Southwest Airlines Community

Amen to my brother Francisco's comments. And ditto to Jim's remarks, but most of all, thank you to Brian for writing this blog entry. Like my near-namesake, USS Blog Boy, I too have reserved my response to this for a few days out of an attempt to avoid saying something rude. To each of you who blogged here about something other than honoring the many brave men and women who have given their lives for your freedom to blog about something else, please go back and re-read the title of this blog story. If you want a job, want to gripe, want to compliment or want to express your opinions, good or bad, about Southwest Airlines, there are a zillion other blog topics at www.blogsouthwest.com that are the appropriate places to enter your comments. This is NOT the place. This is the place to reflect on the sacrifices made that have created so many beautifully landscaped fields lined with precisely placed white marble markers across this country. While none of my relatives died during a war, I have relatives who have served in the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, World War I and World War II. I know people who have served in the Korean War, the Viet Nam War and the various Desert Storm versions. I am proud of their service and grateful for the service of so many others who did give their lives. Please think about those folks on this particular blog and please remember that "freedom is not free". As Lee Greenwood sang so eloquently, I'm proud to be an American!!! Kim External Blog Boy 🙂 ... View more

Way to go, Mary! Do you realize how few blog stories receive a direct reply from Colleen? Wowzers! This is the equivalent to a Blog Pulitizer Prize!!! LOL Kim 🙂 ... View more

Paco, You cheapskate -- what did you do, buy the abridged version? I have the full, uncut Director's Version, which has 38 chapters, which include the ones that were left on the cutting room floor. There are chapters on such diverse topics as Blogging on Company Time, Playing Volleyball on a Concrete Parking Lot and Etiquette for Eating Candy Corn in Polite Company. There are others, but I'm not going to give them all away. These are just teasers to get you to buy the deluxe edition of the book. It is available for only $598.00, plus shipping and handling, and can be ordered with a personal check made out to Brian Lusk AND Kim Seale, sent to Brian via inter-company mail. We look forward to receiving your order. EBB 🙂 ... View more

Paco, I'm just CRUSHED...you came to town and didn't call me?? External Blog Boy 😞 ... View more

Hollee, Wow, what an exciting and inspiring story! It brings tears to my eyes and just makes me drool with jealousy!! Not because of the trips you've taken or the friends you've stay connected with, but because you've only been out of college for ten years! LOL 🙂 Think how old I feel knowing that my son is living in the same dorm I did at UT... But, Southwest has provided my family many wonderful trips over the years. Due to my travel, I used to earn at least four free (Rapid Rewards) tickets per year, and with those, the four of us got to go to lots of places. BOI got us in driving distance of Yellowstone National Park. ABQ got us started on a driving trip that included the Petrified Forest and Grand Canyon National Parks, with a return flight home through LAS. A flight to MDW was the jumping off point for a large family reunion in Milwaukee, and BWI was the gateway to our nation's capital. The acquisition of Morris Air opened up SEA to us and helped us visit many family members in the Pacific Northwest, and closer to home, CRP was just two quick flights from home. And, all of this was during the Wright Amendment days, but those reward tickets allowed us to check our bags all the way to our final destination -- just one more perk of flying for free! Lots of vacations, lots and lots of photographs and hundreds of bags of peanuts later, we were sure glad that we were free to move about the country! Kim External Blog Boy 🙂 ... View more

Fred, That is just an OUTSTANDING summation of what makes Southwest the BEST airline in the world and one of the VERY BEST companies in the world. If you could bottle what you just wrote and sell it, you'd have more money than Bill Gates and Brian Lusk put together!! :) Seriously, you just provided a graduate level course in SWA 101 in four paragraphs. I've said it over and over and will say it again; the secret to Southwest's success is one of the very worst-kept secrets in the world. Y'all have great planes -- the 737 has been a proven workhorse for years. Y'all have great on-time service, as proven consistently over time in DOT reports. Y'all have an excellent customer service record and one of the lowest lost-luggage and complaint records in aviation history. Even your peanuts are great. But, NONE of those things are what make Southwest great. I don't have enough space to list all of the things that make SWA great, because there are over 32,000 of them. Anyone can buy a plane. Anyone can handle bags and serve good peanuts. However, it is the Warrior Spirit, the Servant Heart and the Fun-LUVing attitude of each Employee that makes Southwest great. Now, how can we get the phone company and the cable TV company to imitate you guys? LOL Great writing, Kim External Blog Boy :) Elaine, What Jim suggested is the best thing you could do. You will learn more about Southwest by spending ten minutes watching their Employees than you would learn spending days interviewing their passengers. I have observed a world of difference in the way the employees of a maajor aairline based at DFW Airport treat EACH OTHER, and that doesn't even count the surly attitude towards their pax. People who work for thaat aairline pass each other in the terminal building and never speak or acknowledge their fellow employee. But, if you go to Dallas Love Field, where an airline known for its LUV operates, you will see folks from every conceivable job function smiling, waving, hugging, high-fiving and shouting at each other in the terminal. (okay, so most pilots are reserved enough to skip the high-fives) You'd think it was a giant family reunion of long-lost cousins who haven't seen each other since grade school. The reason is because it IS a family reunion. A meeting of a member of your family who is connected to you and who cares about you speaks volumes about the atmosphere that exists within Southwest. That atmosphere is the legendary "Culture" that is nourished within Southwest, and although it is not a secret, it is certainly as vital to Southwest's unrivaled success as their secret formula is to Coca-Cola or the secret herbs and spices are to KFC. I already KNOW which one you'll choose, Elaine, and I look forward to having you as one of my FAs on a future Southwest flight! Best wishes, Kim External Blog Boy 🙂 ... View more

Patti, Good luck with your Mom's visit, but you don't have to worry about Brian. He discontinued that Southwest share plan after several unsuccessful attempts to get cute young blondes to share his seat with him. He kept getting smacked in the head. But, I happen to have a bridge that I'd sell ya... External Blog Boy ... View more

Hey Paco/JBM -- You'd better re-check your book. It is clearly explained in Chapter 24 on page 397. Kim/EBB 🙂 ... View more

Phil, If I can decipher what you've written, I think that it says a plane is "down" for maintenance so that they can clear up a clogged bathroom in the front of the cabin because someone tried to flush an entire package of candy corn. Is that pretty close? Kim :) External Blog Boy ... View more

Matthew and Paul, I believe the previous post came from an imposter. That could not have originated from Blog Boy's keyboard. Someone should check the closet for a giant pod. External Blog Boy 🙂 ... View more

James, What a great trip -- it sounds like these kids were in for the trip of a lifetime, or at least one that they'll remember for a long time. As we've blogged about before, there are so many excellent places to visit in Washington, and as far as war memorials go, there can never be enough to honor the memories of the men and women who died for our country. (note to Adam Lawrence -- I only count three in James' list -- the Lincoln Memorial is in honor of our 16th President) I also strongly agree with my good friend Leah -- the Holocaust Museum is a must-see. Although I'm not ethnically Jewish like her, I am part of a branch that has been grafted into that vine, and we must never forget. One of the less-publicized places that I thoroughly enjoyed was the Old Post Office Building (http://www.oldpostofficedc.com/ or http://www.nps.gov/opot/). First off, if you find yourself walking in or around the central part of the city, you'll notice a lot of office buildings and a distinct shortage of casual eating places. Guess what? Go to this building and descend to the basement level, where I count fourteen food establishments on their website. Then, if you want a GREAT view of our nation's capital, go up 270 feet into the observation tower. I still enjoy the pictures I took from up there -- a 360 degree view from the Capitol to the Main Mall to the Potomac and the White House side of town. It can't be beat! Thanks, James, for helping welcome and transport these lucky youngsters on Southwest Airlines for such a busy trip! Kim External Blog Boy 🙂 ... View more

Hollee, This is a great blog! However, for folks who don't get the lingo, they may have thought your post was publicizing some FM radio station...'and now, from Mix 101, we have the theme from "Airport" coming atcha'! It really IS fascinating to see those planes stripped down to just the bare walls, plus you get a better appreciation for how many miles of wiring is hidden from view when the pax board the plane. If you really want to see a lot of wires, check out the cockpit. The pilot of the corporate jet owned by my former employer once sent me an e-mail with pictures he took during a complete overhaul, and the one of the cockpit without the instrument panel in place looks like a giant plate of multi-colored spaghetti! Kim External Blog Boy 🙂 ... View more

The concept of insuring that the Culture of Southwest continues to thrive and grow is based on excellent ideas like this one. I've never before known a company that makes such efforts to keep ALL of their employees feeling connected, appreciated and LUVed! In too many organizations, people are simply a means to an end or a tool to be used to accomplish something. The difference is that at Southwest, all 32,000+ Employees are part of a family that cares about them. I just wonder why so few other companies "get it", since Southwest's secret is one of the most poorly-kept secrets around? Of course, all of those folks look happy in their new jobs, but you'll notice the sly grin on the gentleman's face in the back row. I'll bet that is because he is the only guy in a group of seven lovely ladies! Tough assignment, huh? I'd bet that Blog Boy would offer a couple of bags of candy corn as a bribe just to fill in for that guy when he's on vacation. Kim 🙂 ... View more

Brian, This is a great blog! You know how much I've enjoyed studying (and living through) years of Southwest trivia. I can remember flying somewhere during June of 1996 as the twenty-fifth anniversary was being celebrated. The Flight Attendants held an onboard trivia contest, with one of them reading the question over the cabin PA system and then awarding prizes to the first person to push their attendant call button. After about the first four questions, they nicely told me that I was disqualified from participating anymore because they wanted the other pax to have a chance! Matt, If you want a trivia question that isn't about airplanes and liveries (hey Jedi Blog Master -- you're obviously too young to remember TV westerns or you'd know that a livery is the stable where you keep your horses and carriages, and behind which your father helped reinforce the pragmatism of following his rules 🙂 ), then I've got a great one for you. In fact, I don't think this one has been in any of the printed histories about Southwest Airlines. Are you ready? "What was the original snack served on Southwest planes before they switched to peanuts?" Of course, the answer is "Candy Corn"... LOL Kim External Blog Boy 🙂 ... View more

Mary, This is a wonderful blog and it rings so true! Someone told me once that they spent so much time "IMing" (instant messenging) online that now, even when face to face with a friend, they tilt their head sideways so they can smile 🙂 ! Ouch -- call the chirporactor, STAT!! Personally, I've been involved (as a civilian) with various police departments in Texas for about 35 years now, and I can assure you that our men and women in blue really DO have their own lingo. However, it is not necessarily the verbage you hear on cop TV shows. I've never known an officer to say either "perp" or "vic". However, they do abbreviate a complainant (the person who 'complains' or makes a request for police service) as a "comp", and it does not mean the same thing it means in a casino in Las Vegas! (or as many of the SWA flight info screens in airport terminals call it, "LA$ VEGA$") You can also ask our friend Francisco (USS Blog Boy) about military jargon. While their discussions are filled with acronyms as you've mentioned, they also have their own unique way of talking about their livelihoods. Anyone outside the military would probably never quite understand when someone is talking about their "bird colonel", and there are many more phrases that cannot be printed here on a family blog. Even folks like Captain Ray and his peers use a foreign language in the cockpit, and where you and I might give directions by saying "take I-70 to Natural Bridge Road and go under the freeway to get to the airport", they might be told to approach Lambert via CREEP to KELLY to JIGSY to TWILA, all of which are names of different navigation points to the east of St. Louis. And, if you have any Air Force buddies, ask 'em what it means if one of their pilots says "Sierra Hotel". Just don't ask in front of your Mother. Kim External Blog Boy 🙂 ... View more

Phil, What a great blog story and what an honor to ride for such a great cause! Congratulations on representing the folks at Southwest so well and thank you for the efforts you and your team put in to raise money and awareness about this awful disease. Despite the drizzly weather (since you spent a lot of time in Tarrant County, it was probably David Finfrock's fault, because our own Troy Dungan would've done better for ya), it looks like each of you displayed your servant heart s and warrior spirits while sharing your fun-LUVing attitudes! But, I was wondering...don't the other participants complain when you use the advantage of two helmet-mounted GE/Snecma CFM56-7 engines, how do you prevent whiplash when you get departure clearance, and does your bike speed go past V1 all the way to "rotation", or do you simply throttle back before you reach that point? We're proud of y'all! Kim 🙂 ... View more

Alright, Shelley! A very big congratulations to you for a very well-deserved award! It is always great when the "higher ups" notice what the rest of us have known all along -- you're a special lady with lots of culture and class! I'm very happy for you! With LUV, Kim 🙂 ... View more

Bill, Congratulations on MORE great news from your department! You guys are awesome and I know that a LOT of work and sweat went into ironing out the logistics to return to SFO. I wish folks like "Greg" would look at the positive instead of the negative -- the glass is half FULL, Greg! I don't see any nonstops from DAL to London, either, but I ain't fussin' about it! Jean, You've gotta understand, our pal USS Blog Boy is just a young whippersnapper and that song predates him by a few decades! Only us ancient geezers remember those golden oldies. Of course, the good side to that is that when WE had US history in school, we only had about half as much to learn as our naval buddy did! Bill, (a P. S.) Even though the grammatical humor was funny, we'll still be "Sans Francisco" until the USS Nimitz returns to the States! But, he's still in our hearts and on our blog! Kim External Blog Boy 🙂 ... View more

Hmmm, I think my ruse is working...poor Leah hasn't noticed that each of those 'wonderful' items I am offering are not spelled the way she thinks they are and may not be exactly what she thinks she's going to get.... ha ha ha ha Which shell do you think the pea is under now? 🙂 ... View more

While we're discussing great news stories about Southwest (notice how cleverly I'm moving us back onto the original topic? 🙂 ), here is a nice article, also from The Dallas Morning News, about how our favorite airline is working to save money and be proactive about being profitable... http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/industries/airlines/stories/0506dnbussouthwest.2935ab5.html The best just keep on working to stay that way! Kim 🙂 ... View more

Brian, Having seen your office in both of its last two locations, I can relate to the size of the job of moving just the 'memorabilia' alone, not to mention the files! When my former employer informed me that I had to lay off my entire staff and close our office in Dallas, I had to condense 20 years' worth of stuff from a 15,000 square foot building down to about 40 square feet of one bedroom. As you may recall, that is how we met, since you 'inherited' my collection of SWA flight guides. That "radical office-ectomy" turned out to be good practice, though, since I got to do an even more intense version two months ago when I joined the ranks of so many other laid off workers. However, I found that throwing away things associated with 25 years of employment was actually quite cathartic and gave me a sense of closure. Fortunately, I kept my desk and my own form of sugared addiction -- SweeTarts!! Much better than candy corn! LOL Kim P. S. It is just as well that you don't have an office with a window, since if you looked to the east, all you'd see is the best airport in the world with the most beautiful canyon blue 737s taking off and landing all day long... 🙂 ... View more

Leah, Send me a certified check with plenty of numbers on the left side of the decimal point, and I'll get you some authentic Southwist Airlenes stock along with your very own Rolox watch, a beautiful necklace from Tiffeny's and a brand new shiny red Lexas. Kim 🙂 ... View more

Joe, SWA was supposed to get the first one, but when Brian went to pick it up, his titanium AmEx card was rejected because he had gone over his credit limit at some store called Candy Corn World. That's why they started sending Sunny to get 'em after that.... (see http://www.blogsouthwest.com/2006/09/05/can-we-bottle-that-smell/ ) By the way, you shouldn't be outstanding in your field this time of year; there is always the threat of those spring tornado events. Kim 🙂 ... View more

John, Don't believe Brian's lame excuses about the delays in setting up an e-mail system. The truth behind the problem is that they had it set up some time ago, but it wasn't working. The technicians investigating the problem found the computer mainframe was compromised by unexplained stickiness. Experts were called in, and it was determined that the hardware had incredible amounts of melted Candy Corn throughout. Brian took the entire system down to a local "25-cent-you-do-it-car-wash" place and tried to wash all of it out, but that seemed to make things worse. So, now they are deducting the cost of a new mainframe from Brian's paycheck, and they will hopefully have a new system in place around 2014, which coincidentally, is also when the final restrictions from the Wright Amendment will disappear. DNA and fingerprint analysis as to who might have dropped the Candy Corn into the computer was inconclusive, although the CSI folks said they would have been able to identify the culprit if a high pressure power wash had not been used before they gathered their samples. Hmmmmm.... Kim 🙂 ... View more

Leah, Consider yourself lucky to have met me first; everyone else after that will be an improvement! Brian is a lot more fun and the Culture Chicks are all better looking than me. Good ole EBB 🙂 ... View more

Leah, You've exceeded your average daily quota of questions! No more free answers -- quit being so cheap and just buy Ray's book so he can make another payment on that sailboat! The answers to your questions are that you'd have to ask more detailed questions. There are many variables that come into play with take-off and landing speeds, including air temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, altitude of the airport, and weight of the plane (fuselage + fuel + pax + cargo + lots of peanuts) just to name a few, although you might prefer to name them Bob and Suzy and Larry and ... Seriously, here are some links that may help answer some of your questions: http://www.boeing.com/commercial/737family/pf/pf_700tech.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takeoff and on this page, (http://www.boeing.com/commercial/737family/background.html) please take note of who the "launch customer" (first airline to order) was for the 737-300, the 737-500 and the 737-700. See who has been leading the way with each of those three models? I'll bet you can guess! And yes, based on how you drove with me in the car, I'd say you ARE a conscientious driver, so I'm sure you'd signal each turn on the taxiways IF Boeing had bothered to install turn signals. However, those little details, just like brake lights, seem to have been ignored by the design engineers. A good friend of mine who was a career USAF pilot used to say that flying at night was the easiest time, because all you had to do was keep watch out the right and left sides of the cockpit and just keep flying between the red light and the green light. :) Stay tuned to this channel for an even better answer that is sure to come from Captain Ray, who has written another TERRIFIC chapter in this saga! And by the way, Cap'n, your photography skills seem to rank right up there with your flying and writing skills -- great pictures!! Kim External Blog Boy 🙂 ... View more

Captain Ray, Congratulations on another fantastic post! I am behind in my reading here on the blog due to some personal issues, but today I have been working on catching up. Your blog entries are as fascinating as your book is, and you display not only a wonderful grasp of the technical details of flying, but a terrific writing skill as well. There are lots of folks who are good at what they do, but not all of them can "translate" it into English for the rest of us. You, however, do an awesome job of writing. Although my days of riding in cockpits may be over, being in the "office up front" always gave me a deeper understanding of, and appreciation for, the intricacies of the job of the folks with the striped epaulets. Thanks for all that you guys and gals up there do! Kim 🙂 ... View more

Will, While I can empathize with your experience based on 31 years of flying Southwest Airlines as a passenger, I really think that Tamra made some excellent points. I've been in some airports where the anxiety about getting onboard seemed higher than others, and that appeared to be more of a function of the attitudes of the passengers than anything else. I've been in plenty of airport gates waiting on SW flights where a much more relaxed atmosphere existed among the departing pax. The bottom line is, I've never seen any behavior on the part of a Southwest Employee that has encouraged that sort of agitated line-forming. From what I've been around, that behavior seems peculiar to some cities, or sometimes the time of day and/or destination. I've waited in line at some concerts or large events where the folks were polite, orderly and conversationally friendly to those around them, but I've also been at venues where a surly attitude and a can of pepper spray should be considered necessary equipment. In none of those cases have I considered the behavior of those people the fault of the entertainer inside. Neither Tamra nor I are trying to pick on you about your remarks, but it was you who said "Unfortunately, I will absolutely avoid Southwest airlines from this point on...Right now I wouldnà ... View more

Bill, Your Latin reference [Ã ... View more

Speaking on behalf of the USSBB, the EBB thanks the PW! LOL 🙂 ... View more