This blog chronicles our grand entrance into Atlanta, and the state of Georgia. You can also follow our Atlanta At Last coverage on Twitter, and as told by four guest bloggers with the AJC (Atlanta Journal-Constitution).
Tuesday, February 14th:
Atlanta, you have taken our collective breaths away. We can feel the love from Customers, our various hosts for this opening weekend, and our fellow AirTran family members who already call ATL home.
To that last point, it was great to celebrate one final time Monday evening, and as one, at our Atlanta Message to the Field. The yearly Messages to the Field (there are multiple) involve our Leaders traveling to a handful of our cities to inspire, and set the course for the year ahead.
The key message from Gary: to whom much is given, much is expected. So true, and we have a lot to be thankful for at Southwest.
Happy Valentine's Day, everyone. We can feel the LUV!
Monday, February 13th:
Today marked the second day of service, and we celebrated with Georgia dignitaries at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Georgia Governor Nathan Deal introduced Southwest Chairman, President, and CEO Gary Kelly.
Meanwhile, in our Atlanta out-markets (our initial five cities, that is), Customers new and old were racing to "Spot the Peach." In Denver, for instance, our peach Karissa showed off her ice skating talents.
Sunday Morning, February 12th:
The first flights were greeted by dozens of beaming Southwest and AirTran Employees, ready to send off our Customers in style.
The morning was topped off with an unbelievable flash mob, put together and choreographed by Employees of both our great Companies, right here in Atlanta. Our big One LUV family never ceases to amaze me. It is truly remarkable to see them in action, wowing the Customers (and fellow Employees) time and time again.
Saturday Evening, February 11th:
If you've already watched the video directly above this update, you might be asking, "What in the world?" (or nodding that it's "so Southwest").
For those of you wondering, we do a variety of things when we open up a city: offer low fares, free-flying bags, and no change fees. But that's not all. We also do Community outreach by using our manpower (and great Culture) to go beyond the airport to make a difference. More on that tomorrow. Tonight, like in so many other cities, we took advantage of the nightlife; an the opportunity to celebrate with the Community.
And celebrate we did!
We took over four restaurants in the Luckie-Marietta District: STATS, Max's Coal Oven Pizzeria, Rise Sushi Lounge, and Der Biergarten.
At each restaurant, we had entertainment, a free Southwest-themed appetizer (congrats to Rise Sushi on winning best in show there), and we had roundtrip ticket giveaways. As you'll see in this hilarious video, one of our AJC Bloggers was crowned "Southwest Airlines Pie Eating Champion of the World." Hilarious!
Saturday Afternoon, February 11th:
Atlanta at Last!
This afternoon, we landed at Hartsfield Jackson-International Airport (as seen from the accompanying video). Captain Tim Leonard made sure we made good time, and we arrived early in Atlanta, departing from Dallas Love Field.
This afternoon, we landed at Hartsfield Jackson-International Airport (as seen from the accompanying video). Captain Tim Leonard made sure we made good time, and we arrived early in Atlanta, departing from Dallas Love Field.
Image Courtesy: @SarieJBerrie
The celebration began inflight, but we had no idea what kind of reception was waiting for us when we landed. This picture, courtesy of Chelsea O'Teter, perfectly illustrates what happened next:
You can follow along our adventures, both Employees and Customers, by using the #AtlantaAtLast hashtag on Twitter. Next stop Luckie-Marietta District, where we'll be continuing our celebration with the Atlanta Community. Come on down, if you're in the area!
Comments
So happy for SWA. Great new opportunities for many. Enjoy :)
Say bye to business class. So long Airtran. I'll miss you. Delta is ready when I am.
I am very interested in applying for positions in the Atlanta GA HUB but I do not see any openings in the Atlanta Gate. Nor have I seen any in the past three months. What gives....
D
Post new comment