite actually. Completely recyclable, carbon-neutral carpet will be laid in squares, rather than rolls, which eliminates the need for total carpet replacement. The new carpet will reduce labor and material costs and is fully recyclable at the end of its life-cycle.
Under the seat, we're replacing our current life vest pouches with lighter, more environmentally-friendly pouches. This is also one of the main reasons you'll have more space under your seat: each pouch is smaller and about one pound lighter.
As you can see, the redesign is inspired by Southwest's past with a nod to its future (and our commitment to being a Green Company). Natural, earthy tones combined with our Canyon blue and clean, aluminum accents give our Red Bellies a more modern, fresh appeal.
So about those extra seats: we hope to start making those additional seats for sale on southwest.com here by the end of the first quarter, for travel in the second quarter. Of course, this isn't as easy as flipping a switch; we will gradually introduce those extra seats into the system as newly retro-fitted planes come online. Needless to say, we’re excited to EVOLVE our cabin experience!
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