35th Anniversary Bash!

[jmalone]

WOW! What a night. Many of you may not realize but Southwest Airlines is famous for our celebrations and the 35th Anniversary Bash was no exception. I'm not sure how many people attended, but to me it seemed like thousands! I would like to thank Boeing for taking on the monumental task of hosting this great birthday celebration for us. The theme of the party was the 70s,and as you can tell by some of the pictures the Southwest Airlines Employees did not fail. Southwest Airlines is THE greatest Company in the world to work for (at least in my opinion)! I'm thankful that I have the opportunity to hear and to touch the lives of the many people that I see on the aircraft each day that I work. Anyway, as you can tell by the photos we had a GREAT time!

[FriendofBlogBoy]

James, I've said it before (here and plenty of other places), and I'll say it again. You DO work for THE greatest company in the world, but in my years of observing many many businesses, what makes a company great is its employees. SWA is great because its people are great! Congratulations once more on a well-deserved 35th anniversary, and I'm eagerly looking forward to your 50th! Kim P. S. Thanks for the pictures -- they only confirm my feelings. Only SWA would have the character to hold a huge party in a warehouse! And I'm impressed that you got Linc from "The Mod Squad" to show up. How's he doing these days? 🙂

[Jeremy_T]

Yes - It was an Awesome party! 6 months to plan * 185 Volunteers * 3,500 burgers * 49 kegs of beer * 4 pallets of Dr Pepper product * estimated attendance of let's say 3,500 employees and guests. The Spirit of Dallas Culture Committee thanks Boeing and GE for their support for our 35th Anniversary Party!

[James5]

Hey Jeremy...good to hear from you. I saw you at the Bash and the 35th Anniv. Banquet. Wasn't that a GREAT party too? I hope to have some pics and something about that a little later in the week. Thanks for helping to plan that party, it was AWESOME!

[Dena_Fetters]

I think the party looks like a lot of fun! I think next time they should invite all the employee's family too - HA HA 🙂 Oh, and the plane tickets to get there! ;) Sister - Dena

[Eric_M]

James, What a great description of the party and of the best company to work for in the world. It was great to see you there and also to catch up with many good friends from around the system. Thanks so much for recording this event for all of us!

[kimberly__colme]

Of course, nothing compares to being at the Bash (live & in person). The Employees who were dressed in 70's attire were beyond belief and it appeared that they band, Le Freak, luv'd them as much as everyone else did. You forgot to mention that the heat was almost unbearable and that inside the hanger was hotter than being on the tarmac. The only other party that comes close, would be the 20th Anniversary Bash. At the time I worked in Finance, in our now non-existant department, Ticket By Mail. The whole day was a wash, meaning no work was done, and Boeing outdid themselves. They came out and built huge fireboxes on the HDQ deck. You would not believe it, but, they cooked fresh salmon in them to serve to the Employees. However, you must keep in mind that we were a "small" airline at that time (LOL).

[FriendofBlogBoy]

Dear Kimberly (from one Kim to another) -- Tickets by mail? YIKES!! You mean like the new version of The Pony Express? ha ha I can go you one better in terms of prehistoric practices at your "small airline". It might have been there while you were an employee, but way back in the Stone Age, I used to drive to a small ticket office that was on Mockingbird just a half a block east of the main entrance to DAL at Cedar Springs. There was a miniscule building where you could pick up tickets reserved on the phone and save going into the main terminal! Of course, I remember the really early days when I bought my tickets from a nice lady standing behind a huge cash register with buttons for each destination. Naturally, my ticket was a piece of cash register tape! Ahhhh, those were the good ole days! Oops, I guess I'm showing my age now... Best wishes, Kim

[Leah3]

I was feeling creative again recently & came up with another poem about some of Southwest's history; I feel like it's more of a rhyme than it is a poem, actually, but here it is: On the 18th day of June 1971, Southwest Airlines began to fly, with service to Dallas, Houston, & San Antonio, three planes high in the sky. Southwest's service later grew, along with an increase in planes & crew, and to more & more cities, more airplanes flew. There is certainly never any need to frown, as from 1992-1996, Southwest won its yearly Triple Crown! With Southwest's Positively Outrageous Service, there is absolutely no reason to be nervous! Ever since I've first flown Southwest, I've known, without a doubt, that this airline is the best! Southwest LUV & mine!

[Barbara_Tarpey]

Congratulations on your 35th Anniversary. I have been a care taker for my mother for the past few years. She past away in December 2005. I have used your ding fares to get away on weekends. So I could visit family and friends that I haven't seen for awhile. Thank you for making this option available. Keep up the good work. Your flights are great. I enjoyed reading your anniversary edition of Spirit. Here's to 35 more great years.

[Kelly_McCurdy]

Dear Mr. Kelleher, Mrs. Barrett, and Mr. Kelly and the hundreds of awesome party planners/employees who put together the party of the century celebrating SWA's 35th Anniversary. I had the priviledge of celebrating 10 fabulous years as an ORC Res Agent in Mar06. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to the depths of my soul for leading the way, always being there for us and for taking time out of your busy schedule to party with us. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Kelly in person. What a honor! The Oscars having nothing on us. The entertainment (skits) were great, the food and drink delicious, the band kicked @#%. Saturday night was magical. I felt like I was Cinderalla at the Ball (without my handome prince, of course). I feel honored and priviledged to be a part of the SWA team. Here's to another 35 years!! Peace and luv, ORC Res Agent Kelly McCurdy