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

Southwest Debuts the 737-800: Warrior One!

By: Brian Lusk blusk

Mar 21 2012
Many of you have been following our updates as our new 737-800 moved through the construction process and through the first test flight on February 23. One of those steps was the “in-person” introduction today to members of the media, Southwest Employees, and guests at events hosted in Dallas. The day kicked off with a media preview of the new aircraft, followed by an Employee celebration. At... read more

Flashback Fridays: Origins of the Boeing 737, Part Four

By: Brian Lusk blusk

Mar 16 2012
In previous installments, we looked at the Original family of 737s, the 737-100 and 737-200, and then at the Classics, the 737-300, 737-400, and 737-500.  However, the achievements of these earlier aircraft were eclipsed on January 18, 1998, when the Boeing 737 and Southwest Airlines moved to a new level of achievement with the Next Generation, or NG, family.   The first example of... read more

We Officially Own a 737-800!

By: Brian Lusk blusk

Mar 08 2012
A lot of you have been wondering about the status of our first 737-800 since it took its initial flight back on February 23.  Well, today, we took delivery of our brand new aircraft in Seattle.  However, don’t look for it at one of our airports right away because the hard work isn’t done yet, and over the next few weeks, the airplane has a very busy schedule:   The plane... read more

Flashback Fridays: More Weird Promotions

By: Brian Lusk blusk

Mar 02 2012
This week, we take a break from our series on the history of the Boeing 737 because I recently found more (and somewhat bizarre) photos of early Southwest promotions.  Don’t worry; we will resume the 737 series next Friday with a look at the 737-300, -400, and -500. Ask most people what first comes to their mind about Southwest’s early days, and they will probably mention Flight... read more

Flash Forward: Encore—Our First 737-800 Takes to the Air

By: Brian Lusk blusk

Feb 29 2012
We had originally planned to end this series with the post about the Boeing celebration party, but I just had to share these photos from Boeing of the first flight of our new 737-800.  An airplane’s first flight is one of the most significant events in its history, much more than its completion date.  In the case of N8301J, it came alive with its first flight (a Boeing test flight) on... read more

Flash Forward—Part 8: It’s Finished—Almost: The Continued Progress of Our First 737-800

By: Brian Lusk blusk

Feb 27 2012
At the end of our last installment, our first Boeing 737-800 was being towed into the paint shop.  As this batch of photos from some of our folks who travelled to Renton shows, the painting process is complete.   Like most everything we do, a celebration was in order to show off our latest “baby,” and several of our top Leaders were there for the unveiling.  And like so many of... read more

Flash Forward—Part Seven: It’s an Airplane! The Continued Progress of Our First 737-800

By: Brian Lusk blusk

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 blusk

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

Flash Forward—Part Five: Initial Views Inside Our First 737-800

By: Brian Lusk blusk

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 blusk

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

Recent Activity Luvs

Birds of a Feather Win Together

By: Brooks Thomas bthomas

Oct 12 2011
 The "Flying V" isn't a formation we routinely practice at Southwest, but there's a lot of quacking going on about some ducks that are circulating the system. Since joining Families with AirTran, we established the "WingMate Program." Through a sign-up process, the program pairs a Southwest Employee with an AirTran Employee, kind of like a pen-pal system. My WingMate's name is Reuben, a... read more

A Running Spirit

By: Capt. Dan Mix Dan Mix

Oct 05 2011
 The morning began like any other routine start, at the Embassy Suites in Philadelphia.  My First Officer, James Maiato, and I had breakfast and headed to our leisurely 7:15 A.M. lobby meeting time.  That’s when we first noticed a lot of activity outside and a bunch of people running down Benjamin Franklin Parkway.  Upon further inquiry, we discovered it was the start of the... read more

Flashback Fridays: A Building Fit for a Sim

By: Brian Lusk blusk

Sep 02 2011
At the time, it seemed enormous, and it was truly state of the art.  On August 28, 1986, our original Flight Operations Training Center opened.  Tucked between Hangar 5 and the three-story portion of Headquarters, the building actually predates the Headquarters Building, which opened in 1990.  Today, the building serves as the Maintenance Training Center and Engine Shop, and our... read more

Flashback Fridays: The Not-so-Golden, Golden Days

By: Brian Lusk blusk

Aug 19 2011
 One of the things I like to do here at Flashback Fridays is to place historical context behind current issues we face as an airline.  Without being too contrarian, I admit I like to burst myths of aviation’s “good old days,” that period from about 1955 to 1965 upon which everyone looks fondly today and bemoans, "Gee I wish we could travel like that today."  Don’t get me wrong,... read more

What is 25 Stories Tall and Viewed by 75,000 People an Hour?

By: Casey Welch cwelch

Aug 09 2011
Jay-Z and Alicia Keys aren’t the only ones with an Empire State of Mind! This week, the Conservation in Action Tour joins the glossy lights of Times Square--15,000 square feet of LED lights, to be exact. The Tour is featured on a Times Square digital billboard that climbs 25 stories above Broadway. According to AdWeek, it's one of the nation's premium ad spaces. There are roughly 75,000... read more

Happy Birthday Nuts About Southwest Contest--Question Five

By: Brian Lusk blusk

Apr 21 2011
This is the final question in the Nuts About Southwest birthday contest:Based on a post from me on September 28, 2007, what should you not do with online translation device? Never trust it was the answer.  Comments are closed read more

Happy Birthday Nuts About Southwest!

By: Christi McNeill cday

Apr 21 2011
Happy Birthday Nuts About Southwest! Today we are excited to celebrate 5 years of LUV in the Blogosphere with a fun trivia contest! Our resident Blog Boy, Brian Lusk, will post a trivia question each hour beginning at 10:00 a.m. CST and ending at 2:00 p.m. on the Nuts blog.  The first person to answer the hour’s question correctly within the comments section of the blog will win a... read more

Big Blue Experiences Southwest

By: Bob Haster bhaster

Apr 07 2011
 College basketball teams, fans, and school officials experienced a little Southwest Culture over the past few weeks, including Butler’s adorable mascot, Big Blue!  It was an even bigger success for Southwest Airlines, as we transported a number of these teams, fans, and mascots on our charter flights all across the country.  Over the past three weeks, while Big Blue supported... read more

Flashback Fridays: Right to the Source About Houston Hobby

By: Brian Lusk blusk

Apr 01 2011
Twice before, I have led myself astray when I thought I had uncovered photos from Houston Hobby in the early 1970s.  Compared to Dallas or San Antonio, our archives have little to reflect our early operations at Hobby.  Well, those days are over, and I uncovered these amazing photos.  Having actually flown into the airport when it was Houston International, I knew the scope of the... read more

Customer Service: It's More Than Just Our Day Job!

By: Michelle Agnew magnew

Mar 23 2011
Remember the time when you could pull up to the gas pump and two or three employees would run out to service your car? Yeah, I don’t either! In this day and age, I believe consumers find themselves more taken aback when they receive great Customer Service, rather than receiving none at all. It’s happened to me. I’ve found myself saying, “wow, what just happened? That person was really nice to... read more