Southwest Airlines Community

Some travelers love overbooking because of the possibilty that they might gain a free trip. Others hate overbooking because they have a meeting to attend two hours after the flight is supposed to arrive. Is there a way you could add a step to your booking process asking customers if they would mind being overbooked and receiving a refund? Therefore, the business travelers who must stay on schedule will be happy and the college students who are searching for a way to earn enough money to attend a friend's wedding half-way across the nation away will be happy. By the way, US Airways will end all flights from Pittsburgh to Chicago, Denver, Louisville, Nashville, and Norfolk/Virginia Beach in January. Think about adding flights and destinations... ... View more

Southwest Airlines employees are up at 3:00 A.M.!?!?! I have a whole new appreciation for them! ... View more

Where are these statistics from? ... View more

It's incredible how much I learn from this blog. Keep it up! ... View more

I appreciate your explanation of Southwest's Internship program because I am considering it. Would it be possible to work as an Intern while I'm a college student? ... View more

OK, I'm just dying to know. What are the seven markets that are gaining service, and what are the seven markets that are losing service? ... View more

Southwest Airlines is thirty-six! ... View more

Keep up the good work, Southwest Airlines!!! Effective July 7, US Airways will drop two of their ten flights between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Also, US Airways will drop their only two flights between Baltimore and Pittsburgh. ... View more

Every Thanksgiving, I run the Boulevard Bolt down Belle Meade Boulevard in Nashville. All the proceeds are given to Nashville's homeless. The boulevard is just spectacular, especially with the cool, crisp morning air, the clear blue sky, and the occasional Southwest jet criss-crossing the sky. ... View more

How does this compare with moving from Delta to Southwest? ... View more

Leah, I believe you were talking about the Holiday Inn Chattanooga Choo Choo. ... View more

Wow!!! (That's all I can say.) ... View more

I love this blog, too. I read it every day. It really gives me valuable insight into an industry that I could never receive otherwise. ... View more

I'm confused. I read this article before and I promptly voted for Southwest (that was before 100 readers had voted). But to be honest, I have never flown jetBlue. Even if I did fly jetBlue, I can't imagine having a flight attendant like Michael Cunningham. After examining the thirty-four comments and the poll of 1,768 participants, it appears that the more customers are more satisfied with jetBlue because of extra features like DirectTV, Satellite Radio, and a wider selection of snacks. I still believe that Southwest should add more features like that. For thirty-five years, Southwestà ... View more

I had the privilege of attending the Easter Sunrise Service at the Arlington National Cemetery this past Sunday. It was truly moving to be surrounded by 300,000 men and women who had given everything to preserve our liberty. I really appreciate Southwest doing so much to support them. ... View more

I have always wanted to tour Albuquerque. Here in the Smoky Mountains, everything is always green and never very dry. Albuquerque's landscape is 180 degrees from my home. It seems gorgeous simply because it is so different. After reading BlogSouthwest so much, Albuquerque seems to have a vibrant culture. By the way, do you know why so many people fly to Albuquerque? I know it's part of the Southwest effect, but more passengers fly between Knoxville, TN and Albuquerque than between Knoxville and Austin, TX; Buffalo, NY; Portland, OR, Providence, RI; Raleigh/Durham, NC, Salt Lake City, UT; or San Antonio, TX while still paying a hefty $292.79 one-way! Looking at numerous other cities, you'll notice that more people fly to Albuquerque than other larger cities. Why is that? The Southeast is known for its delicious Krispy-Kreme doughnuts. They are a tradition. My neighbor enjoys them grilled. When her daughter was having a slumber party at her home, she served grilled doughnuts to all the guests. One of the guests had just moved from Indiana and Krispy-Kreme was a foreign idea. She thought they would taste disgusting. After a lot of hestitation, she finally aquiessed and tasted one bite of a Krispy-Kreme doughnut. She was an instant fan of Krispy-Kreme and ate eleven for breakfast. ... View more

Nashville, Tennessee, is the most exciting Southwest airport. I have vivid memories of driving on 1-40 by the Nashville Airport to visit family. The large Southwest jets always got my adrenaline running. Francisco, one thing I like about Nashville is that a bus is not needed to take you to the rental cars (of course, there are plenty of happy faces in Nashville I'll never have to worry about rental cars). That is too hectic for me. Dallas Love is light years ahead of DFW, but I flew into the dark corner of Love (with Continental). ... View more

Once a Southwest jet was taxiing to the gate in San Jose and the flight attendant asked his Customers to have kind thoughts and prayers about our troops serving in Iraq. All the Customers applauded. ... View more

Ray, It's interesting. The distance between Providence and Phoenix is 2,662 miles if you drive. If you fly, only 2,277 miles lie between those two cities. ... View more

Rob, I am not the expert on the issue of Southwest commencing service between Birmingham and New Orleans. However, I will say that there are painfully few passengers flying that route today. According the Department of Transportation, only 33 passengers fly daily on that route (that was during the 2nd quarter of 2006, the latest date for which data is available). Compare that to only a year earlier, when 368 passengers flew daily between Birmingham and New Orleans. Furthermore, before Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans was a connecting destination for many Southwest Customers. For example, a Customer from Birmingham flying to San Diego could connect in New Orleans. Since New Orleans generates less traffic, it is impractical to offer nonstop flights to numerous destinations from there for Birmingham Customers to connect to. So there has been both a decline in nonstop Customers and connecting Customers. However, I assure you that the Folks at Southwest are keeping an eagle's eye on that route and are searching for an excuse to resume service. And there is a reason to remain optimistic: We all know that a nonstop flights and lower fares increase traffic. The nonstop flight is gone for now, and the average one-way fare has risen from $80.56 to $186.80 one-way. Restore the nonstop flight and discount the fare and Customers will flood to Southwest Airlines ticket counters. Furthermore, passengers from Louisville and St Louis traveling to New Orleans could connect in Birmingham adding passengers to New Orleans (Everyday, 57 passengers fly between Louisville and New Orleans and 140 passengers fly between St Louis and New Orleans). Furthermore, Southwest offered three flights one-way between Birmingham and New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina. There is a good chance that traffic will soon rise enough to restore at least one of those flights. As far as I know, Southwest has done more than any other airline to stimulate growth at New Orleans. And it is people like you that are enthusiastic about supporting Southwestà ... View more

I find this fascinating. Are times really changing? It seems like Southwest is starting to serve every city in a metropolitan area, contrary to its past. Does this signal the possibility of Southwest beginning service to Boston-BOS, Chicago-ORD, Dallas/Ft Worth-DFW, Houston-IAH, Miami-MIA, or New York-EWR, JFK, or LGA? After glancing at a few statistics, I do see a need for Southwest at San Francisco. The average fare between San Francisco and Los Angeles is currently $157.80, a sharp contrast with the average fare between Oakland and Los Angeles--$106.70. And there are 2,117 passengers daily on that route. I can see some profits there. Same thing with the San Francisco-San Diego route. The average fare between San Diego and San Francisco is $177.41 and the average fare between Oakland and San Francisco is $116.05. And there are 840 daily passengers on that route (statistics came from the Department of Transportation for the second quarter of 2006, the latest for which data is available). I recently read an article in the Cincinnati Inquirer which said that the five airports in the United States with the most expensive average fares are Charleston, South Carolina; Cincinnati, Ohio; Huntsville, Alabama; Knoxville, Tennessee (NO DOUBT); and San Francisco, California. But the average fare between San Francisco and Phoenix and Las Vegas is within $5 of the average fares between Oakland and Phoenix and Las Vegas. Wouldn't the extra costs and the extra wait time for take-off quickly at San Francisco quickly make up that cost? By the way, Bill, I am in highschool and my dream is to work at Southwest's headquarters. Your job seems fascinating. What majors/colleges would you recommend? Southern Methodist University seems attractive since it is so close to Dallas Love Field. I would enjoy working with Southwest (such as a check-in or ramp agent) while I attend college. ... View more

"There were folks from Indianapolis, Tennessee (Go Vols!), Las Vegas, Oklahoma City, Sacramento, and quite a few more that I canà ... View more

Yes, I totally agree with all of you. Terry, that was a sad story about US Airways. But it isn't surprising. On one of my flights with them, the flight attendant grumbled, "I've worked way too long (seventeen years)." You wouldn't hear that from any of Southwest flight attendants that have been flying more than twice that long. Maybe we should pass legislation saying that all pilots based in Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, and Texas should be able to fly when they are older than 65. "SET OUR PILOTS FREE!!!" On a different note, I did enjoy reading the article. They cited Southwest pilots as being most adament against the retirement age at 60. No wonder. Southwest pilots enjoy their work the most. I also found it humorous that the American pilot complained, "Sometimes I hate going to work with all the negativity at the airline." Maybe if you Senior pilots are worried about retirement, you can train new pilots (Does Southwest train its pilots? I don't believe it gives the pilots degrees, but doesn't it brush up the pilots' knowledge?). The woman who checked my brother off was a short 5-foot woman in her nineties that had fought in combat during World War II. ... View more

Sometimes the media does get on my nerves. They choose whom they will support and whom they will tear down. I'm sure other airlines have done things worse than this, but no one looks. Everyone expects dreadful service from them. When Southwest does something questionable, everyone looks. When Southwest does something extraordinary, no one looks. They expect the best service from Southwest (According to the Department of Transportation, Southwest has the fewest customer complaints and highest satisfaction scores.). I remember reading a comment on this blog by a former Southwest Airlines employee saying that she held the last flight from Dallas to Houston for an hour and a half for a customer with a heart transplant. Hey, Brian Lusk, why don't you have a post where you ask everyone to tell a story about Southwest? That would be refreshing. ... View more

The smoothest flight I have ever flown (out of 13 flights, one flown privately by my brother) was the Southwest Airlines flight from Ontario to Nashville. No flight experience has ever come close to that. ... View more

I am a high-school student. I have a speech tournament on February 1. I am intending to give a speech explaining how teamwork is the key to Southwest Airlines' success. If any of you have some really humerous stories about Southwest, I'd LUV to hear them. (I know there a numerous stories, but it's better hearing personal stories.) I don't have many awesome stories, because (a) I live 293 miles from the nearest Southwest destination, (b) I have flown Southwest once, and (c) Southwest is about two decades older than I. Thank you sooo much. LUV you guys!!! ... View more

For any of you looking for landmarks, I just ask the flight attendant. I've flown Southwest twice (Nashville to Ontario and Ontario to Nashville; they were the best flights of my life). I asked the flight attendant what city were were over, and she called the pilot. I was sitting on one of the back rows, and I heard her laughing a lot while she was speaking with the pilot. By the way, I was flying Continental (I know, it's a crime. I had a bad experience with them. But I live 293 miles from the nearest Southwest destination [Nashville]. Just fly to Knoxville and then we'll fix that.) from Houston, TX (IAH), to Asheville, NC (AVL). After we had been in the air for just over an hour, I noticed a large city coming up. I asked the pilot if it was Birmingham, and he said it was Memphis. Why would he fly over Memphis? That seems rather out of the way to me. ... View more