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: The Ghosts of Southwest Christmases Past, Present, and Future

By: Brian Lusk blusk

Dec 23 2011
Blame (or credit) this post on Bill Murray and Scrooged.  I was looking for some photos that I might use for a Holiday issue of Flashback Fridays, and I thought of his modern version of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.  Most traditional versions of that work are too scary to parody, especially with their versions of the Ghost of Christmas Future.  Well, the Mr. Magoo version isn... read more

Flashback Fridays: Albuquerque at Age One

By: Brian Lusk blusk

Dec 16 2011
I recently found a large batch of black and white negatives primarily from the year 1981.  These 30-year-old photos contain some interesting views of key Southwest events and of the day-to-day routine of three decades ago.  The next few Flashback Friday installments, including next week’s Holiday edition will come from this era.   But first, we look at the Albuquerque Station’s... read more

Wayback Moment: The Boeing 737 & Southwest Airlines

By: Brian Lusk blusk

Dec 13 2011
Southwest Airlines is the official launch customer for the Boeing 737-800 MAX. We've come a long way with the 737.  Resident Historian Brian Lusk goes wayback to show us the history of Southwest and the Boeing 737.  read more

Southwest Airlines' Proud History of the Boeing 737

By: Brian Lusk blusk

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 blusk

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

Flashback Fridays: A Look at the Interchange Era

By: Brian Lusk blusk

Dec 02 2011
I think many folks, including a lot of our Employees, have no idea of what airline regulation used to be like.  The airline world into which Southwest Airlines was born in 1971 was very much different than the industry today.  Our success has been a result of deregulation, but it could be argued that our birth as an intrastate airline was because of the economic regulations enforced by... read more

By Gosh, Southwest Airlines Was At Oshkosh

By: Brian Lusk blusk

Aug 02 2010
On the face of it, a small upper Midwestern town on the shores of Lake Winnebago seems like an unusual place to host aviation enthusiasts from all over the world, but Oshkosh, Wisconsin has been hosting the EAA’s annual Air Venture since 1969.  (The event actually began in Milwaukee in 1953.)  And, Oshkosh is the perfect venue for the event, with lots of room, friendly folks, and beautiful... read more

Flashback Fridays: A Planes, Trains, and Automobiles Thanksgiving

By: Brian Lusk blusk

Nov 18 2011
Amarillo's old airport terminal. John Hughes’s movie starring Steve Martin and John Candy is a favorite of airline employees because most of us have had similar situations when trying to get home for a holiday.  Because we fly standby, the possibilities for delay and creative reroutings at the holidays are magnified.  My Planes, Trains, and Automobiles Thanksgiving happened when I... read more

Flashback Fridays: Southwest Airlines and an Honored Navy Veteran

By: Brian Lusk blusk

Nov 11 2011
When Southwest began operations in 1971, it was toward the end of the war in Vietnam.  Many of our younger male Employees were Vietnam vets, and many of the older Employees who came to us from other airlines were World War II and Korean War Vets.  Our appreciation of those who served our country by marching, flying, or sailing into harm’s way was evident pretty much from “day one” of... read more

Flashback Fridays: The Making of an Iconic Southwest Image

By: Brian Lusk blusk

Nov 04 2011
The photo above showing Flight Attendants running toward the camera is one of the best known icons representing Southwest Airlines’ early days.  A color version of this photo graces the cover of the June 2011 40th Anniversary issue of Spirit magazine.  This photo from 1972 is such a key image, that at least three different times across the years, we have done an updated version with... read more

Recent Activity Luvs

Our First Flight & the Bovine Challenge

By: Steve Heaser sheaser

Jun 24 2009
With our 38th anniversary last week, I dug out this interview for Red Belly Radio that I have been saving. Bob Phillips was on our very first flight from Dallas some 38 years ago and he asks a simple question about cows and how they stand up. read more

Wings and Caffeine

By: Steve Heaser sheaser

May 05 2009
On this episode of Red Belly Radio, I interview Micah and Melissa from our Marketing department. They were two of the team of folks who studied the issue and helped get this new coffee onboard our aircraft. Tune in to this week’s episode to learn about the double-entendre that makes the title of this blog. LIFT, It's A Cup Above The Rest! read more

Here Come ‘da (Chili) Judge

By: Steve Heaser sheaser

Apr 08 2009
For about a dozen years, I have cooked and competed in the Southwest Airlines Annual Chili Cook-off, about one-third of the time it has been held. This episode of Red Belly Radio was recorded at the 36th and last cook-off. I interview long-time chili cook and reigning Tennessee men’s state chili champion Richard Knight, and Jim Powell, who has attended almost every one of the Southwest chili... read more

Sofia Proll and the iPhone App

By: Steve Heaser sheaser

Apr 01 2009
For this episode, Red Belly Radio comes in two (shorter) segments.  I hosted an inflight contest to guess how many bags of peanuts Southwest Airlines gives out in a typical week. And I interview Sofia Proll, a Southwest Flight Attendant who tells the story of a passenger who might be creating an iPhone app to track the average number of peanuts per bag. read more

Touchdown in Beantown

By: Steve Heaser sheaser

Feb 19 2009
In this episode of Red Belly Radio, Manager in Properties, Steve Sisnerios talks about our newest city to be announced. Actually, the Boston area is not new for us but Boston Logan (BOS) is a new airport! Also learn about the Boston Marathon and why the city is called Beantown. Hankering for a few quotes from Cheers? Yep, it’s in there. read more

A Liquor Mockup is not Fake Liquor

By: Steve Heaser sheaser

Dec 10 2008
One tradition at Southwest Airlines is that all of the Inflight classes host what we call a “Liquor Mockup.” It has been done as long as I have been around and a lot longer than that.  I went to the liquor mockup for Flight Attendant class 246 to meet some of my new Coworkers and to try to find out when this tradition started and why. read more

Paris at Thanksgiving

By: Brian Lusk blusk

Nov 24 2008
We continue our special Thanksgiving week posts with more thoughts on the holiday from our Blog Team.    I admit that, in the past, I have taken Thanksgiving for granted, but not since 1991.  Here’s why.  For the month of November 1991, I had the incredible opportunity to work in Paris (France—not Texas!).  My former employer, Delta Air Lines, had just purchased most of Pan Am’s... read more

Are You A Fan Of Delicious Tastiness?

By: Steve Heaser sheaser

Nov 19 2008
In this episode, I talk with three co-workers. Bill Owen, Whitney Eichinger, and Olga Romero to learn what their favorite dishes are on this, my favorite holiday. If you listen to this episode of Red Belly Radio, you will hear about our favorite dishes. In fact, when you get four foodies talking, we racked up 21 dishes that I want to highlight here and the blog lists one more; a contest-winning... read more

I Thought You Were Going To Bring The Mofongo?

By: Steve Heaser sheaser

Nov 12 2008
Length: 15:36 Learn more about what Thanksgiving means to four Southwest Airlines Employees. On this episode, I sit down to talk with three co-workers. Bill Owen, Whitney Eichinger, and I discuss some of our traditions and why we love the holiday and Olga Romero chimes in with some traditions of her homeland, Puerto Rico. Can you guess which one of the four is going to make mofongo? read more

Tell Me I'm Cute

By: Steve Heaser sheaser

Nov 05 2008
Lengty: 16:20 You have to do what you need to do to get those great interviews. In this case, I was on Southwest flight 296 where I had noticed a Flight Attendant in training. I jotted down a few questions on the back of an air sickness bag (unused) and grabbed an interview with Jaimy on one of her Operation Experience flights (actually a test) before she could graduate with her class 245. read more