Funny, I just got off of a Southwest airline from San Jose to Seattle and found out that Southwest now has a blog. There's more on Memeorandum.
It's a pretty cold blog so far. It's the kind of blog I think most corporations will start out with. Safe. Take no chances. Don't piss anyone off. Don't reveal anything that the PR team isn't comfortable with.
That's OK, I guess. Most Microsoft blogs are just as boring. So can't throw stones when we live in a glass house.
But, I spend a great deal of my life on Southwest planes. Some things that I'd love to see?
Their IT system rocks. Who developed it, how is it built? Was it done in Java, or VB or C#? What does their data center look like?
What are some traveling tips? Here's one: There are two rows of exit row seats. The first row doesn't recline.
Second, if you fly Southwest ALWAYS check in online (you can do that starting 24 hours before your flight). That'll get you into the "A" or "B" group which will almost guarantee you a decent seat and that your carryon luggage will get on board.
Some other things I'd love to know? Is there free WiFi near their counters anywhere? What's the best restaurant in each airport?
Who makes the most reliable luggage?
Some craft definitely have funnier crews than others. Any way to know whether you'll be on one of those flights?
As a geek I like sitting near the front of the plane where I can see the door. They let me use my Tablet PC or cell phone up to the minute that the door closes. I answered several emails this morning using my Verizon card while waiting for everyone else to load onboard.
Others? What are their favorite online travel resources? (Flight trackers, etc).
Where do they go when they want to have fun on a layover?
Anyway, nice to see more companies try to figure out how to engage with the blogs and, yes, I am nuts about Southwest.
They are a no-frills airline, but generally have the lowest prices when we fly (which is why Maryam switched us to them). One thing, though, their service is almost always better than other airlines I fly, especially in baggage handling — my bags on other airlines can take 20 minutes to show up, but not on Southwest.
Southwest takes a bit of time to get used to (they give everyone a boarding card with "A", "B", or "C" on it, and first on gets the best seats, if you're last on often there won't be space for your luggage so it'll have to be checked). Plus they don't have meals or video screens, at least on the short flights I'm usually on.