Southwest Airlines and Walt Disney World Resort celebrate 50th Anniversary of both companies with commemorative 737 aircraft

Sep 28, 2021 in "The Walt Disney Company"

Forum Forums Tweet Share Tweet Share

Gallery / 7 Photos
Southwest Airlines and Walt Disney World Resort 50th Anniversary Commemorative Aircraft

See all 7

Posted: Tuesday September 28, 2021 4:40pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Southwest Airlines Co. and Walt Disney World Resort today unveiled a special co-branded commemorative aircraft honoring 50 years of each company.

The Boeing 737-700 features 50th anniversary logos of both Southwest Airlines and Walt Disney World Resort and is emblazoned with a unique EARidescent treatment created by Walt Disney World Resort especially for its milestone celebration.

Southwest Airlines and Walt Disney World Resort 50th Anniversary Commemorative Aircraft

"For 50 years, Southwest has connected our Customers to the people and places that matter most. Whether a Customer is flying to visit relatives in another state, close a business deal with a client, or experience a family vacation, we are honored to be a part of those moments," said Brandy King, Director of Public Relations at Southwest Airlines. "Celebrating 50 years of making memories during our shared milestone anniversary is at the heart of this magical collaboration with the Walt Disney World Resort."

Southwest Airlines and Walt Disney World Resort 50th Anniversary Commemorative Aircraft

"As Walt Disney World Resort kicks off The World's Most Magical Celebration commemorating our 50th anniversary, we are thrilled to bring even more magic to guests' vacations and to the sky with the help of our friends at Southwest," said Claire Bilby, Senior Vice President of Disney Destinations. "Both Walt Disney World Resort and Southwest Airlines share an incredible 50-year legacy of creating exceptional vacation experiences and treasured memories for guests."

Watch the video below to see the special aircraft design come to life.

The unveiling of the co-branded aircraft at the Southwest Airlines Technical Operations Hangar at William P. Hobby International Airport in Houston featured Cast Members from Walt Disney World Resort performing iconic songs that celebrate treasured history, as well as "The Magic is Calling," an anthem to the Walt Disney World Resort 50th anniversary. Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse joined the event to celebrate the collaboration and send the aircraft into service with its first stop at Orlando International Airport.

Southwest Airlines and Walt Disney World Resort 50th Anniversary Commemorative Aircraft

This special promotional aircraft also brings Walt Disney World Resort magic into the interior, as overhead bins and window shades sparkle with beloved Disney characters in the EARidescent treatment. The aircraft will fly around the Southwest system through March 2022. Fans can track the aircraft (tail number N954WN) and share photos using #Southwest50 and #DisneyWorld50.

Southwest Airlines and Walt Disney World Resort 50th Anniversary Commemorative Aircraft

The magic continues with a Southwest50 Days of Giveaways sweepstakes, which will award a winner and up to three guests with a Southwest and Walt Disney World Resort prize package each day from Sept. 28 through Nov. 16, 2021. Consumers can visit Southwest.com/50days to enter each day for a chance to win a vacation package that includes lodging, Walt Disney World Resort Theme Park tickets, a Disney Gift Card with a value of $200, and round trip air travel to Orlando, Florida, on Southwest.

Southwest Customers can enjoy a sneak peek at some of the magic of the Walt Disney World Resort 50th anniversary celebration with exclusive video on the carrier's Inflight Entertainment Portal and the Walt Disney World on-demand TV series channel. The video highlights some of the special moments at the resort to come throughout the 18-month anniversary celebration, and will be available onboard beginning Oct. 1, 2021, when The World's Most Magical Celebration begins.

Discuss on the Forums

Get Walt Disney World News Delivered to Your Inbox

spock8113Oct 03, 2021

Yeah, it's an overbooked 737 Max full of second-hand parts from South America. You get what you pay for, cattle cars of the sky. My guess is they're looking to be the Official Airline of Disney because it's lucrative for both parties. One last parting Chapek shot for stock options: https://www.thetravel.com/20-glaring-problems-with-southwest-airlines https://www.ibtimes.com/5-biggest-scandals-southwest-airlines-year-2736908

DisneyCaneOct 01, 2021

The special liveries never fly exclusive to one airport. They rotate through the system to maximize flying time of each aircraft and to rotate through maintenance when necessary.

Nubs70Oct 01, 2021

Southwest still runs out of DTW and GRR.

TheGuyThatMakesSwordsSep 29, 2021

We used to fly Southwest out of Flint, MI all the time. But then? SW pretty much abandoned MI, forcing everything through the dilapidated Chicago-MIDWAY Airport. So they can paint planes all they like - we're sticking with Delta :).

rbb987Sep 29, 2021

This plane is not flying exclusively to MCO. It flew from Houston to Orlando last night, and it's getting ready to leave Orlando for a flight to Birmingham, then to Dallas, Atlanta, Tampa, Baltimore, etc. So it's totally random who will get to fly on this aircraft (and in most cases it will not be going to or from Orlando). See upcoming flights here: https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N954WN

DisneyCaneSep 29, 2021

The southwest snack mix is pretty good. Last flight was pretzels only. I was on one of the last flights that they served peanuts on.

mf1972Sep 29, 2021

i hope they don’t have launchpad mcquack piloting that plane

CaptainAmericaSep 29, 2021

I still like Southwest, but this is standard across pretty much all of the carriers now. Most of them rolled it out as a temporary thing due to COVID but then made it permanent.

StarWarsGirlSep 29, 2021

And if you use points to book and you cancel, you get them back. It was such a plus during the pandemic. I booked everything on points, and then I ended up having to cancel some stuff, and they gave me everything back. Also they let you convert your credits to points during the pandemic, which was huge for flexibility. And they have so many flights out of my home airport, especially to MCO, it's like, "Oh, what time would I like to leave today? There's six different non-stop flights." Sometimes more. Love them.

CommunicoreSep 28, 2021

Orange Bird hehe

ImperfectPixieSep 28, 2021

We've had nothing but fantastic experiences with JetBlue.

brb1006Sep 28, 2021

I believe so, it's difficult to make out the lyrics due to the microphone quality. I will wait until October 1st to hear a proper version.

ToTBellHopSep 28, 2021

They’ve had issues recently with dramatically changing their flight schedules. We had a direct flight on a Sunday. Changed to TWO connections with no other option so I had to move a day later. I wasn’t terribly pleased. And cancellations were widespread recently. In general, I’ve had good experiences though I prefer JetBlue. Better snackies.

pluto77Sep 28, 2021

Me too. I love Southwest. There are literally no extra fees. 2 free checked bags. There’s no charge for changing your flight. No charge for cancelling (even with the “wanna get away” you can cancel last minute and still get airline credit). No fees for seats, unless you want to be first to board, but it’s easy to get A boarding without paying extra if you check in 24 hours in advance. There customer service is also always great.