Web Resources

1 | 2 | 3 | Page 4 | 5



TOUR OF HEADQUARTERS
The Green Plane wasn’t the only news they shared with us. Afterwards, we left the hangar and went into their main headquarters, which was a real trip. These guys are the opposite of most conservative corporate airlines and you got the sense the moment you walked through the front door: spooky Halloween decorations below the model Southwest planes hanging from above, greeted us.

SOUTHWEST COLLAGES
The hallways are decorated with photos, memorabilia, past advertising, and employee or customer collages from their 38-year history. They even have a hallway filled with mannequins outfitted in past employee uniforms. Now this place would make for a good haunted house with these lifelike mannequins. I also checked out their Univeristy, café (they serve breakfast and lunch) and employee store, where I bought a cool hat for $15.



FACTS ABOUT SOUTHWEST
Here are some facts I learned about Southwest Airlines (SWA):

-SWA has been around since 1971

-They fly only Boeing 737s (they have 455)

-They have nearly 9.5 percent of the U.S. market share

-They are the nation's largest carrier in terms of domestic passengers enplaned

-Southwest currently serves 67 cities in 34 states; Milwaukee will be their 68th city on November 1

-They currently operate more than 3,200 flights a day and have nearly 35,000 employees

-SWA is 65% hedged for 2010 in the $75-$85 range

SOUTHWEST QUOTE OF DAY
“If you don’t change, you will die.” – Herb Keller, co-founder of Southwest

NO BAG FEES
Before more announcements were made, we had some Texas BBQ for lunch. I was sitting at a table just about to devour my food when lo and behold, Gary Kelly (CEO of Southwest) said, “You mind if I join you?” Who’s going to turn Gary down? I’ve met him before at NBTA but didn’t really get to chat with him like I did here. I learned all about his life growing up in Texas. The one thing that may interest you is this: He said Southwest Airlines will NOT charge a bag fee next year. Not even for a second bag, which he sort of alluded to at NBTA.

PANAMA CITY
Other big news of the day: Southwest will begin service at a brand-new international airport being built near Panama City, Florida next May. This is huge news for that part of northwest Florida since it’s been plagued by high fares and a lack of full-sized airline service. But come May 2010, travelers will be able to explore its sugar-white-sand beaches more easily and more cheaply.

NORTHWEST FLORIDA
FYI: They didn’t announce specific service plans (they will in December) but the reason they chose it was easy. They partnered up with a corporate partner, St. Joe Corporation, for the first time. (Here are the details of their deal.) The St. Joe’s Corporation is the largest landowner in the state of Florida, owning over 600,000 acres of prime Florida Panhandle woodlands and beaches. They also develop award-winning resorts like the Watercolor Inn, which my brother reviewed a couple of years ago and absolutely loved.

SOUTHWEST TO INCREASE ST. LOUIS
Gary (we’re on a first name basis now) also announced during a live webcast for their Facebook fans, that Southwest intends to pick up American Airlines’ slack in St. Louis. Southwest Airlines will be adding nine new daily flights to six new destinations (Nashville, Raleigh/Durham, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Seattle and San Diego) from Lambert International Airport. The new flights are expected to begin by May 2010 and will be open for sale in December. By next May, they plan to be operating 83 weekday departures from St. Louis. For the specifics, click here.

DENVER GETS SOME LOVE TOO
St. Louis wasn’t the only city getting love from Southwest Airlines; they announced they will continue their growth in Denver by adding 13 new daily flights and six new nonstop destinations next year. The service will begin on March 14, 2010 but they’ve already started selling tickets now for as low as $79 one-way. The cities are Hartford, Boise, Ontario, Detroit, Washington Dulles and Oklahoma City. For the new service beginning in May, click here.

1 | 2 | 3 | Page 4 | LAST PAGE >>>

Note: This trip was sponsored in part by Southwest.







Copyright 2009 JohnnyJet, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.