I worked at a bank in Amarillo before applying for Southwest Airlines. A friend of mine at the bank told me about the opening. He had heard about it in a local club meeting. I applied, interviewed in AMA, and was sent to Dallas for a second interview that next week. At this point, I still did not know my fate with Southwest, but I felt like the interviews went great. My flight back from Dallas was delayed due to weather and I got back real late, around midnight. I did get the job, so the wait was worth it.
When I started with Southwest, as the AMA Station Accountant, we still had the old NCR machines, with the ticket receipts that we heart-stamped to fly. We also had the first Point Of Sale machine (that never went past AMA), that had the four part passes with red ink in between each copy. AMA seemed to be the “test city” for a lot of new products, including the CS2 system, that we use today.
I have had the opportunity to serve with the local Ronald McDonald House, marketing with our area sales managers, fundraising, and supporting several Community Outreach initiatives: the Adopt a Pilot program, trade show promotions, career days with local high schools, and so many more endeavors.
Southwest has grown tremendously throughout my time here. We have gained an incredible amount of new cities, new employees, new departments, and new airlines (Morris Air, Code Share partners, and now AirTran).
When we acquired Morris Air, my station manager had just moved to LAX. My ex-AMA leader sent me his new Admin for a week of training here in AMA (since she was a former Morris Air employee) and then sent me to LAX for a week of training there. It was a great experience and I’m sure it helped her just getting started with Southwest, and I made a new friend.
Even though I’ve held the same position all these years, I’ve had several different titles and jobs, I’ve had several different leaders, and the job continually changes and brings new people and ideas into my life. I’ve met so many wonderful people here at Southwest and from all over the United States, they will be forever friends. I fully support Southwest Airlines and always tell everyone how proud I am to work here. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished and continue to accomplish each and every year.
Happy Birthday Southwest Airlines! I LUV you so much!!
