Southwest Airlines Community

Hello folks!  It has been awhile since I've had the opportunity to post.  I'm currently out on a leave of absence and hope to be back at work the middle of March.  But since I have A LOT of time on my hands, I thought I'd play a little game with ya'll!  So....let's go! Let's do a game about our accomplishments in the year 2007: 1- Our Customer Service Agents, Skycaps, and Ramp Agents carefully checked and loaded how many bags in 2007? 2 - In addition to offering Positively Outrageous Service to our Customers and ensuring that our aircraft depart safely, our Ops Agents played a key role in turning how many flights in 2007? 3 - Our skilled Pilots flew how many hours and how many miles?  Also, how many times around the earth is that equivalent to? 4 - In addition to gracefully managing those seemingly unending lines at the ticket counters and gates, our Customer Service Agents sold how many tickets? 4 - How many boarding passes were issued by our Customer Service Agents? 5 -How many of our GREAT Passengers printed their boarding passes at home?  At the kiosks? 6 - Our resourceful and patient Customer Relations/Rapid Rewards Department received and handled how many telephone calls? 7 - How many Customer letters did they answer? 8 - Our efficient Cargo and Ramp Agents transported how many pounds of Cargo? Go ahead and post your guesses and the three folks with the closest answers to ALL the questions will receive a wonderful prize from Brian's SWAg closet! ***posting "borrowed" from our 2008 February edition of LUVLines!!*** ... View more

Each year as the Holidays near, our HDQ in Dallas, TX is magically transformed into a winter wonderland.  A Team of Elves almost magically overnight transforms the hallways and nooks and crannies of our HDQ building into something magical.  This is something that I've come to look forward to year after year. Another tradition that we have here at Southwest is a Holiday Tree Ornament.  I've collected them for quite sometime.  In addition, they make great stocking stuffers for my mother, grandmother and sisters.   What are some Holiday traditions that you and your family share?  Share them with us as I'm always looking for things to make memories for my family and friends.  Happy Holidays and Merry Festivus (for Brian)! ... View more

Travel Tip: Fast Fitness Keeping fit on the road can be very difficult. The lack of good hotel workout facilities and eating out can lead to some definite problems. Who here likes bloat (aka jet belly)? How about gaining five pounds? How about being so jet-lagged you can barely keep your eyes open let alone enjoy your surroundings? I'm guessing very few of you. If you do like to be bloated please don't tell me. Cause.....ew. The best way to avoid these things is through a little physical exercise. If your hotel has a decent gym, by all means use it! Just getting in 30 minutes of cardio will work wonders. The more likely scenario is the lack of good equipment. That's where my trusty "gym in a bag" trick comes in handy. To get a full body workout that will keep you in tip-top shape you only need a few things: Exercise Bands/Tubes: These puppies come in multiple resistance levels. They are also small, light and can be used anywhere. Most even come with a book or DVD explaining the moves in detail so even the most clueless person can get a great workout. Jump Rope: Yep, this old school wonder strikes again. Remember the days of double dutch and who could jump the fastest? This one tool can burn a wicked amount of calories while you reminisce about your second grade crush. The only problem with this is sometimes the ceilings aren't tall enough and its frigid outside. But don't worry my friends! Pink JumpSnap has created a ropeless jump rope just for that problem. I have yet to try it, but it looks promising and its maker also donates money to The Breast Cancer Foundation. Now that's what I call a two-fer! Tunes: Music = motivation. I can't tell you how many times I've been able to push out that last mile on the treadmill because of Jay-Z or JT or some other rockin' song. I've had my iPod for two years now and absolutely love it. Any music player will do, but I specifically love it for the podcast downloads. This has been my favorite podcast so far. There are also other sites like ITRAIN and PumpOne where you can purchase pre-made workouts for your iPods. Yoga Paws (optional): 'Cause who really wants to schlep around a yoga mat? FitDeck (optional): Created by a Navy Seal to give you a complete workout in your hotel room or at home. Basically its a set of flashcards with exercises for your upper, lower, and core sections. You can mix and match, shuffle, or do the prescribed workout. Best of all--no equipment is needed. I haven't bought these yet but I'm tempted. There are only so many push ups you can do before it get veeerrrry boring. Towel: Last but not least. Peeps, if you plan on working out on the floor pleeeaase use the hotel bath towel as a barrier against germs. That is all. Provided from my friend Ashley! ... View more

Well, we had so much fun with the first blogging gate game, I thought we would go ahead and try it again.  So, for this installment, let's see if you can list (in order) the Top Ten Southwest Cities based on number of daily departures (as of April 19, 2007).  The first three folks who answer correctly, will once again, win some inexpensive SWA swag, provided by our very own Brian Lusk. Hint: The highest number of daily departures is 231, with the lowest being 95. Good Luck! ... View more

Well, we had so much fun with the first blogging gate game, I thought we would go ahead and try it again.  So, for this installment, let's see if you can list (in order) the Top Ten Southwest Cities based on number of daily departures (as of April 19, 2007).  The first three folks who answer correctly, will once again, win some inexpensive SWA swag, provided by our very own Brian Lusk. Hint: The highest number of daily departures is 231, with the lowest being 95. Good Luck! ... View more

For those of you in the know, Southwest Airlines has an award winning inflight magazine called Spirit!  The magazine has a word from our President, Colleen Barrett, all kinds of great articles, travel tips, puzzles (yes, Sudoku for you Sudoku people!), and even contests for you to enter.  If you haven't had the opportunity to check out this months magazine by taking a Southwest flight, check it out online!  It is a great read. ... View more

One of the things we get to do being members of the Corporate Culture Committee is do various events for our different work groups.  On this day, we celebrated our MDW MX (Chicago Midway Maintenance) folks!  We had three different shifts at this event, since they work 24/7, 365 days a year!  We also celebrated two birthday boys, Art and Jeff.  Our theme for this event was tropical, and we played games, cooked, and served donuts to the morning shift.  Jeff and Toni are the Co-Chairs for this group and they came up with a great MX Sudoku game.  When I left, Darius was the winning MX guy who completed the MX Sodoku game in seven minutes; our birthday boy, Jeff was sure he would have it in the bag with a very quick 14 minutes and 34 seconds.   🙂   As you can see we had a lot of fun going out on their calls with them, changing the aircraft oil, checking the air pressure in tires, and observing the C-check that was going on in the overnight hours.   What are some of the things that you do at your Company to keep the Culture alive? ... View more

We've had some pretty busy days here at the blog lately, so I'd thought it would be a good idea to have some fun.  Welcome to the first installment of Nuts About Southwest Gate Games!  I'll pose some questions and let's see if you all can find the answers on the internet or at least give your best guess.  Brian has even offered up some great prizes (Okay, some SWA swag!) for the first three folks with the answers. Today's Gate game will be about the Boeing 737 (Next Generation and Classic). 1 - On the 737-700, how much does each winglet weigh? 2 - What is the total added weight on the aircraft as a result of the Winglet Modification to a 700:? 3 - How tall is the winglet on a 737-700? 4 - What is the approximate fuel savings from the winglet modification on both the 737-NG (Next Generation) and the 737-CL (Classic Fleet)? 5 - On the 737-CL, how much does each winglet weigh? 6 - What is the total added weight of the winglet modification on the Classic Fleet? 7 - How tall is the winglet on the Classic Fleet? Some of the ways that this winglet modification is helping us are: 1. Improved takeoff performance 2. Lower block fuel (uses less fuel) 3. Increase payload range (can fly farther) 4. Lower emissions and airport noise So, if you'd like to play, just add your answers in the comment section, and I'll post the answers in a week or so. Good Luck! ... View more

One of the neat things that we get to do at Southwest Airlines is host a dinner at a local Ronald McDonald House each quarter.  At this quarter's  Ronald McDonald house dinner in Chicago, we had a baseball theme.    The House is located in Lincoln Park and serves the Chicago Children's Hospital.   Ryan Vokac and co-chairperson Liz Adams (Southwest Flight Attendants) coordinate quarterly events where they gather both food and Southwest volunteers and go to the house for the afternoon and cook the entire house a meal that evening.  They also set up various activities to do with the kids.  These events include art projects, games, etc. What makes Southwest Airlines stand out is that we actually bring our PEOPLE to the house and do a very personable hands-on evening at the house.  We do not send over a catered meal and a nice card.  Our Employees are actually there cooking a meal and doing arts and crafts with the kids and the other residents there. The house holds 21 families, and with the other family members, staff, and us of course...we cook for over 100 people.  It  is a production but our volunteers really rise to the challenge, and we can say that there is always enough food and prizes for the kids...and there is also enough to pack away for the the residents to eat later after they return from their sessions at the hospital.  Southwest Airlines is now one of the favorite hosts of the Ronald McDonald House Chicago!  ... View more

Okay!  I saw one of the neatest things on one of my flights yesterday.  It is the NEW MUST HAVE for anyone travelling with children.  It is called the Ride On - Carry On!  It is basically a chair with a headrest that you can strap on to your carry on luggage and place your child in it and tow them around with you.  One of the neatest things about the chair (IMHO) is the headrest can be removed to make a table for your child to eat on, write on, etc...  Some of the features of the Ride On-Carry on are: Install or remove in just seconds. Universal fit on carry-on luggage 18-22 inches tall. Folds flat to fit in the overhead or under the seat. Headrest doubles as a handy tray table.  I would encourage all parents out there to invest in one of these chairs.  (No, I do NOT get any type of commission for this!  😉  ) If you have any tips/tricks or hints for travelling with children, please share them and let me know what you think about the Ride On-Carry On. ... View more

Being a Southwest Airlines Flight Attendant I have to pack for quite a few different scenarios.  It is not uncommon for us to have one overnight in Providence, RI and then another one in San Diego, CA the next day.  Here is what I pack:  I ALWAYS pack 1 pair of jeans, 1 pair of shorts, a couple of T-shirts, a long sleeve shirt, other uniform pieces, and of course my undies and socks.  I also include in my toiletry bag two different kinds of cologne.  Why?  I have no idea, except I don't want to wear the same fragrance twice on one trip.  🙂  Also, with a new security directive that has recently started, don't forget that you have to remove ALL electronic devices and place them into a bin and send them through the x-ray machine.  In addition, don't forget about the TSA's 3-1-1 rule.  What do you all pack and what are some things that you don't leave home without? ... View more

One of the challenges that Colleen has given us this year is to "Own the Holiday".  We want to own each and every holiday that is on our calendar.  In that light, the Culture Chicks threw down the challenge to decorate each of our 475 originating aircraft on July 2nd in preparation for the July 4th Holiday.  I was fortunate enough to be in San Diego on the 1st of July and had a great Crew, so we decided to get the aircraft 30 minutes earlier than normal to decorate our aircraft for Independence Day.   Here are some pictures of our airplane, which also happened to be California One!   A special THANKS go out to Captain Johnny "Super" Z, First Officer Bob Bailey and Flight Attendants Lori B. and Stephanie C.  Ya'll are the BEST! ... View more