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What a Week—Marking Quite a First Year in Milwaukee!

bhawkins
Explorer A

When Carol Desoto walked off one of our BWI to MKE flights en route to her parent’s 60th wedding anniversary weekend on October 29, she didn’t quite know what had hit her. Sure, she had heard from the Flight Attendants on the inbound flight that Milwaukee’s first-ever "Eight Millionth Passenger" was going to be recognized in a big way. But the TV cameras, the lights, the balloons, and two Southwest tickets she was handed for simply walking into the record books by buying a low-fare and flying her favorite airline, it was something to behold.


It’s been fun to watch so many Coworkers at Southwest also get their first taste of Milwaukee in the year since our first flights landed and took off from General Mitchell International Airport, November 1, 2009.

I was just like them, having imagined one thing and then found something totally different.  Not better, not worse—just different. The bones of heavy industry are still everywhere, framing decades of economic success with impressive monuments to old world architecture. The locals know, however, what everyone else soon feels—energy that is so new, so unbridled. And for Southwest, on the cusp of a new chapter in our history, that promise is equally limitless.

The energy around the airport this week was a lot like that great weekend in which we introduced our Brand and SOUTHWEST SPIRIT to Wisconsin with a tailgate watching party that they’re still talking about!

Besides recognizing the milestone eight millionth Customer (appropriately, she was aboard one of our flights that’s helped generated so much traffic for the airport), our Culture team did their best to make sure everyone felt the LUV. They served food to our Employees and treated them to free chair massages and commemorative photos of the anniversary.

For Customers moving on and off our flights, we had coffee, bagels, and cookies—and a few chair massages, too.

It’s been a great week to look back on how our Employees constantly deliver with great Customer Service everyday at MKE.  Congratulations to you all on a great, first year.  First down and many more to go!

1 Comment
Anonymous2194
Adventurer C
I hadn't flown out of my hometown airport in probably 20 years until LUV came to town. In just the last year I've driven up from the Chicago suburbs probably 6-8 times for round trips out of MKE Gates 52 and 56. Thanks so much for bringing service to the Brew City. And think of the possibilities once the AirTran acquisition is complete!