Blog Team
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.
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A TALE OF TWO MARKETS
By: Bill Owen 
Aug 27 2007
As part of the festivities celebrating our reentry into San Francisco International Airport (SFO) this Monday, Southwest Airlines also announced that we're going to supplement our initial SFO service by adding eight daily nonstops between SFO and Los Angeles Int'l Airport (LAX) effective November 4. This will supplement our existing 20 daily roundtrips (which operate on the hour or half hour all... read more
Overbooking
By: Bill Owen
Oct 03 2007
Airline overbooking. It's misjudged, misinterpreted, and mischaracterized. Most people don't understand it–if it were a person, it'd be an odd cross between Donald Trump and Truman Capote. You're not sure you get it, you don't think you like it, but it usually makes for an interesting story and is the butt of jokes by comedians on late-night talk shows. However, overbooking is actually... read more
Summertime
By: Bill Owen
Aug 08 2007
In the key of G-Flat-minor, please, to the tune of Gershwin's "Summertime"....
Summertime,
And the airport is busy,
Carts are tumpin',
'Cause the luggage's too high,
Let's check our bags,
And not carry 'em onboard,
Then we'll breeze through the checkpoint,
And off we'll fly…..
It's another busy travel summer, and while I've been out and about the crowded airports and large amounts of carryon... read more
What does Southwest Airlines give me the freedom to do? Bill Owen
By: Bill Owen
Jul 03 2007
Southwest gives me MANY Freedoms--but if you look at them as a whole, Southwest gives me the Freedom to maximize my life. Here, I'm allowed--no, I'm encouraged--to be passionate about what I do, to contribute to our shared success in ways without boundries, to learn without ceasing, and through it all, to enjoy myself like crazy. The net effect is almost akin to "perpetual motion"--my Southwest... read more
1,096 MORE REASONS TO LUV NEW ORLEANS--AND OTHER SCHEDULE TIDBITS
By: Bill Owen
Jun 27 2007
Today, Southwest released our November, 2007 Schedule, and folks that travel to or from New Orleans are going to be particularly happy–1,096 seats a day happy, in fact! Effective November 4th, we're reinstating our often-asked-about nonstop service between New Orleans and Birmingham, with three flights each business day. Besides the new Birmingham service, we're listening to the marketplace... read more
RICE-A-RONI, ANYONE?
By: Bill Owen
May 11 2007
This August…..the Southwest Airlines route map will no longer be "Sans Francisco."
Just as we promised, we're bringing our LUV Jets back to San Francisco International Airport (SFO)! Effective on Sunday, August 26th, Southwest begins nonstop service between SFO and San Diego, Las Vegas, and Chicago Midway, with direct or connecting service to 46 additional airports from sea to... read more
MY HARDEST WRITING ASSIGNMENT
By: Bill Owen
Mar 13 2007
Believe it or not, I've got "writer's block."
Certainly not as it pertains to "Nuts About Southwest," of course–I can always find something to share with you guys–nor does it pertain to my work. Trust me, the Schedule Planning Department is hummin' these days, and the only difficulty I'm having in writing up studies and reports is trying to find at least a little... read more
SAN FRANCISCO...OPEN YOUR GOLDEN GATE!
By: Bill Owen
Feb 09 2007
At the distinct risk of turning the Southwest Airlines blog in to a BILL-log (three blog posts from me in two weeks is bordering on overkill, I realize!)...there is news to share! Southwest is returning to San Francisco International Airport early this fall! This news was announced last night (February 8) by our CEO, Gary Kelly, at the Message to The Field in Oakland. We've been working on... read more
READY...SET....BOOK!
By: Bill Owen
Feb 08 2007
DING! You are now free to make reservations on Southwest Airlines for travel through August 24, 2007!
Thanks everyone for your...ummm...."patience" while we've finalized the Summer 2007 schedule. This has, in all honesty, been quite an eye-opening experience for us in Schedule Planning. While our goal has always been to maintain between 120 and 180 days of bookable inventory, as I explained in... read more
WHY CAN'T I MAKE RESERVATIONS FURTHER IN ADVANCE?
By: Bill Owen
Jan 24 2007
Schedule Planning Department members are used to being asked questions. Usually, it's "What's the next new city?" or "When are we going to add nonstop service from X to Y?" Of course, we can't give direct answers, as we have to protect the confidentiality of our growth plans. In fact, we've learned to tap dance our way around those types of questions better than the cast of 42nd Street. ... read more
Latest LUV Mail
From: Cynthia Moynihan
Tampa,Florida
An Act of Kindness
May 20 2013
Going to an airport and getting on a plane and traveling to
unfamiliar territory takes on a whole new meaning when one...
