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Southwest Celebrates 30 Years in PHX

The D Concourse was full of excitement on February 2 as Southwest Airlines marked a very special day in their history – 30 years ago Southwest began service from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

Phoenix City Manager David Cavazos attended the celebration to thank Southwest for their service to Phoenix. “Southwest is an incredible airline, and we thank them for their partnership the past 30 years.”

Southwest Phoenix Station Manager Mike Miller also thanked Phoenix Sky Harbor and the city of Phoenix for their efforts. “The city is the greatest partner to the Airport,” he said.

Travelers on Southwest Airlines on February 2 were in for a surprise as many had no idea that Southwest was celebrating such a milestone. Passengers were treated to cookies and coffee and many remarked how nice it was that Southwest was thanking their customers.

Four Southwest employees were also recognized for their 30 years of service in Phoenix. These individuals are Richard Dart, Ramp Agent, Ellen MacMillan, Customer Service Supervisor, Mike Mcelroy, Operations, and Kevin Valery, Ramp Supervisor. Each was given an Arizona One model aircraft for their hard work and dedication to the airline.

“Southwest is the greatest company I have ever worked for,” Valery said.

Valery and McElroy described their early days at Sky Harbor when Southwest Airlines had just 13 daily nonstop departures to six cities. Back then, operations were out of Terminal 1 and passengers simply walked down the stairs of the aircraft and out onto the tarmac. Things are much different today. Southwest Airlines is one of Sky Harbor’s major carriers, and Phoenix is its third busiest airport with 172 daily nonstop flights to 48 cities. Southwest also has more than 4,000 employees who live and work in the Phoenix area.

Happy Anniversary to Southwest. To see more pictures from the event, visit Facebook or Google +

Above and to the right, City Manager David Cavazos with 30 year employees Richard Dart, Ellen MacMillan, Kevin Valery and Mike Mcelroy.

Published: February 3, 2012