Imagine going to a Company event and walking out with the experience of a lifetime.

That’s what happened to six lucky SWA Employees who won the grand prizes at our 2009 Messages to the Field--a trip for them and a guest to visit the Boeing factory in Seattle and accept delivery of a brand new SWA airplane!

After being well cared for by the Culture Activities Team and our friends at Boeing for the weekend, our guests were ready for the main event.   The tour of Boeing’s Renton facility is always a treat—it’s amazing to see Boeing’s famous “moving line” at work; and especially cool to see a SWA plane in its formative stages on the line, like there was this time.  

Once the tour was over, the group got to participate in the official call with the Federal Aviation Administration to transfer the titles of the plane from Boeing to SWA, and we watched the actual keys to the plane being given to our SWA rep. Then came the big surprise:  our newest SWA baby, N941WN, was officially handed over to the Message to the Field winners and the winning Employees all got to sign an official certificate of acceptance and delivery.  Those certificates will be lifetime keepsakes for all of them! 

After cleaning out the Boeing souvenir shop, it was time to board our new plane and head home to Love Field.  You’ve heard it before, and maybe experienced it yourself, but there really is nothing like the smell of a new airplane. I don’t know what’s cooler--the fresh leather seats or the sparkly clean lavatories that smell clean as a whistle!  There were treats and surprises for everyone on board during fun the trip home, but most of the time was spent laughing about the trip and taking some last pictures with newfound friends.  I tried to catch some cool video clips of the weekend--keep in mind this was my first time out with the camera, I’m sure I missed some good shots along the way ;).

After all was said and done, everyone parted ways for the SWA cities from where they came, and they probably slept like babies on their flights, dreaming about all the wonderful friends and memories that came out of the trip they were lucky enough to win just by attending a Company event.

So, SWA Employees, when the dates for the 2010 Messages to the Field come out and you think to yourself, “I don’t really want to go to that,” just remember these six lucky Employees (your Coworkers!) who won the prize of a lifetime just by attending.  Did I change your minds?  Good. I’ll see you all at the Messages in 2010—and maybe even in Seattle!