Southwest Airlines Community

So, SWA announced that growth is going to be scaled back in the coming quarters. What does this mean for People Growth? And how about Internal Audit? Still love SWA! ;-) Nikki ... View more

I once forgot to get my car inspected and drove around for a whole month out of legal compliance. I drove my friends around, went to work, etc..... Does that mean I put everyone's life at risk for my own convenience? Some of the accusations I've read (hello - murderers?) are just as ridiculous. The FAA is cracking down - and they should - on the compliance officers that failed to remediate this issue. ... View more

Hi Carole, Great blog! Best of luck to your family on working with Noah's talents and helping him to socialize. My 36 year old brother is autisitc - in some ways very normal, but very slow with social interactions and somewhat temperamental. He too is great with numbers and dates. His great love is airplanes and he even spent a summer working at SWA! It was dream come true for him and he still talks about it to this day. My mother had to fight hard to place him in school at a time when there really was not a lot of special education. Kids with mental retardation were given up on. Because of that perserverance he is much higher functioning now than he would have been. Mom often says he is the most normal of her children. And my husband agrees.....wait a sec........;-) ... View more

And I was crushed when I couldn't get an interview for the Inernal Audit department.....shoulda hired me, SWA! ... View more

Sadly, I've never been very graceful! I'm a girl who knows what she wants, and truth be told, I've never interviewed for a job without getting an offer. I'm humbled - truly. I'm now moving on to greener pastures - a position at a very respected firm in the field. Everything DOES happen for a reason. 😉 (Even if it makes me cry like I just got dumped by my boyfriend). "Never apologize for showing feeling. When you do so, you apologize for the truth. " - Benjamin Disraeli Happy Trails - and good luck! ... View more

Jill, I'm on your side with the Waitress' song! We should choreograph a dance routine for sure....... Merry Christmas, Ya'll! Nikki ... View more

I had positions in mind with 3 different companies, SWA (of course my first choice), and 2 other great companies. I had a phone screen with SWA and recieved an offer from one of the other companies. I decided if I had a chance at SWA for a one-on-one, I'd pass on the offer and go for what I really wanted. Well, I got my email this morning that SWA isn't interested and the recruiter I was working with is out of the office until next year, so I'm not really sure why they've passed one me. I'm totally heartbroken. I guess this is a good time to remind myself that I'm very lucky to have the jobs that I have, and the opportunities still out there. No more crying in my cheerios. Everyone have a great day, and best of luck to the rest of you interviewing and training! Nikki ... View more

1) Ummmm -just guessing, but given that there are 6 call centers and the lines are open 24/7, I'd say, a billion. No really, 7,000? Just a guess. 2) 2 million calls! (another guess) Good point Kim! I couldn't agree more. ;-) 3) I haven't made a reservation over the phone in a long time, but as I recall, about 18 minutes. (15 seems too short, 20 seems too long). 4) Oh boy, 300? ( there is a little logic behind that guess, but not much!) 5) Albuquerque, Chicago, Houston, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, and San Antonio. There's an awesome graduate case study from MIT Sloan School of Management on SWA's journey through IT growth and building business agility. Very cool. http://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/1721.1/39646/1/4664-07.pdf Here's a statistic: "Southwest received 284,827 resumes and hired 3,363 new Employees in 2006." Sigh. About 100 of those were my resume. Oh well - maybe in '09! C'est la vie. Everyone have a great day! ;-) Nikki ... View more

Scratch that - it's a year old! Also good luck to all of you lucky ducks with interviews! Nikki ... View more

Wow, this has got to be the longest running string of comments I've ever seen on Blog Southwest! It's about 10 months old! I too am an SWA hopeful. I've applied on southwest.com and most recently through a professional affiliation (The Dallas IIA), and I have a weird question. Everytime I re-vamped my resume (which I do a lot - hey, continous improvement) I re-submitted it online. I want them to have the latest and greatest version, you know? Well, a financial/accounting recruiter told me recently that (applying more than once) is not a good thing and frowned upon by potential employers. Can anyone enlighten me? Please tell me he's just referring to stuffy accountants and not my dream job! ;-) Nikki ... View more

Sounds like fun! And you are absolutely right about this being a team builing excercise - and what a great opportunity for people from different departments to meet and mingle. (I've made some of my best work contacts while standing in the lunch line.) I wish more companies were like SWA! I LUV it! I just wrapped up an interview with another company, and it still bums me out that it wasn't with Southwest! Everyone have a fabulous day! 😉 ... View more

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Wishing you all a safe, fun holiday! Amid all of the turkey preparation stress, don't forget to stop and remember all you have to be thankful for. It works for me! Nikki ... View more

Thanks Maureen! I'm in the same boat! My kids are almost 1 and 2, so it's not in the cards for me now. Maybe one day! I wait tables as a side gig during the holidays and I LUV it. LUV customer service and taking care of people - not exactly FA, but there are definitely some common aspects to those jobs. Have a great weekend, and let us know what happens! Nikki 🙂 ... View more

Have fun in Vegas, Brian!!! I am so jealous! ;-) Nikki, the self-promoting applicant ... View more

Yeah Pete Bogs, Gary didn't flash anybody his underoos. He just wore a pink shimmery dress, which is perfectly acceptable on any flight. ;-) I LUV the costume! Way better than Harry Potter! Nikki ... View more

Oooooh good luck, Maureen! I don't know the answer to your question, but congratulations on the coveted FA position! I wanted to be an FA many moons ago, but I graduated just after 9/11 and got into another field. How cool would that be? An FA based in Vegas! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you! Have fun in training! Nikki ... View more

The info I found was a little more updated than April 07, but that's okay - I won last time and scored a really cool lamp! Thanks Brian!!! City Daily Departures # of Gates Cities Served Year Established Las Vegas 232 21 53 1982 Chicago Midway 227 29 47 1985 Phoenix 205 24 42 1982 Baltimore/Wash 180 26 40 1993 Oakland 148 11 21 1989 Houston Hobby 146 16 29 1971 Dallas (Love) 133 14 15 1971 Los Angeles(LAX) 120 11 19 1982 Orlando 116 12 33 1996 San Diego 96 10 16 1982 Thanks for the fun game! I love Trivia! James and Brian: Great news - a new rec was opened for internal audit! *keeping my fingers crossed* ;-) Nikki ... View more

Hey guys! It's on T-shirts.com. My husband is already getting one for his brithday - I can't wait to see his face! :-) Sorry for the delayed response! Nikki ... View more

From one shameless self-promoter to another, a heartfelt congratulations! ;-) Nikki ... View more

I love The Office too! There's a sweatshirt available online that reads "Schrute Farms Beets" - only the truest fans will get it! My prank pales in comparison, but I once covered a colleaugue's desk , chair, and floor in staple pullers (i found an entire box of them in storage), then closed off his cube in wrapping paper. Birthdays are great for pranks! Nikki ... View more

I luv that SWA does such great things in the community! Anyone can just write a check, but getting people involved makes this philanthropy work so much more special. Nikki ... View more

Hey Leah - I'm still reading your posts! I think applying for a position at HDQ is a great idea. Then if you're already on the LUV team, it may be easier to get one of the coveted FA positions when they open up (That's what I've heard anyway - a lot of people on the Myspace group are applying for FA also). Have a great week! Nikki ... View more

I LUV reading about SWA Culture events - it is truly a company unlike any other! My company (a very large company recieving a bit of bad press) is really trying to infuse a "let's stick together" feeling among those of us remaining in an effort keep out company's good name and solid repuation intact. With layoffs continuing - the response from employees has been neither overwhelmingly positive or negative. One thing is for sure - our culture department has their work cut out for them and they certainly have my respect! Still working for now, still applying ;-) Nikki ... View more

Hey Leah, Are you on myspace? (I know, I know, but it's a great way to keep up with old friends). There's a group for SWA employees, hopefuls, and customers - basically anyone. There's some great insight on the bulletin boards there too! I wish I had a cute TV quote, but all I ever watch these days is the news (husband is a news junkie) and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Just isn't the same! 😉 ... View more

Morning Leah! I'd say that your people experience would definitely be valuable. Hey, you're communicating with the customers and providing a valuable service, right? Whether it fits into the "customer service" category or not, it's valauble and this experience offers a potential employer (ahem, SWA :-)) a look at what wonderful things you are capable of. That's my opinion! Have a great day, everyone! Nikki ... View more

Thanks Shelley! I'll just keep checking the openings and applying! I've found about 5 positions that I think are a good fit for me. Maybe I will have to take another job in the meantime and then can bring that experience to SWA at a later date. And maybe that's what is meant to be. :) In the meantime, I wait tables on the side as a part-time 2nd job and what an experience it has been! As an analyst and auditor, I haven't had much contact with the customer, but as a waitress, that's all I have! And I love it. I know this unique set of skills belongs at a unique company, and SWA is worth the wait! Thanks so much for the kind words of encouragment! And congrats on having such a cool job! Nikki ... View more

"Southwest, the industry's low-cost provider, is keen on finding innovative ways to keep our operating costs in check so we can continue to provide low fares to millions more Americans," said Laura Wright, Southwest's vice president of Finance. "This technology is one way we can gain efficiencies in our operation and save money while we grow." 1) About 120 pounds each 2) Depends! 300 - 500 pounds, making total weight 121,444 pounds? I converted it from kilos from a British site, so I'm iffy on this one! 3) 8' 2" 4) from 4% to 6% depending on the type of aircraft and distances traveled. On average, 92,000 gallons of fuel per year!!! 5) 120 pounds 6) Again - 300 -500 pounds - is that too broad? 7) 7' Okay, so I'm an auditor and know nothing about airplanes. I found this info. online and from my sources. I don't know how right I am on the weights - it's so subjective - but I can learn anything. No swag needed, just an interview would be great! Thanks. ;-) Nikki (the freak with peanut resumes circulating all over the People Dept.) ... View more

Congrats Ricky! You'll do great! ... View more

Shelley, I coasted through the mortgage business on the refi boom for the last 5 years and recently decided I am going to "move my cheese" too. I've been applying (okay, a little aggressively) for different positions at SWA recently (finance and internal audit - not kidding!) and keeping my fingers crossed. I read this blog daily. I'm in the SWA Myspace group, blogging with employees. SWA fitsinto my big picture - the "where do you want to be in 10 years?" picture. I could go on and on. But eventually I had to admit that it may not happen right away and that I may need to take another job. 😞 But that's okay - I am firm believer that everything that happens to us, happens for a reason. And my part in it is go with it and do the very best I can, and always continue to learn. And frankly I have a lot to learn! Just as I make peace with the fact that my dream company will have to wait or that possibly it just wasn't meant to be *shudder*, just as I finally think I can work elsewhere and try again in a few years, I read this blog! It's torture! ;-) Seriously, thank you for a great post! It is inspiring to know that other companies do promote cross-training and internal transfer, because mine, unfortunately does not. (One of the million reasons I feel I belong at SWA). Nikki (the weirdo who sent her resume covered in peanuts to HDQ) ... View more

Hi Amazed, Now I'm not defending anyone who lets their children run wild, and I am in FAVOR of the new boarding system. That being said, my children are pretty good and we've never had a tantrum on a plane. BUT, Don't forget a lot of us are parents to very small children at an age they cannot be reasoned with. An 18 month old just doesn't understand "Behave and be quiet." And it should also be said that some parents choose not to terrify their children into submission out of fear they will become bitter adults. ... View more