It CAN'T be 40 years since I watched my first SWA flight arrive!! It probably was at LAX, although I'm not certain. Our Fokker F-27 taxied in on #2 engine, as #1 slowly came to a stop, and the co-pilot got off to go to the external baggage compartment on the rear left-hand side to hand luggage down to the baggage cart puller-guy.
I believe it was a 10-minute turn-around, as we filed on, the door was pulled closed, and #1 was fired up again. I think we were told that SWA gained an extra flight (maybe two!) over airlines who didn't try so hard.
Was that before peanuts and hot pants?
Congratulations on 40 years!
Bruce Ingold
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OK, Brian: That's all fine. But listen to a SW old-timer passenger.
I first became acquainted with SW when you were flying Fokker F-27s. Talk about quick turn-arounds! You would shut down #1 engine as you rolled to the parking place. The passenger door would pop open, and out came the co-pilot to meet the baggage handler, hand-pulling the cart. The rear left-side baggage door would pop open, the cart-puller would toss bags up to the co-pilot, (who had some mental system to load bags according to destination), the co-pilot would jump down, trot to the stairs behind the loaded new passengers, get back into the saddle, #1 engine would crank and fire, and you would taxi off to the runway. The whole think took less than 20 minutes; seemed like10.
Come to think of it, you don't miss that fire drill by much, even with 737s.
Best Regards,
J.B.
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