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Shake Your Moneymaker to Win Southwest Airlines Flights

Southwest Airlines is getting ready for yet another travel contest, and this time they’re calling on you to show off your hidden talent. Thankfully there will be no reality show competition involved, but you will need to perform for the judges thanks to the magic of the internet.

All the fun and games are to celebrate Southwest’s recent arrival down in Key West, Florida, as they’re clearly ready to share the love for the fun and sun with travelers from across the country. As far as new routes are concerned it's a pair of daily flights from both Tampa and Orlando to the top of the country, so after you are done visit the theme parks—or Grandma—you’ll be able to head down to the Keys.

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Why Southwest Airlines is Helping a Little Butterfly Take Flight

We already knew that Southwest Airlines had a thing for flying animals around the country because, after all, they were the ones doing their best to create a modern day pegasus. Now that the pony is safely back on the ground the carrier is turning their attention to other animals, but this time the critter in question is a little bit smaller.

Butterflies—as their name implies—usually don’t have a problem taking to the skies, but unfortunately one monarch butterfly kind of missed the message about needing to head south for the winter. Thankfully that’s no longer a problem, as Southwest is coming to the rescue to lend its wings to the little bugger.

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Southwest Shuts Down Automatic Online Check-In Site 'checkintomyflight.com'

If you’ve ever flown with Southwest Airlines you probably know how important it is to be near your computer or phone 24 hours before your flight. That’s when online check-in opens, as you want to get yourself a chance at the best available boarding pass. With free-for-all boarding you don’t want to be stuck in a middle seat with a “C” boarding pass when a little work might help you score an exit row thanks to an “A” boarding pass.

Earlier this month someone was clever enough to use their programming skills to establish a snazzy site that would do all the check-in work on your behalf. In theory you would just enter a few bits and pieces of your travel information and then, like magic, you’d be automatically checked-in for your flight. If all went according to plan you’d get one of the coveted A boarding passes for the first wave, and you wouldn’t have to worry.

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Southwest Combines Love of Pumpkins and Planes for Carving Contest

Time is running out to head to the farm stand—or Whole Foods Market—to pick up your pumpkin. There’s definitely a little pressure to select a good one this year, as it looks like Southwest Airlines is eager to judge your work.

Southwest Airlines loves Halloween, and this year their seasonal theme is “Jack-o’-lanterns are burning bright; time to take a Southwest or AirTran Flight!” Unfortunately their holiday contest is now over, as they've invited some expert pumpkin carvers to celebrate the season in person at their annual Halloween party down in Dallas. It may be too late to win that chance, but it's not too late to use some pumpkin carving resources the airline has made available.

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United, Scoot, and Southwest Lead This Week's New Routes News

Sometimes it’s hard to stay on top of all the new route announcements that come our way, so we’ve complied a little bit of a rundown below. As long as you can afford the fares, this should definitely help add to your passport stamp collection.

· Southwest Airlines:
It’s a big deal when Southwest Airlines picks a new city to serve, as we’re pretty sure people enjoy lower cost flight options and the ability to check a couple bags for free. That’s why citizens of Des Moines, Iowa are excited, as Southwest has just started flying to and from their local airport.

Technically there was AirTran service here before, but now it’s going to be the blue-bellied planes doing the flying. Flights have already started to do their thing and, as of now, it looks like Southwest is connecting Des Moines with a couple flights per day over to Chicago’s Midway Airport. Now all the city needs is some cheap nonstop flights down to Florida during the colder months, and they’ll be all set.

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New Uniforms and (Maybe) New Routes Keep Southwest Flight Attendants Smiling

It’s a good week to be a flight attendant aboard Southwest Airlines, and it's not just because there's less stress during the boarding process—bags fly free of course. Flight attendants—at least the ladies—are scoring some new uniforms.

The days of hot pants and go-go boots are long gone, but it also looks like the khaki shorts might be taking a hike as well. Southwest Airlines just announced that they’re phasing in some navy blue dresses, as well as some cardigans and a snazzy new scarf. It doesn’t appear that Southwest went out and collaborated with a name brand designer like some other carriers, but we can’t fault them for their choice of trench coat, blazer, or black boots. Check out the new look right here.

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If You've Just Gotta Have an Airplane-Shaped Cookie Jar...

Last week we took an in-depth look at fabulous duty-free finds in the air, but now there are more shopping options on the ground. The week also marked a milestone for America's favorite budget carrier, Southwest, with the launch of their new website selling all things airline-branded. From clothing to Christmas ornaments and pet stuff to planes, SWA offers plenty of options for passengers that LUV flying the brightly colored jets.

The "SWA Freedom Shop" is kind of an #avgeek shop-a-holic's dream. There's even some cool vintage airline stuff...if that's what you're into. Hey, remember, those special paint jobs? They've got six of them as models.

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Spot Them All: Southwest Has Nine Specially Painted State Planes

Everyone enjoys a good airplane livery—especially us—so we were pretty excited to hear that Southwest Airlines was busy gussying up another plane to add to its collection. In the past Southwest has painted planes to look like Shamu and even a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, but this month they’re celebrating yet another state with the special design.

As the airline says, they’re now showing off their “LUV” for Colorado. The plane is one of their Boeing 737-700s done up in a creative version—and interpretation—of the Colorado state flag. The plane was shown off for the first time last week, and even the governor of the state and the mayor of Denver were on hand to check out the big bird for the first time.

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Southwest's Big Bonanza Sale Turns Facebook Fare Fail

Last week—August 3 to be specific—Southwest Airlines held a flash sale only advertised within their Facebook page. To celebrate reaching three million Facebook fans, those fans could book for up to 50% off certain flights on certain dates in September, October, and November. Depending on when you booked and where you wanted to go, there were some decent deals, and even a transcontinental flight could be had for well under $200.

Unfortunately things didn’t go as smoothly as they thought, and there was a little bit of a snafu. Thankfully tickets are still to be honored and all the deals and discounts stand, but billing issues linger into this week. Some customers were double billed or more, and those paying with their debit cards might even have been hit with overdraft fees—yuck.

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The EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2012 Air Show, in Instagram

Admit it. You'll ogle aircraft at any available opportunity. We understand. There is help out there for you...in the form of yet more airplane porn from our day at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2012.

In addition to the slew of pro photos and slick video, we of course shot from the hip with an iPhone 4S, uploading to Instagram all the live-long day.

Understanding that not everyone has Instagram (get it & get it now!) and it can be trying to keep up with all images in a constantly flowing stream of visual candy, we've included most (but not all!) of our Oshkosh Instagrams from this past weekend. Check 'em out:

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Jaunted at Oshkosh: Inside One Crazy Day at 'Aviation's Greatest Celebration'

Oshkosh, Wisconsin's Wittman Regional Airport has no regularly scheduled flights. And yet it manages to rack up over 90,000 landings every year. It has no impressive passenger terminal. And yet it counts visitors in the millions. What OSH does have, you see, is EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, a massive aviation celebration that swamps the tiny town for one week every summer.

At 8am this past Saturday we landed right in the thick of things, arriving on one of Southwest Airlines' newest, shiniest Boeing 737-700s after a quickie flight up from Chicago-Midway International. Here we could type a slew of fawning adjectives to describe our day (not even a full day!) spent zipping from the expansive cockpits of military transports to reclining in the slim leather seats of private props, but luckily a simple word—a word we maybe whispered and shouted a thousand times at OSH—sums it up: awesome.

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How to Follow Us on Southwest's Special Flight into the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Airshow

For one week every summer, the airport of a small city in Wisconsin operates the busiest air traffic control tower in the world. The reason: America's largest gathering of aviation enthusiasts and the planes they love. It's called EAA AirVenture Oshkosh and it sees 15,000 aircraft and up to a million attendees....plus us.

We'll be heading to "Super Saturday" at Oshkosh onboard one of Southwest Airlines' newest 737s, flying right into the show from Chicago-Midway. It's going to be craaaaayyyyzay awesome, and we want you along for the ride.

Although we'll be up early tomorrow and there for only one day, the fun will be constant. Here's how to follow along for all our hot and bothered OSH excitement tomorrow, Saturday:

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