We’re back! It was a stressful and draining trip, but also tons of fun and memorable in many ways. First, I put in my cockpit observation time requirement for the year by riding up front from Dallas to El Paso to Phoenix and then from Phoenix to Oakland. I always like riding up front because it helps me understand the pilots’ duties, pressures, and perspective better. I talked with both sets of pilots about fuel, one area of occasional disagreement between pilots and dispatchers. At Southwest, and probably all other passenger airlines, the dispatcher plans the fuel load and alternate airports well in advance of departure time after analyzing the weather, aircraft, airports, traffic, and other factors involved. The FAA requires a minimum of 45 minutes’ worth of extra fuel for domestic flights, and we always add varying amounts of extra fuel to account for possible reroutes, ATC issues, weather, or other issues that might increase the fuel burn. On the majority of our flights, the Captain accepts the planned fuel load. On occasion, he/she adds more shortly before departure, which gives the flight more time to deviate or hold before diverting but also increases the fuel burn and operating cost (extra fuel = extra weight to carry). Some pilots like to say, “the only time a plane has too much fuel is when it’s on fire.” Although we might quibble over the “right” amount of fuel, I was very impressed (but not surprised) at how seriously our pilots take their responsibility for the safe operation of each Southwest flight. The Dallas-Phoenix trip was boring weather-wise, but the nighttime Phoenix-Oakland flight was more interesting. We experienced turbulence for much of the flight, and the pilots worked hard with ATC trying to find a smooth altitude. Then on approach to OAK, we descended through thick layers of clouds and landed in rain and 3 miles of visibility. It wasn’t anywhere near the minimums for OAK, but there’s nothing quite like seeing lit-up clouds fly straight toward you at 250 knots.

The rest of the trip was busy but fun. We had a good turnout at both “LUV at First Bite” new-hire luncheons, both from new-hires and from our senior leaders. President Colleen Barrett was there along with several directors and vice presidents. They all had a great time and enjoyed the puppet show. Thursday night we attended the Oakland Message to the Field, where Gary announced SWA’s impending return to San Francisco after a 6-year hiatus. I think SFO will be a good airport for us, but its opening will increase our staffing shortage in Oakland. If you know anyone who might be interested in working for us in OAK, please refer them to southwest.com/careers. =) We visited the People Department’s field offices in each city and sold lots of goodies before each Message. It was great to get out in the field and see my coworkers from so many different airports, to feel the excitement of the new-hires, and to remind myself once again how many different people and roles it takes to run our company.