Southwest Airlines Community

It is officially summer, at least from the Southwest schedule perspective! Yesterday, we began operating our June Base schedule. This schedule extension celebrates the most new markets beginning on one day in the last 10 years! On top of increased service to summer and newly added leisure destinations, yesterday marked the first wave of Southwest’s expansion into Hawaii, with Las Vegas (LAS) and Los Angeles (LAX) becoming gateways to the islands in addition to expanded service from San Diego (SAN). We are also delighted to resume service into two international cities: San Jose (SJO) and Liberia (LIR), Costa Rica. Finally, we welcome a previous Southwest destination back to the Southwest Family!   We are excited to return Southwest Hospitality to Jackson, Miss. (JAN). Last flown in 2014, Southwest will return Jackson, Miss. service to Baltimore/Washington (BWI), Houston (Hobby) (HOU), and Orlando (MCO). Additionally, Southwest will connect our Customers in Jackson with Atlanta (ATL) on a nonstop basis for the first time. We will serve Atlanta and Houston with three trips daily Monday through Friday and twice daily on Saturday and Sunday, Baltimore/Washington with one trip each day, and Orlando with one trip on Saturday and Sunday. These markets will allow our Jackson, Miss. Customers to connect to a wide variety of leisure and business destinations across the network.    “Southwest aircraft taxis through a water cannon salute—Stephen M. Keller.”   Jackson, Miss. is also an exciting destination to visit! If you are a history or nature buff, the Capitol of Mississippi is home to a wide variety of history, art, and science museums. Jackson, Miss. is also conveniently located along the Natchez Trace Parkway, a 444-mile scenic drive that cuts across the entire State of Mississippi and features numerous overlooks, waterfalls, swamps, and historical places worthy of a social media post. If you are up for another road trip, you can explore the mighty Mississippi River along the Great River Road. After a day of sightseeing, you can head back to Jackson, Miss. to enjoy the eateries and entertainment venues of the hip Fondren district.   Whether you are looking to ride the waves this summer or explore a new destination now that Southwest has landed back in The Magnolia State, head on over to Southwest.com to book your travel today! ... View more

  We’re often asked if Campus Reach Interns are ever hired for full-time employment after their internship. Our answer: we love hiring Interns! The Campus Reach Program has built a talent acquisition pipeline here at Southwest, so you will see many of our former Interns roaming the hallways as full-time Southwest Employees.   Jake Garbelotti interned twice in the Technical Operations Department, in Fall 2013 and Summer 2014. He is now a Material Planner I in Technical Operations. Read on for more.   Year/semester of internship: Fall 2013, Summer 2014   Department/Team interned for: Tech Ops Supply Chain—Field Services (2013); Inventory Management (2014).   Department/Team and current job title: Tech Ops Supply Chain—Material Planning (Material Planner I)   Years at Southwest:  2.5 full-time   Favorite Southwest city: Orlando because it’s the theme park capital of the world and I love visiting all of my friends from my college town!   Most memorable Southwest moment/event: Adopting a local elementary school and donating flights to the school’s soccer team. We organized a special send off for the kids that included special escorts, Southwest goodie bags, meeting the Flight Crew, and visiting the cockpit! Also winning the best Halloween skit and Chili Cook-Off (showmanship) two years in a row!   First ever job: Bagging groceries at an H-E-B Grocery Store   Proudest Southwest moment: Being chosen to lead Supply Chain Management in the 737 MAX Project and being a part of the first MAX delivery flight from Seattle to Dallas!   Words to live by:  Don’t let any moment pass you by. You should always make your goals and desires happen when you can because nothing is guaranteed tomorrow. Focus on what makes you, and others around you, happy!   Reasons other people should intern at Southwest: As an Intern at Southwest, you get the best of both worlds—professional development and Fun-LUVing Culture. Where else do you get to work in a professional environment, learn how to adapt to high-stress situations, be trusted contributing to projects, all the while partaking in fun events and traveling around North America? At Southwest, you are treated as equal—both professionally and personally as part of the Family.   Ultimate Travel Tip: Pick the window seat with two windows in the row—it makes for awesome views, picture opportunities (#WingletWednesdays), and more shoulder room for sleeping! ... View more

Today, August 16, happens to be National Roller Coaster Day, and here at Southwest Airlines with our Fun-LUVing, quirky side, we’ve certainly got a roller-coaster story for you!  Supply Chain Management Intern Jake Garbelotti shares his LUV of flying and LUV of roller coasters with us. Enjoy! “Balder” is Jake’s personal favorite! We all travel for different reasons, whether it is for family, a nice relaxing time on the beach, or a trip to a new and exciting city to see all the sights.  However, for me, I travel for one reason—a fast-paced journey to ride every roller coaster in the world.  It’s a great excuse to travel, and being able to combine my passion for flying and roller coasters is so fulfilling.  To me, nothing is better than getting on a ride with a group of friends, throwing our hands up in the air, and having a ton of fun without worrying about anything else! It all started at a very young age when my parents took me to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia on a weekly basis. I began begging them to take me to new parks, and I blame them for getting me addicted!  I fell in love with the high speeds, intense G-forces, and adrenaline that resulted from every ride.  In 2008, I started counting each new roller coaster I ride, and as of August 4, 2014, I am up to 660 very unique and memorable coasters.  My next goal is to accomplish the 700-milestone mark! Thanks to the No Limits Internship program here at Southwest, I have been able to travel all over the country to ride new coasters that are far away from my home in Orlando.  I have flown to Seattle, Spokane, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego, Salt Lake City, Albuquerque, Chicago, Grand Rapids, Louisville, Cincinnati, New York City, Baltimore, and Hartford—all during the last two semesters to ride the newest and best coasters out there.  The NoLimits program was flexible enough to allow me to take time off to journey to places as far as Australia, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland, where I experienced some of the more unique theme parks and rides in the world.  If it wasn’t for my hobby, I probably would have never visited and seen any of these places and enjoyed some of the neatest cities (Sydney, Copenhagen, and Stockholm come to mind) in the world. “Intimidator 305” is Jake’s pick for the best steel roller coaster. The most common questions asked when others hear about my love for coasters are “So which ones are your favorites?” and “What are the best roller coasters out there?”  In my opinion, you have to head up northeast to find some of the best rides the USA has to offer.  For steel roller coasters, my favorites are Intimidator 305 (King’s Dominion in Virginia), Maverick (Cedar Point in Ohio), and Bizarro (Six Flags New England in Massachusetts).  On the wooden side of things, Boulder Dash (Lake Compounce in Connecticut) is at the top of my list, followed by Outlaw Run (Silver Dollar City in Missouri) and Ravine Flyer II (Waldameer in Pennsylvania).  Overseas, the parks are filled with attractions you would never see in America, such as fun houses, insane playgrounds and trampolines, and even crazier rides, such as Piraten (Djurs Sommerland in Denmark), Balder and Helix (Liseberg in Sweden), and Tornado (Särkänniemi in Finland). Silver Dollar City’s “Outlaw Run” So, if you’re up for the thrill of your life, take a trip to ride some of these amazing coasters!  I’ll see you out there on my quest! If you’re interested in interning at Southwest Airlines and having an adventure of a lifetime too, be sure to check out our No Limits internship!  We’ll be posting our Spring 2015 Internships on Monday, August 18 until September 15.  Summer internships open later this fall. Also, check out Priyanka’s Intern adventure story.   ... View more