Student Jeremiah Skeete shows how hard work and mentorship have gotten him one step closer to achieving his dream of becoming a Southwest Airlines Pilot.

What started in a fifth grade classroom over 15 years ago has since taken to the skies! Southwest Airlines Pilot David Childs found himself looking for a way to inspire kids to have the same love of aviation his father instilled in him at a young age. Little did he know that this passion would eventually come full circle.

Read more to hear how Southwest and Adopt-A-Pilot came to eventually reunite teacher and student years later.

We’re often asked if Campus Reach Interns are ever hired for full-time employment after their internship. Our answer: we love hiring Interns! The Campus Reach Program has built a talent acquisition pipeline here at Southwest, so you will see many of our former Interns roaming the hallways now as full-time Southwest Employees. 

Nikalos Bray interned on the Flight Operations Procedures and Development Team back in the summer of 2013, and is now a Pilot – First Officer in Flight Operations. Read on for more!

Oakland based Pilot, Peter Vanpelt, has been inspiring students both locally and abroad for the past five years as an Adopt-A-Pilot Ambassador. Southwest’s Adopt-A-Pilot program allows Pilots to volunteer their time by visiting classrooms and mentoring students through their knowledge of aviation.

Employees are the Heart of our business at Southwest. They help us connect People to what’s important in their lives through friendly, reliable, and low-cost air travel. We know from our 2017 fall campaign that behind every seat is a story, but there’s also a story behind every Employee across the system. SMF Ops Agent Jay Thomas and DEN First Officer Mike McGee are no exceptions.

“I’m proud to wear a Southwest uniform. You know you’re a part of something big.”

—Lt. Col. Jamie Hunt, First Officer 

On International Women's Day, we're thrilled to share how First Officer Beth Polcari landed the career of her dreams.

Southwest now serves 100 destinations across the U.S. and 10 additional countries, so if you’re looking to get away, there are always places to go and experiences to be had! Nobody knows a city and its hidden gems better than the Employees who live and work there. Check out a few of our Flight Ops Employees' favorite places in the Phoenix area and share your hidden gems in the comment section of the post!

Our Employees are known for their Company pride. When Southwest Airlines receives recognition, it’s truly a reflection of our incredible folks, taking great care of our Customers. So it’s with pride in our amazing Employees that I share that Southwest Airlines was recently recognized by The Wall Street Journal on their inaugural list of Management Top 250.

Thanks to our dedicated Employees, we've been named one of Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work for the ninth consecutive year!

Southwest Airlines is proud to announce that for the third consecutive year, we earned 100 percent on Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 16th Annual Scorecard on LGBTQ Workplace Equality!

Southwest will soon say goodbye to our 737-300 fleet and welcome the new 737 MAX with open arms. As we look to the future, it's important to remember the many milestones the -300s have helped our Company reach.

Photo by Mary Beth Koeth

“Every day is interesting and fun. I like that excitement of the job.”

                         —Ryan Shone, Ramp Agent

At Southwest Airlines, we believe in empowering the next generation to achieve their career goals.  One of the ways we do that is by passing along the lessons we’ve learned along the way.  We are proud to partner with GenHERation, and next week we’ll welcome a group of talented young women to our Headquarters for Discovery Days.  These young women will learn what some of our women Leaders throughout their careers. Captain Nicole Alicea shares how studying hard in science and math can give you a view you can’t find in any other career!

This time last week Captain Lou Freeman was making his final descent on a career of 36 years of legendary service to Southwest Airlines. As the first African-American Chief Pilot for any major U.S. airline, Captain Lou Freeman is more than just a retired Pilot; he is a trailblazer, hero, a mentor, a friend, a leader, a husband, and a father.

As a WWII Navy Pilot, aviation is one of Mr. Richards’ many passions, but it is specifically the love he feels from my Southwest Cohearts that keeps Mr. Richards flying. Every Thursday, he goes to the Albuquerque Sheraton to meet and thank Southwest Crew Members staying there. When he travels, he has a special song he sings onboard about spreading love and happiness.

Earlier this month, we brought Mr. Richards to Southwest's Dallas Headquarters to express our appreciation with a VIP experience. Upon his departure in Albuquerque, the Station threw him a send-off party to commemorate his journey.

 “I love bringing children into the cockpit. Watching their faces light up stays with me forever.” 

—Diana Snow, Captain 

Captain Diana Snow

Captain Lou Freeman was Southwest's first African American Pilot, and the first black Chief Pilot at any major U.S. carrier. But he doesn't see himself as a history-maker, just a Pilot who loves to put smiles on people's faces. That's his legacy.

Southwest is known for the exceptional ability to hire the best of the best Pilots, but we also have the best instructors. Pilots undergo an immense amount of training from a distinguished group of Instructors. Three of our Instructors, Captain Dale Lenhart, Jim Evans, and Clarence Corbin were recently awarded the FAA’s most prestigious award—The Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award.

Jim Evans was one of three Southwest Flight Instructors recently awarded the FAA’s most prestigious award—The Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award.

Mike Henkelman, Southwest Captain

“I see my role as the conductor of a symphony. It’s my job to make sure everything comes together.”

—Mike Henkelman, Captain

My daughter Dizzy loves airplanes so much that she insisted on being a Pilot for Halloween. And her airline of choice? Southwest, of course!

I wanted to give my dear friends a special and unique wedding gift, and so I spent months painting a piece for them. A problem then arose: getting the painting from Boston to Phoenix. That is where Southwest came in ...

Not only does Southwest Captain Sharie Wilkins show an abounding amount of loyalty to her career and her Cohearts, she also spends a lot of her time outside the cockpit doing charity work.

On July 3, 2016, Southwest Pilot Trey Turner saw a familiar old friend sitting across the gate area in Oklahoma City. Upon closer inspection, he realized he was being afforded the opportunity to reunite with his favorite teacher, whom he hadn’t seen in over 21 years.

Many years ago, I took my first flight in an airplane in Grumman Goose from Long Beach airport out to Catalina Island. I was last in line to get on the airplane and a little boy with a baseball cap beat me, to my disappointment, at the opportunity to sit in the cockpit. The friend I was traveling with sat in the first row of seats, and each time he looked back at me, he saw me smiling ear-to-ear. He knew it was my first flight on an airplane and was wondering if I was nervous. I couldn’t help but smile … I loved every minute of it.