Blog Team

bowen
Author Since 2006

Bill Owen

So let’s cut right to the chase. I’m a fat, 54-year old white guy. I dance badly but cook wonderfully. I’m not losing my hair—it’s just moving slowly from my head down to my ears, shoulders and back. The bags under my eyes are almost too big to qualify as carryons. My spider veins look like a roadmap of Croatia. And I’m happier and more contented than I have ever been in my life. At work, I’m responsible for making sure that the Network Planning Department is prepared with tools, data, and processes to enable them to write and publish any kind of schedules that the Company, or the industry, dictate. And, of course, there's this gig, where I get to write about my Company and my life. Honestly, I get paid to do what I LUV to do! I know all the secrets of what’s coming in the future, and I know where all the “bodies are buried” from the past. How cool is that? At home, I’m the father of an amazing, 27-year-old policeman (you guys know him--I’ve often written about The Officer), who has a wonderful wife and now there is my granddaughter VIVIAN! I'm also the stepfather to two adorable stepdaughters who love to push buttons (most often, mine!), and the partner of a wonderful man whose long-term consumption of my cooking has recently led him to be placed on Lipitor. *sigh* I’m part of a wonderfully historic church, have a brother, one remaining 91-year-old precious aunt, dozens of wonderful cousins, and a gaggle of friends I’ve known for over 40 years. You may call it an extended, reality version of “Modern Family.” I call it "heaven." Either way, it’s my life….and I’m happy to give the blogosphere the inside view!

Fun Facts

Languages

English, Airline, Texan, Parent, and Food. I hope to eventually learn Grandparent.

Hobbies

Working, travel, cooking, writing, working, cleaning, parenting, living, and working.

Family

Son, The Officer, and his wife, the DIL, and the newest addition--MY GRANDBABY CRICKET!! Partner, Kent. Stepdaughters, the Princess of Darkness and the Space Cadet.

Pets

Two spoiled dogs, both rescue: Abby, a 7 year old 5-lb Chihuahua/Rat Terrier mix. Thinks she’s a T-Rex. And Marley, a 7-year-old 160-lb yellow lab. Thinks he’s a lap dog.

High School

Irving High School, Irving, Texas (Class of 1976)

College

Freshman/Sophomore years at Texas Tech. Graduated from University of Texas at Arlington.

Favorite Sports Teams

You’re kidding, right?

Favorite Travel Destinations

London, Paris, Hawaii (all islands), New Orleans, and Clearwater, Florida

Your Favorite Southwest Story

So many. Too many. Dozens of Ronald McDonald House dinners. Meeting amazing SWA Family members. But several stories really stand out, most shared here. One, the story of how my SWA Family just did what they do—but enabled an anonymous Customer to have a chance to say goodbye to her dying mother. See the story of Connection Lady here. And two, the absolute comment-flaming I got from the blogosphere about our “days-of-inventory” and mysterious schedule opening procedures, and how we changed corporate policy because of feedback received on “Nuts!” Read the evisceration here, and the results here. Of course—the opportunity to do my sweet Mother’s obit here on “Nuts.” And…the infamous squirrel story here.

Recent Activity:

Recent Activity Posts

HELLO, BRANSON … AND OTHER MARCH/APRIL SCHEDULE CHANGES!

Aug 27 2012
Today, Southwest Airlines and AirTran Airways open our schedules from March 9 through April 12, 2013.  This covers the PEAK of Spring Break vacation season as well as both Easter and Passover.  It’s going to be a busy time—and we have some fun changes to talk about! Conversion from AirTran to Southwest continues steadily.  Biggest news in this new schedule is:  BRANSON!... read more

"FLIGHT NAMES" JUST WOULDN'T BE THE SAME

May 09 2006
What if airline flights had names instead of numbers? Hmmmmm!. "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome aboard Angela, our eight o'clock flight to Orlando." Or; "Hey, Mike, what flight are you taking to L.A. tomorrow?" "Umm, I'm not sure, I think I'm taking John." "John's going with you to L.A.?" "No, no, John's not going. I'm going by myself." "Oh; that's what I thought. John's on vacation this... read more

FEBRUARY 2013 SCHEDULE OPENS!

Jul 16 2012
Good morning!  Today we opened the Southwest and AirTran schedules for sale from February 14 through March 8, 2013.  And I have good news to report!  We do not eliminate any nonstop markets on either network; we’re adding capacity back into both systems in anticipation of winter vacation travel; and I’ve even got some new markets to talk about.  Details below! Southwest... read more

JANUARY SCHEDULE OPENS... FEBRUARY COMING IN A WEEK!

Jul 09 2012
Good morning, everyone!  Today we opened our schedule through Feb. 13, 2013.  We have the usual seasonal shifts planned for the January/February timeframe (which is historically the slowest traffic period of the year) and adjustments for the annual seasonal wind shifts as well as winter operations.  But we have a couple of surprises as well—let’s get into the details!Let’s talk... read more

Southwest and GLAAD—A Wonderful Partnership!

Jun 22 2012
One of the things that I love most about my wonderful Company is how involved Southwest is in the many communities we serve, including community partnerships with organizations with kindred missions.  And the one most dear to my heart is the partnership between Southwest Airlines and GLAAD, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.  It’s a partnership about telling the truth... read more

Happy Father's Day

Jun 17 2012
Father’s Day is bittersweet for me.  Reminds me of my Pops, who passed in 1991, and it also reminds me that I won’t be around forever for my son, The Officer, and my stepdaughters, and my upcoming granddaughter, Vivian.I miss Pops like crazy… but like any good father he taught me so many wonderful things. Family comes before anything.  Be a parent first, be a friend second.  Shut... read more

NEW—HOLIDAY SEASON 2012 NOW AVAILABLE!

Jun 04 2012
Good Monday morning!  Schedules are now available for both Southwest and AirTran for travel effective Nov. 4, 2012, and going all the way out until Jan.  4, 2013—including the Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Year’s holidays!  Transitioning cities…transferring markets…new nonstops…multiple schedule variations…there’s lots of cool stuff in our November schedules! Probably... read more

FROM THE ROCKIES TO LA PLAYA: DENVER-CANCUN NONSTOPS BEGIN TODAY!

Apr 16 2012
It’s a wonderful day at Southwest and our subsidiary, AirTran!  Today marks the first in a series of new International routes that AirTran will be starting over the next couple of months.  Brand new nonstop service between Denver and Cancun, Mexico, takes to the sky today with the scheduled 10:40 a.m. departure of AirTran flight 74, which will arrive Cancun at 3:25 p.m. local time.... read more

WELCOME, AKRON-CANTON, DAYTON, AND DES MOINES…AND LOTS MORE SCHEDULE CHANGES FOR THE SUMMER AND FALL!

Apr 02 2012
So…if we announced all of this yesterday, you’d think it was an April Fool’s joke.  BUT IT’S NOT!  We’ve just unveiled lots of service adjustments in the Summer/Fall 2012 schedules. Headline News:  Southwest is adding THREE new cities!  Effective August 12, Southwest will begin daily service at Akron-Canton (CAK) and Dayton, Ohio (DAY).   At Akron-Canton, we’ll... read more

8,050,936: Patently Cool!

Feb 27 2012
Here’s a riddle for you:  what do Zeppo Marx, Harry Connick Jr., Julie Newmar, Abraham Lincoln, Marlon Brando, Jamie Lee Curtis, me, and five other members of the Southwest Airlines Network Planning Department have in common? Answer:  we’ve all been named as inventors in a United States Patent! It’s true!  Six of us in SWA’s Network Planning Department were named in a U.S. Patent... read more