Belly Laugh Day

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Mon, 01/22/2007 - 10:06 — Colleen Barrett

Having FUN is a way of life at Southwest Airlines, and when I was contacted by Elaine Helle, the organizer of the Belly Laugh Day, I knew that Southwest had found a kindred spirit. Elaine calls the event a "virtual celebration" of fun and laughter, and it takes place on January, 24 (1/24) at 1:24 p.m. in whatever time zone you reside. Belly Laugh Day is international in scope, and you are encouraged to laugh out loud at 1:24 p.m.

Why was the date chosen? Elaine tells me that one British researcher claims that January 24 is the most depressing day of the year because Holiday bills are due, the light is low in the Northern Hemisphere, and many of those who dared make New Year's resolutions have probably broken them by that point. Yet laughter really is what Reader's Digest calls the "best medicine."

Of course, laughing comes naturally for Southwest's Employees and Customers on a yearround basis. We have three equally important components to Living the Southwest Way: The first two are a Warrior Spirit and a Servant's Heart, but completing this group is a Fun-LUVing Attitude. Whether it's our Reservations "hold music" (thankfully, you seldom have to hear this--not because of the humor, but we try to answer right away); a Gate Agent or Operations Agent (the folks who take your boarding passes) making a funny comment in the gate area; or a Flight Attendant's humorous briefings, the Fun-LUVing attitude is on display. You have also read some pretty funny stuff on this blog, so Belly Laugh Day isn't really anything unusual for us--it just reinforces who we are.

How can you celebrate Belly Laugh Day? Their web site has lots of simple suggestions. I admit that I am not a good joke teller--although I can tell some pretty funny stories--but I do LUV to laugh. I have asked Jill Howard-Allen to join in the spirit of the day, and the post below has some "Jill Jokes" for you to enjoy. (Okay, some of them may cause you to groan instead of roar with laughter, but they will tickle your funny bone.)

The biggest lesson we can all "take away" from Belly Laugh Day is that laughter and fun are important 365 days of the year. By the way, did you hear the one about the...? On better thought, I will leave the jokes to Jill.

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As a testament to SWA's Fun-LUVing Attitude, the president of our company, called me this morning to tell me about his experience on a flight from Dallas to St. Louis this weekend. To make a long story short (and you can read the long version on our blog, Mine Your Own Business (http://www.tacony.com/myob) Bill was surprised to look up from his magazine to see Herb Kelleher passing out peanuts to the flight's passengers!

There was no announcement that the founder of the airline was acting as a flight attendant, but it didn't take long for the word to spread through the cabin. What a great example of corporate leadership and customer care! Keep up the good work!

Mike Buckley — Mon, 01/22/2007 - 17:32

Hmm... the drudge report says that today (the 22nd) is the most depressing day of the year. Maybe we should forget about exact dates and ust say this is the most depressing week of the year!

JG — Tue, 01/23/2007 - 00:28

Laughing is one thing I do best, seriously! Sometimes, I laugh so hard my stomach hurts! :)
I read the other day that physiologists proved that having a good belly laugh for 15 minutes burns as many calories as doing sit-ups for 10 minutes!

Leah — Tue, 01/23/2007 - 05:18

I wholeheartedly agree with Colleen about SWA stories. The stories you share from your Southwest Airlines experiences make me laugh and smile. Have you ever produced a collection of stories from Fun-LUVing people? I love the story about "I thought all you needed was LUV to fly on SWA".
I submit the following.
What did the zero say to the eight?
(answer) nice belt
The Belly Laugh Bounce 'Round the World is about to begin in Fiji.
With a smile and a belly laugh,
Elaine Helle

Elaine Helle — Wed, 01/24/2007 - 00:31

MONDAY WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE YEARS MOST DEPRESSING DAY. DEBT FROM THE HOLIDAYS, BAD WEATHER AND MOST NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS HAVE BEEN BROKEN. IM JUST GLAD THAT CUSTOMER TOLD ME LATE IN MY DAY, I WAS HAVING A GREAT MONDAY. IM SORRY I MISSED THE TUESDAY BELLY LAUGH , I ADMIT I HAVE SEVERAL IF NOT MANY A DAY IN THE AIRPORT. THANKS FOR A GREAT PLACE TO COME TO CALL WORK LAUGHAND BE WITH MY FRIENDS AND GET PAID. THE BONUS FOR VALENTINES WAS SUCH A GREAT BOOST. IF ANYBODY COMPLAINS ILL PAY THEIR TAXES AND TAKE THE GIFT.

carroll — Thu, 01/25/2007 - 22:02

I have been meaning to send this letter for quite awhile, but, like so many of us, I have never seemed to get around to it. On July 28, 2006, my 11 year old son, Paul, and I took a flight from Louisville, KY to Baltimore - Washington, DC. It was Paul's flight, and I have to tell you that he still talks about it. I made sure to tell the gate attendant that it was Paul's first flight, and everyone in the crew went well out of their way to make him feel very special and give him a flight he would remember. They were very successful, and our flight back, on July 30th, was just as memorable. Thanks. We are committed to SWA, and appreciate what you did to make an 11 year old feel like he owned the sky (even if just for a few hours).

Victor J. Ippoliti — Mon, 01/29/2007 - 02:29

Colleen--I was on flight 418 from Baltimore to San Antonio Tuesday. We were stuck on the ground for 3 and a half hours while the weather did its thing. I have got to hand it to the flight crew, especially the pilot. What should have been a 3 hour flight turned into a seven hour ordeal, but how the crew handled the situation should be used as a case study of first-rate customer service.

The captain immediately starting telling us what was going on, why we were sitting at the gate, etc. He not only kept us well-informed, but he explained what was happening and why. He then started passing out peanuts and ice water himself, as did the first officer. I was more than impressed. The pilot and the crew deserve a huge award. Well done!

Paul Marsh
Seguin, Texas

Paul Marsh — Thu, 02/15/2007 - 17:37

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