Nuts About Southwest

What about those crazy terminator robot de-icers I saw recently at Cleveland Hopkins airport. I took a short jump over to Chicago and before takeoff these scary trucks with big robot arms and lights and whatnot swarmed the airplane and covered us in pink liquid.

Can you tell us more about those?

And what about some info from your baggage handlers. That seemed like an ok job. Out in the fresh air, loading and unloading airplane bellies. Is it hard on the knees? Do they wear special back supports? How about "that guy," you know the one. The happy guy who's been handling bags for 10 years and is everybody's friend. I want to hear from that guy.

And what about these fuselage cracks I heard about on NPR today? What's that all about? How do those happen and what are the recommended repairs? I understand that Boeing says that it's no big deal, but nobody like to hear about stray cracks or broken things, so how does SW fix them?

Thanks, I really enjoy the openness and candor of your blog. Just like the Sun microsystems blog. Everything is open.

How about who sets up your numbered que lanes, you know the 1-5,. 5-10, etc.

I was in LAX and saw a set that was backwards, meaning a the very front was a sign saying 5-10 to the right (towards the gate) and 1-5 to the left. I'm not sure I'm describing it right, but it seemed that we had left hand set at a right hand gate or something like that.

Or how about Fuel Efficiency? Are you going to keep the -300's and -500's and outfit them winglets or are they going to be replace with more -700's or something bigger like -800 or -900's? Given the sky-rocketing price of gas, have you guys been thinking about using turboprops on some of your routes, though you would end up having 2 kinds of planes.

How about In Flight Entertainment? Since Frontier, Jet Blue, and Virgin America all have IFE, you are alone with SkyBus as the only two LCC's without IFE. Of course you don't need it when your flight attendants keep us entertained, but they seem to be running short on humor these days.

Can't wait to get on one of your planes this Friday!

I live in Brentwood, TN so I frequently use Southwest out of Nashville.

Do you like working in Nashville? If so, whats the best part and the worst part of your job?

Thanks for the wonderful work you and your airline do on a constant basis.

How about some photos of what our baggage goes through between the ticket counter and the aircraft?

Or.. detail on what is involved in the process of upgrading the gate areas at all of the stations from start to finish?

Or.. a polling campaign to have passengers determine what will be in the next edition of the snack box served on long flights...

Or a little local interest... Why do the BNA baggage carousel screens frequently not match the baggage arriving on that belt? Does SWA control the screens, or does the airport have them set on a schedule?

how about the people with high boarding numbers that cut in line and go unnoticed by the screeners. THere is typically a lot of space in the business select groups and I continually see people going in there with numbers like A 45.

Hey there! Just wanted to stop by the blog to see what was up. I am a new employee with Southwest stationed in Denver, CO. I am a Ramp Agent. My first 3 days went fairly well with being on the gates, marshalling aircraft and loading luggage. It can be really hard on the knees when you're in the bins but they provide us with Knee Pads, and lemme tell you, you will want them!! Especially on heavier flights (lots of luggage/passengers). Today I got to witness firsthand what happens with luggage once you check it at the ticket counter. I got to go in the hole (or T-Point) and sort the luggage according to destination cities and transfer cities. There's all kinds of conveyor belts (mini-rollercoasters as what I like to think of them) that spit ur luggage out and we sort it. It was cool to see also how overload luggage is handled (skis, golf clubs, strollers, car seats). They go up a neat little "elevator" to the baggage claim area. So pretty much while you are walking about upstairs trying to make it to your flight, there's lots of action going on below you. LOTS!

What Hotel Companys do the Flight Anttens Stay in.

How about a day in the life of a CSA? I know what they do, obviously, but I think it would still be interesting!

Joke for the day: What did one set of scales say to the other? We go weigh back! Ha, ha. I thought of that.

P.S. This may get posted twice because it wasn't earlier. Maybe Blog Boy had candy corn stuck on his computer!

SWA LUV! :)

how come southwest doesnt fly out of boston,ma? wouldnt that be one of the biggest airports to fly out of? (Logan)

Can always write about your 60+destinations or one that's unheard of like Omaha :)
How about talking about those southwest uniforms that we see with sleek tennis shoes?
Why it seems that one flight crew is catching a ride in the back of the plane always wears those bluish polos?
Discussing all the SWAg you guys have. Thank you for what you sent me as a result of the blog trivia.

How do you get ideas for SPIRIT magazine?
Maybe more about employess behind the scenes.
Posting inflight pictures of great USA scenery.

Keep up the great work!