Happy 40th Anniversary Southwest Airlines!

Southwest Airlines = continued milestones.  June 18th marked the 40th anniversary for SWA.  Fare specials for travel are just one way that the company is celebrating.  One way fares of $59 are available in select markets.  Tickets must be purchased before July 14 for travel between August 23rd and December 14th.  You can go to http://www.southwest.com/ to get your travel reserved!  It's such a great deal! 



An employee in Denver celebrating the big milestone.

At one of the gates in Denver, a little cake with candles! 

I remember my second year with SWA.  It was our 25th anniversary.  Fare specials were $25 one way.  Even employees were buying tickets just so they would have confirmed seating and not have to fly on a space available basis.  It was crazy!  Our ticket counter had a line so long it went half way down the terminal! 
We've also began a big transition.  Southwest and Airtran are becoming "One Luv!"  May 2nd was the day that Southwest began the acquisition of Airtran.  There will be many more months of work ahead and in the meantime, each airline will operate as they always have.  In celebration around our system, food was brought in for all employees to enjoy and cookies were served at the gates for our customers. 



In Little Rock, AR, the ramp agents are smiling big!

The Little Rock ticket counter is excited too!

The two airlines airplanes in Dallas in front of SWA hangar. 

This has been an exciting journey for me with Southwest Airlines.  I've seen many changes and many different employees come and go.  Friendships have been made that I'll value always, no matter what city we all work in.  I'm proud to be part of such a great corporation.  I'll be celebrating 16 years with them in October.  Congratulations to SWA and all the employees for a job well done!

Southwest Airlines Goes Bowling!

Our local station likes to have fun with our employees.  Not just on the job but away from work as well.  It's been awhile since we've done it but last night, we went bowling!  It's a great way to get out and have some fun. 

My co-worker, Tim Wald, operations supervisor, was in charge of arranging our night out.  He spoke with the owners of Sempeck's Bowling Center.  We were able to do some trading with them; buddy passes for travel in exchange for some of the services they offered.   This night was an employee and spouse/date night only.  Typically, we try to have "family oriented" events set up.  But sometimes you just need to leave those kids at home, right?!  

Each person from our group that bowled, was given a free pair of nifty socks with a design of a bowling ball and pins around the ankle.  How neat!  The women's varied slightly from the men's.   We had 4 lanes reserved just for us and at each lane there were chips and salsa for our enjoyment.  Alcohol had to be purchased and it seemed to be flowing quite easily for some.  We had such a great time! 

Co-workers Lori, Nanci and Tim

Nanci and Lori



Me, Tim and Lori



Me and my gear.  Do I look professional? 



Me walking like an Egyptian!



Our entire group that came out....so much fun!



Co-worker Don and his wife Kathy

Co-worker Scott and his wife Cindy

Co-workers Lisa, Don and I



Co-worker Lori having just bowled a strike.  The proof is on the computer moniter over her head! 



Co-worker Tim being a geek with cowboy boots and a drink in his hand.  Only Tim can pull this off.....


We had 2 hours to bowl as many games as we could or wanted to.  After most everyone left, Tim, Lisa and I stuck around for one more cocktail at the bar and then headed home.  I still had to work the next day bright and early so I couldn't over do anything!  Thanks to all the employees that were able to make it out!

Western Travels, Day 1

Today I was leaving on a jet plane (does John Denver come to mind?) to head west.  No...not to pan for gold or anything like that.  But, to play in the snow of the mountains!  My sister Cathy and her friend Kathy had mentioned to me a month ago that they thought it would be fun to go to Montana to ride snowmobile and wondered if I would like to join them.  The destination they had in mind was Whitefish, MT.  I was fully on board with that.  So the plan was in motion.  I had to make sure that I could get the necessary days off.  They also had to verify their own time free from work.
We chose the second weekend in March.....the 11th-14th.  They would drive and I'd fly to Spokane, WA where they'd pick me up at the airport.  Perfect.  Southwest Airlines flys to Spokane and I'd go for free, but on standby status.  There has to be a seat open in order for me to get on a flight. 
The drive from there to Whitefish was about 4-5 hours.  My original plan was to fly through Denver for my connection to Spokane.  My whole morning was going according to plan.  I hadn't forgotten to pack anything and I'd gotten to the airport on time to check one bag and made it to the gate with time to relax a while before boarding my flight.  I knew it would be full and I'd probably have to ride in back with the flight attendants.  But it was fine with me as it meant I was still going on that flight!  We were all boarded up and just waiting for the door to close for push back off the gate.  It seemed to be taking a while.  Soon I saw a fellow ramp agent pop his head inside the aircraft and motioned for me to get off the plane.  I should have guessed that the morning had been going just a little too smoothly.  Long story short, because of the baseball team that was flying on the same flight I was going on, they had lots....and I mean lots, of checked baggage.  Thus, there was a weight issue.  My getting off the plane was part of the solution.  (you really need to understand the entire weight/balance concept in order to get all this...) There was a lot of fuel on board as well.  But, there was still one more airplane at another gate scheduled to go to another city a little bit later.  The final plan was to do an aircraft swap.  Move all the bags (about 180 of them) and all the people over to the next gate and put everyone and their stuff on that other plane.  That works but the problem for me was that I only had thirty-five minutes of connection time in Denver.  With all this happening, I didn't stand a chance on making that connection.  I had to find an alternate solution to get to Spokane.  I texted Cathy to let her know I'd be in Spokane four hours later than I originally hoped for; instead of an arrival of 10AM, I was now scheduled in at 2:40PM.  And, now I was flying through Las Vegas.  So, I went to Las Vegas.  The other flight from there to Spokane was pretty full but I was told that it too, had a weight issue.  There was another flight going through Boise leaving in just a few minutes.  It had a few seats left and it was wide open from Boise to Spokane.  Are you with me so far?  So, I jumped on it and I was finally on my way!  Pfwew!!  I didn't even have a chance to let Cathy know the latest developments in all my flight changes.  They were scheduled in only five minutes apart anyway. 
Cathy and Kathy were waiting for me when I finally got through security.  I told them that we would have a good time!!!  It had already been a long day for me. 
We left the airport and found a Starbucks for a coffee and got back on the interstate to head east towards Whitefish.  Along the way, we had all sorts of things to talk about.  When we were getting closer to the mountains, we got the cameras out to take pictures while we rode.  I had been through here in the past but it had been years before.  I think the last time was about 17 years ago.  The scenery was beautiful.  The roads were good but it was obvious just how much snow had been falling previous to our visit.  It was piled up so high along the road that the road signs were partially obscured.



Driving East and nearing the mountains.      



We arrived in Whitefish at roughly 9PM and made our way to Hidden Moose Lodge; a little bed and breakfast just on the northern edge of town.  The sight of it all lit up with holiday lights and tucked into the side of the mountain was breathtaking.  We were very impressed and excited to see more of it.



The main lodge of two buildings.

The temperature was pretty mild as well.  If I remember correctly, it was in the thirties.  But wow, was there snow piled up all around us.  We went inside and found a lady and got checked in.  She sent some wine with us that had been served during happy hour and told us to finish it up.  Okay!!!
Once inside our suite, we were "ooohing" and "aahhhhing" at every little detail that we noticed.  It was decorated in outdoorsy type material such as denim and leather and had different moose items scattered about all over the place.


We were upgraded to a room with a King bed and a pullout due to Brazilian guests that didn't speak English and didn't know that the room was reserved by US!!  So this is the room with a King bed. 

We stayed up for awhile and marveled at our surroundings, discussing our plans for the next day.  The only thing on our agenda for Saturday was our sleigh ride in the late afternoon.  We would have plenty of time to explore before that.  With that, we went to bed pretty late.  It was going to be a fun weekend!  

Work

Okay, I know I've spoken briefly about my job at Southwest Airlines in the past.  But today I just had to share a couple of photos I took while on the job. 

Even though it's the end of January, the temperature this week has been unseasonably warm; highs in the 40's and lows in the 20's.  I'll take it!  Today was no exception.  As the sun was rising and the daily ritual of our flights being loaded, deiced and sent off continued, I was totally enjoying the weather.  The wind was calm and the sun made it feel like a spring morning. 
My job today included deicing the morning frost off the airplanes before departure.  After they were pushed off the gates, we sprayed them.  Here is a photo I found online of exactly what I had to do.  It was taken in Manchester, New Hampshire.  Anyway, today I happened to be in the bucket of the deicing truck while someone else drove and as I raised myself up to the level of the aircraft's tail, I just couldn't resist getting a picture.  Being high up in the air (even with the aircraft's wings and tail) I prayed that I wouldn't drop my cell phone!  We were right in between one airplane parked at the gate and another airplane being pushed back from another gate.  So I took a picture of both! 

 Just about ready to deice the morning frost off the airplane and loving the sunrise from my bird's eye view!



Parked at the gate and almost ready to be loaded up for departure.



Inside the truck, there is a control panel used to run a separate engine on the truck that heats the two different types of fluid used to deice the airplanes.  There are also controls on the panel used to maneuver the bucket in the event the controls up on the bucket themselves quit working for some reason.  (the person in the bucket moves the bucket around as needed to spray the aircraft)  The driver and the sprayer each wear a headphone and can speak to each other.  The driver uses a different radio to speak to the pilots of the airplanes to coordinate the deicing procedures. 

 All the ramp employees are trained to do both; drive the truck and be the sprayer in the bucket.  Depending on our job duty for the day determines who does what job.  We all do all the jobs. 
So, as you can see....sometimes I have the best view!  Early morning sun rises can be quite beautiful and in all the years I've been doing this job, today was the nicest one yet!

SWA Christmas Party 2011

As is typical for our group at Southwest Airlines here in Omaha, we hold our holiday party in January.  It's always cheaper to rent a facility after the new year rolls around.  This year was no exception.  It was last night at a local beer brewery called The Lucky Bucket.  It happens to be very near my house too.  It takes me less than 10 minutes to drive there.  How convenient for me! 

The brewery obviously doesn't have food so it was catered in from a local Omaha establishment called The Varsity Sports Cafe.  It was mostly meat and veggie trays, cheese and fruit trays with dipping sauces and deep fried snacks like mushrooms, etc.    It was perfectly fine to have just these items for snacking. 

Included in our rental fee was a keg of lager beer and four flavors of their very own infused vodka.  They were so tasty!  We also were given a tour of the brewery and it was told how everything was brewed and where the business was "growing".  They've already expanded their building space into two other bays of the building they occupy.  Soon they will have a two thousand square foot tasting room that will include a bar.  It's very impressive to have such a successful Nebraska brewery right here in Omaha.  I've heard people talk about the Lucky Bucket beer before our party so it must be okay!

Our parties are always taken care of by our local Culture Committee of which I'm the treasurer.  We raise money throughout the year.  Part of the funds are used to help our largest charity, The Ronald McDonald House, and the rest is used to sponsor activities for our employees here in Omaha.  We had a great turnout.  Those that had to work were provided pizza and were included in a drawing for gifts that are normally given out for our past year of hard work.  This year, I won an Ipod Shuffle (gold in color) and a hotel stay in Ontario, CA, which I traded with someone for a gift card to The Nebraska Furniture Mart.  I knew I wouldn't have a chance to use the hotel stay and I'd definitely use the gift card!  I usually do end up with something pretty nice! 

Everyone had a pretty good time and there was a lot of camaraderie.  One former station employee was there that had transferred to Phoenix last summer and also a former employee that took retirement.  It was fun to see them both again! 

Cathy's Turn to Depart

Ultimately, all good (and fun) things come to an end. 
Cathy and I were up early enough that we could make sure to get her suitcases packed and any of her remaining things ready to go.  Thankfully, I live only eighteen miles from the airport so it's a quick drive there and we wouldn't need much time.  Thus, more time at home before she would have to leave.  She had checked in for her flight online that morning to expedite the process once she arrived at the airport.  All she had left to do was check in her luggage.
Her flight was scheduled to depart at one fifty-five PM.  It was pretty close to on time and it left only ten minutes late. 
While waiting in the gate area in the Omaha airport, we both witnessed (as did numerous people in the gate area) a sad example of customer service from another airline representative.  Here is the story....

They had a flight departing next door to where Cathy's flight would be leaving.  So we heard all of her announcements clearly.  She spoke out loud to herself as well.  Complaints of not getting her breaks when she was told she would, waiting on people to board the flight so that she could close the door ten minutes early, and an over-all bad attitude of whining were just a few examples of what we heard from her.  One of her announcements over the entire terminal loud speakers went something like this:  "This will be your final call for flight xxxx.  If you're holding a boarding pass you must be on this flight now for an immediate departure.  If you're in the security area putting your shoes back on, I suggest you board the flight immediately and put your shoes on, on the plane.  I'm missing seven people, you know who you are!" 
Wow!  Cathy and I were stunned at her lack of tactfulness and ability to keep her personal feelings and thoughts out of the announcement itself!  The entire gate area with many people sitting there witnessing all of this was just shocked at her idea of "customer service".  I approached a supervisor that I know at Frontier Airlines and asked him if he knew the representative of the other airline.  He knew of  her but didn't know her personally.  Lucky him!  He said she is like that most of the time.  Really?  Oh my gosh!!!  I'm very surprised she hasn't been fired by now!  It was ridiculous!  Apparently, that's normal for her!  Wow!!!
Cathy was ready to find a supervisor of that airline and make a complaint.  But none was to be found.  And that wasn't all that lady did.  She was determined to get the flight out even though the last seven passengers weren't on board. 
Back at security, a lady (not sure if she was a supervisor) came running to that gate and told the sad example of a customer service (CS) agent, that she had a wheel chair passenger just finishing up with security.  The CS agent then spoke out loud, under her breath, and said, "Well, too bad.  She should have gotten here earlier."  Shortly, the lady in the wheel chair was being pushed to the counter.  The lady pushing the wheelchair made sure that the passenger was boarded, much to the chagrin of the CS agent. 
I was in shock at the entire situation.  I've never heard anyone do that in this line of work before.  So sad.

Cathy lives in Woodburn, Oregon, and would be flying through Denver (via Frontier Airlines) to make a connection.  I believe she even had almost four hours of time to waste in the Denver airport!  (long connection!)  She would have flown on Southwest but it was actually cheaper at the time, to book her ticket on Frontier. 

We said our goodbyes and she boarded her flight.  After making sure her flight departed without issues, I headed for my car to go home.  I didn't have anything that needed to be done or anywhere that I had to be.  So after I got home, I just kicked back and caught up on some TV shows and even napped!  I would be going back to work the next day after an awesome five days off! 

It was so fun to have family here for the holidays but we sure missed having Dad and Beverly here with us.  They stayed in Tioga and spent Christmas with other family on both sides. 

Random photo:  It's not very often that I have a view of other people slaving away in my own kitchen!  Here, Kevin (head band and all from a gift ribbon!), Susan and Cathy are working at putting away the food from our meal on Christmas day and working on the clean up process.  I love having others do that job!  ;-) 

I hope you had a great Christmas and have a Happy New Year!