Southwest's Cofounders got together in 1967 to discuss their idea for a new airline that would bring the Freedom to Fly to America, and when Rollin King finished sketching out the idea on a cocktail napkin, Herb Kelleher told him, "Rollin, you're crazy. Let's do it!" Much the same thing happened when we presented the idea for this blog to Southwest's Leaders. They thought we were crazy — but hey, we are nuts, and we're doing it! So, from deep in the heart of Texas, we say "Howdy" and welcome you to Southwest's homestead in the blogosphere. (By the way, in case you stumbled upon this site by accident and were looking for our regular web site, southwest.com, this link will take you there: www.southwest.com.)
Our goal with this blog is to give our readers the opportunity to take a look inside Southwest Airlines and to interact with us. This is as much your blog as it is ours. We have lined up a crew of bloggers representing a diverse cross-section of our Company. The most current postings will be found on the home page, and we have organized the archives by category. We want to build a personal relationship between our bloggers and you, and we need your participation. You are the "other half" of this blog, and our bloggers can't wait to communicate with you, so get busy posting.
This is the point where we insert the "fine print" and discuss the guidelines for posting. The Southwest Blog is starting out as a moderated site because we want to ensure that everyone stays on topic. We would LUV for you to post your thoughts, comments, suggestions, and questions, but when you post, make sure that they are of general interest to most readers. Of course, profanity, racial and ethnic slurs, and rude behavior like disparaging personal remarks won't be tolerated nor published. Even though our blog is moderated, we pledge to present opposing viewpoints, and we will strive to keep it interesting, diverse, and multi-sided. Our bloggers want to engage in a conversation with you, but not every post will receive a response from us. However, we encourage you to respond to our bloggers and to the posts of other individuals. We also ask that you be patient with our bloggers for a response. Some of our bloggers are Flight Crew Members, so they may delay a response for a few days while they are "on the road." (Actually, we should probably say that they are "in the air.")
One final disclaimer — the Southwest Blog is not the forum to address personal Customer Service issues. All of us have "day jobs," and we simply don't have the resources through this blog to resolve individual concerns. Even though this is not the forum, Southwest is eager to resolve your concerns. Our Customer Relations/Rapid Rewards folks want to assist you, and you can contact them by mail at Southwest Airlines, Customer Relations/Rapid Rewards, P.O. Box 36647, Dallas, Texas 75235-6647; by phone at (214) 792-4223; or by fax at (214) 792-5099. For reservations, please visit southwest.com or call our Reservations Center at 1-800-I-FLY-SWA (1-800-435-9792).
Comments
[...] But let’s look at the Southwest Airlines blog userÃ
[...] Check out the blog user guide and how it addresses customer service concerns. The blog has what few others have… entries from all areas of its workforce: captains, flight attendants, managers, and even a mechanic! [...]
[...] Southwest s Cofounders got together in 1967 to discuss their idea for a new airline that would bring the Freedom to Fly to America, and when Rollin King finished sketching out the idea on a cocktail continue [...]
[...] Edit: Apparently the non-standard spelling of love as LUV is some sort of trademark language abuse commonly used by Southwest. It’s in their user’s guide too. Note that I don’t have beef with t3h l33t haxX0r l4n9ua3 as such. It’s the fact that it’s in an official company web log which intends to commemorate a major natural disaster. Am I being a snob here? [...]
[...] Southwest Airlines Blog Welcome to the Nuts About Southwest Blog Southwest s Cofounders got together in 1967 to discuss their idea for a new airline that would bring the Freedom to Fly to America, and when Rollin King finished sketching out the idea on a cocktail [...]
I am very concerned about the new boarding. I have not tried the new system yet, but have heard negative comments about boarding in Nashville, ( my home base). I am concerned about boarding with my daughter. My husband or myself, one of us must sit with her, but I am concerned about this happening? No assigned seats, and no pre-boarding of people with young children, (yes, I think 7 is young.) What if the flight is full, and I have a c boarding pass?
What if I cannot sit with my daughter, because there are no seats available? I have also found out if you purchase the lowest priced ticket, you cannot get a boarding pass that you print at home. You have to wait till you reach the airport, and you are guaranteed a c boarding pass. This is a real problem, especially if you have young children, and making me consider going with another airline.
something needs to be done about the couples not being able to sit together on your plane due to your loading procedures.i feel bad for the elderly
The fact that it is becoming increasingly difficult to book tickets using rewards passes is ridiculous. One of the best things about Southwest has been the generous rewards policy; I have often booked a flight on your airline even if it has been a more expensive option because of the great rewards program - it inspired a lot of loyalty. Now however, it seems that every time I try to book a flight using a standard awards pass, they are unavailable - even months in advance. The option to use twice as many of your earned standard awards for a "Freedom Award" is just insulting. This is a terrible change in policy and TONS of the people I've spoken to are furious. I hope that you will reconsider going back to the old (GREAT) awards system.
You can still "pre-board" after the A group boards and if you really want to board first you can get on early and get an A pass even if there isn't traditional pre-boarding. This just keeps people from taking advantage of it to board a very large group of people and/or as a crutch to not to bother with their ticket until the last possible second and still get on first. It's really actually a lot calmer and more relaxed now in Nashville now because you can sit until the boarding time and not have to stand holding your luggage in an uncomfortable fashion for an extended period of time. I think you'll find yourself pleasantly suprised at how much more normal(like the other airlines) it now and as long as you get your boarding pass at a reasonable time you will get a good seat and wont have to worry about being in the C group.
We have been flying Southwest for two years now and can honestly say that we have NEVER had a bad experience. The flight crew is always very accomodating and sometimes down right comical. We especially liked the jetway decorations when we traveled on Halloween. The relaxed atmosphere makes for a very pleasant flying experience. I love to fly but , my husband would rather have his feet on the ground. So the periodic updates from the captain and the friendly nature of the flight crew makes the entire trip enjoyable for him too. In an ever changing world where customer service had fallen by the wayside Southwest has not forgotten who is really important. Thank you for mastering the art of customer service! LUV Southwest!