Is This Seat Open?
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Is This Seat Open?
Most airlines don't have stories about high stakes arm wrestling, planes full of dogs, and a decade of go-go boots, but Southwest isn't like most airlines. To celebrate 50 years of flying, Southwest Airlines proudly presents this 20 episode series featuring first-hand stories from the people who liv...
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21 þættir
Episode 20: Flying Through A Pandemic
Passengers stopped flying. Cleaning protocols needed to be overhauled. Keeping an airline running through a global pandemic is no easy task, but South...
Episode 19: Yes, This Seat Is Open
Window, aisle, or middle? Since Southwest Airlines first took to the skies, seating has been customer's choice. The reasons behind the open seating ha...
Episode 18: The Last Flight Of Rosa Parks
Lou Freeman can lay claim to a lot of firsts. He was in the first group of students to integrate his high school in Dallas. He was the first African A...
Episode 17: Hedging Against Jet Fuel
One day, Gary Kelly and his team had a billion-dollar idea. Literally. In the 90s, Gary implemented a cost-saving measure to protect against fluctuati...
Episode 16: Donating Time, Talent & Tickets
Bill Baracani didn’t grow up with much, but he never had to worry if there would be food on the table. Through his volunteer work, Southwest Airlines...
Episode 15: A Flight For Her Life
The news was hard to hear. Nicole Parris’ infant daughter had survived a high-risk double lung transplant, but she would need to return to a hospital...
Episode 14: The Darkest Hour
Alan Hugley was at work the morning of 9/11. He’s a Flight Dispatcher for Southwest Airlines, and while the country was grappling with the events of t...
Episode 13: Used Doesn’t Mean Useless
Pop quiz: what do you do with a pile of discarded seat leather that could stretch 43 acres? Throw it in a landfill? Not if you’re Southwest. In this e...
Episode 12: Love Is In The Air
Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today to witness the inflight marriage of two customers. For Southwest Airlines, being “The Love Airline” i...
Episode 11: Paying It Forward
It’s not every day that a flight attendant can make more money by retiring, but such is the life of some of Southwest Airlines’ early employees thanks...
Episode 10: The 10-Minute Turn
Most airlines took an hour or more to “turn” their planes, meaning to get them ready to fly again after landing. Southwest Airlines did it in just 10...
Episode 9: Bringing Dad Home
Colonel Roy A. Knight Jr. disappeared over Laos during the Vietnam War. His son grew up without knowing what happened to his father until he received...
Episode 8: To The Rescue: Pets on Planes
This might sound crazy, or like a pet lover’s dream, but how would you like to fly next to 70 cats and dogs? In 2018, Southwest Airlines sent a plane...
Episode 7: Southwest Spirit & A Fun Surprise
The often imitated, never duplicated culture of Southwest Airlines has inspired 50 years of loyalty from employees and customers alike, but what exact...
Episode 6: Go-Go Boots, Khakis & Jams
Southwest Airlines’ uniforms have always been a cut above. From the early days of hot pants and white lace-up boots in the 70’s to the khaki wave of t...
Episode 5: Gregg The Guy At The Gate
Let’s get this Boeing going! Southwest Airlines is known to add some levity to the air travel experience through fun announcements, gate games, and pl...
Episode 4: Legal Eagles: Fighting For The Right To Fly
For most of Southwest Airlines’ history, the company was limited in where it could fly and faced a number of uphill legal and regulatory battles. In t...
Episode 3: Fare Play & A Bottle of Booze
When a price war with a competitor caused big trouble for Southwest Airlines, the company made a marketing gamble that would determine the future of t...
Episode 2: Who Was Herb?
Herb Kelleher was known for many things: his larger than life personality, infectious laugh, dressing up in costume, and growing Southwest Airlines fr...
Episode 1: Malice In Dallas
Two CEOs step into a wrestling ring to arm wrestle. No this isn’t a joke, it’s a 1992 matchup to determine the rightful owner of a multi-million dolla...
Excuse Me, Is This Seat Open?
Why make a podcast about Southwest Airlines? Because this airline is anything but typical. While other airlines assign seats, you get to choose your o...