A couple of fun and possibly useful notes:

Southwest Airlines begins service between New York’s LaGuardia Airport and both BWI and Chicago’s Midway airport at the end of June (2009). To celebrate, the airline is sponsoring the Southwest Porch in New York City. It’s in Bryant Park, at appropriately enough, the park’s southwest corner and has porch swings, rocking chairs, Adirondack chairs, umbrellas, and space for about 175 people.

Also, those crisp white Westin Heavenly blankets and pillows that travelers on some United flights have been getting to snuggle up with are now being made in a travel-size version that the rest of us can buy.

And, if you’ve been irritated by all those new (and old) checked baggage fees airlines are now charging, keep in mind that some hotels, most notably the nationwide chain of Kimpton Hotels,  offer a $25 room credit if you show a receipt for a checked bag.  Kimpton’s “We’ve Got Your Bag” promotion has been extended indefinitely.

Tags: Baggage check fees, LaGuardia Airport, Southwest Airlines
No Comments »

Today ( Saturday, June 6, 2009)  if you’re flying to or through Seattle-Tacoma (SEA), Portland (PDX), and Spokane (GEG) airports,  go over to the Southwest Airlines gates and ticket counters and see if you can get it on their party.

The airline is celebrating 15 years of service to these airports with history and trivia “gate games” that give customers the chance to win prizes, including free tickets.

Maybe there’ll be cake.

Tags: Portland International Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Southwest Airlines, Spokane International Airport
No Comments »

Wish you could drive a cool car or fly to some cool places? Then stop playing solitaire on your computer and enter some of these contests:

Through June 29, 2009, American Airlines is running a “Capture the Flagship Experience” game.   Top winner gets two round-trip Business Class tickets to anywhere American flies in Europe, Asia or South America and a HD video camera.  21 first place prizes come from this list:  membership to the airline’s club, 50,000 AAdvantage miles or Bose headphones.

Southwest Airlines is giving away a family four-pack of airline tickets to any destination the airline serves.  To enter: let them know you’ve posted one of the airline’s “My Peanut and I Fly Southwest” buttons  on your blog, Facebook profile, and/or other social media sites. Contest ends May 31, 2009.

Each month through August, 2009, the folks at Airport Parking Reservations.com are giving away prizes (cameras, cashmere travel pillows and solar chargers) for the most creative parking lot photos. (And if you have a photo of the person who scratched my car at an airport parking lot in Seattle, let me know….)

And, for those who don’t have cool cars to take pictures of, the folks at Frankfurt Airport are giving away an Alfa Romero Spider. Go on a virtual shopping spree before May 31, 2009 to get a chance to enter.

Good luck! Let me know if you win!

Tags: Air travel, Airport parking, American Airlines, Frankfurt Airport, Free stuff, Southwest Airlines, airline contest, airport contest, airport food
No Comments »

St. Patrick’s Day is on March 17^th, but Southwest Airlines is celebrating almost a full week early. Tomorrow, March 12 (Thursday), three “very sprightly, very green, very enthusiastic leprechauns” will be flying to and from a variety of cities leading in-flight trivia games and passing out prizes in departure gates.  Look for them in Dallas, San Antonio and Harlingen, TX, Chicago, Tulsa, Denver, Kansas City and St. Louis, MO.

And sports fans passing through Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) tomorrow will be able to get a little face time with the 2008 Philadelphia Phillies World Series Championship Trophy.   The trophy will be in the Terminal B/C Food Court between noon and 2 pm.

Travelers will be able to get their photos taken with the trophy, so don’t forget your camera.

The Phillie Phanatic will be there too.

Tags: Airport amenities, Free stuff, Philadelphia International Airport, Southwest Airlines
No Comments »

Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) used its Twitter account during the recent east coast snowstorm to share information about weather conditions and flight delays and hopes you’ll sign up to get their tweets- including updates on parking – next time you’re headed that way.

And Southwest Airlines rolled out yet another priority security lane for its Business Select and Rapid Reward A-List Customers. There are now “Fly By” lanes at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Baltimore/Washington International, Dallas Love Field, Phoenix Sky Harbor International, Orange County John Wayne, Denver International, San Francisco International, and Los Angeles International.

Tags: Airport amenities, BWI Airport, Southwest Airlines
No Comments »

Earlier this week, Southwest Airlines announced that it was finally testing in-flight Wi-Fi on two planes and plans to being testing the service on four planes in just a few weeks.

The service is provided by Row 44, which provides Wi-Fi via aircraft-to-satellite technology.  The service will be free during an initial testing phase and will allow passengers to access the Internet via laptops, iPhone, and Wi-Fi enabled smart phones.

Cellular phone service won’t work with Southwest’s in-flight Wi-Fi service. And while VOIP will be blocked for passengers, it will be available for the cockpit and cabin crew.

That opens a lot of possibilities.   Good and bad.

Also, while Southwest is heavily touting the fact that it’s wrapped one of its airplanes with a decal featuring the cover model from the 2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, according to Row 44’s president and co-founder Gregg Fialcowitz, Southwest Airlines will be filtering on-board Wi-Fi to block sites that might contain pornography.

Sort of a mixed message there, don’t ya think?

Tags: Airline amenities, In-flight Wi-Fi, In-flight cell phones, Southwest Airlines
No Comments »

Southwest Airlines is celebrating 30 years of service at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) today with a 1979-infused party that includes a  DJ spinning “records” from ‘79,  decorations and costumes from the 70s, a karaoke machine, and games and prizes throughout the day, including a “Money Cube” where customers can grab prizes.

There should also be folks dressed like 1970’s-era Southwest Airlines flight attendants.

(1970’s era uniforms courtesy Southwest Airlines)

Tags: Airport amenities, Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, Southwest Airlines
No Comments »

Passengers on Southwest Airlines flights can usually choose between a complimentary snack of pretzels or peanuts.  But not always.

According to an entry in today’s Southwest Airlines blog,  “Nuts about Southwest,” travelers with peanut allergies can request a ‘no-peanut’ flight.

No word on whether or not you can request a “no Peanuts” flight, though.

Tags: Southwest Airlines, airplane food
No Comments »

It’s natural to wonder (or hope) that the bathroom scale is wrong when you weigh in each morning.

At the airport, it’s a different story entirely. Airlines have been getting strict about charging passengers for overweight bags to the tune of millions of dollars each year.

But last week, the Arizona Department of Weights and Measures did a surprise inspection of the scales used by Southwest Airlines and US Airways at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

According to this article in the Arizona Republic, both airlines got dinged. Southwest “had to shut down three of its 26 scales because they received red tags, the most serious violation, from the inspectors. The problem: The scales did not start at zero.”

Another reason to try to fit everything you need into a carry-on bag…..

Tags: Carry-on bags, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Southwest Airlines, US Airways
No Comments »

Feeling lucky?

Today Southwest Airlines is celebrating 15 years of service to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI).

The airline is offering special on-line “DING!” fares for travel to and from BWI and handing out free anniversary cookies at the airport. Many travelers waiting for their flights at BWI will also have a chance to win free plane tickets.

Tags: Free stuff, Southwest Airlines
No Comments »