Halloween has always had a special place in the history of Southwest Airlines. Although the exact origins of our Halloween celebrations remain “up in the air,” we would never miss an opportunity to show our Fun-LUVing attitudes by dressing up.
Less than a year after our first flight, several of our Hostesses (now Flight Attendants) even dressed up as bunny rabbits around St. Patrick’s Day and Easter. However, Halloween has always been the day of the year when Employees take the opportunity to show their Spirit.
When Southwest first took to the skies in 1971, the average flyer was a businessman traveling on an expense account, and only a small percentage of the population had ever been on an airplane. Showing our Culture by celebrating Halloween was an early effort to help us “democratize the skies.” A prime example of this was when we opened our sixth market in San Francisco on October 31, 1982. Since it just happened to be Halloween that day, the Employees took the opportunity to turn what used to be a “stuffy corporate event with lots of people in suits” into a chance to show off their favorite costumes.
Let’s take a look back at some Halloweens of the Southwest past. Hope you had a Happy Halloween!
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Herb and Systems Computer Operator Jana Sanders (Check out that rotary phone and [now] vintage ad.)[/caption]
“Ghostly” HOU Flight Attendants Rich Hlinko, Danny Powell, Gus Calvillo
Sylvester & Tweety Bird, A.K.A. PHX Customer Service Supervisors Shirley McGarry and Christine Horneman
MAF Customer Service Agents Katina Gwyn, Nancy Newsom, Andy Carter
CMH Customer Service Agents Bob Baroncinni, Frank Phagan, Bonita Gore, Orrin Nelson, Angie Luther, Kim Kelly, Darrell Fones, Laura McCoy, Kim Rose, and Cindy Kline channeling Star Trek
Flight Attendant Jan Kegly as Elvira
Herb and Systems Computer Operator Jana Sanders (Check out that rotary phone and [now] vintage ad.)[/caption]