Blog Alumni

blusk
Author Since 2006

Brian Lusk

Corporate Historian
Dallas, TX  | 

Of all our bloggers, I am probably the oldest, but I don’t feel my age. I was born in 1952, just a couple of blocks from the Santa Fe Railway’s main transcontinental line in Clovis, New Mexico to an airline father, so transportation (planes and trains) got in my blood at an early age. As a child, my fondest memories are spending days at work with my dad on the ramp in Amarillo, Texas and on the old observation deck at Dallas Love Field. After graduating from Southern Methodist University in Dallas as a journalism major, I got my first airline job with Delta in 1976. During my time at Delta, I worked at Dallas/Fort Worth (during three separate occasions), Detroit, Oakland, Atlanta (at the old terminal), Portland, Oregon, Paris Orly, and Dayton, Ohio. My 18½ years with Delta were split between ramp/operations and ticket counter/gates. I joined Southwest (thankfully!) in 1995, as a Reservations Sales Agent, but then I moved to the communications group in the Executive Office, where. I corresponded with our Customers on a wide variety of topics, but I also got to work on different projects like this blog. About five years ago I moved into the Communication & Strategic Outreach Department and worked primarily in our social media area. Then in 2011, I got my dream job as Southwest's Corporate Historian. I enjoy sharing and preserving Southwest's past with our Employees and the public at large.

Fun Facts

Languages

English and Blog

Hobbies

Aviation and Railroading

Pets

My basset, Annabelle

High School

El Segundo High School, El Segundo, Ca and WT White in Dallas

College

Southern Methodist

Favorite Sports Teams

Texas Rangers, Dallas Stars, Dallas Mavs, SMU, Cowboys

Favorite Travel Destinations

Scotland

Your Favorite Southwest Story

The current week's Flashback Fridays

Recent Activity:

Recent Activity Posts

Flashback Fridays: Little Known ProfitSharing Factoids

By: Brian Lusk blusk

Feb 22 2013
For as long as I have been with Southwest, winter has also been the “season” for Messages to the Field (where our CEO delivers a "state of the airline," talks about the priorities for the year, and fields questions from Employees). One of the traditional announcements at the Messages that affects all of our Employees is the amount of the Company’s contribution to our ProfitSharing plan.  (... read more

Flashback Fridays: Selling Love Field in 1974

By: Brian Lusk blusk

Feb 15 2013
We’ve covered the landmark day of January 13, 1974, before in previous editions of Flashback Fridays.  Those earlier posts have shared pictures of the abandoned Dallas Love Field lobby after the other airlines packed up and moved to the DFW Airport.  Just as the other airlines shifted airports overnight, Southwest consolidated our operations into the old baggage claim wing and what was... read more

Flashback Fridays: Southwest’s First Valentine’s Day Celebrations

By: Brian Lusk blusk

Feb 08 2013
It’s no secret that Southwest LUVs to celebrate holidays, especially Valentine’s Day and Halloween.  It’s a longtime tradition, but just how deep are those roots?  As these documents and photos from the archives show, our association with Valentine’s Day goes all the way back to our very beginnings.  I recently found documents recapping both our very first Valentine’s Day, February... read more

Flashback Fridays: When AirTran Came to Branson

By: Brian Lusk blusk

Feb 01 2013
The first AirTran city conversion to Southwest Airlines in 2013 is just a few weeks away when Branson, Missouri, becomes a Southwest city on March 9.  It’s also going to be the first time since we began service to Little Rock on February 27, 1984, that a new Southwest city will open with nonstop flights to Dallas Love Field, thanks to the Wright Amendment.  (Missouri is one of the nine... read more

Flashback Fridays: More Assorted Early Southwest Photos

By: Brian Lusk blusk

Jan 25 2013
As I go through the archives, I find interesting photos that I want to share, but sometimes there aren’t enough photos on a specific subject to which an entire Flashback Fridays can be devoted.  So, I save these “onsies” and “twosies” to present in periodic grab-bag posts, and that is what we have this week. Regular readers know how much I treasure “slice of life” photos that show our early... read more

Flashback Fridays: Fun With Annual Reports

By: Brian Lusk blusk

Jan 18 2013
This week, we take a different approach to Southwest’s history by tracking some measurements of our growth over our first 40 years.  Upfront, I have to admit that I am intimidated by numbers, especially those used to express economic terms.  I just squeaked by my college Economics class (although I do remember we played a neat board game).  However, while doing research in our past... read more

Flashback Fridays: An Airline Future That Never Was, Part Two

By: Brian Lusk blusk

Jan 11 2013
Back before the holidays, I shared some photos in a book my best friend from childhood had sent me.  The book, Transport Aircraft of the World by Lester Ott, was published in 1944, a climactic year during World War II.  In the first installment, I shared some American-built/designed aircraft that were unusual and that wound up either never being built or relegated to the scrap heap... read more

Flashback Fridays: Five Best Flashback Photos of 2012

By: Brian Lusk blusk

Jan 04 2013
This time of year could be called “list season.”  I have to admit that I am a list junkie, and I devour any “best of” (or better yet, “worst of”) list relating to a subject in which I am interested, and I don’t think I’m alone.  Why are we so interested in lists?  My take is that they give us a chance to compare our judgment with those of others.  So here’s your opportunity to... read more

Flashback Fridays: Happy Holidays from Long Ago

By: Brian Lusk blusk

Dec 21 2012
This week’s Flashback gives you the opportunity to look at the details of how we have celebrated a few of the past 42 Holiday Seasons, and the photos run the gamut from early Southwest to early AirTran holiday costumes and celebrations.   The first photo features a trio of Flight Attendants from the the earliest of the years that Southwest was in operation.  Our characters are wearing... read more

Looking Back at Kitty Hawk

By: Brian Lusk blusk

Dec 17 2012
In many ways, today may be the most important day on Southwest Airlines’ calendar because it marks the 109th anniversary of the date that humans took to the air in powered, controlled flight.  After all, without airplanes, you can’t have airlines.  While the problems of controlled flight would probably been solved sooner or later, the Wright Brothers did it first, and the aviation... read more

Recent Activity Luvs

The Physics of Santa

By: Steve Heaser sheaser

Dec 20 2012
Is this podcast timely? Yes. Accurate? Well, I really don't know. Some years ago an unknown group or individual with seemingly too much time on their hands decided to apply their math and physics skills to Santa and his reindeer. Easy enough. Just run the numbers and report it. For instance one part of this podcast reports: Santa has 31 hours of Christmas to work with, thanks to the different... read more

Bigger. Better. Stronger. Help Hurricane #Sandy Victims

By: Laurel Moffat lmoffat

Dec 18 2012
Not that long ago in Breezy Point, NY, families gathered around the dinner table to talk about their day or took a moment to breathe in the fresh air and walk along the Atlantic Coast.  Today, as you walk through remnants of what someone once called their home, all that’s recognizable is a radio flyer wagon missing two wheels and a red fire truck sitting on cement that once made up the front... read more

Looking Back at Kitty Hawk

By: Brian Lusk blusk

Dec 17 2012
In many ways, today may be the most important day on Southwest Airlines’ calendar because it marks the 109th anniversary of the date that humans took to the air in powered, controlled flight.  After all, without airplanes, you can’t have airlines.  While the problems of controlled flight would probably been solved sooner or later, the Wright Brothers did it first, and the aviation... read more

Flashback Fridays: A Cartoonist's Take on Southwest's Early Battles

By: Katrina Saunders ksaunders

Dec 14 2012
As the Archives Intern, I have spent many memorable moments this semester sifting through Southwest’s photos, documents, and memorabilia.   The other day, a series of tongue-in-cheek pen-and-ink political cartoons caught my eye for their wry take on the early struggles Southwest Airlines faced in the wars between Love Field and DFW Airport.  Before Facebook and Twitter,... read more

Military Heroes Month: Transporting a Fallen Hero on 9/11 Anniversary

By: First Officer Jason Ausdemore JAusdemore

Nov 20 2012
I often hear the word “hero” used when I hear stories about people who stepped up to a challenge or overcame tremendous obstacles.  For me, I had the privilege and humbling honor to transport true heroes—including one who had sacrificed everything.  Upon landing in Baltimore (BWI) on the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, we were notified that we would be carrying two very... read more

Wings of Hope

By: Maraleen Manos-Jones, Guest Blogger mmanosjones

Nov 09 2012
Emerging from her chrysalis on October 20th, a monarch inspired me to come to her aid. I have been raising and releasing monarchs for forty years and knew this one wouldn’t be able to fly with temperatures below 55 degrees, nor would there be any flowers with enough nectar to fuel her on her migration. Southwest Airlines responded positively to my unusual request by offering to fly both my... read more

Frye's Rescue

By: Dirk Westfall, Guest Blogger dwestfall

Oct 24 2012
First of all, I would like to thank our friends at Southwest Airlines for making this whole trip possible.  Had they not offered to fly Frye and our animal transport team to Georgia and back, SEA LIFE Arizona might not have had the opportunity to rescue Frye.  Frye is an endangered green sea turtle that sustained injuries early in life from a boat strike.  The injuries left Frye... read more

Flashback Fridays: The Origins of Southwest Reservations Department

By: Brian Lusk blusk

Oct 19 2012
In the beginning, there were flights.  Those Southwest Airlines flights served Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio.  Flight Attendants and Ticket Agents in hot pants and big smiles served our Customers, but American Airlines served as the initial point of contact for most of those Customers.  For the first year and a half (up until March 1973) of Southwest’s existence, American’s... read more

Flashback Friday’s: Fun Times During the Early 1980s, Southwest Style

By: Brian Lusk blusk

Sep 14 2012
If you are thinking that the guy wearing the airplane suit and the leather helmet looks familiar, you are right.  That’s Southwest Chairman Emeritus Herb Kelleher, and he’s wearing a Pac Man T-shirt.  Why, you might ask, was a respected airline executive dressed like this in public? In late 1981, Herb agreed to a Pac Man “battle” with Southwest Captain Bob Landa, and the venue was... read more

Behind the Business Travel Challenge

By: Ashley Chaddick achaddick

Sep 12 2012
It’s tough describing the atmosphere behind-the-scenes of a production shoot – forget the fact that we were surrounded by desert-like terrain in 100-degree, dry heat, and located at the base of Agua Dulce’s hills – this set was larger than life and built like an oversized play-place.   I could tell you about why my team and I decided to move forward with the Challenge Fall Campaign... read more