Southwest Airlines Community

Great Baseball Story there, Brian. I'm taking advantage of Southwest Airlines in 2012 to go see my Sacramento River Cats of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League against the Las Vegas Fifty-Ones and the Alburquerque Isotopes. Both trips occur before the busy Memorial Day Weekend. That weekend my Sacramento River Cats will be home in West Sacramento taking on their Interstate Eighty Rivals, the Reno Aces. The Sacramento River Cats are the top farm club of the Oakland A's. The Isotopes are affiliated with the Los Angeles Dodgers, while Las Vegas is affiliated with Toronto. Reno is the top farm club of the Arizona Diamondbacks. For more on visiting the Sacramento River Cats via Southwest Airlines, check out the River Cats 2012 Schedule online at http://www.rivercats.com/ or call their front office at (916) 376-4700. Southwest Airlines and the Sacramento River Cats make a great combination to many Pacific Coast League markets. The easiest flight(s) to/from DAL to see Sacramento River Cats Baseball are those to either ABQ when the River Cats visit the Isotopes for a four game series from the 17th to the 20th of May or to AUS when the Sacramento River Cats visit Nolan Ryan's Team, the Round Rock Express from May 21st through the 24th for a four game series. The Sacramento River Cats Baseball Club has won more division titles this century than any other professional sports franchise at any professional level. Their division titles are now at ten out of their first twelve seasons at Raley Field in West Sacramento. Sincerely, Mike Barnbaum, Rapid Rewards Member in Sacramento, California ... View more

To All at Southwest Airlines: After watching the CNBC Titans Weekly Special on Thursday from my Sacramento, California home, I want to say that Herb Kelleher truly is an American Business Titan. It is because of Herb and the Go-At-It Attitude to "Democratize the Skies of America" that I have the "Freedom to Go, See, and Do" like I never have possible. It wasn't until I saw Titans on Thursday the 14th of July, 2011 that I learned about Braniff and that I learned about Southwest being the number one air carrier of Whiskey during a major business competition with Braniff for flights between Houston and Dallas. Colleen Barrett pointed out to viewers like me that Southwest Airlines was to be the carrier offering fares for "The Common Man." That sentence reminded me of the Classical Music Piece known as "FanFare for the Common Man." The rich history of Southwest Airlines was recapped to viewers like me like I never could have immagined. It was truly amazing. One of the saddest parts was the retirement of Herb Kelleher. It was a sad day for sure. When the CNBC Titans Program showed that the reigns were turned over to Gary Kelly and a segment showed Kelly asking "What would Herb Do?" I was thrilled. It is really great that the leadership at Southwest Airlines always has Herb in mind. If I remember the segemnt was regarding whether or not to charge fees for checked baggage. In that segment I was taken back when I heard that Southwest is passing up $500,000,000 in potential revenue, but that great marketing and having great market share has taken care of that and then some. The best thing I liked about the CNBC Titans Program was when Herb talked about treating the employees of Southwest Airlines. It is something that I live by. I am so glad that Southwest treats its employees number one and its customes like me second. It is because of how the employees are treated that that treatment is passed onto passengers like me. Thank you for making each of my flight experiences ones with "Positively Outrageous Service" Southwest Airlines. Moving forward, I am so pleased to see the progress being made between Southwest and its acquisition of AirTran proceed as smoothly as possible and to get all things right to create as Reggae Sensation Bob Marley would put it, a combined airline with "One LUV" for Planes, People, Pilots, and of course, Peanuts. Hey, now that's a great idea, a classical music piece or a song that identifies Southwest once all transactions have occurred in the transition of AirTran Airways into Southwest Airlines. United Airlines uses Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue," so perhaps Southwest could use "One Love" by Bob Marley as its theme song. No doubt about it. "LUV" is in the air and on the ground at Southwest Airlines, and "One LUV" would be a great theme going forward from here. Speaking of going forward, Southwest Airlines at Sacramento International Airport is going forward in the alphabet from Terminal A to New Terminal B. All of Southwest Headquarters Employees and Southwest Airlines Employees not on duty are welcome to attend a Grand Opening Party. While you are on the Internet go to http://www.sacairports.org/int/ where you will see the official opening date of Thursday the 6th of October. There is much more including an open house and a formal event which registration is required. All that are available at Southwest Airlines are welcome to attend. Many of the Sacramento passengers like me hope to see you there. Sincerely, Mike Barnbaum, Rapid Rewards Member in Sacramento, California ... View more

Brian: Really quick, I received your message about Titans airing on CNBC this Thursday. On my TV Listings menu on my Comcast System in Sacramento, I found exactly what you were referencing. The only new episode airs at 6pm Pacific. There are repeat episodes airing at 7pm Pacific, 9pm Pacific, and 10pm Pacific. My system allows me to set "reminders" so that when I am watching one program and need to watch another, my front screen reminds me that I set a reminder to watch another program. Thanks to your blog post on July 13th, I have set those reminders for the air time of Titans here in Sacramento and the West Coast. I hope to post another blog when I have concluded watching this program. ... View more

Hi Bill: OK, so I'm a bit confused here. Beginning on and/or after September 6th, would I be able to successfully purchase a roundtrip on http://www.southwest.com/ from Sacramento to Akron-Canton. My sister, Deborah Barnbaum is a Philosophy Professor at Kent State University. This campus is closer to Akron-Canton than it is to Cleveland. In the past I have flown into Cleveland on Southwest, where she doesn't mind picking me up or dropping me off, but in the scheme of things, I would prefer getting closer by flying into Akron-Canton. Would that be possible now through the Southwest Airlines Website, recognizing of course that the flight would make one stop in Denver plus an additional change of planes in Milwaukee before getting to Akron-Canton? Or for the time being, is this still separate and not yet integrated quite yet? Am I getting a little bit too excited and ahead of myself for some things that are perhaps yet to come, but I just don't know it yet? Please advise. Sincerely, Mike Barnbaum, Rapid Rewards Member in Sacramento, California ... View more

Kyle: I have some questions for you and a mention of something "BIG" as well. Does Volaris provide service to/from SMF at this time or would the passenger who originates/terminates their flights at SMF need to originate on Southwest and then transfer to Volaris at another Southwest Airlines airport? Secondly, SMF is in the final stages of its "BIG Build" Project. This project is going to result in a gread terminal and gate areas for all of Northern California. You can log onto http://www.bigbuild.org/ for further information including news releases about the project. The project will likely result in the moving of Southwest Airlines Operations from the existing SMF Terminal A to the brand new Terminal B and the brand new Central Terminal. As soon as the "official" date of the grand opening is announced you are certainly welcome to attend the Grand Opening Event. The likely date of the Grand Opening will perhaps occur sometime in the month of October, but stay tuned to http://www.bigbuild.org/ for further information. If I can be of further assistance to you, please send me an E-mail where I would then be happy to provide to you my full contact information, including a telephone number that you can get hold of me directly without going through another person in my office. Sincerely, Mike Barnbaum, Rapid Rewards Member in Sacramento, California ... View more

This was the ultimate opening of a flight schedule. I stayed up all night on Monday Night going back-and-forth between the Web Site and the Phone Centers. All of my old style Standard Award Travel is now confirmed and booked, even Thanksgiving where I will be flying roundtrip between Sacramento and Newark for just Ten Dollars!! Hey, that is a bargain that can't be passed up and I became a winner by pulling that all-nighter. As the Black Eyed Peas would say, "I've got a feeling, that tonight's going to be a good night." It is true, as I know through communication through family and staying on top of the booking process for those old Standard Awards, I will relax and have a great night's sleep here on May 24th, whereas I didn't on May 23rd. Southwest is awesome and the best air carrier this Country has. I do not know what the United States of America would be like without Southwest giving so many Americans and so many Californians like me the Freedom to Fly and the Freedom to Go, See and Do Things that on the competition would have never been possible. My becoming a winner in the battle for award travel over the 2011 Thanksgiving Holiday period did not come easy as I had a hard time with a Southwest Rapid Rewards business partner I will not mention here, however, Andre and Varity (pardon my spelling) in the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Office at Headquarters in Dallas went the extra mile for me when I was going through some stressful times wondering what had ever happened to the points I had transfered betwen that unnamed Rapid Rewards Business Partner and my own Rapid Rewards Account. Everyday I had kept calling the toll-free number that told me through an automated system what my point total was, and finally on May 19th, the points I had been anticipating finally arrived. This date was just five days before the schedule was going to open. That was a close call!! I will be sure not to cut it that close again. Holy Koudelka!! We'll along came the May 24th date I had happily been waiting for and through booking award travel on my conversion award, I truly came out a winner. Thank you Southwest and Thank you Andre and Varity in Rapid Rewards, Brian, Erin, and Laurel in Communications, and let us of course not ever forget Bill and Dan in Network Planning. Most important of all, I want to thank my sister Laurie and my Brother-in-Law Todd for being flexible and understanding with me to travel on the Monday before Thanksgiving from Sacramento to Newark through Phoenix and the Tuesday after Thanksgiving from Newark to Sacramento through Denver. I will be sure to get my brief Rocky Mountain High on this Ten Dollar Trip for all of those of you who helped me make my Thanksgiving 2011 Travel a very Thankful Booking Process this go-around. Sincerely, Mike Barnbaum, Rapid Rewards Member in Sacramento, California PS: If I were to E-mail a photo of myself, would you then and only then be able to "verify" who I am rather than me and the blog world out there always seeing "not verified?" Please advise, and I will follow through to your direction. ... View more

Brooke: I am relieved that Opening Day is here for 2011. My Oakland A's have recorded an Opening Day Record number of strikeouts. The Oakland pitchers have combined to throw more than ten strikeouts on Opening Day 2011, an Oakland Franchise Record. I use Southwest at Oakland, but most often in Sacramento. Sacramento happends to be Oakland's Triple-A Baseball Club. Known as the RiverCats, Sacramento has a great baseball history. The RiverCats have called Raley Field in West Sacramento their home since the 2000 Season. I found your blog post to be interesting in what you have done in the markets of Baltimore, Dallas, Denver, and Philadelphia. In looking at all of the Major League Baseball Teams, Southwest, at the time of this writing, serves every Major League Baseball City except three: Atlanta, Cincinnati, and Toronto. With, what I hope to be in the near term is an expected acquisition of AirTran Airways, Atlanta would be crossed off of the list as noted above. In what Southwest Airlines did for Opening Day 2011 in Baltimore, Dallas, Denver, and Philadelphia, I would encourage you and Southwest Airlines to consider similiar activities and programs in Pacific Coast League Cities as well as International League Cities. These are the two leagues that make up the highest level of minor league baseball known as the Triple-A Level. You could consider ballparks in Triple-A markets you already serve like Sacramento, Tucson, Salt Lake City, Reno, Nashville, Omaha, Tacoma, Las Vegas, Albuquerque, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, and Round Rock via Austin in the Pacific Coast League. In the International League, cities that have ballparks and Southwest Service include, but are not limited to Norfolk, Indianapolis, Pawtucket via Providence, Buffalo, Raleigh-Durham, Columbus, Rochester, and Louisville. It should be an exciting season both in Major League Baseball and in Triple-A Baseball. Here's hoping that the list above opens up some eyebrows as to just the many cities Southwest serves that happen to make their cities home to Triple-A Affiliated Baseball teams. Hope to see you at the ballpark and of course on board soon. Oh, and one more thing while we are on the subject of Southwest Airlines and Sports, Don't forget, College Football is going to be her before you know it and Southwest Airlines is now open for many weekends this fall for all of your college football travel. Labor Day weekend, I'm already booked roundtrip to Corvallis via Portland to see Sacramento State battle Oregon State. Sincerely, Mike Barnbaum, Rapid Rewards Member in Sacramento, California ... View more

Micah: The Sacramento County Airport System is embarking on its ambitious BigBuild Project that will create a Central Terminal and a brand new Terminal B scheduled to open in the Fourth Calendar Quarter 2011. In reading about Express Bag Drop, I think that this would be a project to pursue at Sacramento International Airport. At the same time, let me caution in that I think that Express Bag Drop would be a great idea at Sacramento once the new termainal is up and going so that Southwest from Day One at the New Terminal B would be ready then rather than having it now in Terminal A, and then knowing that in just a few short months, before the Calendar Year is out that Express Bag Drop will have to move. This would not be a good use of passengers' dollars. Please consider Express Bag Drop in Sacramento once the New Terminal B is open and ready for Southwest use. Thank You for your consideration. Sincerely, Mike Barnbaum, Rapid Rewards Member in Sacramento, California ... View more

Hi Bill: I saw the schedule and went ahead to book a flight to attend the Sacramento State - Portland State Football Game in Portland. Unfortunately it occurs during the weekend in early November where we change back from Daylight Saving Time to Standard Time. I don't know how it seems to happen to me all the time when I book over a time change weekend, only the Friday is open initially, but not the Sunday. In order to get the initial low "Wanna Get Away" fare, I booked Friday Night to Portland from Sacramento, in early November already, but am unable to get a flight on Sunday the Sixth of November it seems at least until the Thursday before Memorial Day Weekend. That day, unless it is going to change, I'm looking forward to because it will than allow me to book Thanksgiving Travel into Newark on Southwest Airlines for the first time. I'm looking forward to Newark on Southwest. The so-called "legacy airlines" do not have good policies or a fun loving culture like Southwest does. Keep me posted too on the on-going progress of the Southwest Airlines complete acquisition of AirTran Airways. I'm looking forward to the day that there will be a Single Operating Certificate, or (SOC) for short. The schedules and the cities that will be served will be interesting. I'm looking forward to eventually sharing with the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and their Capitol-toCapitol Organizing Committee the possibilities that Southwest Airlines would potentially have to fly "Cap-to-Cap" Participants annually between Sacramento and the Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA). It came to my attention that DCA is currently an AirTran Airport, but not yet a Southwest Airport. It will be very interesting to see what schedules and city pairs will look like once all of the AirTran merger matters are completed and behind us, at least in a "legal" way. I can't wait for this day to come, and hopefully sooner than later. I look forward to seeing you on board soon. Sincerely, Mike Barnbaum, Rapid Rewards Member in Sacramento, California ... View more

Well Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family Brian. My Thanksgiving was spent with my girlfriend in which we travelled (on Southwest out of Sacramento) to Seattle to spend time with part of her family. We enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner with her Sister, Brother-In-Law and Nephew. We have made this trip the last couple of years as well as this year. I was also on the phone this year with my sister from Livingston, New Jersey. Next Thanksgiving, I would love to travel to Newark (without Bag Fees, of course) to see her and have the opportunity to finally fly the best in the business on Southwest. On a final note, my girlfriend surprised me at the airport in Sacramento on Thanksgiving with a Thanksgiving Card. I was taken by surprise, in that I wasn't quite sure if people actually get Thanksgiving Cards or gifts as it was mentioned to this very effect in the original blog post on this subject matter. Well, guess I have to shop for those Hanukkah Cards and see if Dreidels and Menorahs, among other things are available for the folks on my shopping list. Hanukkah, I believe comes early this go around, starting at Sunset on December 1st. In closing, I do agree, Thanksgiving is the best Holiday. I had a great time being with family in Seattle, and next year on Southwest, I look forward to Thanksgiving in the Newark area. --Mike Barnbaum, Rapid Rewards Member in Sacramento, California ... View more

Erin, Reading your blog through and through made my decision here that I have to comment. I would encourage you as well as Brian, who also commented to get out in the 2011 season to see some other great ballparks. Baseball and Southwest Airlines go well together, just ask me, and perhaps Brian too. My home ballpark is Raley Field, located in West Sacramento, next to Historic Old Sacramento. The YoloBus Route 42B is an easy bus ride from Sacramento International Airport to Raley Field. If you attend beginning on Thursday 07 April 2011, you will be enjoying Sacramento RiverCats Baseball. The Sacramento RiverCats play in the Pacific Cost League and are the Triple-A Affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. One team we will be playing is the Round Rock Express, which is, beginning in 2011, the Triple-A Affiliate of the Texas Rangers. One or two years ago Round Rock, then the Triple-A Affiliate of the Houston Astros, was purchased by Major League Baseball's Strikeout King, Nolan Ryan. Once Nolan Ryan purchased the Texas Rangers, earlier this year, a formal process was done in September when the Player Development Contract was up for both Round Rock and Oklahoma City in which case a flip of the switch was done to make Round Rock in line with Nolan Ryan ownership and therefore Round Rock will now become the Rangers Triple-A Affiliate while the Oklahoma City Redhawks will become the Triple-A Affiliate of the Houston Astros. Should you wish to come out to Raley Field in West Sacramento in the 2011 Pacific Coast League Season, the Round Rock Express will play the Sacramento RiverCats at Raley Field between August 12th and August 15th. The days of the week of this four-game series will fall on Friday and end on Monday. While Summers in Sacramento can get downright hot, we do have two great things that you and your husban will greatly enjoy. 1) Sacramento is a dry heat and 2) We do get the Delta Breeze, so on some days when it should be One Hundred or hotter, it might only get to Eighty-Five or Ninety. To my point about the Pacific Coast League and Southwest Airlines going well together. There are sixteen teams in the Pacific Coast League. At least ten teams for now have immediate access to their ballparks through Southwest Airlines. Oh no, don't think that the Major League Ballparks are your only Avenue into Baseball. Perhaps you can catch a game in 2011 where the home team, in Alphabetical Order by City Name, could be the Albuquerque Isotopes, Las Vegas Fifty-Ones, Nashville Sounds, New Orleans Zephyrs, Oklahoma City RedHawks, Omaha Royals, Reno Aces, Sacramento RiverCats, Salt Lake Bees, or the Tacoma Rainiers. Once the D.O.J. does their formal approval of the merger of AirTran becoming Southwest Airlines, I believe that Memphis will then become a Southwest City in which you not only will be able to visit the Elvis Mansion in Graceland, but you will also be able to use Southwest Airlines to visit AutoZone Park to catch a game of the Memphis RedBirds. So you see, by example, that Southwest Airlines is a great way to get in on the action of the Pacific Coast League. If you need more information of the Pacific Coast League please visit http://www.milb.com/ on the Internet or call the Pacific Coast League Offices directly at (719) 636-3399 for your access to a wide variety of information on Triple-A Pacific Coast League Baseball. If I could be of any additional help here, please feel free to retrieve my contact information directly from Brian Lusk, who has, numerous times in the past, contacted me and mailed me Southwest Information. Oh yes, and it was Brian who was the only other person, before me, that provided the historical comment on this particular story in the Southwest Blog. Sincerely, Mike Barnbaum, Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Member in Sacramento, California, and Partial Season Ticket Holder, Sacramento RiverCats Baseball, Oakland A's AAA Affiliate Si ... View more

Hi Bill, Dan and Pete (Brian and Laurel too!!) The announcement of South Carolina service is an exciting time at SouthWest Airlines. As you know, I'm the eager one especially waiting on the announcement for Newark (EWR) to come. While we talked a bit over the last several days, let me ask some questions here so that I'm on the right track to fly to Newark next year (2011). Is service at EWR from Concourse A? What will the ticket counter hours at EWR be? What hours will be available through the EWR Southwest Airlines Baggage Services Office? As far as schedules are concerned, surprise me. Show me what you have from Sacramento (SMF) when the Newark announcement(s) start to come alive. I look forward to blog again either with the Newark announcement(s) or with the schedule opening still proposed for Thursday 18 November 2010. Oh, by the way, before I go, I noticed on the Interactive Route Map that the state of South Carolina is still colored gray despite that GSP and CHS are now plotted on the map in yellow with black lettering. Would someone that works on the award winning SouthWest Airlines Website take a look at the coloring that South Carolina has as of 11:15 P.M. Central Time on October 20th, and see if it can be changed from gray to light brown. Thank you so much. Sincerely, Mike Barnbaum in Sacramento, California ... View more

Bill: Thank you for placing the most amount of inventory in company history. I am excited for this day for the following reason, and bloggers like Dan Webb will appreciate me for this, which I found in the Travel Tools Section of http://www.southwest.com/ in regards to what's next: "We are currently accepting air reservations through June 3, 2011. On November 18, we will open our schedule for sale through August 12, 2011. This date is subject to change! Please check back frequently." The above paragraph, three short sentences in length, tells advid SouthWest Airlines Customers a lot, at least in my estimation. Among other things, I promised my girlfriend in the first weekend of October that I will have information over the 2010 Thanksgiving Weekend to share with her as well as my sister in Livingston, New Jersey that I will relay information to them in regards to service to Newark Liberty International Airport. You have delivered based on the three sentences that I have copied and pasted right from the Travel Tools Section of http://www.southwest.com/ into this blog. I will hold myself accountable to my family that I will have Newark Information for them based on the Travel Tools Information that I saw today. In talking over the phone with Southwest Staff, in the wake of the fact that the United-Continental Merger has now officially closed, it seems to me that the lead time needed to get all of the agreements and the sign-offs in place for service at EWR to begin will indeed, in my humble opinion, lead us to some good news to come on the Thursday before Thanksgiving. With that, I will wait patiently for the 18th of November to come before us on the calendar, but at the same time, I will check back frequently as we get to Veteran's Day, just to see if the November 18th date has changed in any way, shape, or form, because like blogger Dan Webb, I too am anxiously waiting for EWR Information as well. Thank you for posting the next anticipated date of new schedules. I will encourage my fellow bloggers, like Dan Webb to check http://www.southwest.com/ where you can find the next anticipated schedule extension date on the Travel Tools page. Sincerely, Mike Barnbaum, Rapid Rewards Member in Sacramento, California ... View more

Gary: For a long time I've been wanting to visit my sister in Kent, Ohio. The Canton/Akron (CAK) Airport, I have found after doing some research with AirTran is a mere ten miles away from Kent. I flipped over backward in my home desk chair because I couldn't believe how close it was. Current SouthWest service into Cleveland (CLE) is 37 miles away from Kent. With this acquisition forthcoming, pending the regulatory approval process, as well as your recent approval of getting 18 slots at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in Newark, New Jersey, SouthWest Airlines has better positioned me to focus my flying on one airline to all of the destinations that I want to go to without resorting to other airlines (legacy airlines or low cost carriers). The Newark situation allows me to visit my other sister in Essex County, New Jersey, which just happends to be in the same County as the (EWR) International Airport. This sister has two young sons, currently age eight and age six. Your frontline staff at airports and on the aircraft serve me well. They have great knowlege of the job and they have a great sense of humor. I have not been able to find that in any other airline I have flown to this date. I have also made "telephone friends" with some of your Headquarters Staff from the likes of Brian Lusk, Dan Smith, Bill Owen, and Pete McGlade. I would like to invite you and as many of your staff as possible to Sacramento (SMF) International Airport in the fourth quarter of 2011. The Sacramento County Airport System is embarking on what perhaps could be one of the largest airport public works projects in the United States of America. The "Big Build" as it is called, is positioning Sacramento for the future with a newly established Terminal B. It will modernize Sacramento and allow it to compete with other Northern California Airports in years to come. The project is currently on schedule with an estimated opening date of fourth quarter 2011 (October - December). I am proud of Southwest Airlines service at Sacramento International Airport as well as the airports that I have flown Southwest to in recent years. Once finished, I hope you will enjoy the new look Sacramento International Airport and what it has to offer for SouthWest Airlines. In the meantime, please let me know what I can do, as we approach the NBA Season to "provide an assist" to Southwest Airlines gameplan in completing the acquisition and the regulatory process in bringing AirTran Airways fully into SouthWest Airlines. Sincerely, Mike Barnbaum ... View more

Greetings Bill Owen, Dan Smith, Pete McGlade, Brin Lusk, and Gary Kelly: Wow!! That was a mouthful. I have either talked to you on the phone, sent comments via this blog, or most recently as recent as Monday Evening (09/27/2010), watched the welcoming of AirTran Airways (formerly ValuJet) into the SouthWest Airlines Family. Great!! That being said, I want to focus on the late September Schedule opening that for now goes through April 25th. I carefully looked at the schedule additions and the schedule subtractions, and did not see Sacramento in either. My interpretation of this comes to perhaps a new term, if we could all swallow it, and that is "Schedule Neutrality." OK, perhaps this time around it could be a good thing, but hopefully not a bad thing. Will the next schedule, which the Travel Tools Page indicates is on Thursday 7 October 2010, include some additions, changes, or subtractions in Sacramento? In talking to airport officials in Sacramento, folks are gearing up for the so-called "Big Build" to finish in time for the 2011 peak holiday season. Is the "Buig Build" a factor in not adding, but yet not subtracting any service in Sacramento, at least for this particular schedule opening? Besides Sacramento, I am looking forward to two things for Thursday 7 October 2010, even if it means just providing status updates only on schedules to come at a later time. 1. Will Newark (EWR) Information be available to us advid SouthWest Airlines Fliers and Fans like me, even if the schedules and the nonstop destinations are not quite ready yet? The United-Continental Merger, I believe, is expected to close on Friday 01 October 2010. I am interested in preliminary information like gate and terminal information at Newark (EWR). I hope gate and terminal information is not proprietary information. If it is, prior to starting service there, please call me out on this matter at once. Schedules and nonstop information, for competitive reasons, are welcome, but most likely are proprietary until further notice, and I totally understand. 2. I am interested to visit a family member in Kent, Ohio in the next couple of years, if not sooner. If the Kings and Cavaliers play each other in future seasons, and it is not during football season, I will be talking to my sister, a professor at Kent State University, and would love to take my trip to Kent by flying into Canton/Akron (CAK) rather than Cleveland (CLE). I found out through AirTran Airways that Canton/Akron (CAK) is only 10 miles one way to Kent, whereas Cleveland (CLE) via SouthWest is 37 miles one way to Kent. In doing the math, 20 roundtrip miles versus 74 roundtrip miles is easier on the gas in the car to pick me up and/or drop me off, and therefore, with the possible acquisition of AirTran, I will be looking forward to using and/or earning rapid rewards flying into and out of Cantan/Akron (CAK) instead of Cleveland (CLE). In saying this, here are the questions that I do have for now on this future destination. Will I be able to go to http://www.southwest.com/ and sooner rather than later get a roundtrip flight (SMF-CAK-SMF) even if SouthWest and AirTran are for the time being, two separate and independent companies? In short, will "codesharing" through SouthWest's great Website begin sooner than we think, even if all the other parts of a merger will take several months to complete? Let's for now use the SMF-CAK-SMF roundtrip as a case for building the basis for such a codeshare to exist sooner, rather than later. Thank you so much everyone for this entry into the blogosphere. I'll keep checking back frerquently fo some good news. See you onboard soon. Sincerely, Mike Barnbaum, RapidRewards Member in Sacramento, California ... View more

This is an interesting news article to say the least. The operational complexities caught my eye as far as adding the Boeing 737-800 into the SouthWest Airlines Route Network as well as the need to add the fourth flight attendant. I'm not an expert on resolving the operational complexities in adding the 737-800 to the route network, but it seems to me that when it gets mentioned that there will need to be a fourth flight attendant added with introduction of such an aircraft to the fleet, one then begins to think that there needs to be one flight attendant for every, let's say, 37 or 38 passengers, whereas it seems like today there is one flight attendant for every , let's say, 45 or 46 passengers. This new aircraft then results in a net reduction in the ratio of the number of passengers per flight attendant, in a so-called "perfect world" for lack of a better phrase. It would appear to me that flight that operate "Coast to Coast" would be most advantageous to SouthWest Airlines when considering where in the route network this aircraft would go. Flights today that ar on nonstops light Baltimore to Los Angeles would be good candidates, in my analysis, to get this aircraft. There are possibly other factors to consider like facility infrastructure at each airport SouthWest serves. This will be interesting to say the least. I hope the best for SouthWest and carving out the resolutions to the operational complexities that are involved in making these upcoming critical decisions. Would Newark be a possibility for the 737-800? Like many reading this comment section, we shall see. ... View more

Kristen Francis: Thank you for your blog post "NEW FEATURES FOR SOUTHWEST.COM" from National Beverly Hills Day 9/02/10. I have used http://www.southwest.com/ for many years, and have a suggestion to improve the website. Bear with me as I might be long winded here, but eventually you will be like, "I get it" once I have the time here to explain myself. OK. What I have noticed in the booking process is the for example, you can travel "FROM" Burbank "TO" Oakland and then perhaps "RETURN" into Los Angeles. What I woul like to see is the ability for Southwest Passengers to travel, let's say, "FROM" Burbank "TO" Oakland and then "BACK FROM" San Jose "TO" Burbank. The above example perhaps assumes that the traveler left a personal vehicle parked in the daily or the weekly lot in Burbank, but takes into account that ability for the traveler to perhaps be all over the Bay Area where they need to fly "TO" one Bay Area Airport, and "BACK FROM" another Bay Area Airport because of their personal schedule. At this time, a traveler could certainly do it that way, but would have to go through the complicated process of making two one-way reservations. That should not need to happen!! A traveler, in the example above, should, no pun intended, "have the freedom" to "go, see, and do" some pretty basic things on the Southwest Website. This is one, which I see, for now at least, that is not possible to do as a so-called co-airport roundtrip, but in the meantime can only be done exclusively as a one-way. Would you, and the southwest.com web support team, be available to take this suggestion into the hopper and possible make this change availavle by or before January 1st? Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Mike Barnbaum, Rapid Rewards Member in Sacramento, California ... View more

Greetings Brian Lusk and Bill Owen: This again is Mike Barnbaum in Sacramento. There is one critical question I have to ask at least when it comes to critical upcoming milestone dates and deadlines. In the Official SouthWest Airlines August 27th Press Release, its states, "The lease deal, contingent upon the closing of the Continental and United airlines’ merger by Nov. 30, 2010, and certain governmental approvals, would give Southwest Airlines the right to operate up to 18 daily roundtrip flights at Newark, New Jersey, with some flights beginning in March 2011 and a full schedule in place by June 2011." My question then falls into SouthWest's next schedule opening. Could SouthWest consider postponing its planned October 5th schedule opening for flights through June 3rd to a date like Monday 06 December 2010 and allow on that date bookings through let's say Sunday 31 July 2011? Why do I ask that this be considered? The simple answer is that this would allow SouthWest Airlines the time to get through the critical date of November 30th, the key date behind the closing of the Continental and United airlines' merger. It would likely also give SouthWest Airlines "black and white" answers in what happends on November 30th, so by opening the schedule through July 31st on December 6th, instead of through June 3rd on October 5th, would, I believe, allow SouthWest to be in a better position to offer a more perfect and clear schedule for both the Schedule/Planning Folks as well as all of SouthWest's Customers. Does this make sense? Please send me a separate Email, after your review of this to the Email address I have provided in filling out the Blog Form so then I can reply to you via your Email address among other things, with my contact information. Thank you gentlemen, so much!! See you soon!! ... View more

Brian, you and I have known each other for some years now both over the phone and on this blog. You will remember quite well how much I needed Newark Service from SouthWest Airlines for all of these years. Oh and another thing: Bill Owen, you will remember me through this blog in my blog conversations with you regarding at the time when SouthWest Airlines initiated Airline Service in Milwaukee (MKE), and our Amtrak conversations in how they have an airport rail station in Milwaukee. Now to both Brian and Bill, I am so thrilled that Newark will be a part of the SouthWest Airlines Route Network. At this time, the addition of Newark pretty much completes for me a list of cities over the years that now allows me to see family from my origin of the Sacramento (SMF) Airport. Whether it is by nonstops or by connections, I am able to fly Southwest from Sacramento to Burbank, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Newark, Seattle, San Diego, and Portland. All of this comes thankfully without baggage fees, so long as an individual bag weighs fifty pounds or less. Now the critical question comes, and this is where both of you might have people like me play a role with your company on a volunteer basis. That critical question is: "Where should SouthWest Airlines provide nonstop service to in and out of Newark (EWR) Liberty International Airport. Good question to say the least, I might add. Well, first, I would consider popular airports where Southwest has a good establishment of service and has shown where its growth works well. Perhaps the schedule planners could look into nonstops out of Denver, Chicago (MDW), Orlando (MCO), Las Vegas, and Nashville (BNA). Secondary airports in which Newark nonstops could work that would be unique in the country could include my airport of Sacramento (SMF), and perhaps Oakland, San Jose, Reno, Oklahoma City, Kansas City (MCI), and Tampa/St. Petersberg. Please advise SouthWest Airlines fans like me where we could be of assistance here, early in the schedule planning process so that no one at the last minutes of a November 30th deadline is scrambling to get the process perfected and a schedule released. Thank You. All The Best!! Mike Barnbaum, Rapid Rewards Member in Sacramento, California. ... View more

Bill: I appreciate the addition of one additional non-stop between Sacramento (SMF) and Denver (DEN) with the Summer 2010 Schedule Changes. I would like to suggest a late Friday Night and and Early Saturday Morning non-stop between SMF and Spokane (GEG) in developing the next round of schedule opening that you and your staff are now behind the scenes working on for service starting on and after August 14th. With the next schedule likely including the start of the College Football Season, Sacramento State Fans can travel non-stop to see their team play a Big Sky Conference Matchup in Cheney against the Eagles of Eastern Washington. Lately fans flying to this game have to stop in Portland (PDX) or Seattle (SEA) first before landing at GEG. Our fans have expressed no interest in taking the capitol Corridor or Driving into Oakland just to do this. Please look into this as part of research for the next schedule. Also, beyond August 14th, I heard today 17 December 2009 from Sacramento County Supervisor Roger Dickinson that the new Central Terminal at SMF might, just might open in Fall of 2011, a mere six months prior to the original date of Spring 2012. I would encourage you and your team to meet soon, and I mean real soon to fly to SMF and meet with G. Hardy Acree and the rest of the Sacramento County Airport System on a flight service expansion master plan for Sacramento, Northern California's Premiere Airport of Choice. Southwest has a majority of the market share in Sacramento, and you should keep it. Meeting with the Sacramento County Airport System prior to the new terminal opening, in my opinion, will allow you to keep the majority of the market share here. Could Newark (EWR) be in the plans too? --Mike Barnbaum, Rapid Rewards Member in Sacramento, California ... View more

Bill: Thank you for selecting MKE as the fourth 2009 newest destination for SWA and the 68th overall. My hope one day will be the addition of EWR or for the public reading this that might not quite understand the code speak like you and I do, that is Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey. As far as MKE goes, as I remember from the original edition of the famous book NUTS!, isn't this airport mentioned in one of the chapters? It's been quite awhile since I finished the book with Herb Kelleher on the cover, sporting a Southwest Airlines Tattoo on one arm. Secondly, I am also, as Brian Lusk can tell you, an advid Amtrak user. For the year 2009, I am an Amtrak Guest Rewards Select Member because I traveled fifty to ninety-nine segments last year, mainly short segments from Sacramento to the San Francisco Bay Area and/or destinations in the San Joaquin Valley like Fresno, Hanford and Merced just to name three. In my reading of the Amtrak National TimeTable for Spring/Summer 2009 I think I read that there is a General Mitchell Airport Amtrak Rail Station at MKE. In your "scouting" of the property and infrastructure here, do you recall this being present? Could Southwest and Amtrak perhaps enter into a cooperative marketing partnership if this Mitchell Airport Amtrak Rail Station does exist as I believe it does? I hope this helps Bill. Would you also be able to please pass this information onto the particular departments at Southwest Airlines? I think this is great that you have decided on MKE, and a partnership with Amtrak at MKE and possibly in the future at BUR and even OAK via either AC Transit and/or AIR BART linking Southwest at OAK with Amtrak at OAC directly across San Leandro Boulevard from the BART Station would be great partnerships too. OAC by the way is the Amtrak Station code for the Oakland Arena Coliseum Station. All of Amtrak's Station codes can be found at http://www.amtrak.com/ or at Amtrak's toll free number. I will be using Southwest Airlines in October from OAK to SLC, but in order to get there from Sacramento, I will be connecting via the Amtrak Capitol Corridor between SAC (Amtrak Sacramento) and OAC. I look forward to your reply, and thank you again for MKE and that possibility of great Amtrak Rail/Southwest Airlines Partnerships there. Sincerely, Mike Barnbaum, Rapid Rewards Member ... View more

I want to thank you, Bill Owen, for your response/reply to my first post to the request for the SMF - BWI Nonstop. I am extremely pleased that this is on the radar screen when Southwest Airlines does take a look again at adding long haul service. I would deeply encourage you to often be in touch with the great staff of the Sacramento County Airport System and their ongoing Sacramento International Airport Master Plan. My understanding is that the airlines, Southwest more especially than any other airline, are very involved in this process. Hopefully when all is done by no later than the end of 2013, that Southwest will greatly benefit at SMF. I know full well in talking on the telephone with Pete McGlade that there will be some growing pains initially at SMF during the construction period. I will be there for you, Bill, and I want you to closely stay involved on this matter, especially as it pertains to anything related to schedule planning. Thank you so very much for for taking the time in replying to my initial post, it means a whole great deal to me personally. ... View more

I am a Rapid Rewards Member in Sacramento, California. I "LUV" using Southwest Airlines out of SMF. I looked very closely at the new schedule (March 8, 2008 - May 9, 2008) and have a couple of comments/suggestions. Thank you for adding additional flights to San Diego and Las Vegas from SMF. I would suggest, with Sacramento being the capital city of the state with more people in it than any other state that Southwest seriously take a look into Saturday Nonstop service either between SMF and BWI, or SMF and IAD. The Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce each and every year hosts and event called the Cap-to-Cap trip. Right now only one other airline offers nonstop service between SMF and IAD. No airline offers at the current time nonstops between SMF and BWI. This is my vote at this time for consideration on future Saturday only nonstop service. If implemented, I will publicly mention this matter before the Sacramento City Council, the Sacramento Regional Transit District Board of Directors, and other local governments in the Sacramento Region who would "LUV" to know about this. ... View more