When I got this batch of photos from Boeing, I was really excited, and I hope you will be too. All that metal and hard work seen in previous photos has come together to produce our first 737-800. Before I get into the fun, I think a word of thanks to all the Boeing workers and those of their suppliers like Spirit Aerospace in Wichita is appropriate. Their efforts and dedication... read more
Blog Team
Brian Lusk
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
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Flash Forward—Part Seven: It’s an Airplane! The Continued Progress of Our First 737-800
By: Brian Lusk 
Feb 22 2012
When I got this batch of photos from Boeing, I was really excited, and I hope you will be too. All that metal and hard work seen in previous photos has come together to produce our first 737-800. Before I get into the fun, I think a word of thanks to all the Boeing workers and those of their suppliers like Spirit Aerospace in Wichita is appropriate. Their efforts and dedication... read more
Flash Forward—Part Six: Sky Interior Installation on Our First 737-800
By: Brian Lusk
Feb 20 2012
I hope you are looking forward to
these packets of photos from our friends at Boeing as much as I am. Aside from the larger cabin and revised
galleys, the most anticipated difference between the 737-800 and our existing
airplanes might be the Sky Interior that was first developed for the 787.
If you’ve ever wondered what the
backside of those wall panels in a cabin look like... read more
Flashback Fridays: Origins of the Boeing 737—Part One
By: Brian Lusk
Feb 17 2012
The “Originals”: The 737-100 and 737-200
As we prepare to put our first Boeing 737-800 into service and on the heels of our announcement as the launch customer for the 737MAX, I thought it might be fun to take a step back and look at the heritage of this magnificent airliner. Michael Lombardi, Boeing’s Corporate Historian, selected these images for us, and I will share them with you... read more
Flash Forward—Part Five: Initial Views Inside Our First 737-800
By: Brian Lusk
Feb 16 2012
The pace of the construction of our
first 737-800, N8301J, is progressing at a crisp rate. Did you know that the assembly line is always
moving once the landing gear are installed?
It moves about two inches a minute, but any worker who sees a problem
can stop the line until the problem is corrected. In this installment, we get our first look
inside the cabin. Finishing an... read more
Flash Forward—Part Four: The Continued Progress of Our First 737-800
By: Brian Lusk
Feb 14 2012
In our last installment, the future
N8301J was in the first position of the moving assembly line at Boeing’s
Renton, Washington, assembly plant. It's really incredible to me that it's possible to assemble a bunch of metal and other materials into a machine that will not only soar safely through the heavens, but it will do it in rain, snow, and extreme heat for the next 20 years or so.... read more
Flash Forward—Part Three: The Continued Progress of our First 737-800
By: Brian Lusk
Feb 10 2012
If you have ever made a model
airplane, you know the process involves making various subassemblies, then
gluing them together to make an airplane.
As these photos show, the process of making a real airplane is very
similar.
In our last batch of photos, the
fuselage had moved inside the assembly building to the fuselage make-ready
station. With this group of photos, the
fuselage has... read more
Flashback Fridays: California Girls Meet "Airplane" at Los Angeles International
By: Brian Lusk
Feb 10 2012
The
white zone is for immediate loading and unloading of passengers only. There is
no stopping in a red zone.
Airline employees and avgeeks
immediately recognize that line from the 1980 movie Airplane. The airport scenes
were shot at TWA’s Terminal 3 at Los Angeles International (LAX), and the sign
above is familiar to anyone who has seen the movie. A little known fact is that when... read more
Flash Forward: The Continued Progress of Our First 737-800
By: Brian Lusk
Feb 03 2012
In our last installment, the
fuselage of our first 737-800 was being loaded on a rail car for the journey
from Wichita to the Boeing assembly plant in Renton, Washington. Thanks to these great photos from our friends
at Boeing, we can check in on the progress of what will become N8301J. Fellow avgeeks will note that the -800s carry
a four-digit N-number, which is a departure from our... read more
Flashback Fridays: Southwest Airlines’ Interiors over the Years
By: Brian Lusk
Feb 03 2012
Our new Evolve interior with its
environmentally friendly materials and Customer-friendly personal space was set
to make its debut this week. To mark the
occasion, I thought it might be interesting to go back through the years and
look at our various aircraft interiors.
The photo above represents one of
our earliest interiors, and the Flight Attendant is one of our Originals,... read more
Flash Forward: The Birth of our first Dash 800
By: Brian Lusk
Jan 27 2012
Normally, I write about the past, but this post is about history in the making. As a certified “av geek,” one of the things that fascinates me about airplane construction is how a bunch of metal comes together to form an airliner. Dara Schmidt, our Boeing Representative, has been supplying us “av geek caviar” with a series of photos showing our first 737-800 under construction.... read more
Recent Activity Luvs
SWA Stew: Episode 37
By: Brooks Thomas 
Jan 27 2012
Winning Spirit: The Humble Hero
Jan 09 2012
SWA Stew: Episode 34
By: Brooks Thomas
Jan 06 2012
Southwest Airlines and The Container Store Spread Holiday Cheer
By: Amy Swan 
Dec 22 2011
When James Came Home
By: Kathryn Dawson 
Dec 21 2011
My son,
James Bauserman, wanted to be in the military since he was four. Like all mothers,
I thought this was cute, but figured he would change his career aspirations at
least ten times by the time he graduated high school. Then, while James was still
in school, 9/11 happened. At the time, James was a member of the Navy ROTC, and
his desire to be in the military quickly became a mission. He ended... read more
Tractors Fly Free, Too
By: Adam McLane, Guest Blogger 
Dec 19 2011
My love for Southwest Airlines was reaffirmed last night. I fly Southwest whenever I can. I love their easy ticketing, check in app, and seating policies. I love their amazing customer service. And I love their easy Rapid Rewards program for earning free tickets. Last week, I flew to Chicago to have some meetings, celebrate the release of the Love is an... read more
SWA Stew: Episode 33
By: Brooks Thomas
Dec 16 2011
"I Just Wanted to Thank You" - A Note From My Flight Attendant
By: Wayne Elsey, Guest Blogger 
Dec 12 2011
Sometimes being the CEO of an organization is inspiring and rewarding, but sometimes you find yourself in the wrong headspace and it quickly becomes stressful and overwhelming. Today started off as one of those days for me. After getting word late last week that a very close friend of mine had been unexpectedly hospitalized, I immediately canceled all of my weekend appointments and... read more
Southwest Airlines' Proud History of the Boeing 737
By: Brian Lusk
Dec 13 2011
Boeing's 737 has allowed Southwest
Airlines to fly to greatness, and conversely, Southwest’s longtime support has
played a major role in the continued success of the most prolific jetliner in
aviation history. Today’s announcement about
Southwest assuming the role of launch customer for the new 737 MAX further
reinforces that relationship.
Look back to a steamy June morning... read more
Flashback Fridays: A Tradition of Change at Southwest Airlines
By: Brian Lusk
Dec 09 2011
Thanks to a research project, I have finally gotten around to a task which I had kept putting aside. I haven’t procrastinated because of dread,
but time constraints were the culprit.
My task is reading all the back issues of our Employee magazine, LUVLines, and I am thoroughly enjoying
it. One thing has struck me quite
clearly: The issues and challenges that Southwest... read more
Diet Dr Pepper on a LUV Jet Near You!