Episode 10: The 10-Minute Turn

Most airlines took an hour or more to “turn” their planes, meaning to get them ready to fly again after landing. Southwest Airlines did it in just 10 minutes. The year was 1972, and the fledgling airline realized their only chance for survival was to turn planes faster than anyone had ever done before. At that time, retired Executive Vice President of Daily Operations Greg Wells was a baggage handler for Southwest and in this episode he tells us firsthand what it took to achieve the 10-minute turn safely and with good customer service.

For more stories on Southwest Airlines’ 50 years of flying and a look behind the scenes, check out latimes.com/isthisseatopen