Southwest Airlines Community

Great suggestions of things to pack, many of which have accompanied me for years, too. But, here's one more for you Road (and Sky) Warriors for those many nights in hotels: pack a small flashlight. (I use one of those knurled black metal ones that comes on by swiveling the head) Following a less-than-pleasant experience inside a house that was on fire one night, and having endured quite a few power outages in hotels, there is nothing quite as comforting in the middle of the night as a strong beam of light. And for most of us, that would NOT be coming out of our lightsaber. ( http://www.blogsouthwest.com/2007/08/30/luke-i-am-your-father/ ) I call my trusty flashlight my own personal "Debby Boone". Some of your blog readers who are very young will not get that joke. Ask your parents to explain it. Jim, if you could let me know when you're heading back to DAL next time, I'll swing by and let you just give me the rest of your quarters so they don't go to waste! Kim External Blog Boy 🙂 ... View more

You know, now that I think about it, Brian does resemble Yoda, with that green complexion. Oh, wait, maybe that is just his reaction to eating hospital food! Welcome back, Brian! Interesting that I saw this post on the same day that I went to Ft. Worth to see this traveling exhibition: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars:_Where_Science_Meets_Imagination which I would highly recommend for any of the rest of you fans of lightsabers and all things Star Wars-like! Kim, who is neither Luke nor Brian's father 🙂 ... View more

Joe, I don't get it...I looked on the reverse side of the screen and all it says is "Dell". Kim 🙂 ... View more

Gina, You are correct -- it is much more common to share the cabin with Pilots and First Officers these days. That is because of tremendous advancements in electronics by Boeing that actually allow their newer 737s to be remotely piloted from a dark room hidden inside a mountain in Colorado. This allows the pilots to sit among the passengers, since with the addition of radio-controlled flight controls, the only thing they have to do now is keep the FAs entertained. Seriously, I think that you are seeing what I've observed over the last few years, depending on the time of day that you're flying. Since the number of crew bases hasn't changed much, while the number of Employees has grown, more and more of them are "commuting" to start or end their work days somewhere else. Some folks sit stuck on a freeway going to work; those folks sit at 37,000 feet going to work! Happy Flying, Kim Who is Not Remotely Piloted 🙂 ... View more

Hey to my Okie buddy! Happy Birthday to someone who is possibly an even more fanatical fan of Southwest than me! I hope that your trip to Orlando went well and I'm anxious to hear all about the Positively Outrageous Service you got on that airline you flew on. What was the name of the carrier again? :) Best wishes always to my good friend and fellow SWA Employee-wannabe! Kim Burnt Orange Rival to your state but still your pal 🙂 ... View more

Joe, Nah, Brian had it crated and delivered to his house, where he installed it in his garage. Now, all of the neighborhood kids think that he's TOTALLY COOL because he's got the biggest video game of any of 'em! But, his wife hates the way the windows in the house always rattle when she hears Blog Boy say in a firm and authoritative voice, "V1...Rotate!" Kim Still Playing Pong on a Black and White TV 🙂 ... View more

Joe, He's right -- Blog Boy has more plane models in his office than I do, and I thought that I was a plane fan(atic). In fact, I understand that they had to order him a bigger desk than anyone else in the company just so he'd have room for the almost-full-scale 737 that is parked on his desk. I don't want to imply that his office is crowded, but there is a guy at the doorway with two orange-coned flashlights to help you get in safely without bumping into any blended winglets. Kim You Are Now Free To Move About The Country Except in Brian's Office Where Movement Is Severely Restricted 🙂 ... View more

David, huh? I would've guessed DARING, but, what do I know? Kim P. S. By the way, speaking of middle names, the old joke is wrong -- Smokey didn't have one, he is officially called "Smokey Bear", without a "the"... http://www.smokeybear.com/vault/name_main.asp http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smokey_Bear External Blog Boy and Supplier of Useless Trivia 🙂 ... View more

Joe, Kool-Aid?? Do you think Southwest serves Kool-Aid in First Class? Au contraire, mi amigo! (a little multi-culturalism for ya) In the opulent and much-coveted First Class cabin, we recline in our spacious and cozy seats with the 88" of seat pitch, dining on champagne, fine caviar and imported candy corn, while you lower-class slobs in the back struggle to tear open your small bags of honey-roasted peanuts. Fortunately, the eight-piece orchestra's beautiful playing of classical music is just loud enough to drown out your grumbling and complaining behind the curtain. Sorry, I'd describe more about life up front, but they are dimming the lights now as the featured entertainers, a singer and her piano accompanist, take to the stage. Have a great flight! Kim Who Only Travels First Class 🙂 ... View more

Brian, You've gotta take 'em out of the foil packages first! We'd better revoke your microwave privileges before you try to put one of the metal pans of Jiffy Pop with the handle and expandable foil covering in next. Run for the hills, Brian's in the galley! Kim Sitting Near the Smoke Detector (but not tampering with it) 🙂 ... View more

Angela, Another great post! To add to some of the examples above, about eighteen months ago, my college-age son was scheduled to attend a conference in Arkansas with several other students from UT. They had booked on aanother, unnaamed aairline because it was a group package, and therefore got pretty good fares. About a week out, one of the other students had to be hospitalized and my son tried to convince someone else to go with them in his place, and since the ticket was already purchased, he assumed the alternate could just reimburse the hospitalized fellow and use his ticket. The other student was very enthused about going until he called thaat other aairline and found out that it was going to cost him $100 to change the name on the $125 ticket. Guess who wound up not going to the conference? Right -- TWO people -- the one in the hospital who just forfeited $125 and the other one who would have gone but couldn't justify spending $225. I told him in the future, their group should book with the airline that LUVs its passengers! Kim External Blog Boy 🙂 ... View more

Hey USS Blog Boy, The pilots you're hanging around currently are wimps. They have to have a hook and a wire to grab them to be able to land. Ray and his buddies land on a wide open place with no wires and have to wrestle those planes to a halt the old-fashioned way!! LOL Kim External Blog Boy P. S. Don't anyone else take this the wrong way -- Francisco KNOWS that I am teasing and that I am HUGE supporter of our military pilots! 🙂 ... View more

Colleen, Thank you for a great blog explanation to help set to rest all of those hearts that are fluttering across the Southwest system, both internally and externally. When I first saw the news online yesterday, I was both shocked and not at all surprised. Those sorts of announcements, such as the one about you and Herb, always seem to cause us to stop in our tracks for a moment. One minute we're racing down the road and then suddenly we see a speed bump and we hit the brakes. Our forward progress doesn't stop, it just slows down a bit as we go over the bump and then we continue on. That is why I was not surprised. Following Herb's reassurances to people after his health issues a few years ago, it became very clear that a lot of thought and care had gone into designing a continuity plan that would safeguard the health of Southwest Airlines, as a highly successful business model and as a place oozing with CULTURE. As much as we as people want to cling to our heroes and leaders (which you both clearly are), we have to be reminded that the greatest gift and legacy a leader can give is not the success of the organization during their constant presence, but its success after they have left it. A great deal of the legacy that both of you, but you in particular, will leave at Southwest is the very special culture that flows through the bloodstreams of 33,000+ Employees, and through them, out to millions more of your Customers. Of course, a huge part of our confidence that you give us is embodied in so many very talented and skilled leaders who manage all of the day to day activities of Southwest. Naturally, the epitome of that leadership is found in Gary, who we know will continue to demonstrate a Servant Heart, a Warrior Spirit and a Fun-LUVing attitude as he keeps Southwest the best airline in the world! Best wishes always to you and Herb on a well-deserved "step back", Kim External Blog Boy 🙂 ... View more

Jason, You'll be glad to know that as a result of that incident, there is a new onboard regulation that says Brian is NOT allowed to heat his candy corn in the microwave any more! Kim External Blog Boy :) P. S. Brian was the embarrassed Employee you saw being escorted off the plane while he was still covered in white fire extinguisher powder... ... View more

Ray, Thanks for the reply! I think I've ridden with some of those "transitional" pilots, because I've had flights where I saw two "four-stripers" up front, although I would think that all the flopping from left to right seat would make the mental adjustment to instrument and switch location even tougher. At the company where I used to work, the head of our aviation department (for our bizjet) had a policy that he and the #2 guy swapped seats every other trip. That kept them both very current in their "left seat" hours, but I always wondered what their brain would tell them if they suddenly had to reach out to do something in an emergency. We're proud of all of the pilots and the FOs who fly for Southwest!! As a friend and former career USAF driver used to say, "just keep flying between the red light and the green light!" Kim Who Has No Stripes 🙂 ... View more

Gee, Fred, I must APOLOGIZE that no one else will comment about you! Kim Chief Apologist for External Bloggers 🙂 ... View more

Captain Ray, You mean that's all there is to it? A piece of cake!! LOL Obviously, it IS a big deal, and your explanation of the process was very interesting. Reading that process should help reassure nervous fliers about something that us seasoned travelers have already known -- the folks in the front office are TRUE professionals and once the person has made the promotion to the left seat, they have had many hours of outstanding training and experience, resulting in the production of a truly skilled pilot. I do have one question that you didn't cover. After the "official" FAA sign-off on all of your paperwork, is there an "official" ceremony where you slide the three-stripe epaulet off and slide on the new four-stripe one? If so, is it like it is in the military, where you can request a friend or relative who is a senior officer to "pin" your new rank on your shoulders? Or does Herb just show up with a permanent marker and draw an extra line on your shirt? :) We're blessed to have so many wonderful pilots at Southwest Airlines, because in addition to knowing that they are good "drivers", we also know that they LUV those of us sitting behind them! Thanks for another great post, Captain! Kim Who Is Always Confident When Flying on Southwest Airlines Because of People Like Ray Stark 🙂 ... View more

Congratulations to both Fred AND Southwest Airlines for this wonderful piece of very positive publicity from Business Week! That was a great interview and I think Fred did a masterful job of explaining what he does while getting across the message of the Culture of Southwest and how they really LUV their Customers! Kim External Blog Boy 🙂 ... View more

Wow, That just shows you how smart those SW pilots like Cap'n Ray are. They start with "89 other variables" , then deduct drying paint, phone activations, relocation and office finish-out and arrive at a remaining total of "eleventy-seven". I never DID get that new math when my kids were in school, but it reassures me that the guys and gals up front calculating fuel weight and headwinds and the pounds of candy corn onboard can do it! Kim The Mathematically Challenged Blog Boy 2 + 2 still equals 5, doesn't it? 🙂 ... View more

I agree with Leslie Ann above ("...I wish the Flight attendants would be more proactive about what goes in the overhead bins...") I've been on a number of flights when the majority of the passengers have wished that the FAs would stuff a couple of the rowdy kids and complaining adults into the overhead bins, too. Kim Who Never Checks His Bag Full of Candy Corn 🙂 ... View more

That's ok, my Longhorn can squish anything he sends me... Hook 'em Horns! Kim Burnt Orange Blog Boy 🙂 ... View more

Jenny, Great advice. One point in particular, "...When you see a restroom nearby, better use it before getting in line...", is something that Brian has adapted to his own situation and has been a hard and fast rule for him for years. His version: "when you see a candy corn vendor nearby, better stop and stock up before getting in line." Kim EBB 🙂 ... View more

Joe, I am not a cat lover, and therefore could not be Catbert; I am probably more comparable to Wally, even though I'm not a coffee drinker, either... LOL Kim External Blog Boy who never had pointy hair even when he was a boss 🙂 ... View more

Erin, Well, the fact is that you are only seeing part of the bigger picture. Southwest hires Goodrich to get all of the mud out of their planes after the crack Elbonian technicians have finished doing the maintenance and safety modifications. As I'm sure you know, or can read in the link above about Elbonia, they do not have runways, and so planes (and people) just land in the waist-deep mud over there. It is messy, but it is also cheap, and allows Southwest to save billions and billions on maintenance costs, which frees up that sum of money to pay Blog Boy each year. Oh, and Duckgirl? Congratulations on the newly-awarded Holiday Bowl victory from 2005! Kim External Blog Boy and Director of the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Elbonia 🙂 ... View more

Uh oh, Leah, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your always-enjoyable enthusiasm does not override the fact that you are wrong! Actually, available research indicates that NO airline, domestic or international, has ever routinely offered candy corn as an in-flight snack. However, I understand that after Brian retires from Southwest in twenty-five years, he plans to be the founder of an upstart low-fare carrier called Lusk Air. They will serve complimentary candy corn onboard his fleet of brand new Boeing 838s. The livery colors for Lusk Air will be orange, white and yellow, and of course, their initial plane and flagship will be named Candy Corn One. So, sadly, no prize for you EXCEPT the treat of getting to fly on Southwest Airlines, the greatest airline in the world, on your upcoming trip to MCO! Tell Mickey hi for us... Kim External Blog Boy and future Publicity Manager for Lusk Air 🙂 ... View more

Francisco, Hey, buddy -- another fascinating chapter from your ongoing adventures! You know how much I enjoy reading these and seeing the pictures, which have much improved since your earlier face-to-face visit with the camel! LOL Keep up the excellent work y'all are doing -- I know it gets frustrating and discouraging at times, but hopefully seeing the responses you get here will help you to remember that there really ARE a lot of people back home who appreciate what you and your shipmates are doing. Besides, look at it this way, you're seeing parts of the world for free that plenty of people pay good money to visit! Your friend and fellow blog boy, Kim 🙂 ... View more

James, Great post, but you forgot an important one: 10 -- Windows: Don't forget that SWA follows a strict policy that ALL windows should remain completely rolled up while in flight, and at no time should you extend your arms out the windows to wave at people on the ground. Wanting to be fully safe, Kim External Blog Boy 🙂 ... View more

Arnold, My friend Joe does not actually have high enough security clearance to know the truth. All of Southwest's planes are flown to Elbonia, where they receive outstanding and very professional maintenance. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elbonia Just setting the record straight, Kim Who Has Never Been to Elbonia 🙂 ... View more

and for an EXTRA bonus bonus question: Which airline(s) operating in this country have offered Candy Corn as an in-flight snack? Bonus Bonus Bonus question: Which airline(s) operating on this planet have offered Candy Corn as an in-flight snack? Good luck...let's see who gets the correct answer posted first! Kim External Blog Boy 🙂 ... View more

Joe, When I was on an expense account, I used to go to those all-you-can-eat buffets and I usually did "et al", but no more! As far as the bumper sticker goes, you'd be amazed at how strong of an adhesive you can create with smushed candy corn on each corner of something. Those things are better than super glue! Kim P. S. It wasn't adhered to anything -- my wife barely puts up with all of my SWA plane models everywhere, she sure wouldn't allow something stuck to the wall. It was in a frame! 🙂 ... View more