As John Conlee sings the lyrics to “Common Man” you hear about a man who likes the laid-back life; someone who prefers his Budweiser to wine and a Chevrolet to a Mercedes Benz. But as I hear the song fill the Ryman Auditorium and see our Leader up on stage strumming his guitar, I think this is anything but “Common.”
Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly performs at the Grand Ole Opry with John Conlee. // Stephen M. Keller
Our Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer, Gary Kelly, was invited to play on stage the the Grand Ole Opry as part of their “I’m with the Band” program. This program features high-profile guests from the world of sports, business, journalism, and entertainment, and invites them to sit in with the band at the Opry for a performance or two. And what a performance it was—to a packed house at the Ryman, which included several Southwest Employees that came out to cheer him on. Joining country legend, John Conlee, the two opened the “Show that Made Country Music Famous” with the hit song “Common Man,” and Gary did not miss a beat! John Conlee’s band was so great, they even loaned Gary their limited-edition Martin guitar commissioned to celebrate the Opry’s 75 th Anniversary in 2000.
Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly performs at the Grand Ole Opry with John Conlee. // Stephen M. Keller
An encore performance with “Rose Colored Glasses” closed out the segment and as the curtain closed, John gave Gary his very own pair of rose colored glasses! Gary was presented a “I’m with the Band” framed poster to commemorate this once-in-a-lifetime experience. He joins the ranks of NBC’s Lester Holt, CBS’s Bob Schieffer and Paul Shaffer of “The Late Show,” who have all participated in the program. Gary is the first CEO given the honor.
For more than 20 years, Southwest Airlines has been a proud partner of the Grand Ole Opry, which has included our annual Southwest Night at the Opry, Grand Ole Opry concert series at the Southwest Porch at Bryant Park and branded Opry gate at the Nashville International Airport, to name a few. We can now add inclusion of “I’m with the Band” program to that list
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Southwest Airlines Employees show love to our Customers throughout their entire travel experience—whether they’re booking a flight at home, in transit at an airport, or flying on one of our planes. But our Hospitality doesn’t stop there. We're dedicated to the cities we serve and strive to be an integral part of those communities. One of the ways we have done so is by partnering with local spaces in various cities to create what we call the Southwest Porch—an inviting gathering place in the community.
In 2009, we first opened the Southwest Porch at Bryant Park in the heart of Manhattan. Recently, we renovated the space, and introduced our bold, new look to the design of the Porch’s menus and umbrellas.
Last Friday, we hosted an official opening event, welcoming guests to the Porch to experience the updated space. Michelle Chamuel, runner-up from season four of The Voice, performed an acoustic set while attendees mingled at the Porch.
Headed to NYC soon? You can take part in a variety of fun activities in the park, including bingo, concerts, movie screenings, and (in the winter) ice skating. We’re proud to share the love on the ground both with our Customers who live in New York City and those just visiting the Big Apple.
We invite you to visit the Southwest Porch at Bryant Park for a taste of our Southwest-style Hospitality. The Porch is open daily; visit Southwest.com/porch for details.
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05-20-2015
11:57 AM
7 Loves
Cancún, Cabo San Lucas/Los Cabos, Belize City, Puerto Vallarta, San José, Mexico City, Montego Bay, Liberia…
What do these cities have in common? We announced last week that we will serve all of these destinations out of our brand new international terminal in Houston starting in October. Tickets to all of these international routes from Houston are now for sale on southwest.com.
To celebrate our new routes, Southwest turned Hermann Square in front of Houston City Hall into a beach–complete with straw palapa huts, palm trees, and beach balls. Entertainment included a steel drum band, Mexico and Caribbean-themed food trucks, a photo booth, a dance troupe, and live music performed by the band TropicCrew. Representatives from the new international destinations and Southwest Vacations were onsite to provide travel information to party guests. Three lucky winners also walked away with vacation packages to Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, and Aruba!
Gary Kelly, joined by Houston Mayor Annise Parker, kicked off the day’s festivities by announcing Southwest’s newest addition to our route map and 97 th city: Liberia, Costa Rica.
Following the news conference, street teams made up of Houston-based Southwest Airlines Employees and guys dressed in scuba gear took to the streets to invite Houstonians to the beach bash and spread the message of the new schedule and fares. They gave away beach towels, sunglasses, and beach bags – all the items you’ll need for your need for your next Southwest beach vacation.
We closed the evening with City Hall shining bright in Southwest colors. While the sun slowly set on this historic day for Houston and Southwest Airlines, we look forward to launching our first flights from Houston to these new and exciting international destinations on October 15!
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06-06-2014
04:37 PM
06-06-2014
04:37 PM
Thanks Patricia ... glad we were able to help!
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09-17-2013
04:40 PM
3 Loves
Drew Schofield Live at 35®!
Earlier this summer, in one of our Nuts About Southwest blog posts, we announced a contest to give an aspiring musician the chance to “Take the Stage in Nashville.” The winner received the exclusive opportunity to perform not only Live at 35® on a flight into Nashville, but also onstage at Nashville’s Musicians Corner concert.
We had many great and talented artists enter this contest, making it a tough decision for our panel of judges! Our judges selected one very talented and deserving artist: Drew Schofield, a resident of Denver.
On Friday, September 6, Drew came onboard the flight from Denver to Nashville, surprising and delighting our Customers with a concert at 35,000 feet! Among those in the audience were his wife, Chelsea, and eight-month-old son, Austin. Performing “Canvas” and “Audrey’s Song,” in addition to his winning submission that he wrote especially for the contest, Drew proved to be quite the Inflight Entertainment hit!
Drew with Flight Attendants Katie Fry, Candace Dickson, and Linda Ward.
Hope you enjoy the video, which illustrates Drew’s journey from start to finish.
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08-15-2013
05:45 PM
08-15-2013
05:45 PM
How will the winner of this contest be notified? The rules/fine print states winner will be notified by email, but there is no place to register an email address when entering.
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It's spring—time to shed those winter layers and head out into the sunshine! What better place to spend time outside than at a Southwest Porch? Southwest has created outdoor spaces in three of our cities: New York City, Dallas, and most recently, Atlanta. The Porches provide a comfortable, relaxing place for both locals and tourists alike to enjoy, sometimes in the midst of a bustling city. Not only that, our Southwest Porches host events such as concerts, executive chats, game nights, and more for the public to enjoy. We felt it only appropriate to hold an Opening Event at each of our Porches to celebrate not only being open to the public, but also for the season! On April 5, the Southwest Porch at Park Tavern in Atlanta threw open its screen door and enjoyed some Sweet Tea … that is the cool sounds and musical stylings of Ed Roland and the Sweet Tea Project. More than 150 people enjoyed this free concert, along with raffle prizes and discounted drinks under the stars in Atlanta’s Piedmont Park. This is but the first of many events that will take place on the Southwest Porch. Next up, is a Mother’s Day’s Brunch on May 12. If you’re in Atlanta, you can treat Mom to awesome food at an amazing place! The Southwest Porch at Strauss Square is nestled in the heart of the Dallas Arts District. Situated behind the Winspear Opera House, the Southwest Porch at Strauss Square is open for every performance at Strauss Square and during special events at the Winspear Opera House. In addition to comfortable lounge seating with a great view, the Southwest Porch at Strauss Square offers free ping pong, free WiFi, unique outdoor cuisine from Wolfgang Puck’s onsite grill, specialty cocktails created by Wolfgang Puck, and a signature Southwest Brew, Franconian Wheat, created by Franconia Brewing Company of McKinney, TX. Already this spring, the Performing Arts Center has held performances from artists such as Pat Benatar and Big Bad Voo Doo Daddy. Tickets for all events can be found here: http://www.attpac.org/. There will be many more events to come at The Southwest Porch at Bryant Park—we have a full lineup this year, which includes a different Southwest Airlines city featured each month! Next time you travel to the Big Apple, we hope you’ll stop by!
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Are you a Business Traveler that is tired of paying bag fees? Done with blackout dates? Fed up with change fees? Then we invite you to take the Southwest Airlines Business Travel Challenge, literally! If you’ve seen our new commercials, then you’re familiar with our obstacle course themed challenges that put Southwest Customers up against “those other guys.” In true Southwest fashion, we highlight our products and policies (No bag fees and No blackout dates, to name a few!) in a FUN way, all the while driving home the fact that “Business Travelers Win with Southwest Airlines!” We’ve taken this challenge to the streets, giving our Customers a chance to experience the challenge for themselves. Contestants fight their way through the “Bag Fee Barrage” and “Change Fee Fiasco,” trying not to get knocked off the platform by those unwanted fees, until their reach Southwest, where it’s smoothing sailing to the finish line. Contestants have a chance to win Southwest Airlines tickets and fare savers if they make it through to the end. The challenge made its debut at the State Fair of Texas and will hit the road, visiting Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles in the coming weeks. If you reside or visit one of these cities, keep your eye out for updates on times and locations on the Southwest Airlines Facebook page
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Dads in the New York area got a jumpstart on Father’s Day festivities yesterday as we invited them out to the Southwest Porch at Bryant Park for some friendly competition. We asked these proud papas to put their “Dad” skills to the test in the “Father’s Day Relay.” The obstacle course, which included some nail-hammering and tie-tying (among other things), challenged Dads at an assortment of activities right in the middle of Manhattan! First-place-finishers won gift cards courtesy of SkyMall, and one lucky winner walked away with roundtrip tickets on Southwest Airlines! The Southwest Porch also provided a great venue for these Dads to relax in the sunshine while watching coverage of the U.S. Open or practicing their own golf game at our putting green. This fun event was just our way to show some appreciation to Dads out there for all the wonderful things they do. A big “Thank You” to all those that joined us and on this day dedicated to Dads. Southwest wishes you Pops out there a very happy day!
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It’s hard to believe that the holiday season is upon us! What better way to kick off the season than to open an ice rink right in the heart of Atlanta! The Centennial Olympic Park Ice Rink presented by Southwest Airlines will open this Saturday, November 19 th and is the first major sponsorship for Southwest Airlines in Atlanta. To celebrate its opening, the first 50 visitors on Saturday will skate for free, courtesy of Southwest! We’ll also have a fun photo opportunity for all visitors to take part in! You can get an idea of what the rink will look like in the above picture. Not only does the ice rink offer a unique metropolitan backdrop, guests will enjoy covered observation seating, theatrical lighting on the fresh ice, and holiday music. To add, we’ll be out at the rink every Saturday (excluding 12/24) through the end of the year with opportunities to win free roundtrip tickets and other fun and surprising activities. Stay tuned for details on those events. The ice rink is open daily through January 29, 2012. If you find yourself in Atlanta, skate on over to Centennial Park! Hope to see you there! And remember, this rink is only the beginning for Southwest! We begin service to Atlanta on February 12, 2012!
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I love this! Its such a great idea! Great PR. Love the blog too!
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12-23-2009
11:19 AM
271 Loves
Here at Southwest Airlines, if there’s one thing we LUV, it’s celebrating the Holidays! So, to help us celebrate, the world-famous Radio City Rockettes ‘kicked-off’ the busy Holiday travel week at Dallas Love Field. The precision dance company known for their eye-high kicks and fancy costumes, spent some time at Love Field Monday as they visited with Customers and Employees, posed for photos, even demonstrated a kick or two! Our Customers were in for a surprise when boarding their flights only to find a Radio City Rockette welcoming them onboard! What a great way to spread some Holiday cheer! The Radio City Christmas Spectacular starring The Rockettes is touring in several cities nationwide now through December 31.
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Hi Julie, we certainlly appreciate your support and we hope you can join us in Panama City Beach for the big opening. Unfortunately, we are still working on details of the festivities for the opening, and once they are available, they will be posted on southwest.com. You can also receive updates if you follow us on Twitter (http://twitter.com/SouthwestAir). Also, if you will contact me offline at brian.lusk@wnco.com, I can let you know when I know something.
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