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Southwest Airlines Community

A Mechanical Symphony

kkennedy
Explorer C

Have you ever considered how an airline is orchestrated in order to get everything just right?   It doesn’t take much to get an orchestra out of tune or throw it off, and airlines are much the same way.

The Customer Service folks and Flight Attendants are front and center, much like the violin section – they are the most visible and noticeable to everyone.  They seem to get the most attention, and rightfully so since they work directly with our Customers every day.  The Pilots could be considered the rest of the strings, just as harmonious, a bit less visible, but still so important to the harmony. 

And then there are our Maintenance folks.  They remind me of the percussion section of an orchestra.  They aren’t quiet as obvious, but they keep the beat and timing of the music on pace.  It’s amazing how one section can provide so much to keep our planes and Customers in the air. 

The everyday public probably thinks that there are only those Mechanics that are at the stations who jump in to help fix an airplane at the gate when a problem creeps up.  These folks are some of the best at doing what they do.  They need to know how to quickly troubleshoot a problem, then work to get it fixed. 



But there are many more behind the scenes who play a major part of the everyday Maintenance and Safety of our aircraft.  The planes must go through minor checks every seven days to look for issues and top off fluids.  Then there are other required periodic checks that the planes must undergo throughout their lifetime. Our Mechanics inspect the engines in depth, break down interiors to check wiring, and fix any other problems that come up.  These planes are examined from nose to tail to make sure that they are safe for our Customers and Crew.

And there are many more positions within Maintenance that help support our Maintainers.  There are people working to make sure we are in compliance with regulations.  Others pore over tons of reliability data to try to find out if there are trends happening.  Engineers work with Boeing and other vendors to make sure that our aircraft are using the right parts.  Planners work out the details of not only the timing and planning of maintenance, but also plan modifications that will occur over the next few months and years like WiFi and Winglets.

So when you see one of our planes sitting at the gate, realize that a lot of people are looking at those aircraft to make sure they are safe for you to fly.  As you can see, there are many pieces of this orchestra that help to keep the beat of Southwest Airlines going on time and on tempo.

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