Southwest Rapid Rewards - Looking for Shamu plane(s)

My dd 6 is simply in love with Shamu and we always fly SW. Every flight...she asks if we are going to be on the Shamu plane. She has a model of it, a picture, etc. As close to obsessed as any 6YO can be with a plane!

A few months ago she spotted a couple pilots at MCO and asked them where she could find them. They didn't know, but thought there were about 5 left with the theme.

We were changing in BWI this morning and she spotted one on the run way. I recall a few years back we also saw one at this location also.

So the question....does anyone know which routes it/they generally fly?

I saw it this morning as well, at BWI around 9am, as my plane was trying to find a gate. First time I've seen it.

Unfortunately, I don't know where to find them either. I'm sure my daughter would love to see a Shamu plane too :)

I'm not sure how you find an individual plane's schedule, but here are the tail numbers of the three Shamu birds in WN's fleet: N334SW, N713SW, N715SW.

I'm not sure how you find an individual plane's schedule, but here are the tail numbers of the three Shamu birds in WN's fleet: N334SW, N713SW, N715SW.

Maybe flightaware can track the tail numbers and give you current day info.

We took Shamu from BWI-MCO in March. It was a 300 series aircraft.
Then, we took Shamu from BWI-BDL last Wednesday. I was surprised when I realized it was a 700 series! I didn't realize they had more than one. I was really surprised when they closed the overhead bins as they had a special paint job on the overheads, too.

I'm not sure how you find an individual plane's schedule, but here are the tail numbers of the three Shamu birds in WN's fleet: N334SW, N713SW, N715SW.I believe Shamu One (N334SW) is going to be retired this year? Saw one of the planes arriving at MDW around 15:00 on Monday(18th).

Just took the -700 Shamu from CMH-BWI first thing this a.m. It was continuing on to Boston then Midway.

One of them was at BWI last Thursday(6/14) in the mid-afternoon line up for departure.

Happy Tracking!

One of my customers did that round of advertising for southwest. They used to have a huge mock up of the plane in their office.

http://40best.gsdm.com/img/full/poster-28.jpg

A good story about the planes too..

http://www.freibergs.com/books/nuts-southwest-airlines-crazy-recipe-for-business-and-personal-success/excerpts/teaching-whales-to-fly/

My dd 6 is simply in love with Shamu and we always fly SW. Every flight...she asks if we are going to be on the Shamu plane. She has a model of it, a picture, etc. As close to obsessed as any 6YO can be with a plane!

A few months ago she spotted a couple pilots at MCO and asked them where she could find them. They didn't know, but thought there were about 5 left with the theme.

We were changing in BWI this morning and she spotted one on the run way. I recall a few years back we also saw one at this location also.

So the question....does anyone know which routes it/they generally fly?

The Shamus are routed just like any other aircraft in the fleet, which means that can and do show up at just about any airport in our system.

Originally, there was Shamu I, N334SW, a -300, and was followed later by Shamu II and Shamu III, N501SW and N507SW, respectively, both -500s.

As the -200 fleet dwindled down in number from retirements, the two -500 Shamus were not getting out as far and wide as previously, and it was decided to paint two newer -700s as Shamus, and repaint both N501SW and N507SW in Canyon Blue. N713SW and N715SW (both-700s) became the "new" Shamus. For a very short time, a couple of months at most, we actually had all 5 aircraft flying as Shamus. Then the two -500s were repainted, and we were back down to three of them.

Once N334SW (the -300) retires, I'd imagine either a new -700, or maybe even a new -800 will be painted as a Shamu, keeping us at three in the fleet.

For some pix for you young one, try:

N334SW
http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?aircraft_genericsearch=&airlinesearch=&countrysearch=&specialsearch=&daterange=&keywords=N334SW&range=&sort_order=photo_id+desc&page_limit=15&thumbnails=

N501SW
http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?aircraft_genericsearch=&airlinesearch=&countrysearch=&specialsearch=&daterange=&keywords=N501SW&range=&sort_order=photo_id+desc&page_limit=15&thumbnails=

N507SW
http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?aircraft_genericsearch=&airlinesearch=&countrysearch=&specialsearch=&daterange=&keywords=N507SW&range=&sort_order=photo_id+desc&page_limit=15&thumbnails=

N713SW
http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?aircraft_genericsearch=&airlinesearch=&countrysearch=&specialsearch=&daterange=&keywords=N713SW&range=&sort_order=photo_id+desc&page_limit=15&thumbnails=

N715SW
http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?aircraft_genericsearch=&airlinesearch=&countrysearch=&specialsearch=&daterange=&keywords=N715SW&range=&sort_order=photo_id+desc&page_limit=15&thumbnails=

Hopefully those will be enough photos to keep your daughter happy until such time as she can either see one in person, or fly on one..

Cheers...

I flew on one of the Shamu planes from Tulsa to Love field Thursday night. It was the 8pm flight.

Am I the only one that gets a bit of unease flying on a plane painted to look like a whale?


I know, it's just a paint job.

thanks all - if I have wifi on my flights today I'll try the number tracking. Also, thanks for the pics. She has already told me which ones she wants to print and hang up in her room.
In the meantime, we are going ORF-BWI-PVD and I'll keep an eye out. Only 3 planes - guess it would be a lucky day if we ended up on one!!!

One of the 73G Shamus parked next to us Monday morning in PHX.

I flew 334SW a few years ago. It looked strange seeing the engine with the flipper on it, but it's a neat livery.

I wonder if the Shamus will be making an appearance at SEA later this year when AS dedicates their new "Salmon-Thirty-Salmon" like they did a few years ago?

I was on my way back to SLC from DEN on Thursday. The "California" WN plane had just taken off from DEN and I pointed it out to my daughter. I told her about the various planes WN has, including the Shamu plane.

While we were sitting at our gate waiting for our plane to arrive, a 737-300 Shamu pulled up to the gate next to ours (we were seated between our gate and the one the plane pulled in to). She was excited to see it. We had to wait a bit longer (we showed up early for our flight) and got to see it leave the gate. Next thing we know, another Shamu plane, this time a 737-700, pulled into the exact same gate just after the previous one left. I told her she was lucky to get to see two Shamu planes in the same day, at the exact same gate.

It was a weird occurrence but was so awesome to see because we love visiting Sea World and always catch the Shamu shows (we've also had breakfast with Shamu). The only thing that would have made it better was if the second plane was actually ours. Unfortunately, ours pulled in to our gate a few minutes later and was a regular old -300.

I saw one yesterday landing at LAS. IIRC it was coming from MDW or SAT.

I must be getting lucky, I saw one (-300) at MDW on Wednesday and then two today, one in STL (-700) and one in DEN (-700).

I saw the -300 and one of the -700s at PHX on Tuesday. Both landed within 10 minutes of each other.

Saw one yesterday in ORF around 5pm. I'd never seen one before and then within days of reading this thread one showed up. Must be good luck :)

Wow....crazy with just 3 in the entire fleet people are spotting 2 in one day!

Wow....crazy with just 3 in the entire fleet people are spotting 2 in one day!
Shamu gets around ;)

(we've also had breakfast with Shamu).

Did you dine in a restaurant or in his tank?

Did you dine in a restaurant or in his tank?
It was served on the deck next to his tank. He would swim by and come up to the surface for the kids to touch. Great experience, I'm not sure if they offer it any longer though.

It was served on the deck next to his tank. He would swim by and come up to the surface for the kids to touch. Great experience, I'm not sure if they offer it any longer though.

If in Orlando, it was called Dine with Shamu. It stopped a couple years ago when the whale killed the trainer during a lunch "show". It is coming back...but redone with more trainer safety.

If in Orlando, it was called Dine with Shamu. It stopped a couple years ago when the whale killed the trainer during a lunch "show". It is coming back...but redone with more trainer safety.
Mine was in San Diego, but I think it went by the same name and was breakfast instead of lunch.

Saw taking off from PHX 7/2 1010amish

I flew on one of the Shamu planes from Tulsa to Love field Thursday night. It was the 8pm flight.

What's odd to me is that I have been on more WN special themed livery's out of Oklahoma than other places. At OKC one moring I saw the Arizona, Texas and California planes all at once. I have seen the "Silver One" a few times as well, once at BUR of all places. I have spotted Shamu at PHX a few times. It's all gimmicky marketing bs of course and does nothing to improve the pax experience, but I get that a 6 year old can enjoy it.

I have never ridden in Shamu, but I am pretty sure I was seated next to him a few times ;)

I was dropping off my kids in ONT today when N334SW arrived from DEN and was outbound to PHX.

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s178/mikelindsey9/Flyertalk/IMG-20120709-00320.jpg

I was on N715SW today from MSY to MDW. It was going on to OMA, DEN and then BOI.

One of these was flying over me as I left work on Friday in Las Vegas.