Reviews ...Thomson has organized this customer guidebook into chapters, each of which gives many helpful and frequently outrageous tips on how to have an enjoyable flying experience, including line advancement techniques, hogging the overhead storage bin, taking control of the armrest with your elbow, scoring free drinks and getting off the plane well ahead of all other passengers. He concludes his opus with a treasury of wacky flight stories, several of which portray the often bizarre behavior of Southwest employees. Once, on a flight from Chicago, a male flight attendant hid in an overhead compartment as a practical joke. For a flight departing from Phoenix, the gate man announced "for fun" that they would first begin boarding passengers holding C cards instead of the customary A cards, causing a near riot; security delayed boarding for 30 minutes. Successful execution of Thomson's techniques is not for the faint of heart, but the rewards associated with an enjoyable flight can be significant. And if you are really adept and pass the qualifying exam, you will be awarded the coveted SWABS designation as a Southwest Airlines Boarding Specialist... Dick Reynolds Southwest Book Reviews Men's Fitness FIGHT OR FLIGHT! Anyone familiar with Southwest Airlines' first-come, first-serve boarding procedure knows things can get ugly. Thankfully someone's written manual. Survive the free-for-all with Marty Thompson's new book, Flying for Peanuts: The ABCs of Flying Southwest Airlines. With helpful hints including the "SOB Boarding Technique" and the "Bag and Gag," Southwest is now as easy as, well, other airlines. ($9.95 @ flyingforpeanuts.com) -NM Men's Fitness The Mercury News January 18, 2004 It turns out the secret to Southwest Airlines' success is laughter, not just cheap fares and good customer service. The author, although not an employee of Southwest, pokes good fun at the carrier's unique flying experience: low prices, herding to get on board, peanuts for meals and elbow-to-elbow seating. It's good for a few yuks next time you're stuck in a crowded terminal during a long flight delay, with tips on how to cut short a conversation with a talkative fellow passenger ("Could you talk a little faster? I'm going to sleep when you are finished.") and being first to open the overhead bin (Tell everyone around you that it's important that you be the first to the overhead, just in case your snake collection accidentally opened). Light reading, but it just might be just the thing to keep you smiling next time you get bumped. Michael Martinez The Mercury News Real Travel Adventures International Magazine For Your Adventure Travels Flying for Peanuts by Marty Thompson is a clever and humorous little book that provides the traveler with the ABC's of Flying Southwest Airlines. One of the most profitable airlines, Southwest treats its customers with fun and comedy, while cutting out the frills. If you have never flown Southwest, you'll find this book fun to read in preparation for your first flight with that carrier. If you are already a loyal Southwest customer, you'll find the book fun and familiar and you'll learn about the little lady named Irma who was the first commercial airline stewardess in 1922 and who helped form the customer service policy that works so well for the airline. This book is a manual telling any business owner how to establish successful customer service that allows the customer to choose his/her level of service and helps the workers and customers both find fun in the workplace. The book is a tribute to all Irma's astute observations taught the industry, making each trip on Southwest Airlines a fun and memorable laugh-in. Bonnie Neely Real Travel Adventures International Magazine For Your Adventure Travels Barnes and Noble Customer Review Drop your britches funny Just don't stop laughing through the entire book. It's been a long time since I have read a book this funny. Fred Mcneil I haven't stopped laughing, but obviously can not conduct an interview until I have flown on Southwest under the tuterlidge of Marty and Irma!!! May be we should conduct the interview live in flight whilst perfecting the armrest control technique!! What a delightful read and what an opportunity to provide our listeners with a little levity in a normally anxious world of travel. Marcus Tilley Talkin' Travel Amazon.com Customer Review Flying Southwest should be considered an extreme sport!, January 20, 2004 I received this manual as a gift from my Dad. My friends and family know me to be an adrenaline junky who chooses the thrill of flying Southwest. Dont give me those fancy lah-de-dah airlines with their comfortable seats and routine plane maintenance. The thrill is somewhere between parachuting and bungee jumping! So when I received this guide to Southwest I thought, 'what is this sh#t!'. But let me tell you - it is AWESOME, baby! This guy is tighrope walking that fine line between insanity and genius. (Maybe more towards the insanity part). He has developed techniques to get on the plane first, get the best seats, free drinks, controlling the arm-rest and the holy grail of flying - GETTING A ROW TO YOURSELF. You have got to read this thing before it gets corrupted when they make it into a movie. 1go2away3 from Malabama, AL USA ISBN 978-1-58985-006-4 $ 9.95 Published by Five Star Publications, Inc. Published 2003 Paperback 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 Main   Press Release   Your Flying Story   Ask Irma   About the Author   Suggested Interview Questions   Reviews   © 1996-2011 Five Star Publications, Inc.. 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