Contributor
Angela Vargo
Angela Vargo is Manager of Product Development for Southwest Airlines in Dallas. Prior to joining the Marketing Department in June of 2006, Angela spent four and a half years as a Public Relations Spokesperson and “media measurement guru” for the airline. She transitioned to her current role shortly after co-creating “Nuts About Southwest” and considers this blog to be one of her most meaningful career accomplishments to date. Never at a loss for words, Angela considers herself one of Southwest’s most enthusiastic supporters and routinely engages willing (and occasionally unwilling) participants in heated discussions about the industry. Recently, she “unintentionally” started a debate about the economic benefits of repealing the Wright Amendment while standing in line for a sandwich at Subway. A former PR account executive, rock station disc jockey, lifeguard, pharmacy clerk, all-you-can-eat buffet waitress, video store clerk, janitorial supply store receptionist, and hospital Candy Striper (that’s striper… with one “p”), Angela considers herself a life-long learner and “wannabe athlete” who loves working out, doing anything outdoors, writing, reading, traveling, college football, and hanging out with family and friends… not necessarily in that order A 1999 graduate of The Best College in America (Texas A&M University), Angela presently lives in Hurst, TX with her husband of five years and their two loveable 80-pound pups, Brutus and Barkley. Public Service Announcement: As the Vice Chair of the local American Red Cross Blood Services Division, Angela is a strong proponent of saving lives through blood donation. Find out more by visiting www.givelife.org.
Recent Activity:
Recent Activity Posts
Southwest Airlines Salutes Father's Day: The Tool Man
By: Angela Vargo 
Jun 16 2010
Thirteen years ago my husband (then boyfriend) took me home to meet his parents. I’ll never forget walking into his house and coming face to face with…Bob Vila. Ok, it wasn’t actually Bob Vila, but with the beard and thick head of hair he looked an awful lot like him. Turns out that similarity wasn’t limited to looks. My father-in-law is a master of fixing, building, installing, woodworking …... read more
Welcome to the World Wide Web...Inflight
By: Angela Vargo
Feb 10 2009
Today marks a historic day for Southwest and our Customers. After many months of evaluation and development, Southwest is the first airline to test aircraft-to-satellite Wi-Fi technology!
As you have probably heard, Southwest chose California-based Row 44 to evaluate this ground-breaking technology on four aircraft. Today, that test is becoming a reality and the first Southwest Airlines... read more
Change Is Good, but No Change Is Even Better
By: Angela Vargo
Sep 03 2008
If you've been on a Southwest flight, you've no doubt heard the Flight Attendant ask for change for a $20 bill. Well, those days are going the way of knee socks and penny loafers (did I just date myself?). Beginning September 9, Southwest will "flip the switch" and accept only credit and debit cards for beer, liquor, and energy drink purchases. Of course we'll still take your drink... read more
08.08.08
By: Angela Vargo
Aug 08 2008
As a kid, I hated the summer Olympics. We had five television channels, and every single one of them showed the Olympics for three weeks straight. No Smurfs. No Looney Tunes. No Mr. Roger's Neighborhood. Just a bunch of boring adults doing boring things like running and swimming. I did those things every day and didn't understand why it was such a big deal to watch other people doing it.
Now... read more
First Encounter with Colleen
By: Angela Vargo
Jul 11 2008
Our salute to Colleen continues
My most impactful encounter with Colleen was also one of my first.
I was relatively new to Southwest and very green, so the prospect of getting to work directly with Colleen was extremely exciting (not to mention nerve wracking). The Dallas Morning News was writing a feature on her and needed a photo to accompany the story. I was the lucky “chosen one,” and... read more
An Unexpected Delight
By: Angela Vargo
Jun 12 2008
Yesterday morning, I pulled up to the drive-thru at Starbucks and rolled down the window to order my usual Grande, skinny vanilla latte with one Sweet n Low and powdered cinnamon mixed in. When the barista handed me my drink, it had a green plastic stick with a logo on top in the sip hole.
“What’s this?” I asked the barista.
“It’s a splash stick so your drink doesn’t spurt out while you... read more
Monster For Sale
By: Angela Vargo
May 02 2008
Wanna buy a Monster? No, not the big scary kind that live under beds and in closets. I'm referring to the latest product making its debut on Southwest planes this Sunday, May 4 - the Monster Lo-Carb energy drink.
For just $3 or one drink coupon, you can get your caffeine fix and be ready to hit the ground running when you get to your destination.
Why Monster? Research proved it's one the top... read more
A "Foiled" Attempt
By: Angela Vargo
Oct 17 2007
Fun comes in many shapes and sizes around here...and sometimes it goes to the extreme.
Such was the case last week when Online Marketing Specialist Sheri Salas arrived at work on her birthday to find a special birthday surprise from her boss, Kevin Kleist.
Kevin wrapped EVERYTHING on her desk...including notebooks and shot glasses (um, Sheri, explanation?).
Gotta love office pranks...feel... read more
One of Our Own
By: Angela Vargo
Aug 15 2007
Yesterday we received news that one of our Employees, Sgt. Charles Kitowski, was killed by a road side bomb in Afghanistan. I didn't know Charles personally, but it doesn't matter - he's family to all of us at Southwest and we are grieving this loss.
The comments have started pouring in from Employees that did know and love Charles. Please feel free to leave comments, share memories, or just... read more
Change is a Beautiful Thing...
By: Angela Vargo
Jul 16 2007
..unless you're changing your airline reservation in which case change is a pain in rear...not to mention costly.
That's why I was really surprised and pleased when I stumbled on a recent post to Flyertalk.com about Southwest's lack of change fees.
This person states that they specifically try to concentrate their business with Southwest Airlines out of Denver (where competition is alive and well... read more
