Spirit Magazine - April 2013 - (Page 10)
On April 14, for the very first time,
Southwest Airlines is expanding
our footprint beyond the continental
United States by launching service
to San Juan, Puerto Rico. It’s a
momentous step for a little airline
that started on a cocktail napkin.
Southwest has long aspired to
take our low fares and Legendary
Customer Service beyond the 48
contiguous states. We officially
acquired AirTran Airways in May
2011, and we are in the process of
integrating AirTran into Southwest.
AirTran’s presence in San Juan and
multiple near-international destinations has given us a running start in
launching Southwest-branded
service to these popular places.
When our new service begins,
Southwest will offer daily nonstop
flights between San Juan and both
Orlando and Tampa Bay, Florida.
AirTran will continue to serve
the market with flights between
San Juan and Baltimore/Washington, Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood,
and Atlanta. Eventually, as we
move toward the full integration
of our two airlines by 2015, Southwest will assume all of AirTran’s
San Juan routes.
This is a monumental occasion for
our Company and Customers. Over
Customer Service in Action
I received a commendation for one of our Customer Service Agents
in Tucson, Arizona. A Customer had tried to checkin at a kiosk at Tucson
International Airport. When she was unable to do so, our Agent offered
to help and looked up her reservation, only to find that the Customer
was actually scheduled to travel out of Phoenix, not Tucson. To make
matters worse, the Customer had lost her wallet with her ID, and she
did not have any money to pay the difference in fare. Our Agent changed
the flight and paid for the difference in fare out of her own pocket—a
wonderful example of Customer Service in Action.
our nearly 42-year history, Southwest has built a strong brand based
on low fares, Positively Outrageous
Customer Service, Safe and reliable
operations, and a convenient flight
schedule. What started as an intrastate airline serving three Texas
cities has grown to carry more
Customers than any airline in the
United States. Our opportunities for
growth now lie beyond U.S. borders.
San Juan is merely the first wave of
our foray off the shores of the “lower
48,” which means there are some
very warm, very attractive Southwest destinations in our future.
While Puerto Rico is not exactly
international, we are building the
capabilities to serve international
destinations at Southwest Airlines.
We’ve already completed some of
that work, which was necessary to
launch service to San Juan. There
is a considerable amount of work in
front of us in order to offer international service, including various government and regulatory approvals,
updates to our fleet, and a complete
overhaul of our reservation system.
I’m pleased to report that all of that
is well underway, with the goal to
launch international service via
Southwest next year.
Southwest started out with the
lofty but attainable goal of giving
Americans the Freedom to Fly, and
we’ve been doing so for more than
40 years. This month, we embark
on a bold, new mission to share that
Freedom with the rest of the world—
with San Juan as the first stop on our
journey. We hope you’ll come along
for the ride.
Gary Kelly
Chairman, President, and CEO
Southwest Airlines
10 spirit april 2013
PhOTOgrAPhy By DAn SellerS
Gary’s Greeting
Destination:
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Spirit Magazine - April 2013
Spirit Magazine - April 2013
Contents
Gary’s Greeting
Gary’s Greeting en Español
Star of the Month
Freedom Story
From the Editor
Your Words
Your Pictures
Media Center
Eat Drink Sleep
The Numbers
Wise Guide
Business
Almost Famous
Not So Fast
Your Adventure In...
Promotional Series: Destination Texas
Promotional Series: Spirit of Golf Reno Tahoe
Promotion: Spirit of Franchise Opportunities
Calendar
Fun!
Spotlight
Community Outreach
Route Map
Terminal Maps
Rapid Rewards Partners
Flight Service
The “If” List
Spirit Magazine - April 2013
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pace/southwest_201412
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pace/southwest_201411
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pace/southwest_201410
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pace/southwest_201409
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pace/spirit_201408
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pace/spirit_201407
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pace/spirit_201406
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pace/spirit_201405
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pace/spirit_201404
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pace/spirit_201403
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pace/spirit_201402
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pace/spirit_201401
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pace/spirit_201312
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pace/spirit_201311
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pace/spirit_201310
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pace/spirit_201309
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pace/spirit_201308
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pace/spirit_201307
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pace/spirit_201306
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pace/spirit_201305
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pace/spirit_201304
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com